A Couple Vagabonds…

African Mysteries

Eventually, our departure day dawned. We faced a nearly six-hour flight to Newark where we would connect with a 16 hour flight to Johannesburg. There was a four-hour layover between our flights which made our travel time a robust twenty-six hours. This had the quality of a pilgrimage and not a vacation. In New Jersey we connected with two friends from Seattle who we had met on a previous trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Jack and Jean were the most serious world travelers we knew. It was hard to mention a spot on the globe they hadn’t seen in person. It was a comfort to have two friends with us and their experience always added to our confidence. As we settled into our airplane seats, the trip certainly seemed to begin on an auspicious note.

We landed in Johannesburg at OR Tambo airport on the afternoon of September 11, 2022. We were at the ragged edge of exhaustion from our flights but there would be little time to recover. We were scheduled to fly again early the next morning. This flight was to Hoedspruit where we boarded a bus to our first camp located just West of Kruger National Park. The Shiduli Lodge offered amenities that proved to be standard in our subsequent camps: tented sites sporting mosquito netting with cans of insecticides and emergency airhorns bedside. Bathrooms were indoors and included a shower…pretty posh. The tents were aligned on either side of a main structure that served as a meeting place, cafeteria and lounge area that featured a well-stocked bar. All of our camps were comfortable and relatively safe. Safety was relative because each camp had different challenges with local wildlife.

After a brief orientation that included the admonition to never walk alone – or after dark – anywhere on the site, we were served tea and led to safari vehicles for our first game drive.

We ventured out into the Karongwe Game Reserve with Charlie at the wheel and Peter in the spotter’s chair at the front of a beefy safari vehicle. We bounced through a herd of impala to the magical dance of African wildlife. The first day views of impala, elephants, baboons and other creatures were astounding for their novelty and unpredictability. We were not in Kansas anymore. Both Peter and Charlie were a tourist’s delight; they enhanced the experience with wit and obvious expertise. Their pride in Africa was infectious and motivating…we were energized and ready to enjoy the safari experience. Both men knew their jobs down to the Latin names of insects, birds and flora. We learned something about everything that scurries around. They spoke English flawlessly much to our relief. They set a great tone on ride number one…a tone that proved to carry us throughout the entire trip.

Back at the lodge, we had a chance to connect with our fellow travelers for the first time since our frantic arrival. We met a financial consultant, ex-teachers, two retired doctors, small business owners and a veteran of the publishing industry. The group was as diverse and interesting as the critters in the bush. This group looked good and promised fun and engagement.

We finally called it a day and retired to room 3. We were serenaded – without pause – by a chorus of frogs that provided the soundtrack for our entire stay. Their zesty croaking was so continuous that one wit quipped that the frog song was actually a continuous loop on a tape machine that was hidden somewhere on the grounds.

By day three at Karongwe we had seen the Big 5, including the rhinos that had been dehorned for their safety. A “game preserve” is by definition, stocked with wildlife as lodge owners are incentivized to have every guest get the Big 5 experience. For some, these sightings are the measure of a successful trip and we didn’t care that the animals we sighted might have been placed to insure our satisfaction. We were satisfied, indeed.

A memorable dinner of “potjekos” (a traditional African stew) was served under the stars. Potjekos was a combination of carrots, potatoes, cauliflower and meat steamed in a broth on an open fire and the featured meat in our stew was warthog. Unlike a common stew, potjekos is never stirred; it is allowed to rest on the coals until it is ready to eat. Warthog does not “taste like chicken” in spite of the fact that the old line was used everytime we ate something new.

We were introduced to an event that became a standard practice on our evening drives in the bush. The “sundowner” was done on the second game drive of the day as near to dusk as possible. The safari vehicle was parked in a spot that Peter and Charley had scouted for safety. The sundowner began with the unstrapping of a large cooler stuffed with beers, wine, waters and soda. Biscuits and muffins followed and we socialized for twenty minutes – or so – as the fabulous African sunset served as a backdrop. We looked forward to the sundowner, it was the perfect end to every day in the bush. Our four days at the Shiduli Lodge in Hwange had a rhythm of their own as each day featured two game drives, a daily rest in the hot hours of the afternoon, topped with a sundowner after the day’s second game drive.

On one of our drives, Linda got her first “elephant kiss.” We had pulled to the side of the road when a large bull elephant decided to have a closer look at us. The massive animal was suddenly inches from Linda’s face. Peter was quick with advice, telling Linda to freeze and not to scream. Somehow Linda was able to remain silent and immobile while she was checked out. This was the first of many close encounters.

We left Shiduli and flew back to Johannesburg to pick up a new set of travelers that would join us on the next leg of our tour in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana.