Make this Place Your Home

The Group

The title comes from the popular song heard on the radio recently. What makes a place a home? Family for one thing! Three weeks in August were designated for the Pfeiffer Africa Adventure. Epic title for an epic vacation, the three Pfeiffers on the same continent! 

Neither of my parents have ever been to Africa, and it was my dad’s first international experience! The mountain man and I were the chauffeur, cooks, and game rangers for their five phase stay.

Phase 1 Hluehluwe-imfolozi. This is one of the oldest reserves in South Africa and is known for its rhinos. We had plenty of rhino sightings, something I did not have the chance to experience at Addo Elephant Park in 2010. But the highlight of that trip were the White-backed Vulture nests (found at the tops of the tallest trees), and a pack of wild dogs! We were photographing a Sabota Lark (lifer!) when a van pulled up beside us and told us of the painted dog sighting at “number 26”. The next 20 minutes were literally a blur as we speed through the bush to witness the sleeping dogs. We sat there the longest out of all the cars, and it paid off when a few decided to get up and stretch in the sun.

The Stretch- African Wild Dog

The pose - African Wild Dog

Phase 2 St. Lucia Wetland Park. Our drive from Hluhluewe to the luxurious bed and breakfast took a toll on my parents. It was the same feeling I had in 2010 when we drove through the shanty towns around Cape Town into the Stellenbosch wine region. This country has so many layers.  The whale-watching trip here was spectacular! They launched us from the beach, no pier or anything, and we raced against the breaking waves. Good thing the captain showed us how to brace ourselves before the departure! We travelled about 30 min. to a pod of Humpbacked Whales. It was a group of males chasing a female. I tell you what; ocean research is something I could get into. The animals out there are fascinating, and still not much is known about them.

Phase 3 Pietermarizburg. My professor hosted a wonderful post grad dinner. She knows how to bring everyone together over the best food in town! I still have to get the recipe for an awesome ground beef and cheese dish called Bobotie.

Phase 4 Mkambati. This had the most hectic planning out of everything. I learned the hard way that South Africans call this symbol (.) a full stop and not a period. Therefore it was very hard to get a reservation sent to my email that had a peri….full stop in it! Mkambati greeted us with the worst roads I have seen yet, a present from the latest rain. Also the fact that they are fixing the only road in the reserve means one has to drive through a ‘detour’.  However, the long days at the beach in the sun made us forget about the rough roads at least for a day!

Phase 5 Pennington. This is a small beach community that we stopped at before they took their plane trip back over the Atlantic. My dad had his round of golf and my mom really liked the bath tub. A Green Twinspot was spotted at the back yard feeder. As for myself, I got a bad case of sniffles that lasted 12 hours!

Green Twinspot Photo credit: Glen Mclean

It was awesome and tiring to have my folks here. I got to see places I hadn’t seen before and also got to show them the places where I work. The time spent at Mkambati was very special as well, because I caught a fish! Finally after hours of fishing. It was a rather large catfaced rock cod, but not good eating so it went back.

The trip also reminded me how much I do miss home and the people there.  But they also got to see the beauty, animals, and people that make this place so unique and wild. Travelling and living on my own has made me a stronger person, but I know that my family and friends in the US will always be there for me. Thanks! 

The Pfeiffers Photo Credit: Glen Mclean