Month: February 2012

After several cloudy evenings and mornings (which is very unusual) we headed off to do the Panorama Route with Elaine, Stephen, Pauline and Colin. We were really lucky to wake up and find we had perfect weather. After a nice lay in and a quick breakfast we headed out. We took to the road in high spirits and had many good laughs.

Our first stop was the Three Rondawels where we could look over the Blyde Canyon and be up high where the birds fly. We were also able to have a look at the  curios that is handmade by the locals. Next we went off to Bourke’s Luck Potholes, these are “potholes” that are created by a continuous flow of water and whirlpools. There are many places to sit and enjoy the scenery and hear the sound of rushing water.

Our next stop was God’s Window, it is a nice hike up to the Rainforest at the top of the mountain. You can then see around you for miles. In the movie the “Gods must be Crazy” the little Kalahari Bushman throws the glass Coke bottle off God’s Window because he thinks it is the edge of the world and that the evil will then be gone.

Our last stop for the day was in Graskop where we had a lovely lunch at Harri’s Pancakes and a bit of retail therapy. Graskop is a town filled with arts and crafts and there is anything and everything.

We had a great sunny day. An Africa safari here in this part of the world should always include a visit to these world-famous and really unusual natural sights of beauty.

Carlene

Recently, while out on safari, after all the rain that we have had, we came across this sleeping impala. This specific antelope will lie down as this limits the amount of body heat lost through their skinny legs. If one takes a closer look at the Impala Rams fur you will see that he is soaked but the hair is erected from his body. This action is called philo erection. What the animal does is erect his/her fur, by doing this any heat loss through the body warms the air in between the fur acting like a thermal blanket. Other animals are also able to do thiss, such as cats and dogs which raise the hair on their back to make themselves appear bigger and more threatening. Nyala Bulls will also raise the hair on their back for the same reason whilst trying to intimidate an opponent. They will very rarely come to blows with other bulls and settle their disputes in this manner. This has given them the name “gentleman of the bush”.