Off to Kruger National Park

Thunder and lightning and heavy rain kept us awake a good portion of the night, but the morning dawned bright and clear. We headed to the lodge restaurant for our inclusive breakfast. The forest dripped with last night's rain We could hear monkeys chattering and birds sang in chorus. A lizard eyed us as we entered the restaurant.

We stopped in Mbabane, Swaziland's capital and biggest city, for more provisions (and snacks). Swaziland is one of the smallest countries in Africa. It is no more than 200 km (120 mi) north to south and 130 km (81mi) east to west. The trip wasn't far mileage-wise, but the country roads were all of the narrow secondary and tertiary type with hills, curves, some gravel and lots of potholes and we'd learned to allow much more time for travel.

We'd heard about Ngwenya Glass from several sources and since it was pretty much on the way, we wanted to stop and check it out ( plus you know we seldom go anywhere directly). Ngwenya (siSwati for crocodile) uses recycled glass to produce beautiful new glassware. We found the little factory located off a country road. Peacocks wandered the well-manicured grounds. We were greeted warmly as we entered and allowed to watch the factory workers in action from a balcony above.

The showroom was gorgeous with way too much to choose from. There was glassware and beautiful decorative creations. We ended up with some wine glasses, a cobalt glass elephant and a fine glass pendant. Then we were off again.

The road meandered over rolling, verdant hills through any number of little towns as country roads often do. People went about their business. Kids in uniform were coming home from school. Most people don't own cars, so they either walk or take combis, little overcrowded mini-vans.

Truth be told, we had thought about giving Kruger a pass. We'd heard that it would be crowded and we conjured up images of Yosemite or the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone when the traffic is bumper to bumper during the summer. But we were so close and Kruger is so well-known for its animals, we talked each other into it. It wasn't hard.

We'd made reservations for a hut inside the park, but none were available for this night, so we chose a guest house in Komatipoort close to Kruger's Crocodile Bridge entrance and a stone's throw from the Mozambique border. Our hosts suggested the local golf club, only five minutes away, for a beer and a light supper. The club overlooked the Crocodile River and Kruger was on the opposite riverbank.

We waited out a torrential summer downpour in the car, then tromped through muddy puddles into the club. We settled at a table on the patio under cover, but close enough for a river view, and ordered a couple of Castle drafts. Many Afrikaaners live in this northern part of South Africa and the chat at the golf club was all in Afrikaans. We sipped our beers and watched the river. Much to our delight, a hippo appeared on the shore. We watched as she waddled her way into the river. And our Kruger experience began before we even entered the park.

Relaxing at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary - Swaziland

A family of warthogs woke us up this morning. They were just outside the hut and we could see them  through the window. They scurried away when I opened the top of our Dutch entry door. In the near distance, I could see zebra, impala and bontebok grazing. A delightful way to start the day.

There was a thick mist hovering in the mountain valleys and it drizzled on and off during the morning. No matter. We were booked in for a couple of days and were quite content in our little hut, reading, writing, relaxing and watching the wildlife at our leisure.

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary was Swaziland's first protected area. The Reilly family first settled in the area known as Mliliwane (Swati for “little fires” caused by frequent lightning hits) in order to mine tin in late 19th century. Because of over-hunting and development, the local wildlife diminished rapidly. Ted Reilly, son of the owner and ardent conservationist, created the sanctuary on his family's farm in the late1950s as a private endeavor when the British colonial government saw no need for another park beyond the Kruger to the north and Hluhluwe to the south. Today, Mlilwane is one of three major wildlife sanctuaries and several nature reserves in Swaziland.

Mlilwane is crisscrossed with self-drive trails and walking paths. David needed a well-deserved rest from gravel road driving and our bodies needed some exercise. The morning mist cleared and we decided to spend the day hiking and relaxing within the park. This park differs from many in that it has no big predators, and therefore, walking amongst the animals is allowed. We chose the Sendzela Path, a short loop into the valley and up again to the main camp, then returning to the backpackers' lodge. It was quiet and serene. Zebra came quite close before heading off in a different direction. Bontebok and impala were not as trusting and bolted as soon as they heard us coming up the path. Warthogs were curious and came close, then darted away when we made eye contact.

At the main camp, we couldn't resist buying a half hour of internet time to check e-mails and see what was going on in the world. We had worked up a sweat with our walk and stopped in the Hippo Haunt Restaurant for a cold Sibebe, the local Swazi beer.  We chose a table overlooking the waterhole and had quite a show. David's keen eyes noted a croc almost at once … its staring, reptilian eyes barely poking above the surface of the water.

In the distance, sacred ibis shared a sandy piece of shoreline with moorhens, dikkops, egrets and Egyptian geese. We wondered if the birds became croc food now and then.

Not far away, bright yellow village weavers were busy making new nests which were artfully suspended from tree branches. They were very industrious birds as we watched them dart back and forth into the reeds to find the materials for nest-making. The male weavers build the nests as part of the courtship ritual for the females. If she likes the nest, she mates with the male. If she doesn't find the nest acceptable, she rips it apart and leaves him to start all over again. Sounds fair to me.

