Beauties of Botswana

September 21, 2014

Elephant roaming the Savuti region at sunset in northern Botswana.

I have a theory. Well, truth be told, I have a lot of theories, but one in particular regarding people and safaris. The theory is this: while everyone loves to see the big sightings that safaris are famous for, like the lions and the leopards, everyone has one animal that they could watch for hours. And in case their frequent appearance on this blog isn't a stark give-away, that animal for me is the beatiful elephant. 

I could watch these guys for hours on end and never get bored. Every time I see them I insist on stopping and watching. Even after spending an hour watching an entire herd at a watering hole, if I see a lone elephant in the bush two minutes later, I will still want to stop and visit him. Every sighting is different, and I simply cannot get enough of how surreal it is to watch them in their natural environment. 

While Botswana is an incredibly rich safari destination for a ton of different reasons, it is particularly well-known for the enormous herds of elephants that call this part of the world home. On one particular drive in the Moremi region we started counting every elephant we saw, to see how many we would encounter in the short space of a few hours. We lost count after the first couple of hundred elephants...which occurred within the first hour of our drive. 

And so, this post is to feature none other than my favourites, the ellies of Botswana.  

This gorgeous guy was making his way through our camp, so we decided to give him the right-of-way and opted to take his photo instead of attempting to cross his path.

The bird perched on the ellie is an African Fish Eagle- according to our guides they have never seen this happen before. The elephant promptly threw a bit of a fit to tell the eagle to find a new landing strip.

I sat waiting and hoping that this ellie would reach the setting sun before the sun went down, and this is one of those very rare opportunities when nature actually cooperates...

Taking a bit of a mud bath in the afternoon heat.

Ellie precession to the watering hole.

Simultaneous sniffing to check out the onlookers (that's us).

The ellie on the right actually managed to get his trunk wrapped around his tusk somehow...it was entertaining watching him shake around to try and unwrap it. 

Family reflections first thing in the morning.

Youngster kicking up a bit of a fuss.

The elders were crowding the baby ellie to give him some shade for his afternoon nap (I was so worried he was ill- or worse- that we waited to see him get up before we drove away. Sorry for making you stand up, baby ellie). 

Arial view over the Okavango Delta. 

Cooling down in the sweltering afternoon heat. 

If you look closely you can see a very mud-covered baby ellie in the middle of the group- the other elephants immediately crowded around him to protect him when we drove by.  

Baby ellie bum. Cutest.Thing.Ever.

Ellie at sunset.

Ellie at sunset. Take Two.

Team Canada

September 19, 2014

Low on sleep but high in spirt- the Canadian-resident contingent of Team Canada has arrived. 

What is Team Canada? No, it's not a hockey team. Close, though. It is enough for a first line, including a goalie. Okay, okay, enough hockey talk. Aside from M and I, team Canada is comprised of four friends of ours who came to visit us and explore this part of the world for a few weeks. Before setting off into the great unknown of a neighbouring country as a healthy team of six, we did a bit of exploring in Jozi for the weekend. Eleven bottles of wine on night one + a traditional braai including ostrich steak on night two= a decent introduction to South Africa.

Wine and good company. Sorted.

The quintessential visit to Neighbourhoods Market for some unbeatable people watching.  

Drinks and views in Bramfontein. 

Billboard installation from afar... 

...and up close. 

Caffeine stop at Doubleshot. 

Impromptu singing and dancing in the street. 

Riding the big Red Bus.

 View from the Top of Africa.

Shots on the Top of Africa.

CBD on a Saturday afternoon.

Making use of M's mad braai skills. 

Running into the First Week of Spring

September 7, 2014

I took you for my run this morning, along these streets (photo taken after the run, post-shower).

It's the first week of spring in Johannesburg, and the air smells amazing. It's warm and sweet, and no longer has that crisp chill to it (it was 20 degrees this morning, going up to 27 later today). We started the run around the Johannesburg Zoo, where I used to do the Zoo Trots when we first moved here. While I now explore a little further beyond the zoo walls, I still really love the area around the zoo, and it makes frequent appearances in my running routes. From the zoo we headed into an area called Westcliff, where we ran on the road since the streets are closed to outside traffic. The houses in Westcliff are mansions and the streets are lined with gorgeous Jacaranda trees. The Jacarandas will start to bloom in the next couple of months, but for now they are all silvery and twisty, and the sun looked gorgeous shining down through them.

