Tuesday 1 January
We checked out of the Ghost mountain Inn and drove down to Saint Lucia.
We arrived early afternoon. There are lots of monkeys around here. You see them by the side of the road and in the bushes if you go for a walk. There are lots of mothers with cute baby monkeys at the moment.
We spent one night in an apartment which had a dog which liked to go in the swimming pool.
Wednesday 2 January
We didn’t like this apartment as it was smelly and speluncar so we moved after one night and have found a much nicer place to stay. This is a modern place called Serene Estate with a lovely garden, a nice swimming pool and just beyond the pool a small nature reserve where we have seen monkeys and small antelope. The bed and breakfast is run by Olga and was designed by her architect husband Hans, both from the Netherlands. There is a piano, the first we’ve seen since Durban airport! a German couple who were staying at three trees are here too!
After a nice morning by the pool Denise made a trip to the supermarket to buy provisions and we had lunch outside our room overlooking the park. The hotel had put down some fruit and quite a few monkeys came to eat it. Tim stood up to try to take a photograph of a mother with her baby. She ran onto our terrace and grabbed Tim’s sandwich. We had been warned that monkeys will try to steal food and that they would even come into the rooms if they saw food, but we were taken by surprise by how bold she was and how quick!
In the afternoon we drove into the iSimangaliso reserve and took the road to Cape Vidal. Beautiful beach at Cape Vidal and huge waves. Tim did go in and splash about a bit, but we didn’t swim.
Thursday
Boat trip this morning on Saint Lucia lake, about 10 of us in a small boat. Lots of hippos, floating around the muddy brown water. They’ve been up walking about the place all night eating grass, so they deserve a bit of relaxation. We learnt a lot about hippos and the St Lucia lake from our friendly guide. Also saw a couple of crocodiles, one in the water and one on the bank with her eggs. These are nile crocodiles.
We also saw some birds on the lake shore: a squacco heron and a beautiful black headed heron. As well as the usual yellow weaver birds we also saw some black birds making a slightly darker coloured nest, the thick billed weaver?
Also seen in St Lucia, red capped robin chat, crowned hornbill, white Eared barbet, common buzzard, other birds of prey, a small bee eater??
After lunch we drove down to the main Saint Lucia beach and went for a walk. We walked South to the point where we arrived on the beach a couple of days previously -beautiful beach, big waves, warm water.
movie 9907
Later Tim went on the turtle tour. This involves an evening drive through the reserve up to Cape Vidal and then a 22 km drive up the beach and back looking for turtles, leatherbacks and lotto turtles. Sadly we didn’t see any! We did see a lot of crabs though. also on the trip were two Germans two Russians and four Italians so Tim got the chance to speak some Italian. On the way back through the reserve by night we saw some nocturnal animals: a hyena, several Bush bucks, a bushbaby in a tree and a tiny baby chameleon. And hippos! There were some in the reserve and some in st Lucia not far from our b and b.
Our guide was a local guy. He has a large family. His father had 5 wives and he has 25 brothers and sisters of whom 5 are full siblings. Both his brothers have two wives. His wife is keen for him to take another wife, but he can’t afford to at the moment.
Imogen and Denise meanwhile spotted bush pigs in the garden. Later they went for supper at the boat club.
Friday 4 January – last day
Our last day. Imogen a bit poorly. We drove to Durban. Roads busy, everyone on the way back after the new year break. Got to Salt rocks in time for a drink at a club overlooking the sea. Nice sunny day, big waves, groups of ladies taking pictures of each other in their swimming costumes with the Indian Ocean crashing in behind them.
Then on to the airport, flight to Johannesburg, then on to Heathrow .,…
Tim bought a paper. it’s school results day today – a reminder that there are 11 official languages in South Africa! Only one country in the world has more official languages…