It is that time of year again. Going to Marloth Park for my birthday has become almost a tradition. I can just imagine you rolling your eyes and thinking “not Marloth Park again, surely?!”. But we never tire of going there. It calms us down. All the clutter is removed due to lack of electronic ‘interference’, no street lights, very little traffic noise, no taxi hooters and clean air. We just relax, even if it involves some maintenance on most occasions. And then of course, there is something different thrown in at every visit, almost without fail.
This visit was longer than normal because we decided to also spend 3 nights in Kruger National Park.
Don from the cleaning company phoned Roger on the day before we left to say that the geyser would not ignite. It was already old when we bought the house in 2002 and had been playing up lately, so the decision was made. It needs to be replaced. Roger did some research and we eventually decided on buying one in Mbombela (Nelspruit) on our way through. Chris Swart, the installer, was waiting for us when we got to our house in the early afternoon on Saturday, 12th January and within half an hour it was done and dusted.
After Chris left we off-loaded the car and when Roger went to add a bag of wood to the wood stash beneath the indoor fireplace he noticed a movement. You may recall that we’ve had several snake encounters in the past, all of them in said fireplace/storage area. Immediately on high alert he spotted a snake, slithering along the side, aiming to escape into the roof.
“It looks like a brown house snake” he said.
But the light was poor down there and that ID was changed as soon as I brought a head torch for better light.
“Oh my word, it looks more like a Black Mamba!”
This is very likely because Trish from the cleaning company had sent us photos of shed skins on more than one occasion in the past. They were identified by experts as being from a Black Mamba.
“Keep an eye on him while I make a plan” said Roger.
He took our cylindrically shaped braai oven, stuffed some grass in it and placed it on the slab, then grabbed the mop and tried to guide the snake into the ‘safe dark place’. The snake would have none of it. All he wanted to do was flee. Eventually he lost his patience with the mop that wouldn’t leave him alone and opened his mouth to strike. The dark inky black interior of his mouth was all the confirmation we needed; it was a Black Mamba! It managed to escape into the ceiling, so we had to call off the relocation attempt. We had a glimpse of him a while later when he peeked out from under the eave, but he disappeared again as soon as he saw us; we never saw him again.
If you are interested to read more about this highly venomous but shy snake, follow this link: https://www.africansnakebiteinstitute.com/articles/true-facts-about-the-black-mamba/
We soon settled in and relaxed around the campfire for a braai.
We left for Kruger in the early afternoon and spent our first night in Lower Sabie rest camp. We just love being in the Park…
We were totally fascinated by the behaviour of the Swainson’s Spurfowl. With regular intervals we encountered them standing, elevated on branches or stumps, as if observing their territories. We were not sure whether it was a breeding season thing as we have never observed this before.
Our next night-stop was at Satara Camp. We normally take care when selecting a specific spot by observing proximity to neighbouring campers, ablutions, lights, sun, etc. We were no sooner settled in when a Matla Pest Control van drove up to the ablution closest to us. Two guys got out, looked around, had a discussion, got back into the van and drove off again.
At dusk we were getting ready for our evening braai and reflection time when the Matla van returned. The same two guys got out of the van, wrapped white-and-red barrier tape around the building, put up some notices and proceeded to off-load a fogger, hoses and insecticide. Without ceremony they started fumigating the building. There were swifts nesting under the eaves that we were concerned about, besides the overwhelming smell of the chemicals. The noise was deafening. When Roger went over and spoke to them, they said that it was to control flying insects; they are under contract with the Park Management. The ablutions would not be available for use for the next 8 hours.
We were not happy campers. Why was there no prior warning? Why did it have to be at exactly the time when everyone was back in camp? Why did they have to fumigate at all? Insects are a staple for so many animals; we were in a game reserve, after all! We were concerned about the swifts and later felt rather sad when a Serval came scouting around the building, clearly not understanding why there were no snacks on offer for the night.
The next day life continued as if the fumigation had never occurred, except of course for all the insect and gecko remains scattered on the ablution floors…
Our third night was at Skukuza, so after selecting a campsite we went for a swim. The water was lukewarm but a relief none-the-less.
At Lake Panic, one of our favourite bird watching spots, we spent considerable time watching a Jacana, possibly a young, inexperienced male. He worked tirelessly in an attempt to build a nest, but without much success. I think he ultimately lost the egg due to his clumsiness.
Even though my birthday was only the following day, we decided to have my ‘birthday dinner’ at the Cattle Baron restaurant in camp. What a wonderful setting, and so cool after the extreme heat that we have experienced over the past few days.
It was overcast and drizzling on-and-off the next day; what a relief from the heat! After a really good breakfast at the Cattle Baron we set out, aiming to exit the Park at Malelane Gate.
We have this little belief that something special always happens on my birthday and this day was no different. About 2km before the Malelane Gate, just as we began to think that this time we were going to be disappointed, we spotted a stationary game drive vehicle ahead of us. Stopping behind it we immediately spotted a leopard in a tree on our left.
It suddenly lifted its head and stared intently across the road at a herd of Impala, sat up, stretched, and very gracefully but swiftly descended from its lookout. Well, that was it, we thought, as it disappeared into the surrounding bush. It appeared again though, and started stalking, using the vehicles as cover. At the chosen moment it sprinted across the road but the Impala spotted it, gave the alarm and fled at the speed of lightning.
It was a wonderful sighting and once again the ‘birthday expectation’ was met!
Back in Marloth Park Roger decided to remove a dead Sickle Bush next to our ‘braai’ area. It had been there as a mature tree when we bought the house and now seemed to have reached the end of its life. It was very unfortunate, but it would make way for some of the other trees trying to establish themselves.
Some Annie Sloan painting of our bed the next day was the final item of our bedroom to be ‘made-over’.
It rained again on our last day. It was wonderful to spend the day relaxing in the cool weather, reading and doing nothing much really.
Spot the cylindrical braai oven underneath, and no more wood stash!
We arrived home in the late afternoon on the 20th. It was a good break!