Close Encounters

During the last tour, we encountered this "busy" family of baboons in the Kruger National Park - whilst I did my best to "include" the adults grooming each other, I mostly concentrated on the shenanigans the cute little baby baboon revealed.

As those "following" my blog-entries know, one of my aims in life is to photograph as many different bird species as I can find, so I always get excited when I "meet" a new "specimen" - but that was also the case when I had the opportunity to get my first clear visuals of a rather rare species - Samango monkeys! I realised I had snapped one of them before at the Hilltop camp in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve when I downloaded my photos at home and noticed that it didn't have the distinctive black face associated with the far more common Vervet monkey. It wasn't a very "clear" photo though but after this latest "visual" I'm happy to add a new specimen to my photo-collection. [If you click on the photo to enlarge it you'll "find" a youngster well-camouflaged to the left of the adult monkey].

Since I've "developed an eye" for smaller creatures (because I'm constantly on the lookout for "hidden" birds) I discovered this tiny Dwarf mongoose at the roadside in the Kruger National Park. Typically curious the little fellow stood upright to "survey" his environment. [Unfortunately it isn't too clear a visual but it does "give a good idea" that other creatures than e.g. the BIG 5 are around in the wilderness].


As all visitors to Kruger National Park know there are usually "masses" of birds like hornbills and Glossy starlings "present" (sometimes also Vervet monkeys) in the various camps - but at one of our "stop-overs" we encountered this handsome young bushbuck.



As if to say it's even more handsome than a bushbuck, we had a "close encounter" with this young kudu male.





At St.Lucia (= UNESCO World Heritage Site) in KwaZulu-Natal, we were, during a boat trip, "presented" with this visual of a crocodile basking in the sun at the edge of the lagoon.


On to a really close encounter with the giants of the oceans - Southern Right whales, which we were privileged to experience during a boat trip in the bay of Gansbaai.



The whales were so close and occasionally, it appeared as if they were as interested in us than we were amazed by them - this whale seems to "invite" us to stroke it - that's how close (and calm) it was.


Some of the birds we encountered during this trip are "on the menu" for my next blog-entry, so here's a taste of what's to come:

A Helmeted guineafowl, which is a common resident all over SA and which I snapped in the Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden (Cape Town) because it represented a "close encounter".

Nature Unfolds

I wasn't able to "post" anything for a week because our land-line (telephone) was "cut" (= probably sabotaged) because the employees of the one-and-only telephone provider in our country are on strike. But ...... I'm back "on-line" so here are more photos (as promised) taken during the recent tour = an overview.

The last "intimate" encounter with the most northerly "reaches" of the Drakensberg

[For more on the Panorama Route SEE my blog-entry 19 April 2008 ]



Next stop: Kubu (= Hippo) Lodge in the Hoedspruit area, run & owned by a resourceful couple (= represented by the cute hippo-couple in their garden??)






A typical Lowveld sunset







On to the rolling hills of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal, where watching nature unfold is "on par" with game spotting.



The petrified dunes at St. Lucia always form
an interesting backdrop = a paradise for photographers of landscapes.

[For more on this UNESCO World Heritage Site, SEE: my blog-entry 20 April 2008]




Sunrise over North Beach in Durban - as observed through a window of our hotel.






A view of Gansbaai from Grootbos - a haven in nature, with whale-watching "on the menu".






Getting "kitted" for the said whale-watching by boat.

More of what we encountered [Also SEE: previous blog-entry] will "be revealed" in the next "posting".



Last but not least - a glorious sunset over the bay as seen from Grootbos (with Hangklip in the background).

Big 6 Plus

Whilst most of the guests I guided through South Africa during the last 2 weeks are still on their way home (after flying back to Germany, Austria or Switzerland) I'm already posting some of the photos we "shared" during this trip [CLICK on photos to enlarge].

Today is "dedicated" to what is being marketed as the BIG 6 in SA - the BIG 5 plus the whale - all of which we hoped to encounter during this tour.......

...... PLUS a cheetah - which was the first wild animal we saw when entering the Kruger National Park. Unfortunately we didn't have the chance to get a good "photo-visual" because a man in a car behind our bus got out of the vehicle (!!! to our disgust) & this move frightened the 2 cheetah we originally saw. As a result the cheetah ran away & we only got a "so-so" visual of one cheetah.




Number 1 of the "real" BIG 5 is the elephant - although it wasn't the first animal we saw.






In actual fact the first of the BIG 5 which we encountered were 2 lions on the prowl - it was an exciting moment even if it were 2 females & a more "handsome" male was missing. We certainly had good visuals of them as this photo of a lioness 'serves' as proof.


Next in line & soon after, we "discovered" this leopard in a tree concentrating on some impalas, which were grazing blissfully unaware of any danger lurking in the vicinity.




The occupants in our open safari-vehicle were also "blessed" with this sighting of a couple of old buffalo bulls.





Before the day ended we "clocked" the BIG 5 once we found these 2 'lazy' rhino lying on the ground - 1 in the shade of a small tree whilst the other one in the sun was better camouflaged (= not as easily visible as the 'darker' shape). So our day in the Kruger National Park was very "successful". [I'll soon "post" photos of some of the other animals we also encountered = other than the BIG 5].


A few days later we were even more lucky when we sighted a Black rhino in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Although this park is "famous" for its rhino, visitors seldom encounter this notoriously shy animal.








In contrast visitors usually encounter some of the more numerous White rhino - but again, less seldom a female & its newborn, which we were lucky to observe (unfortunately these last 2 visuals aren't the clearest of photos, because it was late in the day = quite dark).


