Back in the Western Cape

Four days after my knee surgery Roger flew down to Durban on a commercial flight in order to collect Buzz from Ballito where he had been hangared since February. From there he went to Phinda to assist with anti-poaching patrols for the Bateleurs. We would have gone together but sadly my ‘knee issue’ now prohibited me from going along. After 5 days at Phinda he flew back to Silver Creek near Rustenburg where Buzz will remain until our trip is completed.

Here is an account of Roger’s trip:

After flying to Durban on a BA flight, Tim Driman (from www.rhinoarmy.org the sponsor of the fuel at Phinda) kindly collected me from the airport and took me to his home in Ballito. There Tim’s wife, Yvonne prepared a wonderful Thai meal. At 6:30 the following morning Len Kohler picked me up and we drove to his hanger where Buzz had spent the last 3 months. As the transponder I had bought had still not been installed (long story!), Len once again escorted me out of the King Shaka airspace in his microlight (after a quick jumpstart for Buzz using Len’s Range Rover). At the Groutville airstrip next to the N2 I bought a 20 litre jerry can of petrol from the Shell Ultra City next door, refueled and thanked Len for all his help.

Before leaving Ballito I had called John Reedman, the sugar cane farmer from Empangeni who we had met earlier in the trip at Kosi Bay and we arranged to meet at the Empangeni Airfield. After taking Rebecca, David, John and Gillian for a quick flip each, and confirming that we would meet again at the Grahamstown Arts Festival, I set off for Phinda.

The day started off clear and smooth but got progressively windier and more turbulent. Luckily it was a southerly wind which helped us along nicely up the North Coast, with the groundspeed at times reaching 160 km/h! In still air Buzz only does 100 km/h, so a tailwind is always welcome.

Dirk was at Phinda, ready as always to refuel, drive, fly and do whatever else needs doing. We took off for a 2 hour patrol and then tied Buzz down for the night before Dirk took me to Vlei Lodge, my accommodation for the next few days.

I was really sorry that Letitia was not with me for the true Phinda experience. I don’t think she will easily forgive me either. When we were there together over Christmas we had stayed in Ufudu at the anti-poaching camp and had therefore missed out on the 5 star lodge accommodation and activities.

Soon after settling into my room a herd of elephants visited and proceeded to try and empty the swimming pool!

The following day turned out even windier and Dirk and I decided to land after only 40 minutes of patrol. The advantage of this was that I was able to join a game drive in the afternoon. The highlight of this was finding a male leopard walking in the road marking his territory, not in the least bit concerned with a noisy Land Cruiser following.

After 4 days of uneventful patrolling it was time to get Buzz back home. I left Phinda at 9:30 on Wednesday and landed at Silver Creek Estate near Rustenburg at 15:30. (4.9 hours flight time with stops at Volksrust and Vereeniging.) Thanks to Kevin for driving out to fetch me.

Meanwhile back home I was recovering, albeit rather slowly. Besides visits from friends and family we also travelled to Modimolle for the funeral of a relative who had been involved in a motor accident. Very sad and unexpected…

Kevin was also home during this time and the approval of his visa application for the UAE came through on Thursday 22^nd. This means that he will be working in Umm al Quwain as a dive instructor for the next 2 years. Roger now had to spark in order get things organised; flight tickets to be bought, money arrangements, signing powers, etc. We ultimately went to O R Tambo airport together on Monday 26^th; Kevin on his way to the Emirates and us back to Somerset-West to continue our trip.

We got to Somerset West in the late afternoon on Monday. We again extend a huge ‘thank you’ to Gey and Marieta van Pittious for allowing us to leave Ufudu parked on their property for 3 weeks. After a lovely evening out with friends Jonathan and Debbie, and a coffee and chat with Gey and Marieta in the morning, we left Ongegund Estate the next day. We headed out on the R44 and found a campsite called Mountain Breeze where we stopped for the night. Due to the rain and me not feeling too great we decided to stay for an extra night.