South Africa 2013: October 31 (Halloween) Hluhluwe Park

Just arrived from Kingdom Swaziland where we spend one day and night it is now Zulu Time....

SIYABONGA - Hello to KwaZulu Natal... Official language here is "Zulu". South Africa has 11 official languages and we can only pick up bits of it as we travel from one place to the other ...Yebo!
Hluhluwe Park is where we are at now... interestingly Africa's oldest National Park - and the second oldest Park in the world (after Yellowstone). This park is considerably lusher than Kruger Park and it is habitat to many Rhinos.

South Africa has huge problems with rhino poaching (ridiculous people still think that rhino horns have some magical power ?!) Thanksfully the country has set drastic laws against poachers and recently a man has been fined to 40 years in prison. The awareness of protecting rhinos is very big in South Africa and Rhino Breeding Projects are in place all over the country.

At Hluhluwe Park we had two more game drives ... so far we have captured 4 of the Big Five and the leopard will be probably not on our list. So we have to come back, right?! Being such a beautiful animal it can afford to hide... So no Leopard spotting for us this time....

This morning we saw a hyena trying to go after a rhino baby.... No luck for the hyena as the baby mother was chasing him away quickly...
The others are off to the craft market now and I am sitting in the lobby trying to update this blog... Not quite easy as the internet works slow and not in all places. We are still in very rural areas.... So enjoy some of our pics below .....

Old buffalo in the mud

Today's Traveller featured:

Dr Keh Gong Shih and his wife Lynn.

An amazing couple...They call Keh Gong over here "Madalla", which means old wise man.

He used to be a scientist for Geology and as many others of the group they have travelled to many many places - they have even been to Tibet (still on my "must do" list!)

They are so easy going.Lynn looks so young... I am still trying to find out her secret... :)

Glad to have you with us, Lynn and Keh Gong!!!