Picto Diary - 24 December 2018 - Bridge Birthday in Capetown

Above: Vineyards. National Route One. Western Cape. South Africa. 24 December 2018.

NR 1 is the route from Cape Town to Johannesburg, a twelve hour trip by car. NR1 follows the path of the Great Trek of the Boers in 1836.

The Great Trek was an eastward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial administration.

Many years ago I had read Michner's great historical novel, "The Covenant," about the history of South Africa. Michner's description of the Boer Trek reminded me of another great migration, that of the LDS, from Winter Quarters, Nebraska, to the Great Basin, in 1847. My ancestors made the LDS journey from 1847 to 1857. I have always been struck by the interesting parallel between the Boer and LDS migrations. Both groups sought a degree of freedom and autonomy from administrative entities which inhibited their living life in the way that they wanted to. Both groups were to undergo great persecution, and in the case of the Boer's, significant loss of life to their British oppressors, seventy years later in two wars against the British. Interestingly, in 1857, the LDS were on the point of a similar war, this time with the US government. Hostilities were avoided, but the imminent conflict is still referred to as the Utah War.

But, its for reasons of the parallels between the Boers and the LDS that Michner's account of the Boers trek and subsequent conflicts with the British remained emblazoned in my mind. I was thrilled today, albeit for a couple of hours, to follow the terrain of the Great Trek and to imagine the grit of people willing to take wagons through this hostile territory.

Today, land at the beginning of the Great Trek has been tamed with beautiful vineyards intersperced between hostile, dry, craggy ranges.

Above: Crags. Western Cape. National Route One. South Africa. 24 December 2018.

The ranges here are mixtures of sedimentary and granite. Though the ranges were uplifted within the last one hundred million years, the rock is old, going back to the Cambrian, 500 million years ago.

Above: Rhino. Aquila Safari Park. Western Cape. South Africa. 24 December 2018.

Aquila is a five thousand hectare private animal reserve, two hours north of Cape Town via National Route One (NR1) dedicated to preserving and advancing the size of herds of endangered species, or helping specific other animals which may be injured so as to not be able to survive in their natural habitat. The facility has been turned into a hotel/restaurant/spa location where relaxation - there's a nice restaurant, pool and cabanas - and sun can be combined with seeing African animals in a non zoo setting. The terrain is dry, and not the normal habitat of most of the animals resident there. Water is made available in artificial reservoirs via drilling and pumping.

Look. If you are going to Africa to see wild animals, you don't go to Cape Town. However, if you are in Cape Town for other reasons and are interested in seeing a facsimile of animals in nature, Aquila can satisfy your need. Animal lovers go out in open recreational vehicles with a guide/driver to see the animals just as is the case in a traditional national game park like Kruger.

About a mile or so from the preserve headquarters, we found a group of nine Rhinos, including a couple of juveniles, hanging out, browsing the grass. The sight seems natural. There is no fence separating you from the animals.

On three occasions, at different game parks around Africa, I have seen Rhino's, but, never more than one at a time. In my experience, of the big five, rhinos are the second most difficult, after the leopard, animal to spot on a ranger led photo safari.

The park guide, who talked a little too much for everyone... but, hey, he tried hard... pointed out the preserve's virtue in harboring these rhino, considering that throughout Africa the rhino continues to dwindle to poaching. Our guide said that even here at the Aquila preserve they had lost a rhino to poaching in the last year.

It is amazing to see these huge animals, in abundance, in an open setting. If Aquila's story is right, they seem to be doing a good thing.

Above: Frick and Frack. Aquila Safari Preserve. Western Cape, South Africa. 24 December 2018.

Above: Who gnu? Aquila Safari Preserve. Western Cape. 24 December 2018

Above: Cape Mountain Zebra. Aquila Safari Preserve. Western Cape, South Africa. 24 December 2018.

This animal is the smallest of the three zebra varieties and is found only in the southern part of Africa. If any of the animals we saw today was in its natural habitat, this one was the one.

I'm thinking of submitting this image for a national wildlife in action competition.

Above: Eland. Aquila Safari Preserve. Western Cape. South Africa. 24 December 2018.

The largest of the 35 or so varieties of antelope found in Africa.

It is not as large as the nielguy, or blue bull antelope of the sub continent.

Above: Giraff. Aquila Safari Preserve. Western Cape. South Africa. 24 December 2018.

Big heart to pump blood to the head. 40% mortality rate, new births.

Above: Male Lion. Acquila Safari Preserve. Western Cape, South Africa. 24 December 2018.

Image captured at 30x telephoto by the Lumix. A sharp eyed passenger spotted the lion in the almost too far to see distance while the RV was stopped as the driver/guide was giving us a lecture on lions.

We were all trying to spot the distant lions (we spotted another one) and get whatever shots of it we could, while the guide wanted us to redirect our attention towards his spiel. We would see the lions soon enough when we drover up closer, he said. Notwithstanding, I was on the right side of the vehicle and I angled to get this image... which, I think is a pretty good one.

Note: We never saw the lions again other than when visible at the top of these rocks, where the lion stands in the image. My image is the best image I could get of a lion today.

OK. Full disclosure. The lion is de-clawed and is in a 20 acre enclosure along with the one other male and 5 female lions, similarly declawed. The lions in the park could not be allowed to roam free as, soon enough, there would be no other animals. So, the lions are fed by the park rangers.

Like I said, you won't find the quintessential African wild life experience in the Cape Town area... but, if this (Acquila Safari Preserve) is all you've got, its better than nothing. Nothing prevents me from channeling David Yarrow, award winning photographer of African wildlife, as I contemplate the image I took here. I mean, who's to know that this animal is behind a fence and can't feed himself. Its a good picture, common!

Above: Frick and Frack. Aquila Safari Preserve. Western Cape. South Africa. 24 December 2018.

Above: TIMDT, Bridge, Comic Mom, Bond, Maharaja, and Bishop. Christmas Eve Cocktails. Mt. Nelson Hotel. Capetown, South Africa. 24 December 2018.

It was neat to meet with good friends in such neat place. Mt. Nelson is the quintessential, old, colonial era hotel, still kept up to the highest standards. Think Raffles in Singapore or Coronado in San Diego.

Above: Bishop, TIMDT, Bond and Bridge. The Greek Fisherman Restaurant. V and A Wharf. Capetown, South Africa. 24 December 2018.

Christmas Eve.

Bridge birthday.

May Bridge's next 39 years be lived with as much elan and cheer as her first thirty nine!