Mid-way through Westcliff we reached an unassuming area where many cars were parked along the street; this is where the Westcliff Steps are. People from the area (and all over, really) come to "do the steps". It reminds me of the Kings Park steps in Perth, Australia. Despite my arguments that the Kings Park steps are far nicer and the view is much better at the top, we went up anyway. The view over the Joburg suburbs is gorgeous from the top (perhaps even worth the awkwardly spaced cobble-stoned stairs that bisect several streets on their way up), and it was nice to see a dozen or so other runners and walkers out enjoying the steps too.

We went back down the steps and continued on our way into the quiet neighbourhood of Parkview, which has a small shopping and restaurant district. We ran past a middle-aged black couple walking along the sidewalk; they were in western clothes, both listening to iPods as they walked, the man carrying a shopping bag in each had and the woman carrying one on her head. This contrast epitomizes South Africa for me for two reasons. One, in traditional African culture the man would not be carrying the shopping together with his wife, and two, the woman was carrying the bag on her head like it was nothing. I love the mix of western and traditional cultures and the blending of the very best of South Africa. 

After we passed the couple we headed down a hill towards Zoo Lake, a beautiful inner city park. We took the lovely little cobblestone path circling the lake, where we passed, a massive traditional Indian ceremony taking place on one of the lawns opposite the lake, many families out for a stroll with the kids, and people feeding the ducks on the lake. We watched the lone worker of the row boat company, row out to untie the other row boats and prepare them for the day.

As we left the lake and headed up the hill to exit the park, we passed a huge colourful playground jungle gym with kids climbing all over it. I'm always sad for the old wooden one that sits a few hundred metres away that no longer is played on. This reminds me of an old Ikea commercial: "Why are you sad for the lamp? The lamp does not have feelings. It's only a lamp.". Yes, it is an inanimate object. This thought helps distract me as I drag myself up the hill as we exit the park. After living here for over a year and a half I still feel the altitude every time I run. I am constantly reminded that we are nearly 6000 feet above sea level...whew!

While Joburg doesn't have the pedestrian-friendly amenities of pathways and smooth sidewalks like Cape Town or Calgary, it does have some gorgeous tree-lined suburbs and parks that make for a lovely jog on a sunny spring day.

Thanks for coming along on my run today!

'Beests and Balloons

August 15, 2014

(Wild)life in the Maasai Mara.

I certainly hope you're not sick of safari pictures yet. Because if you are, you're in trouble.

I had the opportunity to go to Nairobi, Kenya for a week for work in August. I was very keen to experience working in another African country (an incredible experience in its own right), and I was also very keen to take advantage of the fact that it happened to be at the same time as the annual wildebeest migration. Win-win, right?

The annual wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara is one of the world's greatest natural sights, and for those who find themselves surrounded by tens of thousands of these hideous animals, it's a bucket-list-checking experience.

M met me in Nairobi for the weekend (see, living in Joburg has its perks), and we beelined for the Mara to spend 48 hours soaking up this natural phenomenon. 

Having a fair amount of safari time under our belts (or at least a lot of hours driving around in the bush), we know all too well that nature is nature, and sometimes you will have amazing sightings, and other times you could drive for hours and see very little. While we fully expected to see a large number of wildebeests (and the other hoofed animals that come along for the ride), we did not expect to see so many predators. Really though, it makes total sense (if the Lion King is anything to go by...); the Mara is a world of feast or famine, and when the migration happens, it is one giant feast.

Our Friday evening game drive kicked off with a bang- we witnessed a male and female lion courting. It's quite rare to see a male and female together, as they only "date" for seven days before the female becomes impregnated and they go their separate ways.

On the Saturday we spent seven hours (yes, seven) staking out a giant heard of wildebeests that were on the ridge of the Mara River just itching to cross. Our guide estimated there was at least 5000 of them. They would inch up to the edge and the pack would get really dense, and then all of a sudden they would all back away and the herd would thin out...and then it would happen all over again. While we really wanted them to cross, it was an experience just to watch nature unfold in front of us. It was like watching National Geographic live. Highlights included a pride of lions sitting in the ridge to intimidate the herd, and a random bull elephant wandering in the opposite direction smack in the centre of the herd. While this herd never did cross the river while we were there, we did see a smaller herd cross the Talek River the next morning (nature's consolation prize, I suppose!).

