Starting a new thread as it is best to keep each group separate as otherwise it will get too long.

Good morning from Hermanus! There is just one other couple here besides U.S. and we didn't see them until dinner last night. Nice couple from Oxford, UK. We arrived at about noon. Corrine walked us through the property and then to our room. Shortly after we had a wonderful lunch by the big windows facing the ocean.

The power went off as we where having pre-dinner drinks with the Oxford couple and made dinner quite romantic with candles everywhere. Delicious food. But today, as Alice says: "all our rowdy friends arrive"!!! YAY!!!

We are going sea kayaking today at 11:30. Turn down service last night had our "excursion" card with info for weather and meeting time.

Room 2 is spectacular! It has been remodeled to make it bigger. But still has the same fabulous corner view.

There are "rowdy" people on LCT?? Hmmmm didn't know that. Have a great time, looking forward to group 2 Zebramail.

Hi Kim, You and Alice certainly do have an amazing view. Enjoy it all!

Birkenhead is simply spectacular. Enjoy!!

Well the rowdy people have arrived. La residence greeted us with perfect weather and great food. We had a great stay and now are at lovely Birkenhead House.
Just four more to arrive later on today after their Cape Point tour.

Rachel and George arrived just a few minutes earlier than we did.

Wonderful lunch. Started with prawns and then a fish that was described as gamey and fishy. I took the plunge anyway and it was the best piece of fish I have had so far in South Africa. I guess those words mean something different in South Africa. Kim and Alice joined us after their kayaking tour

The charming Shane is here and those ladies who have visited before will appreciate what he adds to the experience. Sitting At Birkenhead looking and listening to the ocean, life is good.

Yes, we have arrived. After our LONG flight. Qatar airlines is wonderful in business class, but it still was long. We had our first ever 787 flight. The plane is very modern and super clean as it is brand new. But I thought the seats were narrow, and I am not a large person. George agreed, but that said, I got some good sleep.

Birkenhead house is amazingly beautiful, and lunch was just scrumptious. I passed on the gamey and fishy fish. Had prawns and an artichoke salad instead. Then George and I took a long walk on the walkway that goes along the beach. Of course, George had to go off road, so my feet got wet.

Got to meet Alice and Kim. Jerry and Helen, Barbara and Alex arrive this evening.

Room 2 at BH

The entirety of group 2 has finely come together! JoAnn, hugs to your peeps have been delivered!

The sea kayaking Alice and I did was a lot of fun, but apparently not as good as Maddy and Paul had. But we know you cannot control nature.

Alice and I ended up "off roading" a bit too this afternoon as our 50 minute walk east along the beach lost ground to the in coming tide on our return walk.

We had a delishous dinner and are now chilling out before our early morning wake up call for the shark cage excursion in the morning!

Thanks Kim for delivering those hugs to our peeps. Can;t wait for more from all of you. Have fun on that shark excursion.

So happy that ya'll are having such a great time. We're loving reading the safari mail. Keep up the good times.

George ordered ostrich for dinner last night. I had a bite. Good flavor, like very lean beef, but VERY chewy. Let's just say a little goes a long ways. I had sole which was very good. We were really tired, so hit the sack right after dinner.

Up early for our shark tour. Originally we were to depart at 7:00, so I set the alarm for 5:30. Helen and Barbara both tried to call us to let us know the time had changed to 7:45, on both of our cell phones as well as our room phone. But George and I both refused to answer the phone as we figured no one should be calling us in South Africa. So we didn't get the message. When no one was eating breakfast at 6:45, we figured something was up. But breakfast was sure good.

Shark swimming was interesting. Not really my thing as I hate cold water, so Helen stayed on the boat and just watched. We had a great view of everything. Highlight was when a shark grabbed the decoy in his mouth rigt in front of Jerry and me and ripped off its rope. He let got when he figured out it wasn't a fish, but the boat guys had to retrieve it without getting in the water , which was interesting.

On the way back to the hotel, we saw 2 baboons on a roof. Of course, they ran off as soon as George tried to take their picture.

After lunch (coconut calamari and caprese salad for me), Barbara, Alex, Alice, George, and I went for a hike tip the ridge behind the hotel. Good views and lots of pretty wild flowers.

