On the way to Hoedspruit on the R40 one passes a sign not seen too often in any part of the world. Bit of an exaggeration as there are fences both sides and the next warning was downgraded to a warthog.
Did come across this old fellow whose flapping ears were like white flags - most unusual. How do I know it's a fellow, well if you can't see the obvious, check the tops of the horns - if - like me - they're bald, bingo.
Also along this stretch the Red-billed buffalo weavers believe the Eskom pylons make great nest sites.
There are five short hikes along the river from various parts of the resort and here's an example of the views available.
Conspicuous at the moment is the Flame thorn A. ataxacantha, a most unusual acacia in that it is a climber and the young seed pods are a startling red - particularly with the sun behind them.
Amazing where rainbows can pop up, this fountain is at the entrance to the resort and as you drive by the spectrum starts at the top and moves downwards.
Also very noticeable are the wild cotton bolls which burst and spew black pea-sized seeds encased in cotton-wool balls. Gossypium herbaceum is part of the hibiscus family and was extensively cultivated in the past but has since been replaced by cultivars.
Blydepoort dam supplies water to a number of farms in the Blyde valley where mangos, paw paws and citrus are grown. Guess it had to be one of the wives who decided to liven up the fence line with poinsettias, but my dear, the colour clashes diabolically with the oranges.
There's a couple of little villages that are more like far flung suburbs of Hoedpruit but I was particularly taken with Kampersrus. A lot of the gardens have retained the indigenous trees but there is obviously some friction as a sign on one fence read - "Kampersrus is not full of hypocrites, there's plenty of room for more."
About 10 km from Swadini in the miiddle of nowhere essentially is the 24 Degrees South Centre that contains among other things classic car and bike showrooms. If this Bugatti is the real deal, the guy who owns the collection must be seriously wealthy................
..........................and a sight to get any petrol-head's pulse going, a 12 cylinder Ferrari 350 with - count them SIX side-draught carbs. My journeyman from a former life would have an orgasm, as the sound of just two of them, fitted to the occasional Alpha Romeo that came though our bay, could get him starry eyed.. Fond memories Malcolm thanks for all you taught me.
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Just a reminder as to how imposing the escarpment is...............
...........................and some lucky sod has a house parked just below one of the massive cliffs, he must be able to see the lights of Maputo on a clear night.
Had to see the canyon from the water so booked a trip on the ferry and on my way there found this beautiful Klipspringer parked very daintily on a klip, en pointe nogal.
Could not have picked it better as my company was a posse of pretty Dutch maidens - view what view?
Managed to get between the selfie shots long enough to get this.............
................and once we were out on the main part the surface turned into a mirror - stunning.
Have mentioned the tufa falls before but this one which drops directly into the dam is the second highest in the world. Nicknamed the Crying Man Falls, for the constant stream that pours from one of the "eyes", I thought it looked more like a gorilla.
Three Rondavels from a different perspective. On the way back I quizzed the guide about the magical buildings I had found and featured in the last blog. Turns out that they were all built by an Australian TV crew and then used as a base to film the local versions Survivor and Fear factor among others. Still seems a crazy waste though.
Had to do the touristy bit as there had been reports of an Egyptian vulture in the area and I knew they had a vulture restaurant so went to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre and found and ag shame. And it really was as there were two of them one, as you can see very laid back, but the other really didn't want to be there. Not sure if it was for my benefit but the restless one stopped it's patrolling and very deliberately did a forward somersault, which kind of made it sadder.
Though they mainly concentrate on cheetah there are a number of other species including a small herd of what I consider to be most elegant antelope - the Sable.
Among the dozens of normal cheetah there is a very occasional throwback which results in the King - though this one is a lady. Sad to say they won't release them as of course there are any number flaming idiots willing to pay a fortune to kill them.
Winter, whats that. The only obvious signs are the aloes, the Marlothii's being particularly striking.
Came across this tiny fellow sitting at the very top of a dead tree, about 10 m up and could not make up my mind which one of the five Indigobirds he could be. A ridiculous name as only one of them displays a blue sheen in the right light, what was wrong with Widowbirds? Decided to try a shot and see what happened when I downloaded it. It's all about whether the beaks and feet are white or pink and after cropping, one foot which I couldn't see using binocular became visible clutching the tip of the branch. White and white means Purple indigobird and one I haven't seen for a very long time. Well done Sherlock.
The last time I included a picture of Traveller's joy Clematis brachiata, I mentioned that the jury was out as to whether the flowers or the seeds were the most attractive. My mind is made up, a lot of trees upon which this creeper has made it's home are now covered with what, at a distance, looks like snow.
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