Carol and Jane were taking coffee and waiting for us at a local shopping centre. Jane has a safari four wheel drive called.....Muffin an unusually feminine name for a tough vehicle. We chatted with anticipation as we travelled. The unhappy occasion of yesterday pushed into the background. We were three girls on an adventure and Tali Game park was our designation. It’s just an hour out of Durban. The city and the sea were soon left behind as we climbed through rolling hills. Even this far out of Durban, there were still people walking along the side of the road, bundles wrapped in bright fabric and balancing on their heads. Some people were carrying bags of oranges in red net bags... that just added to the color that surrounded us. The scenery looked like home in summer, dry grass, bright blue sky and even the occasional eucalyptus. the girls explained that winter is the dry season and summer the wet. The temperature was in the mid 20’s and it was a perfect African day for a safari.
The guard at the park had bright red hair. I thought it was for a specific purpose, No it wasn’t a tradition, just the modern age of dyed locks.
We drove up a rough dirt track and there before us was a rhino and cub. We watched in awe as this huge beast munched away on the grass just a few feet from us. We sat at one of the water-holes and watched a family of hippos take their morning bath. They called to each other as they moved across the mud flat and disappeared with a splash into the water leaving a glistening wake behind them. There were Ostrich’s performing a mating ritual, wings outstretched and prancing around each other on strong bare legs. Buffaloes gathered in a group and were joined by a myriad of other birds and animals. A magical experience. The grass is Australian summer gold, but here it is the middle of winter in Durban. There is very little rain during the winter months and I learned that this is the best time to view the animals because they need to go to the water-holes to drink and the grass is lower allowing a good view. I just couldn’t believe that I was here in this magical place. As a child I always wanted to go to Disneyland and to an African game park. Now I’ve done both. There is a serenity here that overcomes you when you are so close to an animal in the wild.
After a difficult morning I began to unwind and when the girls suggest lunch I jumped at the idea. The light was still a little high for good photographs, and considering that this was winter, it would be better even an hour later. There is a wonderful restaurant in the park. It shelters under a thick canopy of thatched roof. The floors are highly polished stone and the decor the earthen colors of the African Bush. Bright colored cushions and rugs blended with the zebra and antelope skins on the floor. Our luck was in because a convention was taking place and even though it was a week day they had prepared one of their famous buffets. Our lunch hour turned into two as we sampled a delicious meal and solved the problems of the world.
We ventured off to view the rest of the park, the sun was a little lower and the temperature in the 30’s. It was a perfect day.
Zebra hid in the tall grass, Giraffes stood at the water-hole nervously watching for danger. Springbuck watched us with interest and stood whilst I took interesting photos. When you are a photographer, you just know when you get the perfect photo, sometimes it happens in an instant, sometimes it is just the environment and at other times it’s a bit of a fluke but I new that I was going to have some exciting images.
We drove around the park, often just watching the animals with interest, at other times watching the light for the best camera angle. Sunset comes quickly and the light fades. I had the girls going from hill to hill for just the perfect sunset setting behind the acacia trees. I think we were the last out of the park. What an experience. I will never forget Tala.
