April 29 – Last night in Port Elizabeth.
Tomorrow morning, I will drive 4 hours north to Ganora Guest Farm, saying goodbye to Addo and the Port Elizabeth area. It has been an amazing visit in lots of different ways.
The Kraal guesthouse was a little challenging on a few fronts. My arrival appeared to be at an inconvenient time for the hosts. That said, after a confusing few days, we agreed I would spend my time painting small murals on the walls of four new guest units.
Instead of the required 5 hours/5 days each week, I started work around 8 and finished around 5 every day until I was sure I would complete the project. Painting on concrete presented some new challenges and learning opportunities. In the end, I was happy with the result and the owner appreciated the effort and the art. Each room is named for a citrus variety and that defined the painting. Then I added a mock frame to give the illusion of a hung painting. I added regional birds and a butterfly to balance the paintings. By the time I was done, I was more than a little done thinking about citrus.
Heather flew down last Friday to join me for adventures in the area. Sadly, Will’s flight was cancelled so he couldn’t join us. Heather and I took an afternoon/evening game drive in the Schotia Private reserve. We found ourselves very close to a male lion who was waiting outside the fence for females in the next section. In order to limit the lion population, pairing is managed so this guy will be waiting a long time.
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| Heather with Elephants in the background |
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| The famous and endangered dung beetle has the right of way throughout Addo National Park. |
Our guide explained that elephants don’t lay down to sleep, they Power Nap by resting their trunks on the ground and doze for 5 – 8 minutes at a time. We put this new insight to use the following day when we recognized an old elephant resting, swaying a bit to one side, then waking up just enough to right himself.
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| He was only about 30 feet away from the car so it was easy to really appreciate the whole process. |
Heather flew back to Pretoria Sunday Night. I stay in Port Elizabeth and had a great whale and dolphin tour in the Nelson Mandala Bay. We say several Bride whales, a few penguins on St Croix Island. Toward the end of the tour, we spend 20 minutes hanging out in a pod of about 400 dolphins. It was amazing to more or less bob about while they relaxed around us.
A funny thing happened during the tour. I had a chance to practice Spanish with a couple from Barcelona. They are in the middle of a 4 month, round the world cruise – Wow! Then one of the loca guides asked if I spoke Spanish and asked me to practice with her two. The rest of the guest were also from the cruise ship so there was French, Italian, English and Spanish floating between guest all afternoon.
So, it’s time to drive north to the last workaway stay in South Africa. Curious to see how this one pans out. It is near Graaf-Reiner, a very interesting historical area where there are also two National Parks. For the first time, I will have the flexibility of a rental car that will allow me to explore more on my own. Stay tuned – it should be fun!
