This South African reserve park is world renowned for its BIG Five, the elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and rhino.

This series I’m doing…

On our trip through the Kruger National Park was one of our highlights of our lives. Something we shall never forget.  

We had such a wonderful time, that I thought I would look back on it and take you there, through my memories, to experience and enjoy it as well. 

Come share the experience:

Our eldest daughter took us on this trip, early in the month of September, about thirteen years ago.  This particular African spring, the fresh early green leaves hadn’t yet started to show. So everything still looked dry like you would find in winter.  

Kruger National Park is very well-known park, and has huge wide open acreage in the eastern part of the Transvaal Provence, bordering on Mozambique. Here is the map of the Transvaal and the Kruger National Park (big green) area:

We had seriously over-packed the car:

Before leaving our daughters place in Johannesburg, we had packed the car with everything we thought we would need for the trip. And more some!  

Because we intended to do self-catering as we went, we pack food for the whole time we would be away. That was besides the usual clothing, binoculars and camera. 

We stopped at roadside stall:

Thinking it would start us out with a holiday feeling, we got out of our car to explore stalls for fun. 

It was one of those tourist stalls that have a wide range of African made carvings, beadwork, pots, blankets, paintings, bracelets, earrings and bookmarks, etc. And a lot of other things besides, which represent the African way of living in the outback. 

Normally city life in South Africa is very different. Johannesburg for instance is very cosmopolitan, a city of rainbow nations, fashion and music. 

Photos of African Curios:

Sorry I didn’t get photos of that particular stall out east. But here are some curios you can find in Johannesburg, at Bruma Lake’s tourist stalls: 

 

 

 

Don’t you think their creative and carving talents are brilliant?! In South Africa, there are different examples tribal dress and style of pottery on display. 

The paw-paw tray:

There was also a hawker at the stall selling big trays of paw-paws (papaya), about five in the box, which we just couldn’t resist. The price was so good we bought a whole tray full. Then turning to the car, we realized the car was already too full.  

I sat in the front, in the passage seat, so it would be easy for me to take photos. I also had things packed around my legs and feet. 

That left my husband in the back seat, sitting alone, squashed up with luggage all around him. Looking up in surprise he graciously accepted the fact he would have to have the paw-paw tray on his lap. 

The petrol attendant’s judgement:

Before we entered The Kruger National Park we decided to fill up with petrol at the nearest town to the park. 

While filling up our car, the petrol attendant at the petrol station happened to look into our car and saw my husband with the luggage surrounding him and loaded down with the paw-paws on his lap. 

The petrol attendant pointed out to our daughter, “Shame, the poor guy! How can you do that to him?!” 

Till this day it’s a `standing’ (sitting) joke in our family, when someone has something big and awkward put on their laps. Like, “I see you have the paw-paws to day!”  

Even though it may not be paw-paws, we still laugh with a teasing chuckle. If it ever happens to you now, you can also use the same joke if you like. 

View from the stall:

While at the stall I had moved away from the stalls, and turned around to look at the background scenery. And this is the panoramic view I saw from the tourist stall: