Adventures of Beth and Dan: Safari Hluhluwe/IMfolozi Durban Nov 20

Nov 20-23 Today we dock at Durban. Our original schedule had been Richards’ Bay but for sone unknown reason the ship changed it so our safari company made arrangements to pick us up here. We had to get different diversion letters approved from Holland also to submit. Our tour was through Enchanting Travels at a location called Rhino Ridge. There were 25 of us and we traveled in several vans. They had a small trailer for our luggage which was restricted in size for when we flew back to join the ship in Cape Town. It took quite awhile to get to the lodge. We stopped for bathroom breaks and a snack but I would say it was about 4-5 hours to get there. Roads aren’t the greatest. The name in the title is the game reserve our driver is a handsome Zulu named Logan. His English is very good and he is an excellent guide on the way to the lodge. He is accompanied by Themba who is really our guide but Logan answers lots of questions too. They share about some of the history of Africa, Apartheid. Themba says he was arrested at 11 years of age because he was out without his ID pass. 1994 is the end of apartheid but in reality in sone ways it still continues. In 1995 the Seychelles became part of English again. The had two parliaments one for the blacks and one for the whites. This area is subtropical and it’s typically always summer and green but in recent years it has been very dry. In what might be called their winter season they have no rain, no clouds and usually a cool breeze. Summer brings high humidity. Electricity in the area is very expensive and has increased by 26%. Their power can get cut off for two hours and sometimes up to 6 hours.

Going back to the port we have to go through immigration but it goes quickly. The terminal is modern and clean. The city around is of a colonial style because many buildings were built by the British. The streets here are wide and we’re built that way so that horses and wagons could make a turn in the street and go the other way. There are about 4.2 million people living here. They have lots of Eucalyptus trees here. They chip these trees and send the tonnage to China where they make chipboard and then import the boards back . There has been lots of corruption with the leaders here and the people have suffered from it. Unemployment is very high. There has even been looting because people are hungry. There has been some massive flooding this year and unemployment has risen to 47%! The middle class is virtually non existent. The government hospitals are not good and if you can afford it you go to a private hospital. The northern cape is the biggest province where diamonds are mined. Africa does also have coal mines. The Zulu people have grown sugar cane, banana, and citrus. Within their geography are five different ecosystems. The oldest park is in South Africa being the second oldest in the world. The Christian church here is the largest in Africa followed by the Catholic.

When we get to the beautiful lodge ladies meet us with warm wash cloths and a glass of champagne!! Drivers and other help take our luggage to our cabins. The lodge is five star and beautiful. The food was wonderful and plentiful. There was a spa and large open decks to view wildlife and the gorgeous scenery. I can’t say enough about our accommodations, our guides or the facilities. If you take this cruise in the future I highly recommend this facility. This is not the Savanna like Krueger Park but we still saw an amazing number of animals and the big five. It was one of my most favorite excursions and far exceeded my expectations. The toughest part now is how to share all my magnificent photos with you so for the sake of uploading I may do it in several different entries.