18 July 2014 –
One glorious sunrise:
Croydon's dad also enjoying the morning:
Walking to breakfast:
Yummy breakfast!!!
The beautiful sunshine:
The kids enjoying breakfast:
On the road….we're heading to Pilanesberg National Park:
We're here!
Once we entered through the gate= Time to Keep Your Eyes Wide Open! There could be animals…anywhere. And everywhere.
So… far there aren't many animals. Croydon asked the drivers of a passing vehicle for any unusual animal sightings. Turns out, a pride of lions took down a baby giraffe not too far from our location. Let's go find the lions!
As you might have guessed, we're not the only ones that want to see these lions (lionnesses). Croydon is jockeying for a position to view them but not everyone is acting very courtesously. At one point while we were waiting for a closer look we saw a kid sticking out his head from one of the vehicles ahead of us. Yikes! That kid was very fortunate that the lions already had full tummies as otherwise he might have been lunch!!!
A LION! A real, honest-to-goodness LION!!!!
While I would have loved to continue watching these lions eating and chilling out – we've got other places and animals to see!
There are a few stops where we can get out of the car and walk into a shielded shelter close to watering holes:
Watching birds from the blind:
Hippos off in the distance:
Lunch break…. at this cafe:
I ordered a lunch to go without looking around the facility. Well!!!! Out behind the facility- check out the animals also taking a lunch break:
It's a giraffe surrounded by warthogs:
I did end up buying a Pilanesberg Map & Guide Book – to help us identify all the animals we're seeing at the gift shop.
I think these creatures might be wildebeasts:
Zebras:
Trying to crack nuts in the parking lot:
At two different points during our drive we saw elephants. The first time it was too far away to get an acceptable photos which is a bummer as about three or four elephants (with one baby elephant) shooed away two rhinos.
The second time we saw elephants was just ahead of our vehicle. Best to stay faaaaaarrrr away from them. Wow! Can those animals move fast or what! They just passed in front of our car and they're now nearly out of viewing range! That was FAST!
Minutes later…barely a view of the fast paced elephants:
A giraffe:
Inside another blind:
These animals came down the watering hole for a drink:
Another giraffe:
Rhinos!!!
ZEBRAS!!!
Hippos off in the distance:
Ostriches:
Well, I would call that a successful day!
Time to head back to our lodgings for the night.
A view from the road- unfinished houses waiting for their owners:
The kids…being kids!
The sun is setting and we've got two fires lit in two different fireplaces (in front of our cabin). Croydon and his dad are getting ready grill up a bunch of meat that we bought the previous day. We're going to have a proper braai!!! (South African BBQ). Debbie and I are working on getting the veggies prepared….the grocery store did most of the work for us. 🙂
It's just nice to sit and watch the fire…
The kids have been in our cabin and they claim there is a strange, fluttering noise inside our cabin. Uh oh. I walked in and sure enough there is SOMETHING in our room! Debbie- without any fear at all- walked into our cabin with a plastic bag and captured the culprit…A BAT!!! (there are a couple of gaps in the roof/ceiling). Want to see it???
Debbie is my hero!!! Thank you for capturing this little beasty. Now the girls and I can sleep well…knowing that the bat is gone.
WHAT A DAY!!! I don't know about you but I'm exhausted! It's been yet another day filled with so many wonders I never thought I'd get to see in my life. Thank you Debbie and Croydon (and Croydon's parents) for a wonderful and fun day.
PS. The girls are already begging to go back to South Africa. Apparently the bat didn't scare them away!!! LOL.