Mabula Lodge 29 May - 1 June 2009

Night in the bush. Deafening silence, broken only by the odd animal noise. Pitch blackness of the night. And stars. Everywhere you look - so clear that you must resist the urge to reach out and touch them!

Have you ever gotten out of your warm bed at 02:00 in the morning to go outside and spend an hour or more just watching the stars? The moon, spectacularly bright earlier in the evening, is gone. Darkness reigns supreme. The Southern Cross can be seen. Some of the "bird" stars can also be seen - The Crane, The Toucan etc. The Scorpion and The Wolf. Sagittarius the Archer. The Great Rift. Some visible planets - Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus. Sounds crazy? Don't bash it until you tried it!

Stargazing can be an amazing journey. Much like mountains, yet only more so, the night sky makes you extremely aware of exactly how insignificant we really are in the overall scheme of things.

There are lots of scientific explanations as to why stars "blink". I just believe it is God winking at us.




Mabula Lodge is situated just more than 30 kilometers on the other side of Warmbaths (Bela Bela) on the road to Thabazimbi. It offers 3 lodges with self catering accommodation for both paying visitors as well as timeshare options, all nestled in the African Bush on a twelve thousand hectare reserve. So from Pretoria and Johannesburg you get there before you realise it!

Positives - Mmm. Well, many of those! Our unit - in Sunset Hill Lodge - very neat chalet. Can't really fault anything there. Even with lots of units in the lodge each chalet is situated to offer as much solitude as you can get, very isolated - perfect! Some offer a more "in the bush" feeling, while the higher up units offer better views. And what views they are!! The overall experience was thus really good and highly recommended, all in all.

The usual activities are on offer:

Game drives, Game Walks, Horse Riding, private walking trails where you can walk without a ranger. The reserve is split into two parts - 10 000ha on which the lodges are situated, and 2000ha where they keep Mr Lion and his Clan. Our one ranger - Sam - was particularly impressive and friendly and really added to the game drive experience - 3 of the Big 5 in one trip - buffalo, elephant and rhino! Not bad. We even saw an Impala ram that had more wives than President Zuma! (Warning - the poor fella did look rather worn out...)

If you are of the particularly brave orientation (probaby with a long family history that includes knights, dragon slayers, war heroes and esteemed armchair warriors), you may get the urge to break the monotony by doing something a little more daring. Like maybe slipping into the lion camp to steal the nosehair of a sleeping King. Why? Well, I imagine to show others your courage, or mix it into your next Brandy & Coke? I wouldn't really know - being of the less brave sort with NO knights or dragon slayers in my family history! Know however, that none such brave soul has yet returned, and many a lion has been heard whispering (off the record of course) of the advantages of large quantities of Brandy & Coke as it really adds to their diet...

At our chalet we were visited by a bushpig as well as a porcupine - really very nice to see these animals so close up, but clearly they are used to being fed by visitors! PLEASE do not ever do this!

For me, just being IN the bush, irrespective of other activities on offer, is the greatest blessing of all. Being able to just sit and drink it in - the silence, the smells, sounds, sights - it just fills me with such a feeling of contentment and peace that I really find it hard to describe. It is the only place where I find that I can switch off my mind and simply ignore outside negativities - stress, people, everything and everybody that normally tend to cloud your day. Just exist in the moment.

In fact, I relaxed SO much that I reached into the cupboard for my deodorant the Sunday morning, and ended up spraying a liberal dose of shaving foam under my arm!

I think about this a lot - what is it about nature that so entralls me? The closest I have ever come to an answer is that nature - the bush, mountains, desert, jungles, the sea - is timeless. It has been there for millions of years. Humans? Well, what is a mere couple of thousand years compared to that? A very humbling thought indeed. So if you appreciate nature and respect it - nature in turn will keep you humble, and bless you with it's splendour.

Mabula offers lots of birds, but it was mostly the usual suspects that were seen - Groundscraper Thrush (gevlekte lyster), Black-eyed Bulbul (swartoog tiptol), Black-headed Oriole (swartkop wielewaal), couple of different Pipit (koester) types, Lilac Breasted Rollers (gewone troupant), hornbills etc. Good place for birdwatching.

