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South Africa
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My wife, Yola, and I recently returned from a vacation in South Africa and had such a great time we’re already talking about returning.
We flew in and out of Johannesburg but didn’t really spend any time there. We just stayed there long enough to make connections to the game parks we wanted to visit. Another time we’d like to spend some time in Johannesburg, getting to know a little about the history and culture of the city.
We visited game parks in Botswana and Zambia. These parks were out in the middle of the bush and weren’t that easy to get to. We had to take a little six-seater Cessna plane that landed on a dirt field in the middle of nothing and then we had to be driven to the park. There was really nothing there but bush and the game park but the accommodations and meals were great. They make a real effort to make people feel comfortable but they don’t pay much attention to bugs. The first place we went to in Zambia I saw a big lizard climbing up the wall in our room and asked if that lizard should be there. The porter said lizards were great because they eat the bugs. That night we were checking the bed before we got into it and I lifted my pillow and another lizard ran across the bed. So I figured, OK, we’ll just have to get used to it because that’s how it is out here.
Once you went to your cabin at night, you couldn’t go out again because the animals were right outside. A porter walks you to the cabin and then you just go to sleep. One of the parks had an electrified fence around it and the other one had nothing. That was the one where you couldn’t go outside after dark. The cabins were like an African hut with a thatched roof and walls of various woods. Nothing is air-tight, the bugs can just walk right in.
Every morning the lions would wake us up calling each other and one morning there was a leopard outside on our walkway. If we had gone outside, he probably would have attacked. The animals hunt in the morning and at night and just lay around in the heat of the day.
It was great to see the animals in their native environment; they just dominate their domain, especially the lions. We were able to get really really close to them. At one point I could have reached out and touched a lion. I didn’t, of course! The animals don’t really understand what a land rover or van is so they don’t really know that people are inside unless you get out of the vehicle. Sometimes they will follow the van around for a while but since they have been around these things their whole life, they usually don’t pay much attention to vehicles. If you were to get out of the vehicle it would be like you just appeared out of nowhere. Then they would notice you and you maybe would be lunch.
I got really close to an elephant, too close because he was in musk and very aggressively looking for a mate. We drove around a bush where he was and he ran around the bush after us. The driver put his foot down on the gas and revved the engine and I guess the sound startled him because he stopped, trumpeted and then ran away. That elephant could have turned the van over so easily. I hadn’t realized how dangerous the elephants were. I’m used to seeing them in the circus holding on to their tails. You don’t mess with an elephant, man! It was pretty scary but I got some great pictures!
We were told that most animals have an inherent fear of humans so if you give them a chance to get away, they won’t attack. The animals they hunt are four-legged and since we are two-legged we just look like some awkward thing to them. They tell you never try to run away because then the animal will attack and you can’t possibly outrun them. Those animals are so big and strong! If you run, you’re definitely dead and if you don’t run you’re probably not dead. Usually the guides don’t carry any firearms, either. We only saw guns at one of the parks.
It was really interesting to learn something about the bushmen which is a stone age culture. It’s kind of how we did things 5000 years ago. I wish we had the opportunity to learn more about the native culture but we will definitely go back. Yola loved Africa; it’s so natural and unspoiled.
I arrived home just a couple of hours before the Off-Season Strength and Conditioning Program began. I dropped Yola home, showered and went to Giants Stadium. I felt pretty good but even now, a couple of weeks later, I still fall asleep early and then wake up at 4:30AM
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