Tuesday, April 08, 2008

rest and relaxation

i've taken some time off. during this time i went to the blyde river and the kruger park. both were great. so as a break from my usual blogging, here are a few photos. the above photo is of a baobab in mopani camp.


a panoramic view from mopani camp





i have never before seen an albino buffalo, but here is one. i suspect it will soon be lion food


















blyde river has a number of tufa waterfalls. this is a beautiful one falling into a turquoise pool.














an elephant skull.




















moments after this photo, the elephant did a mock charge. he pulled up about 5 meters from the car. a moment of mild stress.














a nice side view of a lone bull
















a lion print near punda maria














and another



















and a last photo. it is a bit far in the distance, but this is apparently the biggest tusker alive today (in the world). zoom in and check out his 2 meter tusks.

12 comments:

ditzydoctor said...

gorgeous photos!!!!! :D
i hope you'd a wonderful time :)

rlbates said...

Yes, lovely photos! How much does that elephant skull weigh? It look heavy.

Bongi said...

rlbates, i don't know but the tusks on the last elephant are estimated about 70kg each.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing! It looks like a wonderful vacation.

Sid Schwab said...

it's always nice to take a paws from work.

Dreaming again said...

Thank you thank you thank you for the elephant pics!!!

make mine trauma said...

So that's where you were.....

The elephant skull looks so alien to me, all I am accostomed to is canine, feline, and equine.

Refreshing retreat I hope. Welcome back.

make mine trauma said...

ooops! accustomed

Devorrah said...

Thanks for the great photos! I live in California, and my best friends are South African. They really miss the bush. They messed up my kid forever, though, by exposing them to your weird way of pronouncing "zebras" (short e instead of long e). And don't get me started about "torches (flashlights), "boots" (trunks)"dummies" (pacifiers) and "nappies" (diapers, for chrissakes). We wipe our mouths with napkins here!
Love your blog, and welcome back. (-:

Jayne said...

I've always found the KNP to be a great place to 'chill', especially in stressful times. I've stayed in Mopani & Punda Maria camps, but my all time favourite is Berg en Dal. Thanks for bring back some wonderful memories :-)

Anonymous said...

Nogal gewonder wat het van jou geword. Ook 'n oomblik van 'mild stress' gehad toe ek gedink het jy blog dalk nie meer nie. Welkom terug!

Amanzi Down Under said...

Emigration is sometimes hard. I find myself downloading pictures of the Kruger and remembering the sounds and smells. It's incredible how one can actually ache inside when removed from the land. I'll be sure to visit on my next trip "home".