Nadege, the provencal.

Nadege, the "Hyena" because she is the only personn to find a hyena cute.

Provenance : Grenoble (transfuge, vraie provenance: Brignoles)

dates: 09 Decembre au 25 decembre

special pecularities : likes hyenas, skills for diving, doesn`t like galoping...

First step: The Umfolozi game reserve. Gilles, Nad and me, spent 3 nights there. The highlight will certainly be the evenings around the braai, at the camp, when hyenas visited us, atracted by the meat smell. They came very close to the barbecue, 3 meters from the camp. Nadege saw one of them, the biggest one, passing just behind us, as we were sitting outside, quitly, around the fire. Gilles beat the world record of "I jump in the camp race".

No cats, unlikely, during these 3 days, but lots of hyenas, rhinos and elephants, one of them was huge, an old male, with the biggest tusks i`ve never seen.

Walks, night drive, drives, or chill out at the camp, during thses 3 days, in spite of the bad weather, includes a big storm, just after we arrived at the camp. We thought that the sky will fall on our head. Fortunetly, we had good bananas on the braai, to warm us, and to cheer us up.

That`s her normal state, she suffered a lot

So a Hyena on holidays is taking some sun tan ...

drinking around the braai

hunting insects ...

and mainly eating like crazy !!!

It`s also taking nice animals pictures::

Self - portrait..

Magnificent elephant, look at the size of the trunks !!! it`s incredible ! (with the french accent)

This one was not too far from us ...

the giraffe`s family, from right to left: daddy, mom, and baby.

After the walk in Umfolozi: (from l to r) Gilles, Nad, Ranger, and me.

driving in the reserve.

our camp. (no fences)

at the hide.

Second step: diving in Sodwana bay. Also 3 nights, I think that`s what Nadege enjoy the most. She succeded in her open water qualification, after 3 days of studies, practice in the swiming pool, lessons, exams, ...

At the end, she had her exam easily, and did 3 sea dives, very nice dives: good conditions, and lots to see: turtle, bass, rays, eals, and even shark !

Nadege preparing her tank, on the beach, Sodwana bay.

Third step: The Drakensberg, 4 nights. The two first nights, in the royal Natal national park, North of Drakensberg. The chalet was perfect, with a very nice view on the Amphitheatre. We had the guineafowls visiting us in the morning, during breakfast. The schedule: hike on the edge of the cascades, and an other one to the bushman paintings.

And then, on our way, to the Southern Drakensberg, in a pub, a bed and breakfast very friendly: The Himmeville Arms, very old pub for trouts fishermen. Just after we get there, we had a big storm, as usual. It stopped 20 minutes later, to allow us fo go on our 3 hours horse ride, in a magnificant place, under a drizzle. A few runs, Nadege was surprised on the first one, she was not too happy, but finally she managed very well. For dinner: a good local trout, speciality of the place.

Lendemain: montee du col de Sani pass, a bord d`un 4*4, on passe la frontiere du Lesotho, malgre la rapidite phenomenale du garde frontalier, a qui il n`a fallu que 45 minutes pour tamponner 6 passeports. l`apres midi: visite d`un village au Lesotho, puis glande au Sani top chalet, plus haut pub d`Afrique, a part glander, il n`y avait pas grand chose d`autre a faire autour ! faut dire que le Lesotho, c`est un peu paume comme coin. Pluie, brouillard, soleil se sont succedes toutes les 5 minutes, devant un decors assez somptueux. Lendemain matin: redescente vers l`Afrique du Sud et retour vers Durban, juste a temps pour celebrer Noel, c`est la fin des vacances.

Next day: we took a ride to the top of Sani Pass, in a 4*4. We passed the Lesotho border, in spite of, the incredible fast of the customs to stamp our passport: 45 minutes for 6 people !!! it must be record. In the afternoon, we visited a village in Lesotho, and then chill out in the pub, higgest pub in Africa, that`s actually the only thing you can do around this place ! The Lesotho is quite a lost world. Rain, mist, sun, the weather changed every 5 minutes, that was very weird, in particular with this fantastic view on Sani pass. Next morning: came down to Himmeville pub, and back to Durban, just in time to celebrate Chritsmas in Kloof, end of the hollidays.

Nad at theroyal Natal national park.

Horse riding under the rain, near Himmeville.

In Lesotho. Are you cold Nadege ?

At the Sani top chalet, southern Drakensberg.