Last but NOT least - number 6 (of the so-called BIG 6) = whales!! We encountered these Southern Right whales during a boat trip in the bay of Gansbaai [I'll soon post more photos of these giants of the oceans].

So: during this tour we had the luck to encounter the largest mammal on land (= the elephant) & the largest mammal living in the sea (= a whale).

Nelson Mandela Day

So as to "stick" with the South-African-theme, as one of the new visitors to this blog recommended: "it's strange to find photos from Germany, etc. [See: previous 2 blog entries] on your blog, which otherwise is dedicated to photos taken in SA" - I've decided to do just that again.



Yet today I'm saying au revoir, because I'll be "off-air" until August 1 (= going on tour again) BUT before I leave, I'd like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Madiba for tomorrow, 18 July - which apparently will be celebrated internationally each year from now on as Nelson Mandela Day. So the 46664 campaign (pronounced: four double six, six four - which was his number as prisoner on Robben Island) is in "full swing" once more.

Travel Workshop

I didn't fly to Europe only to visit with family & friends - in actual fact, I didn't even plan such a visit this year [SEE: previous blog-entry]. But when I received an invitation from Studiosus (the company I mainly work for as a free-lance tourist guide) to participate in a "workshop", I gladly accepted. So today I'm sharing a few photos, which I snapped along this week-long tour to mainly Slovenia (& after the whistle-stop tour of Germany = previous blog-entry).

After crossing the border from Austria, we stopped in Bled (Slovenia) - famous for its glacial lake & an iconic castle on a rock overlooking the lake. There's a small island in the centre of the lake - home to the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church, which can be reached on a traditional wooden row-barge called pletna.



Next stop: Ljubljana - the capital & largest city of Slovenia. Located in the centre of the country, it's regarded as the country's cultural, scientific, economic, political & admin. centre since independence in 1991. We explored the historical main centre & visited the busy market.



On to Piran - a small coastal resort situated on the "tip" of a peninsula (or istria) & our "base" for 5 days whilst becoming familiar with more of the surrounding points of interest = tourist attractions.


A panoramic view over the small town of Piran known for its rich cultural heritage, & with the remains of a castle on a hill visible in the background.




On one of many excursions, we visited the Skocjan Caves, since 1986 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's a unique underground gorge with many vast chambers of 11 interconnected caves, natural bridges, sinkholes, marvelous stalagtites & stalagmites of different colours, stone curtains & a river flowing through it all. There are as many as 7 000 caves in Slovenia - but are they all as breathtakingly beautiful as the cave at Skocjan?

We also crossed the border into Italy to visit & explore Trieste - where I was mostly fascinated by the architecture. I didn't "recognise" Trieste as a 'miniature' Venice, but it has a charm of its own.


On our way back to Munich, we stopped at the Miramare Castle, built by Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian & his wife, Charlotte of Belgium - also emperor & empress of Mexico. The castle is situated on the Gulf of Trieste in n-e Italy, & the castle grounds include a 22ha seashore park with many tropical trees & plants.



Just as I observed in Germany [SEE: previous blog-entry] lions were to be seen everywhere - a lion with "lip-ring"? (Ha-ha)








There was also a Slovenian "version" of (our SA) Kelp gull - just as I had discovered a German version of our SA Moorhen!! This gull - almost identical to our version (size, etc), with only a slight difference in the colour of the legs/feet.

And then there were the magnificent Lipizzan horses on the stud-farm at Lipica - said to be the home of all the Lipizzan horses in the world! Here the tradition of breeding & selecting pure Lipizzans is alive for over 400 years.


After the Second World War, Lipica developed its own Classical Riding School (NOT to be confused with the Spanish Riding School in Vienna NOR the affiliated South African Lipizzaner Riding School at Kyalami).



During a privately guided tour of the stables, I found these 2 stallions "eyeing" me - a "worthy" opportunity for a photo.









As if amused by it all, this Lipizzaner revealed amusement - or was it contempt?







Is this a case of: "Anything you can do, I can do better"??

OR is it a special send-off?



I certainly had fun & visiting the horses at Lipica was a very special occassion!!

Whistle-Stop Tour completed

"Doing" Germany in 6 days is quite an accomplishment! So instead of my customary photos taken somewhere in our beautiful country (to which I'm always happy to return), I'm going to share today some of what I saw & admired whilst overseas.


As most visitors do when in Munich, you head for the Marienplatz with the Rathaus (= city hall) & it's famous "Glockenspiel" (lasting about 12 min).




Next "stop" - Hannover (where I was born) & where I was fascinated all over again by the Fachwerkhaus (= half-timbered house) building style.



More beautiful Fachwerk-houses in Hildesheim (from where, many years ago, my parents emigrated with us to South Africa).







On to Berlin where, I believe, the Gedaechtniskirche (= Memorial Church) at the Kurfuerstendamm is one of the most "recognisable" icons in the city.....









..... as I believe is the case with the Brandenburger Tor.







Coming from Africa, I'm accustomed to lions but strangely, these wild animals "feature" all over Europe where they seem to have iconic status, although they are often represented as "monuments" (apart from being kept in various Zoos).

As many of my blog entries "testify" I'm fanatic with regard to photographing birds - so "meeting" these 2 baby birds was an exciting moment for me. Unfortunately I couldn't identify them as I'm mostly able to do back home in South Africa.


I also discovered the European "version" of our (SA) Moorhen swimming amongst Swans in the lake at the Nymphenburg palace (in Munich).





As if it "sensed" my interest in discovering how the European version is different to our Moorhen, it displayed its features to me during a ballet-like balancing act - so I could gratefully "snap" the occasion.