A really great idea if you happen to stay at Sunset Lodge, is to get up before sunrise, climb to the top of the hill, get your breath back, find a nice rock, wipe off the serval poo, sit down - and wait for a truly spectacular sunrise! The first morning it is a hassle, thereafter you simply cannot wait to see how the sun shines it's searchlight over the bush! The view - almost 360 degrees - from the top is absolutely amazing. You can just about see next week approaching. For those of you less inclined to pay taxes - you might well be able to spot the taxman as well!

Negatives - I was rather disappointed by the shop at the main lodge - very rudimentary for such a nice lodge! 2 things that did bother was the fact that the dishes in our unit were very dirty when we got there - lacklustre washing job to say the least - and we actually rewashed everything ourselves. Traces of egg still to be found on plates and one pan, really dirty glasses etc. Also, the ablution block at the main lodge swimming pool was a bit if a disaster - toiletpaper on the floors, taps not working, no paper towels in the dispenser. Tardy!

When compared to the overall experience, these are not big things, and it does not prevent me from giving Mabula a definite thumbs up - but being such a fancy place, management really should keep a closer eye on things as these matters are all totaly preventable and really should not have happened.

My Main Dislike:

Going home!

Summary:

It is clear that, despite one or two small problems we encountered, all in all Mabula offers a lot and, if you are a poor stressed out city dweller desperately looking for time out, a place to relax and destress (to such an extent that you start mistaking aftershave for deodorant) then Mabula Lodge is just the place for you.

Relaxation & Body Spa Magaliesburg

All us city dwellers suffer from this. That ugly word that has become such an integral part of our daily lives.

Stress!

If stress is corroding you, then you need a place to go to and just relax, take in the stunning views, enjoy great food, be pampered like royalty, and and learn what it feels like to be human again.

Magalies Mountain Lodge, in the capable hands of owners Leo and Lettie van der Walt, is situated a mere hour's drive from Johannesburg in the scenic Magalies Mountains. It offers a whole host of options to the visitor.

Accommodation is in 9 well equipped and very spacious rooms, one of which is a honeymoon suite! If you are on the lookout for a great venue for functions or wedding receptions, then the restaurant offers a buffet and a-la-carte menu option and can seat up to 120 guests indoors and ±100 guests on the wooden deck (from which you can also enjoy the spectacular view! )

4 x 4 tours and bushwalking are on offer for the more adventurous souls. The walk up the mountain is recommended to get a bird's eye view of awesome surrounding scenery. I managed to run all the way to the top, and then re-enacted the famous Rocky scene under the watching eye of a pair of breeding turtledoves. I admit to feeling a little bit cheated - it should have been at least eagles, but there you have it.

That was more or less when I woke up with a start and realised I had fallen asleep in my (delicious) soup! But I got out of breath just dreaming about it! No really, I did. So, if clean air and good excerise is your thing, you should try it out.

The lodge is ideal for conference and teambuilding facilities - Conferencing equipment includes an overhead projector with screen, telephone, faxing facilities and internet access. Should you require anything in particular, this can be sourced for you on request.

And last but not least - the spa. Ah, the spa! With various treatment rooms and fully qualified therapists, this is where you need to end up if you really want to treat yourself. They do it all, right from basic facials to mud wraps and hydro treatments. I am told that ending your day at the spa is a good idea, but that it is even better to start your day there! And let's not forget about the Indian Head Massage. I have always wondered about this treatment.

In my mind I conjure up visions of Chief Sitting Bull and his happy band of warriors standing in front of a "paleface" captive, and informing him "Chief will now give'um paleface Indian Head Massage" and then giggling hysterically behind their painted hands.

So, when I heard that some of my fellow guests were on their way to the treatment centre for Indian Head Massages, I was filled with great trepidation for their safety. I swallowed hard and admired their courage as they bravely walked down to what I perceived as their fate. Much to my amazement they came back half an hour later, still with their hair, literally falling down on the couches, all wearing silly little grins and making strange noises like "ooh" and "aah"!

