Day 3 – Kruger National Park: Full Day Safari

Today we got up bright and early for our full day Safari around Kruger National Park (4:45am on holiday was not fun (but SO worth it!)). We arrived just as the park was opening at 6:00am and witnessed the beautiful African sunrise.

 

We rode around in 4x4 trucks (just like the movies) with our very helpful guide, Smart. This guy’s knowledge and eyes were incredible! Even driving around the Park’s unidentifiable labyrinth of roads he saw some lions yards away as we looked across the vast savannahs and he even saw a leopard’s kill – Impala legs just dangling, practically invisible, over a random tree 30 feet away! With the Park’s borders stretching out further than the size of Wales, the guides were incredibly helpful in finding us as many wild animals as possible. We saw four out of the big five:

LOTS of elephants:

Lions (although they were incredibly far away):

Water buffalo which are apparently one of the most dangerous animals as they give absolutely no warning signs when they may charge at you and may even do it unprovoked. Even Smart seemed wary of these guys:

 

White rhinos which we were incredibly lucky to find just on the track’s side. Sometimes they can be almost invisible as their body armour disguises them as rocks so this sighting was extraordinary:

 

Unfortunately we didn’t see a leopard. However they are notoriously difficult to find and may only stick around for about 10 seconds near the road even if one truck does spot one and then radios another in. By the time they arrive, the leopard will have most likely left and may only return hours later. However we did see plenty more animals:

A herd of  giraffes who crossed the road right in front of us!

 

 

 

 

Lots of Burchell's Zebras (which are distinctive due to the brown markings as well as the usual black and white stripes of other types of zebra):

 

Baboons which were incredibly funny to watch and there were even some babies:

 

 

A fish eagle:

Hornbills – a very rare thing to see in Kruger as they only lay one egg every 9 years and the trees with their nests are often bulldozed by elephants or eggs are stolen by monkeys:

 

Plenty of Impala (type of antelope) – often called the pigeons of Kruger because there are so many of them!

 

 

We also saw a Kudu (another yet rarer type of antelope and are the only animal where their horns curl twice):

 

 

A few crocodiles basking in the sun near the lagoon:

 

 

These were joined by some hippos:

We also found a wildebeest grazing quietly alone:

 

And a hyena just lounging in the shade near the roadside as the 2:00pm sun hit the desert-like vegetation – goodness knows what it would have been like in Summer where locals say the temperature can often hit over 40°C. For us it was around 23°C which was perfect (yes that’s their winter’s day in Kruger). However in the morning it truly was bitterly cold – around 2-3°C where we needed 6 layers to keep us warm!).

 

Overall it was an absolutely mind blowing day! One that will never be forgotten – just unbelievable!

 

 

 

Day 2 – Travelling to Kruger National Park

We woke early this morning to get ready for the 9 and a half hour drive to Kruger National Park. On the way we were absolutely indulged by the magnificent African scenery. It felt as though a blanket of golden grasses had been laid over the landscape for us to marvel at.

 
 

 

We also had our first glimpses of ‘real’ wildlife: we saw two ostriches and a herd of water buffalo just as we were coming into a local village for a rest and a bite to eat.

After a quick salad we were back on the road but this time saw the other side to this country (and many other African countries) – the poverty. On the road to Kruger it didn’t go on for as long as other places I will mention yet it was enough to be more than merely ‘noticeable’. The small shanty shack communities these people live in are just awful – absolutely tiny with only one room for a whole family. The locals also told us that some people’s average wage is 70 rand or less a day which to you and me is around £4 for a full day’s work – when you consider the cost of food, clothes, blankets, water (in some cases) and school this very quickly diminishes which really shows the viscous circle of poverty that these poor people are trapped in.

About an hour away from our hotel we stopped for a rest at the breath taking Blyde River Canyon. It was totally spectacular, stretching so far as to make it the 3rd largest canyon in the world. It’s 26km long and is 800m deep in some places – it was amazing to see such a wonderful natural beauty.

 

 

 

Once we arrived at the beautiful Hippo Hollow we unpacked and headed to the local restaurant that was a part of the hotel. The food was excellent and offered us even more unusual dishes to try. I had crocodile skewers to start which were (and I’m not just saying this) delicious. It’s difficult to describe the taste and texture but I’d say it was like the texture and flavour of scallops combined with chicken – I know it sounds bizarre but it was in fact sensational and I had the same the next  night since they were so scrummy.

For my main I tried an Ostrich steak which I didn’t enjoy as much the crocodile – it was quite tough and too smoky for my liking but that may have been down to its cooking rather than its actual flavour.

To finish the day off we found out exactly how Hippo Hollow got its name. Located on a river which links right into Kruger National Park, at around 9:00pm we were visited by some hippos! They came into view just as we were finishing our meal – right bellow the small balcony of the restaurant and honestly, these guys were HUGE! They came so close you could actually see marks on their backs where they’d had territorial fights. I almost forgot that they are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa as they grazed peacefully along the river bank.

 

We then said good bye to the hippos and went off to bed for an early night’s sleep so we’d be bright and fresh for the next morning’s early safari!

 

SENSATIONAL SOUTH AFRICA!

For the past two weeks I have been travelling around South Africa for the holiday of a lifetime! I experienced so many adventures including safaris around Kruger National Park; whale watching in Hermanus (the world’s best on shore whale watching location); wine tasting in Stellenbosch; meeting ancestors of Zulu warriors to riding on the back of a real African elephant! (But more about that later). In order to properly divulge each detail and story properly I’m going to release a day-by-day account of my travels to give you a true feel for South Africa. Hope you enjoy!

Day 1 – Arrival to Johannesburg

After the exhausting 11 and a half hour flight from Heathrow, we finally arrived at Johannesburg Airport. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to investigate the country’s capital as we went straight to the Apartheid museum. In hindsight this could have been a bit heavy for a first day but was so emotional that we hardly noticed the fatigue. The museum created a fantastic interactive experience as each ticket separated guests as either “white” or “non-white” which segregated you and your other party members as it would have done in the terrible Apartheid years. A person’s ‘race’ in those days seemed to be as changeable as this random ticket allocation – a person could change from “black” to “coloured” (mixed-race), “white” to “black” not only because of race (which was what was used to determine your style of life and social status) but also took into account your job; wages; size of your family; where you lived; medical health and even your social circles could leave you one day as being “coloured” and the next “black”.

 The Nelson Mandela exhibit also proved fascinating – particularly due to recent events. We walked round and saw how he battled for equality – peaceful then violent, patient (beyond belief!) until finally negotiating the equality he’d fought for for so long. As we continued through the Apartheid exhibits we were all shocked by the animalistic viewpoints of horrible early European settlers. They treated natives as not even inferiors – almost “animals” to “train” – as we watched (horrified) speeches from European politicians as they brought in the disgusting Apartheid regime. The regime turned the country into one of signs as everything from housing estates; banks; shops to public bathrooms was segregated. The museum also hosted a long wall of protest posters – one of the most shocking things I felt was how long it took to get rid of Apartheid (not until the 1990’s) – it absolutely disgusted me. One thing that did please me however was the museum’s slogan: “Apartheid is exactly where it belongs – in a museum” – I couldn’t agree more!

After a quick relax and freshen up in our hotel suites we went to the local restaurant for dinner – “Chief Bomma’s”. We were absolutely delighted by the plentiful buffet filled with intriguing local cuisine.

From wildebeest to warthog and even kudu (a type of large antelope), as well as plenty of salad and spicy stews, the buffet was sensational particularly as the meat was cooked on a hot stone right in front of us.

 I found wildebeest a bit tough but had a very similar flavour to beef and warthog to be more tender but a bit too fatty to go back for more. However, the kudu was absolutely delicious – it had a wonderfully smoky flavour and was very tasty. To compliment the beautiful food, we were delighted by some local musicians who truly set in the African fever making it the perfect first night in South Africa.

Culinary Perfection: Café Des Amis

Follow the page on Twitter here

Check out the page on Google+

 

Restaurant review of Café Des Amis

This week I had the joy of spending the evening in one of London’s top French restaurants: Café Des Amis. Situated in the heart of London (Covent Garden), the classically French restaurant delivered modern style, elegance as well as sublime flavours throughout.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was busy yet not crowded – just a comforting social buzz as soft background music permeated through the restaurant. Our waiter was outstandingly attentive with our glasses constantly refilled and our meals arriving in record time.

 The restaurant presented an extensively delectable menu which made my decision near impossible with so many temptations on offer. However in the end I chose “wild mushroom risotto, rocket, truffle oil” (£9.00). This turned out to be a wonderfully light risotto – delicately balancing the pepperiness of the fresh rocket with the abundant wild mushrooms – superb!

For my main I had “roast rump of lamb, buttered green beans, fondant potato, lamb jus” (£24.50). This divine dish was certainly the star of my meal. As the meaty aroma wafted itself in my direction I knew the dish would be good but didn’t realise it would be excellent until my first mouthful. Wow! The lamb was cooked to utter perfection – wonderfully tender with a gorgeously subtle rosemary undertone as it was soaked in the gentle jus. The aldente green beans, although simple, were glorious and added a good dash of texture to the dish. These complimented well with the fondant potato – another element cooked to perfection – wonderfully buttery yet still firm – an elegant compliment to this refined dish.

For my desert I had “Crêpe des Amis, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream” (£7.50). The crêpe was perhaps a little thicker than I was expecting but was none the less gorgeous with a wonderful crisp edge to offset its slightly thicker texture. This was a sublime combination as it was accompanied by fresh strawberries and dark chocolate sauce. My mouth is honestly watering just thinking about this meal, let alone when I was actually enjoying it.

Overall, a wonderful night out and I’m sure I will be returning soon to delight my taste buds again at this luxuriously fabulous French restaurant –délicieux!

Pictures: http://www.cafedesamis.co.uk/ + Own editing on Paint; Own taken in restaurant (11-14 Hanover Place, (off Long Acre), Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9JP ) 

Check out the page on Google+