Bad photo, I know. I'm posting with my iPhone, but did not want to take it in the shark cage excursion. This photo is a picture of the screen of my little point and shoot camera,



Eight of us had a great time! Helen's foursome, Rachel, George, Alice and me. The weather started out iffy, but cleared up nicely. The marine biologist on board said we had 11 sharks and that the activity (breaching and all that) was the best they have seen for awhile. A very special day!
Ngaire arranged for dinner to be buffet style which kept the meal from going on too long since we are up and out early tomorrow to head to the bush!.

Edit -- it was actually better shark viewing from the boat than in the cage. But still an exilierating experience being in the cage and seeing the great whites eye to eye,

Here's one Helen's sister Barbara got with her iPhone! Wished I'd taken mine.

We have arrived at lion sands. Amazing room. First game drive this evenng.

It is hot! About 90 right now.

First game drive of our lives! Lion sands river lodge. Notes I took of what we saw:

Impala herd- male chasing off young male
Crested Franklin
Yellow billed horn bill
Kudo
Nyala
African wide back vulture
Batalia eagle big
Stork
Marabou stork
Wildebeest
Zebra
Stork
Spotted hyena
Leopard-#1 big five
Rhino-#2 big five

Lions sands River lodge

It is now raining buckets with thunder and lightening. For those of us from drought stricken California, this is pretty exciting stuff!
We were in a different vehicle from j
Kim and Alice and thus had a vastly different experience this afternoon. We did not see any of the animals they saw but rather we were surrounded by a,herd of elephants including several babies, one of who was really tiny! Too cute. We saw two rhinos,,two crocodiles and several giraffe. No big cats yet and no zebra. But we have done one game drive so we will,save something for later. Tomorrow is another day!
-----------------
Helen

Weather. It is so crazy. This is supposed to be the start of winter in the bush but it is hot. Same on Zebra one. The ranger said on our game drive today they would not anymore rain now but as Rachel said it is really raining now.

If it rains tomorrow that will not be good but if it stops then this could be good for tracking the animals. .

Lion sands is pulling out all the stops to make our trip as good as possible very flexible with all my changes. I think it will be a great stay.

The rack of lamb was great and ken loved his chocolate molten lava cake. We did our ordering for dinner at lunch and service was super speedy.

Tomorrow. Is another day and we are all looking forward to it.

Great morning.

Will let Kim tell her story of the white rhino. We followed leopard tracks and then our ranger and tracker went in on foot. They found the leopard with a cub. This leopard had a kill and it was really well hidden, these guys are so good at what they do. It is really quite amazing. We have three really good Rangers here.

Ken got some good shots of the leopards.

Then onto the elephants. We saw a really tiny elephant about two months old. Still wobbly on its feet and always so close to mom. Also still some pink on the body. I think this is the youngest elephant I have seen. It came out into the open at times and was quite close. Hopefully Ken got some good shots.

The food is good here and we have a very accommodating chef named Faye. She reminds me of Gladys for those who were at 1933 with us a few years back. Gladys is still here but she is at ivory lodge.

Life is good on Zebra 2.

Today has been just spectacular! We saw Mama leopard with her 10 month old cub snacking on an impala. Then we saw a herd of elephants including some little ones but most especially a tiny baby, our ranger speculated was only a few weeks old. She was still wobbly on her feet. After a rest stop of coffees and Amarula with dried apricot biscotti we passed by some giraffe and a number of warthogs. The warthogs had babies too. It is really encouraging to see how successful the preserves in South Africa are with their wild life population.
After a huge breakfast some of us opted to go on the hippo walk which turned out to be another magnificent game drive as we came around a curve in the road and found a pride of 5 lions! Eventually we did get to the hippos just in time to see them all waddle on into the water. Can't imagine how it can get any better then this!
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Helen

Yes, a super game drive this morning followed by an after lunch hippo excursion which turned out to be more than hippos as we saw lions for the first time. The morning drive started with
Spotted hyena
Herd of Impala
2 big nyala
African oopoo
Guena fouls on the road
Water buck walking a crossing road behind us
Elephants! Mamas and babies
Leopard turtle in the road
Female kudu
White rhino charged down the road in front of truck so we backed up fast (didn't loose abrahim! Then it charged from the left rear which is where I was sitting and ran along side as we were speeding away )
Crocodile
Leopard with 9-12 month old cub in thick bush with fully grown Impala kill
Lilac breasted rolla
Ground hornbill
Two big male Cape buffalo
5 lions on hunt-- one female, young male; 3 males -- BIG FIVE complete!!!
African fish eagle sitting on damn on sabi river
Large crocodile laying in bank of river with mouth open
Leopard in hunt for bush buck
Seven hippos in the River

I will work on getting the photos but since they are from iPhone , not so great ,

White rhino that charged us twice:





Leopard with Impala kill

great pictures Kim...such an adventure!

