Tuesday:
There is a severe drought in St Lucia and water restrictions mean we only have water between 6 and 8 am and pm. We get up early to make sure we get a shower, but then have a lazy morning. It is cloudy today, but warm. Most of the morning is spent at the internet café catching up on various bits. After lunch we set out to explore a bit on foot. We follow a nature trail for a while and eventually end up on the beach. St Lucia does beaches in style – wide, sandy and deserted with crashing waves.
At 4pm we join a croc and hippo boat tour. We get up close to the hippos and see some crocs, deer and birdlife.
Getting on the boat I snigger at the soft South Africans wearing jeans and jackets. An hour later with a storm on the way I’m feeling a bit less cocky as I shiver in my shirt dress… We arrive back in town at 6 and after a warm shower to get my body temperature back to normal we head to a little bar just down the road. They’ve got the football on so we settle in for beers, pizza (for me) and steak (for Nick, who still can’t believe that he’s paying £10 for fillet steaks). At half time we’re told that they’re closing up and asked to settle our bill, but then we’re ushered into a little backroom to watch the second half of the football. By now it’s been chucking it down for hours, which has got to be a good thing. We’ve been warned that hippos wander the streets at night, but so far we’ve been safe.
Wednesday:
We wake up to a cloudy, rainy day, so we decide to head to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game park. It’s supposed to be the best place in the world to see rhino, and before we’ve even made it through the gates we’ve seen two. At reception we’re asked for identification. Nick hands over his driver’s licence and the woman helping us gives a little giggle. Then she just blurts right out with: is your head made of wood? I laughed, then realised it’s my name too now.
We went into the Imfolozi section of the park. It’s a beautiful, hilly, wild park with few roads and not many other visitors. The brooding rain clouds detract from the visibility but add to the mood. At various lookout points there are spots where you can stop and have a braai. We weren’t sure what a good idea this was when there are lion and leopard roaming about, but it looked like fun. We had a good day, seeing giraffe, warthogs, wildebeest, nyala, kudu, impala, waterbuck, baboons, vervet monkeys and of course rhinos (12 in total!).
We got back to town before dark for a quick stroll around and are now settling down for a quiet night in.
Janet adds: loving onion and vinegar crisps – thanks for the tip Aeden.
Thursday:
Yesterday was dry and sunny compared to today. We wake up to bucketing rain, but decide to head to the beach anyway. The beach at Cape Vidal is in a game reserve. We were expecting small game, but nothing big (and certainly no big 5…). On the way to the beach, we bumped into a rhino and some buffalo.
We took a few scenic loops round lake St Lucia. Although it’s been raining for days and mildly inconvenient for us tourists, it’s clear that so much more is needed. The beach, when we get there, is beautiful – wide, sandy and (so we’ve heard) excellent for snorkelling. However with the wind, waves, bluebottles and a storm on the way, we had to do it English style: in our waterproofs!
After a hunt through the rockpools and lunch at a damp, drafty picnic table, we head back towards town. Near the entrance to the park is a self-guided nature trail. As it’s cleared up a bit we decide to give it a go. It’s a pleasant, easy walk (despite figuring out that we’re not the best guides). Along the way we pass zebra, wildebeest, warthogs and various deer. It’s incredible to wander up this close to them on foot.
Back at the car we decide to give the beach another go and head for St Lucia’s main beach. Again a broad, sandy, grand affair. I decide to get my feet wet and get a bit more than I bargained for. Sandy and wet, we head for home.
After a quick tidy up it’s off to the internet café to check emails (ahem…) then out for some food (okay, I’ll admit it: I’ve gone a bit Yorkshire and don’t like change, so we headed for the same place for the same food we had last time). We get home just in time for a storm, so sit outside watching the lightening.
Janet adds: Thanks Charlotte for my mini make-ups: it’s nice to get a bit scrubbed up when I get the chance.
Nick adds: will you please stop thundering, I’m trying to sleep!
Friday:
There were furious storms and strobe-lightening all through the night. In the morning it’s still pouring with rain. In my head the town must be under water by now, but not quite. Apparently they’ve had about 100ml over the last two days. As it doesn’t show any sign of letting up soon, we decide to leave St lucia a few days early and start heading round the coast.
No comments:
Post a Comment