Day 11 Kruger National Park

The staff were back at the hotel to serve breakfast, which we enjoyed, but today was were to leave Swaziland and head off to Hazyview in the Mpumpalanga district.
First we travelled to the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane, where the King Mswati III has one of his residences called the "Lozitha Palace".  In the kingdom of Swaziland the King Mswati III is the last absolute monarch in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He was born in 1968 as the second of 67 sons to the elderly King Subuza II and the only child of Queen Ntumbi Tfwala one of the Kings wives.

King Mswati III

King Mswati III with 1 of 13 wives !!

In Spain they have Pamplona's running of the bulls, in Swaziland they have the Reed Dance. Instead of nervous townsfolk running through the streets pursued by temperamental bovines, 50,000 nervous, bare-breasted virgins frolic in a stadium before their hot-blooded King Mswati III.  Since 1999, the event has operated under the guise of honoring maidenhood, but the not-so-secret secret is that it's more like The Bachelor meets The Real World Denver for royals.  Apparently the absolute monarch has used it as a way to select who will be his next wife.  Last year, for instance, the then 37-year-old king chose a 17-year-old spouse from the line-up of tens of thousands.

That time again to pick another wife !!

Enough of the history lesson and what royalty get up to!!
We checked out the Mbabane Market which is renowned for its glass works and authentic crafts especially their weaving of baskets, and traditional Swazi medicines. This was like no street markets that we have at home, these people looked liked they lived in the same sheds, with children running  around and their parents cooking and making their crafts.

Traditional woven baskets

After rummaging around the market, we continued to travel through Swaziland to the border crossing back into South Africa, and onward to Hazyview where our accommodation for the next 2 nights was to be the Hippo Hollow Country Estate.

Hippo Hollow Country Estate

Checked in and collected the keys for our log cabins overlooking the Sabie river, where it is reputed that you may see Hippopotamus.  Our cabins were over 2 floors with a balcony looking out over the Sabie river, Kath sat there there pondering if we would get to see the illusive hippo's.

Hippo Hollow log cabins

Out to the balacony

Looking over the Sabie river for the Hippo's

Strolled around the grounds taking in the views by the Sabie river, and admiring some of the different styled thatched rondavels.

Thatched Rondavels

Jeff  Lynn and Kath

It was lunchtime so we headed off to the bar down by the reception where we sat out on the lawns over looking the river with a drink and a sandwich, which was sufficent as we had all had hearty breakfasts most days.
It was then time to climb aboard our 4 x 4  complete with guide and spotter to drive out to the Kruger National Park for another safari game drive in the hope of spotting some of the Big 5.

Family of Elephants

Baby and menacing Matriarch

Back to the food after crossing the road

Tortoise crossing the same road

Huge White Rhino

Getting too close now

Male Kudu

An excellent afternoon wonderful to get so close to all these wild animals.  We did hear lions and our guide drove us round some small hills where the lions were lazing away the afternoon.  They are usually sleeping at this time of the day, we did manage a glimce of the male lion in the long grass, but there was that much vegetation, we had little chance of getting a clear photograph.

                                                         Not one of our pictures !!
On our return to Hippo Hollow we rested, showered and changed and had a glass of champagne on our balcony, looking out for the ever illusive Hippo's in the Sabie river. After our aperitif  it was time to go down to the restaurant for our evening meal.

Not that we're swingers !!

All still looking for the Hippo's

Jeff and I dinned on wild game, while the girls favoured steak and chicken, again washed down with some excellent South African wine, we actually did see a Hippo swim by, and then venture onto the lawn infront of the patio where we were dinning, hope Jeff has a photograph, as I recall I dropped my camera in exitement and never did manage to take the picture of the ever illusive Hippo's.
A great night and a perfect way to finish a splednid day, this young waitress supplied us with all our requirements for the even and didn't mind smiling for a picture.

Smiling waitress

Think Jeff was saying it's warm !!