Day 8 was a transit day through Swaziland. A desperately poor, corrupt nation run by a King with a revolving door of wives, (currently 18), who is as wealthy as his subjects are poor. It’s currency is worthless outside of its borders and it has the world’s highest per-capita level of AIDS. Its only claim to fame is that it is next to Kruger National Park, so in order for most people to visit the park, they need to travel through Swaziland.
However, having said all of that, you really wouldn’t know any of these facts if it weren’t for the honesty of our guide. Travelling through and staying in the country felt no different then other parts of Southern Africa. Resorts surrounded by very poor towns and cities. But, tourism is a very large part of the economy, and a way for, at least some of the residents, to work.
A hippo and seven crocodiles.
We got to Kruger National Park around 10am; went on one game drive before lunch and one after, finishing up at dark. We hit the jackpot! The Big 5 in one day. Rare indeed. Lion, Leopard, Hippopotamus, Elephant and African Buffalo. Many people travel to Africa for a week of safaris and never see the Big 5. Below is a small sampling of pictures. Tomorrow we start before dawn to catch the early morning animals.
Impala and a warthog
Impalas are like deer, plentiful and edible. We were told that the markings on their rear-end stands for “McDonalds”.
A pride of six or seven lions. These were around 200 meters away.
This was the real coup. The leopard was only 20 meters off the road. He knew we and around 20 other vehicles were watching him. So he just stood still in the underbrush barely moving. Very impressive.
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