Highlight of my day was definitely the mama leopard and her juvenile eating the impala. I was giving an anatomy lesson of exactly what they were eating and doing. Beautiful very healthy looking animals.
The lions were really interesting too. One had been in a fight and had fresh claw marks and blood on his back. They all had scars from their previous fights.
And the tiny baby elephant was SO cute.

Better shot of big rhino that charged us



Water buck

Another amazing afternoon and then this morning amazing as well.

The crappy game drive
In the afternoon the highlight for me that I had never seen before was following a big male rhino heading to his midden. (where they poop)and seeing him do his business. Preparing where he pooped, the act itself when he pooped, and then getting it on his feet to mark his territory.

Then we followed the leopard with the cub (cub must have been left behind) and she obliged by stopping right next to the side and f our vehicle and also did a poop.

It appeared everything we saw was doing a poop - hence the crappy drive.

Morning game drive

Kim and Alice had a great giraffe sighting I am leaving that for them to share. More leopard for some vehicles including the mother leopard and cub drinking at a waterhole and the mother grooming her cub.

We asked our ranger for zebra and warthogs that some had not seen. All the big game was handled (except wild dog and cheetah). I did my normal order - Wild dogs please. So we got all the missing animals handled and tracked a male lion that we could not find.

Then our ranger obviously was on a mission. We crossed over to an area they share with another camp that borders Mala Mala. I immediately had a suspicion that we were heading to wild dog. No other reason to come here as the game is not as good, it had to be something big. There they were WILD DOG laying in a beautiful setting on a Mala Mala river bank seven wild dogs with an extremely pregnant alpha female. The dogs were all sleeping with one "sentry" dog alert. It was so odd they are always moving. We waited and watched sleeping dogs. I was happy to see them but what makes them special Is their energy and constant activity. Our ranger said they had just eaten as they all had full bellies.

The other vehicles left and we stayed. Here we were at a wild dog sighting ALONE an amazing situation as normally it is a standby sighting with vehicles waiting for a turn to see the dogs. Our patience was rewarded when two woke up and started playing with each other. Then we saw a dog go into the reeds on the riverbank and we saw there was a kill. So the killed a kudu right there, eaten their fill and were not leaving the kill so they could feed again. Now it all made sense. Then the
dogs started running and playing in the water and jumping on and off the big boulders in river. So I am in dog heaven. Sorry Mary Ellen, I thought of you and wished you were here.

The good thing is they were on Mala Mala land so I hope they will stay there and hunt. They are obviously looking for a den site and that alpha female is ready to pop so maybe they will not go far and we can see them again with this group and the next group.

We had a wonderful bush breakfast and then headed home.

The weather continues to be warm. Not as hot as the first group but we are getting rain now in the evenings. Yesterday it really rained and we had to call off the bush dinner. We all were wearing ponchos. I have not worn a fleece and worn gloves only once on the first group. I wish it would cool down and stop raining.

Tomorrow we leave for Mala Mala; I will be sorry to say goodbye to this wonderful stay at Lion Sands. All the Rangers will be on leave so we will have a whole new group of Rangers. However I am looking forward to the experiences awaiting us at Mala Mala.

Doing back to back groups is working well. Ken and I have the stamina to handle this and I love leaving a property knowing I will be back. It takes a little time to get these camps to do things "OUR WAY" as we change almost everything about their normal routine. After they adapt they all tell me they really like the later starts and ordering meals ahead of time and finishing dinner early. The rangers are all doing things different too as we share Rangers and it works better than they anticipated it would as they get involved with everyone in the group.

ZEBRA - Group 2:

To add to ngaire's highlights, George, Helen, Jerry, and I were the only ones to have not seen a zebra yet. Our ranger, Mike, was telling us this am that it is the 3rd most abundant mammal in the park (behind Impala and one of the other antelope creatures). Anyways, we were on a mission. George and Jerry were really giving him a hard time, as while on our quest, we saw a lone leopard female (adult daughter of the one we saw yesterday with the cub) perched on a dirt mound. We were able to get very close, and there were no other people nearby. Then we got to see the dogs that ngaire mentioned. George and I observed how similar heir behavior is to the coyotes on our ranch, with them resting while posting a sentry. Then we saw a whole bunch of monkeys, then baboons, as well as very deer/antelope you can think of.