I can now vouch that you will also come back from your Indian head massage smiling that silly smile and going "ooh" and "aah", so do take the drive out to Magalies Mountain Lodge and get those batteries recharged!

Click here to view theire website - Relaxation & Body Spa Magaliesburg

My Kruger Park Diaries

If you do not reside in either the Mpumalanga or Limpopo provinces of South Africa, one can rightly argue that the world renowned Kruger National Park is hardly a weekend breakaway, due to distances involved.

As a destination however, it never fails to leave a lasting impression. I was fortunate to spend 10 glorious days in the Letaba rest camp recently, camping of all things! And what a great time I had!

To me, the Kruger Park is peace. It is tranquility. It is powerful, splendid, savage nature at it's very best. The African Bush in all it's majestic grandeur.

My love affair with the African Bush goes a whole lot deeper than merely saying "I like it here". It is just there - a very deep, very real, very integral part of who I am. The smells, the sounds, the ambience of the bush stirs something in my soul. Here, I feel at home and at peace. In the presence of something far greater than anything mortal homo sapiens can ever accomplish.

Have you ever ended up in the midst of a huge herd of buffalo, all around you, hundreds of them. All staring at you, those massive horns glinting in the late afternoon sun. There must have been 300 to 400 of them in this particular herd. I was still busy counting hoofs and dividing by four when it became time to hurry back to make gate closure time, so only a rough guestimate!


If you watch some of the large old bulls, their faces and bodies covered in the scars of countless close encounters, calmly looking at you, communicating the clear message - I am a bad-ass bovine, don't even think of messing with me!


In order to really drink in the bush, one needs to become very quiet. Quiet enough that you can hear noises you might not hear otherwise. In order to do this, I take solitary drives and find quiet spots on roads less travelled. A lot of people tend to stick to the tar roads, so the dirt roads offer great opportunities.

Being totally quiet is a skill not many people have. Most people fidget and scratch and cannot keep quiet for longer than 30 seconds. This won't do. You need to teach yourself to keep absolutely immobile. This means even ignoring that pesky fly! Not even turning your head. Hardly breathing. Not looking around - the idea is to listen, not see.



Then you start experiencing a whole new world. The total quiet sometimes. Bird calls. Animal noises. Insect noises. All those small noises that personifies the bush. Then you will learn what total relaxation really is. Try it sometime. You wil be amazed. Welcome to my world!

Of course, being the lover of big cats that I am, my all time favourite sigthing is of Africa's premier carnivore - Panthera Leo. King Lion. The fact that lions may not have the highest hunting success rate amongst Africa's carnivores, does not mean anything when you come face to face with one of these incredibly powerful beasts.

King Lion demands more respect than any other predator! His sheer size and tremendous power. That deep, deep roar that makes your very bones turn to jelly. Those yellow feline eyes that seem to stare right through you. All of this leaves you in no doubt - this is truly the King of the Beasts. 4 sightings in 10 days - not bad at all!


The game in the area around Letaba is prolific. We didn't see rhino - probably due to the very high elephant population. And of the secretive leopard we only saw spoor and drag marks where he dragged his prey accross one of the dirt roads.

Other than that, we saw practically anything you can think of. We are actually convinced that we saw every Steenbok in the park! Whilst in a hide at the nearby Engelhardt dam, a klipspringer actually jumped on a rock about 2 meters in front of us and stood staring at us for about 10 minutes! We even saw a porcupine. Hyena, elephant, kudu, nyala, zebra, blue wildebeest, baboons - do treat yourself and spend time watching these intelligent creatures, they are guaranteed to make you laugh - and lots and lots of others.

Bush Joke!

Lion smacked Hyena. Baboon was sitting in the tree, watching. Hyena, very disgusted, asked
Baboon, "Why didn't you help me?!" Upon which Baboon answered, "Well, you were giggling so much I thought you were winning!".

