As you can see from the photos, working from home has some advantages – especially if home for the day is Hluhluwe. There were various interruptions to Hermann’s “work” – namely giraffes, rhinos, warthogs, hyenas and a proliferation of elephants.
We thought we had struck lucky seeing a herd of about 20 elephants at the Imfolozi side of the game reserve, so it was a bonus to find a lone bull elephant on the road to Memorial Gate. 20 minutes later the novelty of examining a bull elephant’s backside at close quarters was wearing a bit thin. Finally, he stepped off the road to examine a particularly juicy looking bush and we took advantage of the chance to slip past – only to round the corner and get stuck in the middle of a massive herd of elephants, all of whom had decided to cross the road. We were surrounded on all sides. It took 45 minutes before the traffic jam moved on and we could drive out the reserve.
We stayed outside the park, at the Hluhluwe River Lodge driving back to the game reserve via the Memorial Gate for morning and afternoon game drives. This meant running the gauntlet of elephant alley every time we entered or exited the park. I have now made a mental note NOT to eat a bag of ripe fragrant pears while waiting for the now familiar elephant traffic jam to pass. One inquisitive elephant, its trunk quivering at the thought of a tasty treat, was practically inside the car before Hermann managed to get the car into reverse gear and beat a hasty retreat.
We had a fantastic weekend, spotting leopard shaped trees, rhino shaped rocks and also the occasional bona fide animal, but it wouldn’t be a holiday without me being sick at some point during the proceedings. True to form, during Saturday’s dinner I had to make a very swift exit, leaving Hermann to make alternative dinner arrangements. He was very concerned – he told me that he had run back to our lodge so fast that he nearly spilt his wine!
We thought we had struck lucky seeing a herd of about 20 elephants at the Imfolozi side of the game reserve, so it was a bonus to find a lone bull elephant on the road to Memorial Gate. 20 minutes later the novelty of examining a bull elephant’s backside at close quarters was wearing a bit thin. Finally, he stepped off the road to examine a particularly juicy looking bush and we took advantage of the chance to slip past – only to round the corner and get stuck in the middle of a massive herd of elephants, all of whom had decided to cross the road. We were surrounded on all sides. It took 45 minutes before the traffic jam moved on and we could drive out the reserve.
We stayed outside the park, at the Hluhluwe River Lodge driving back to the game reserve via the Memorial Gate for morning and afternoon game drives. This meant running the gauntlet of elephant alley every time we entered or exited the park. I have now made a mental note NOT to eat a bag of ripe fragrant pears while waiting for the now familiar elephant traffic jam to pass. One inquisitive elephant, its trunk quivering at the thought of a tasty treat, was practically inside the car before Hermann managed to get the car into reverse gear and beat a hasty retreat.
We had a fantastic weekend, spotting leopard shaped trees, rhino shaped rocks and also the occasional bona fide animal, but it wouldn’t be a holiday without me being sick at some point during the proceedings. True to form, during Saturday’s dinner I had to make a very swift exit, leaving Hermann to make alternative dinner arrangements. He was very concerned – he told me that he had run back to our lodge so fast that he nearly spilt his wine!
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