But no zebra. Rector, our spotter, was really under pressure to find us those zebra.he got the binoculars out and studied the area then got down to look at some tracks. Told Mike where to drive, and there they were way far away. So we tracked them, and eventually got a good close sighting where they crossed the road right in front of us.

After the bush breakfast, some of us walked back to camp along with two of the Rangers (armed with rifles). We didn't see any exciting game, but it was a chance for a nice walk, which I had been hoping for. Not enough physical exercise on this trip is my only complaint. Yes, there is a gym, but I would much rather be out in nature if possible.

Lunch yesterday at River lodge



Today Alice, Kate, Dick (those of you who were on pagoda know them) and me saw a group of about twenty giraffes . Two were head butting and necking as the came out onto the road from behind some trees. Then a third one came out into the road and they headed off.

OK Zebra 2 and 3 photographers. Ask the rangers to get close to a purple-crested turaco for a picture of this bird in flight. Brilliantly colored bird. Please share when you get the shot.

As usual, terrific pictures.

RachelG, you and Maddy should plan a walking/jogging safari!

Wow! Those are some amazing pictures.....love all the animals in action! Kim, the look on your face is priceless and you are wearing my favorite hat ever.
Have fun, everybody! Wish we could be there!

Love the expression on your face Kim......! Glad everyone is enjoying themselves.

Yes, Paul, I agree. This pm was fabulous. We saw a rhino really close up, as well as 2 lions. It was finally clear, so we got a great view of the Milky Way after sundown. Then on the way back to camp, we followed a large male leopard, very strong and healthy as he walked along patrolling his territory. He was not the least bothered by us.

K&A, we would have loved for you to be here too. From the other K&A.

Paul, I put in a request for the purple-crested touraco in-flight--- not going to hold my breath, but who knows!?

Tonight after the leopard Rachel described as we were driving back from the starlight sundowner, some of us saw a civit. Very cool. We hope Ken got a shot that he is pleased with enough to post.

Last game drive at Lion Sand started off slow but ended up with some good highlights for the group. These included two large elephant Bulls, a rhino very close and an almost kill by a leopard stalking an impala. Not much time to discuss this morning I was not a breakfast to hear all the tales

We have arrived at Rattrays and were greeted by a huge herd of Cape Buffalo in the river. This deck area and the Sand River below is really one of the nicest lodge sites in my opinion. On the way a vehicle saw a leopard in a tree. Another vehicle saw a large herd of elephants and a male and female Impala with a little romance in mind but the lady decided to play hard to get n

We have Dave and Mike from our first group of Rangers and two new Rangers, Michael and Frtiz. The normal introduction to the lodge and then we all went to our rooms to settle in. I do love this room and the view of the river.

Where the buffalo roam close by are the lions so fingers crossed for the upcoming game drives. These huge herds move between different camps so we are very fortunate to have them here right now.

Well, ngaire told the tame story. Now to the action. George and I have the furthest cabin from the lodge, both here and at the previous place. We like this because there is more chance to see game from your cabin. Yesterday two Cape buffalo were within 6 ft of our patio.

Anyway, I am checking out our new digs, which are VERY elegant by the way. lion Sands River Lodge was modern Africa style, and super nice. This is old school tradional colonial. I was going out to look at the patio. Opened the door, and there he sat--a cobra! I screamed bloody murder, and George came running to rescue me. By that time, I had slammed the door shut. I told him I saw a cobra. He just laughed at me, opened the door, and said "OMG, it's a cobra." Anyway, he then had to get a picture. The cobra was not too happy about this, so coiled up, raised his head, and hissed mightily. George backed off, the cobra slithered under the deck, and I am never going out there again for the whole rest of the trip.

OMG! Rachel, I hope it was just as scared to death of you as you were of it and it doesn't come out the whole rest of the time we are here. I hope it stays put instead of coming over next door to our unit!

There is a hippo in the water in front of our unit.

Turns out, it is a black mambo, not a cobra. Even worse. George showed its picture to the Rangers, and they all agreed, black mambo.