TRAVEL SOUTH AFRICA A LETTER FROM AFRICA PART 3 No. 2
Unlike Elzette and I who have consistently been in touch with one another since the age of 11, Ronel and I lost contact many years ago and I was determined to go find out for myself if we have grown apart. I had the answer to that question, an emphatic no, within 10 minutes after my arrival in town. Upington is part of the Orange River wine route and follows the course of the river all the way from Groblershoop to Augrabies - a 350 kilometer journey to the Namibian border. My drive from De Aar to Upington delivered a few interesting "Koda Moment." There were thousands of Social Weaver nests, on almost every other telephone pole, on my way to Upington; each of these nests housing approximately 300 to 500 birds. I also had to stop and snap a picture of the donkey cart with its one-eared dog passenger.
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| SOCIABLE WEAVER NEST IMAGE: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| DONKEY CART IMAGE: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
Ronel gave me directions to her home and Bed & Breakfast called Riverplace Guesthouse and what a spectacular property it turned out to be; right on the banks
of the Orange River, including a vineyard, to give it that extra touch of “je ne sais quoi.”
Ronel and I sat outside, huddled close, sharing stories over a bottle of the region’s finest wine. My over-night visit turned into a four day stay; because my hosts Ronel and her husband Piet, succeeded masterfully in turning my vacation into a most memorable one.
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| RIVER PLACE GUEST HOUSE ON THE ORANGE RIVER © NOLEEN KUTASH |
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| RIVER PLACE GUEST HOUSE ON THE ORANGE RIVER © NOLEEN KUTASH |
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| RIVER PLACE GUEST HOUSE ON THE ORANGE RIVER © NOLEEN KUTASH |
It did not take much to talk Ronel into joining me, on my excursion, to the Augrabiese Waterfalls approximately a 120 Km west of Upington. She immediately organized a room for us at Dundi Lodge near the falls. We were booked into a gorgeous room, and we had dinner poolside, right in-front of our room. The first image below is Dundi Lodge and the following image was taken on the property.
The Gariep (Orange) River in Augrabies Falls National Park are 60 metres high, which makes them the world’s sixth-largest waterfall. Here are some pictures taken at the falls
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| DUNDI LODGE |
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| DUNDI LODGE IMAGE NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| AUGRABIESE WATERFALLS IMAGE: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| AUGRABIESE WATERFALLS IMAGE: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| ROCK HYRAX IMAGE: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| UPINGTON IMAGE NOLEEN KUTASH © |
Ronel and I drove back to Riverplace the next day and felt sad that our time had come to an end. Piet, was kind enough to take us on one last joy-ride; affording me the opportunity to take some last minute pictures, of the unofficial capital, of the Kalahari Desert, Upington.
My next stop: The Palace Hotel in Sun City to visit my good friend Johnny who lives there permanently.
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| SUN CITY NORTH WEST SOUTH AFRICA This images Ms. H. Coetzee and compliments of Media Club South Africa |
It rained nonstop for several days and I decided instead of waiting for the weather to clear up so I could visit http://www.pilanesberg-game-reserve.co.za/ I’ll pack up and drive to Mpumalanga and venture into the Kruger National Park instead. I stayed here for 2 nights and moved camp twice. I also took game rides at sunset with the Kruger Park game rangers in their vehicle. This was lovely for I was free to look around without having to watch the road. Here are a few of my Kruger Moments starting with an abstract images of a sunrise in Kruger.
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| ABSTRACT IMAGE KRUGER PARK by: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| DEER KRUGER PARK IMAGE: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| ELEPHANT KRUGER PARK IMAGE: NOLEEN KUTASH © |
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| LILAC BREASTED ROLLER KRUGER PARK - © NOLEEN KUSTSH |
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| GIRAFFE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK © NOLEEN KUTASH |
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| KRUGER NATIONAL PARK RHINO © NOLEEN KUTASH |
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| KRUGER NATIONAL PARK ELEPHANT© NOLEEN KUTASH |
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| KRUGER NATIONAL PARK © NOLEEN KUTASH |
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| KRUGER NATIONAL PARK ZEBRA © NOLEEN KUTASH |
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| KRUGER NATIONAL PARK LEOPARD © NOLEEN KUTASH |
Our next "Letter From Africa Nr. 3 part 3" - will be about our stay in Komatipoort at a "Car Museum" right on the border between S.A. and Mozambique. And our encounter here with a 12 foot snake.