Day 14: Tsitsikamma to Addo Elephant National Park, Sept 10

Day 14: Tsitsikamma to Addo Elephant National Park, Sept 10

HAPPY B’DAY SAM (96!!)

QOTD:

They tell me that our brothers over there

Are defyin' the Man.

We don't know for sure because the news we get

Is unreliable, man.

Weather: Cool, sunny at Jeffrey’s Bay beach, overcast at Addo, no wind  

Dept of Corrections: Bush bok spotted in Storms River, not blue duiker

No buffet breakfast at Cattle Baron, THB has eggs over easy, bacon, sausage, grilled tomato, cooked mushrooms, and toast, the other 3 have muesli (really granola) with yogurt and fruit, 2 coffees, 1 tea, $34.

Best truck display on entire trip

Terrorist fills up?

Drive up and out of the gorgeous scenery, stop in Jeffrey’s Bay for a look at what is really an LA style beach (lots of sand, miles of beach, pretty surf) and enjoy chocolate cookies (from Neighbourgood Market) and drinks, 

and then drive through Port Elizabeth to Addo Elephant Park. Near the park we see: ostriches, zebras, and one vervet monkey in the road.

After registering, we sign up for the sundown tour ($38pp with a drink) that leaves at 4pm and the sunrise tour ($25pp, no drinks) that leaves tomorrow at 5:45am. We’ve got time for lunch at the Cattle Baron (they have the concessions here too): two salads, one chicken burger (DB) and one fish and chips (THB, not in the same class as the Salty Dog), $32.

Now for something entirely different!

The trip can now be divided into two parts: Before Addo and After Addo.

Warthog

Before Addo: ocean, ocean, and more ocean, plus a few days in the high desert chasing wildflowers.

M and nearby elephant

After Addo: animals, some very large, some very scary, some very fast, most very used to humans.

The Sunset tour includes: elephants, lions, warthogs, kudu, eland, zebra, red hartebeest, and birds (and one frog, being eaten by a heron).

We’re on an open “bus” led by one of the local guides. On the way to a large watering hole, we see kudu (they are the symbol on the SA National Parks logo), and at the water we see lots of elephants including infants  (strolling right by the bus), slow and methodical, and a warthog feeding on his knees (our farmer friends say that some sheep feed the same way).

Lion tracks

As we tour the electric fence of the park (it is immense, so this is just a small part), we pick up the paw prints of two lions (yes, THB has become your ace animal tracker in less than 30 minutes) and roam around finally spotting the two males.

Brothers

Resting up

Brothers in sleep

This is a sunset tour complete with drinks (red wine for DB, though she ordered white she was happy to have the red, it is pretty cold in the wind of an open bus at dusk) and THB has dry cider.

In between, and sometimes off in the distance, we see more game and birds. One set of self-focussing binocs and one camera make for an effictive combo for the two of us. Plus, D sees things ther rest of us cannot (even with good eyes), a big asset.

Back at 6:15, exhilarated!

Dinner at Catte Baron: green salad with bacon and parmesan and without feta for THB, butternut squash and beet salad for DB, line fish of the day for M, venison stew in traditional pot for D, an unpredictable shiraz and coffee and a liqueur, $64.