Birthday to never forget… 50 or BUST in Kruger

[trailrunner]

So we entered the cauldron of what Lower Sabie is at around 11:30 on a Sunday and it felt like being in the midst of a chaotic city rush hour in the parking lot.

Six different dialects, old people struggling with sticks, children running amok, a bus that was stuck between two parked cars, it’s Dutch passengers hugely unimpressed.

So this was what Kruger was all about, then we made our way to the deck.

We had been up since 3:30 after a fairly heavy night and drive from Cape Town, I needed coffee and breakfast, so that’s what we did.

Breakfast at Mugg and Bean


Now it certainly wasn't our intention to come to Kruger and sit in a glorified coffee shop, but the staff were friendly, the much needed coffee very good and then there was the deck

I went from fairly frazzled from the journey, lack of sleep and mornings events, to refreshed and overwhelmed within about twenty minutes. Although the restaurant and deck was busy, we somehow could shut out the world and just admire the view.



So this felt more like it. Even the Elly crossing the Sabie upstream seemed chilled out. We watched them for over hour before plucking up the courage to go and confront our checking in experience for our 1st night.

[Toko]

11:30 on a Sunday - and you share a tiny salad with your SO, healthy lifestyle

[Lisbeth]

I have been to Lower Sabie many times and always enjoy the view from the deck, but I am never going to sleep there again Obviously the restaurant is much better (not that much was needed ) than the former one

[Flutterby]

What a lovely view to have while eating breakfast!

[nan]

super to eat with a so beautiful view

[trailrunner]

Yes the view was just the tonic to restore my faith in our decision that the Park and more specifically Lower Sabie was where we wanted to be.

[Richprins]

Hope we aren't going to get an up to date account of every bowel/bladder movement daily? But agreed with emergency...don't worry too much!

[Mel]

Hope we aren't going to get an up to date account of every bowel/bladder movement daily? But agreed with emergency...don't worry too much!

RP beat me to my comment.

But had a good laugh so far. Happy to have more of that.

[trailrunner]

Hope we aren't going to get an up to date account of every bowel/bladder movement daily? But agreed with emergency...don't worry too much!

And this comes out of the orifice that is most busy in the case of the Prins

[trailrunner]

After a fairly painless check in, refueled, refreshed and relieved we head out for an afternoon drive up the H4-1 and notice a bunch of cars at the Nwatimiri river and make our way into the chaotic pile. People are reversing and pushing and shoving as they try to see across the river.

I ask a guy from Joberg what the fuss is about and he mentioned nonchalantly that there was a leopard on the opposite bank of the river but it had gone into the bush.
We waited for around 10 minutes before the Leopard made an appearance, no one had left and now there were even more vehicles arriving, we were hemmed in.
I moved fractionally forward as the tension grew as people jockeyed for the best position.
I took a few shots and just wanted out of the crazy.

Scratchy Leopard across the Nwatimiri


Please forgive the pic quality it is there for reference of the presence of the leopard at about 300M between a gap in the vehicles.
I was back in the parking lot from a few hours ago and just wanted out, people shouting with screeching cars.