We were back to our hut in time for hot showers. We heard the dinner drums once again and headed for the braai area. Tonight's offering was a veggie bean stew with rice and salad for me and beef with rice and salad for David. We enjoyed chatting with a Dutch fellow who had just finished up working for Unicef in Kenya and a Danish fellow who was tramping around Africa studying Bantu tribes. Backpacker lodges are great places to meet interesting people.

Once again, we retreated to our cozy little hut. We could hear the monkeys chattering in the trees above, probably disappointed that we'd removed all the food that they'd been coveting since we had sat down. It was just beyond dusk and we could see the faint silhouettes of zebra and bonteboks still grazing on the fine, long grass on a nearby hill.

The days seem to be flying by, but each one is more enjoyable than the last.

Across the Border to the Kingdom of Swaziland

Swaziland? Where the heck is that? Get out your world globe or atlas to find us. After a wonderful night in our upscale chalet at the Shayamoya Lodge and a leisurely breakfast on the lodge patio the next morning, we headed north to the border towns of Golela and Lavumisa, to cross into Swaziland. “Why Swaziland?”, you ask. Well, because it's there, nestled between South Africa and Mozambique, and it's close and it sounded interesting when I read about it first in the Lonely Planet and then subsequently did my internet research.

The border crossing was easy enough. It was only 10km (6 miles) away. We stopped at South African Customs/Immigration for clearing out of the country. They stamped our passports and we drove a few hundred feet to the Swaziland Immigration/Customs offices to clear in. They asked no questions. They stamped our passports. We paid our R50 and voilá … we were visitors in the Kingdom of Swaziland.

We stopped at Nisela Safaris for lunch. It looked quite commercial, and it was, but it was the only place we saw for miles and we were hungry. Lunch was served on a patio overlooking a man-made waterhole. A sign warned of crocs, but we didn't see any. There were lots of birds and I spotted a meter-long water monitor lizard sunning himself on the shore.

The southeast part of the country is mostly agricultural with never-ending, undulating fields devoted to corn and sugar cane. At Big Bend (doesn't sound very Swazi, does it?), we spotted a sugar-processing mill along side the highway with heavy vehicle turnoffs, probably for cane trucks.

Swaziland, or just Swazi as locals call it, is a little country with a population of ~1 million people. We traveled north on the MR8, then west on the MR3, heading towards the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. We weren't sure what to expect, but the roads were well-paved highways with the usual cows milling along the side to add  a bit of excitement to the driving experience. The houses were not so different than the Zulu thatched huts we'd seen in South Africa.

We passed through Manzini, an unexpectedly modern small city with seemingly large stores and supermarkets and a 4-lane divided highway. We took the turn-off for Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and soon saw signs that we were getting close. Another turn-off onto a gravel road and a few kilometers more, and we were welcomed into the park.

We hadn't progressed more than a few meters past the cattle guard inside the entry gate when we saw a bontebok lazing in the grass and impala  relaxing in the middle of the road before us. A little further up and there were zebras on one side of us and bonteboks on the other. This park had lots of potential.

We could see a tall, orange mound just up ahead and recognized it as a huge termite hill. It's a protected mound, growing and thriving, its inhabitants providing food for several of the park's animals.

We arrived at the Reception area after a few minutes where we picked up a map and paid our fees.  Continuing on the rough, gravel road, we saw a sign advising us against fish poaching and another warning us to stay away from the water's edge because of crocodiles. As we crossed a tiny bridge just beyond the sign, we stopped to check out the water's edge. Sure enough … there was a croc just lying in wait. Our first ever sighting of a croc in the wild and this seemed to be the best viewing distance.

We passed through one rest camp and saw signs for Sandzela Backpackers … a high-end game lodge one night, a rustic backpackers the next. Up a hill, around ruts and potholes, through a mini-stream and we saw the huts of the backpackers' lodge. Vusi greeted us and showed us around the main building, showers/toilets, swimming pool (wow!), braai area and then took us to our little secluded hut a few hundred feet away from the main camp.

We were positively delighted with the accommodations. Though minimal and rustic, the hut was clean and tidy with two beds  (one was a double bed … hooray!), an overhead fan and light, and a sink with cold-running water. There was a Dutch entry-door and Vusi explained that we should keep the bottom closed at all times … warthogs like to explore!

We lugged our stuff to the hut and relaxed awhile. When we heard the “dinner drums”, we joined a  French couple and an Italian fellow at a long picnic table in the open  braai area. We enjoyed a supper of chicken stew with rice and salad served camp style  Monkeys were chattering nearby. Birds were chirping their dusk songs. Insects buzzed and flitted by.

We made our way back to our little hut just as darkness fell. We heard the night sounds of animals nearby for awhile and then all was quiet and the camp slept.