This trip also included another major highlight for me. I have always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride, and the Mara is renowned for it. I'm pretty sure at this point that M has given up on using the "I'm afraid of heights" card, as we usually end up doing said activity anyway (and for the record, he usually ends up loving it...if his ear-to-ear grins are anything to go by!). But, balloon rides come with a hefty price tag, so we gave some serious consideration as to whether we thought it would be worth it. In the end, these are exactly the experiences that we live in Africa for, so up we went. It was such a different feeling than anything we've ever done. It was so quiet, and we flew low enough that we could actually see quite a lot of animals along the way. It was a really cool view of the Mara, and a really different perspective of the lines and lines of wildebeests heading northwards.

While going to the Mara is definitely something we dreamed of doing, we likely wouldn't have made the trip to east Africa without the added incentive of me being in Nairobi for work. See, sometimes having a day job ain't so bad.

 Our ride to the Mara, with me riding shotgun. Oh wait, they call that something else in airplanes... CO-PILOT!

Cruising towards the Mara. Clockwise from top right: Kibera Township (largest urban slum in Africa); Great Rift Valley ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south; "Spotted Plains" of the Maasai Mara.

This if Africa. These two were on their "honeymoon"- seven days of non-stop sex (our guide told us if they do it less than 3000 times the male will not in-pregnant the female. I haven't google-checked this as fact, but suffice to say we saw some action). 

Beauties.

See, I told you there was action.

Stormy skies over migrating wildebeests.

Incredible, ugly creatures.

While we didn't get caught in the rain, it definitely was storming on the horizon.

This gorgeous cat was chilling in the middle of the plains in the late afternoon. 

Sleeping lioness with a full belly.

Hyena on the run.

The Mara has some of the most dramatic scenery I've ever seen.

Who knew you get into a hot air balloon sideways?! When it's windy this is apparently the best way to take off...perhaps they just wanted to make us look silly?

This balloon was getting ready to tip upright...

...and this one was ready for lift off!

So cool to see all the balloons floating across the plains.

Zebras, wildebeests and balloons, oh my!

I love how you can see the line of wildebeests heading north with the balloon floating over-head. 

Photo Courtesy of our British balloon pilot, John.

This lady didn't move from her corner perch throughout the entire ride; she seemed mesmerized by the whole thing.

M & I over the Mara. Experience of a lifetime.

The "hot" in the hot air balloon. 

Deflated.

Back on the ground and ready for a champagne breakfast!

Hard to capture the scope of what was likely around 5000 wildebeests toeing the line and then backing off again..and again...for hours on end!

Hmm..I wonder why they won't cross?

This bull elephant found himself in the middle of the herd, heading the opposite direction.

He was causing quite a stir with the wildebeests and the vultures.

Chillin' while watching wildebeests, trying to will them to cross (it didn't work. Not this time anyway).

They're even uglier when they're huddled together.

What happens when you leave your telephoto lens on and there is a hippo in a puddle right beside the truck. Hello there, hippo nostrils. 

Baby giraffe hanging out in the evening. He was curious about us and just stared at us the whole time while we took photos.

Our Maasai guide saw this cow in the middle of the plains, so he went out to check if it was marked and belonged to someone. No idea what the verdict was; he got back in the truck and we drove off. We never saw the cow again.

 Just chilling as the sun goes down.

Nothing compares to getting starred down by a protective male lion. Serious shivers.

 Watching the colour fade from the Mara.

 Good morning, Mara!

Peace. 

 While it wasn't the 5000-strong herd we saw the previous day, we did manage to see wildebeests crossing the famous Talek River working their way north.

In and around Fig Tree Camp. From top: view of the Talek river from our safari tent (where we could hear hippos at night); enjoying a morning coffee in front of our tent after an early morning game drive; transportation at the local airstrip and the welcoming-committee heading over to greet the guests (see the far right of the bottom photo).