Elephant Dining

On the last night, an elephant decided to snack on the tree directly over my tent, which was pitched immediately next to the fence. At about midnight I woke from a strange noise. Whilst trying to figure out what this was, branches above me started breaking and tearing, leaves falling like rain on the tent. Then I heard an unmistakeable stomach rumble and immediately knew what was happening. Uncle Elephant stood right next to the fence and had his trunk over the fence, enjoying "my" tree! I was tempted to stick my head out the tent but sometimes it is better for sanity to prevail, so I just lay there and took it all in. Another unforgettable Kruger experience.

Good things

I must also congratulate the Letaba camp staff. It was clear that they work hard to maintain everything and keep it clean to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. We also ate at the restaurant and found the food to be of good quality and, if you don't order from the formal restaurant menu, you also get good value for your money. Whilst there my stretcher broke. We took it to the camp workshop to borrow their tools, fully intent on fixing it ourselves. The maintenance guy would have none of it, insisting that we leave it for him to fix, which he did that afternoon. An admirable job by a great guy doing something that is certainly not in his job description. Thank you Simon!



Surfing Tips

Yes, we did that too! You wake up one morning at about 3, and realise your hip is quite ready to be amputated. Then you realise the blow up matress has ceased to offer support. Deflated. Gone with the wind, so to speak...

So we tried to see where it is leaking. And eventually stumbled upon the brilliant idea of inflating it, and taking it to the swimming pool. Sounds good right? Ah well, it did at the time. So here I am, standing on the matress in the shallow end of the pool, trying to get as much of the matress under water as possible. Let me tell you, this is NOT a stable platform. So my first effort was an admirable one! For a non-surfer. Then we turned it around, and tried round number 2.

And that was more or less where the whole surfing theory went out the window. The matress suddenly got a life of it's own and shot out from under me! At that point in time the matress had something in common with one specific superhero - the dude in the blue suit who wears his red underpants over it - you guessed it - Superman. You know, the part about being "faster than a speeding bullet"....

According to bystanders, it was not a very elegant thing. It seems I did almost a full somersault! Do you have any idea when last I managed to do a somersault?? The landing was the problem. Especially the bit when the knee hit the bottom first. Left me limping for 3 days!

Moral of the story - when your blow up matress deflates - just go buy a new one! Please. Or borrow a stretcher, like I did. Which then also breaks.... At least nobody said life in the African Bush is easy!

Bad things

Unfortunately, one always finds the odd person in the Kruger Park that really ought to rather stay home. These are people with little or no love for nature, and little or no respect for self or others.

Let's just refer to them as idiots. Total, blithering idiots.

They are the ones who drive around at speeds way exceeding the speed limits. I always wonder if they go home and say they hardly saw anything? Fancy that! Ever noticed how brilliant the natural camouflage of the animals work? Trust me, the odds of you seeing anything at speeds over 30 to 40 kilometres per hour are practically zero, unless they stand almost in the road with a sign around their necks - HERE I AM!

The idiots are the ones driving around with loud music playing. Or radios and televisions blaring in camp at night. Partying till what time. Disturbing everybody's peace. They are the ones who litter in this beautiful place, who would not think of discarding bottles and other rubbish out of their cars. I know - I picked up some of their rubbish! They are the ones who would charge in upon your sighting, talking and making noise.

In short, they are the people who ought to never come here. Who ought to stay home and make a nuisance of themselves where they can only upset their neighbours!

Please, when you visit this beautiful place, have respect for others. Have respect for the animals. It is not a big ask. If you cannot - what are you doing there in the first place?

In Conclusion

Letaba (meaning River of Sand) rest camp has a great atmosphere, by and large peaceful and quiet. Lots of large trees -Sausage Trees, Apple Leaf, Natal Mahogany, Sycamore Fig - which makes for much shade with large lawns. The camping area is well kept and clean with very good facilities. If you sit still long enough you will soon be approached by one of the many bushbuck residing in camp, coming to see if you have anything to eat.

When you take a stroll through the camp your ears will be subjected to a virtual Babel of international languages. Dutch seemed prevalent, and there were also Germans, French, Americans, British - name it!

Quite wonderful to hear and it bears worthy testimony to the incredible value of the Kruger National Park as one of South Africa's premier tourist destinations. See you there!