Singapore

6th 7th & 8th October

No word required…..photos say it all

Singapore's Giant wheel and views.

On a clear day it is possible to see Malaysia and Indonesia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following taken on Singapore Duck Tour

 

 

Singapore Zoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEGA Meet

Saturday 3rd October

Another full day today.

We leave Pretoria and drive to Hartbeespoort Dam.It is a busy Saturday morning and takes us about 30 minutes to be able to cross the dam wall.

Once across we continue to the Chameleon Markets

 

Sustenance is required before we hit the market stalls  and we choose the pancake shop just before the markets

Markets

Great bargains abound at these markets, but the stallholders are  pushy and in your face.

I knew this would be the the last chance to shop for gifts to take home and was disappointed because we were literally stalked down the aisles.

We drove back to Pretoria with less than expected goodies and readied for our trip to Centurion for a FORUM MEET.

Info & pics on pg15

It was the perfect end to a near perfect holiday in South Africa.

We met so many wonderful forumites and their families, and consider them all to be extended family.

 

Sunday was a do nothing day….well pack the bags day.

Monday …….. D day.

Bags packed.

Van packed.

Quick stop at a post shop to despatch two parcels.

On our way to OT International by 9.30.

We handed over the vehicle and once inside had our bags wrapped in plastic.

Check in, passport control and boarding can be a headache, but for this trip it was not a problem because Katie had assistance from Singapore Airlines personnel as soon as we entered the terminal.

This assistance had us in the departure lounge in less than 30 minutes.

A quick meal and last minute gifts and it was time to board.

Departure was 12.30pm

Sadness descended but another trip in on the drawing board.

When????

Not soon enough.

 

Coming up: Singapore/Trip highs and lows/more photos

Time to continue…..

Friday 2nd October

 

Today is our first full day in the city(Pretoria).

An early start is needed to fit in all we have planned.

Really the early start was needed to pack 2 suitcases we were sending home as unaccompanied baggage (more cost effective than excess on the plane).

We left our accommodation at 8.30 for the 20 minute drive to SanParks head office

Check Here

We enjoyed coffee and biscuits with NedretS, ZakiyaF, andMelanieG.(and a handsome young man whose name escapes us)

Lots of tales were swapped and we realised all too soon that nearly 90 minutes had passed.

Time to say our farewell to our newfound friends……this happened so many times on this trip…..and we drove off into a traffic nightmare.

We were taking our 2 extra suitcases to Jet Park, close to OT airport, to be shipped home.

We travelled on the R21 and expected the trip to take 40 minutes.

Not far into the trip the traffic was starting to slow, and we noticed a large sign flashing that there was an accident ahead.

Eventually we passed the scene of the accident and soon after reached Jet Park, our 40 minute trip taking 150 minutes.

We found the freight company but finding a place to park was nigh impossible…….managed to get a spot and the bags were despatched.

The supervisor suggested the N1 would be the quicker option to drive back to Pretoria.

Guess what? Half an hour quicker.

I will never again complain about the traffic in Sydney and Canberra.

The road construction just went for k’s (on both the R21 & N1) and one hopes traffic will move smoothly when the work is completed.

We witnessed many near accidents on the N1 and also had a little dingle in the lane next to us. Three cars at least bumper to bumper, and I had left the camera at home.

Arrived home in Pretoria with a pounding headache and went in search of a strong coffee and food.

Friday evening we visited friends for a meal.

We  had our first stay in KNP with Eugene & Jireh in 2001 in the tents at Tamboti, and that is where our fascination and love of KNP was truly ignited.

We manage to visit them each time we visit South Africa, and also they visit us when they are in Australia visiting their children who live here.

LP

Coming soon

Markets and a mega meet

I need a few days before I post again.

Hi everyone.

I do have more stories and photos to post, but have been having a battle with my laptop and jetlag and the cold I caught in Singapore.

Need to let you know that Katie has been to our GP and leg is definitely not broken and we will be looking for a physio next week.

I am posting two photos taken by RaymondK at Berg en Dal. I am disappointed that we missed the caracals. He had a sighting before we arrived in August and this one last Friday.

Lorraine.

Final Exit

Thursday 1st October

Our farewell pics. Lion and lioness who were rather shy this morning and moved behind the bushes to mate.

 

We had our documents stamped at the gate and our 36 nights were behind us.

Now for the long drive to Pretoria.

There were a few areas of patchy rain but trip was uneventful.

We arrived at our accommodation in Moreleta Park and unpacked for the last time in South Africa.

We stayed Here for our four nights in Pretoria

Last Full Day.

Wednesday 30th September.

A quick trip to Malelane for David to get a haircut and a beer stop at Pick n Pay and we were on our way for the day.

We had a quick stop with the dogs who were still on the S114 and headed up to Afsaal picnic spot.

We did a bit more last minute shopping and had a quick chat with Jappie the manager(rugby and cricket) before heading off on the H2-2.

We again had all the usual sightings.

Our first special for the afternoon was a rhino emerging from his mud bath at James pan.

He was followed by a herd of more than 40 ellies

The dogs again doing what dogs do best.

 

Lion and lioness on the Berg en Dal road

The King opposite side of road to bush braai

The King had been on our wish list and it was great to get some photos of him. He wasn’t close to the road and my camera with the bigger lens died after a few shots. Quite happy with what we got though.

Time was moving and we needed to get back to camp.

We had invited Martie to the restaurant to share our last meal in the Park, and we still had the task of packing our bags for the trip to Pretoria.

We enjoyed a special sighting at the restaurant. A large spotted genet strolling past the back window.

Also noticed an accident waiting to happen at a nearby bungalow.

Sunroof left open in a new Volvo.

Could have been an interesting story here if the vervets and squirrels had been more observant.

Our OWN Leopard.

Tuesday 29th September.

A lazy and late start today.

Decided to drive to Crocodile Bridge along S114 and S25

We had lunch at Crocodile Bridge and purchased a few gifts to take home.

1.50pm we retraced our steps to Berg en Dal.

Lots of sightings, but this was one of our highlights.Pics are poor quality but proof of our sighting. He crossed the road in front of us and into the bush on the side, walked along a few metres, looked back at us and vanished.

We drove the section of road again but could see no sign of him.

These banded mongoose were a circus in the making

The dogs at the end of the S114 capped off a great day of sightings

After a hard day on the road we enjoyed a “home cooked meal” with Martie Goddard.

She is a wiz at whipping up a delicious meal and cooking on campfire.

Thank you for your hospitality Martie.

Sadness is starting to descend when we return to our bungalow…..only two nights and one day remaining for us in the park.