Landing!

An Egyptian Goose was landing in front of two of our Elephant bulls as they were having a morning drink stop at a waterhole.

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The Big Five in one drive!

We went on game drive this afternoon to find Elephants, but we got much more. As we left the Thanda Safari Lodge we encountered two male Lions and when we stopped to watch a few Warthogs and Impalas we spotted a large male Leopard hunting. After this very special encounter we continued on our Elephant quest and almost immediately ran into a White Rhino. And towards the end of the drive we finally found the long-noses.

What a day! The Big Five on one drive.

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Alert!

This Black Rhino bull was very alert as he was browsing on small bushes on the edge of a savanna area. The picture was taken just after the sun had set.

The visible sore on its side is a skin lesions caused by a parasite. When visiting communal dung heaps rhinoceros will pass the infection along, resulting in almost every individual being infected by a small filariform worm. It seems not to distract them.

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First Baby!

Following an early rutting season this little Impala was the first new baby of this summer seen on one of my game drives on Thanda Safari!

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Film Shoot …

Yesterday, we had a sunset and wildlife film shoot for a major Hollywood movie on Thanda Safari. For me it was a very long, but very rewarding day coordinating the project for Thanda.

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Back on Thanda!

It is great to be back home on the reserve. We had a bit of – very welcome- rain over the last few days.

Today’s picture is of a Black Rhino mum and her calf in the early morning hours.

Have a good week!

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European Travel Journal 2021 – Post 10

That’s it. After a 10.5 hour flight I am back in South Africa. I will spend a few days in Pretoria and Durban and I will be back at Thanda Safari next Monday: Back to Wildlife Photography.

I hope you have enjoyed this travel (food 😊) journal.

Today’s picture was take from the plane just before landing in Johannesburg..

If you would like to read the complete travel journal with all pictures go to http://sperka.info (profile link)

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Picture data: iPhone 12 Pro Max

Underground cable car at Zurich airport.
Swiss Airbus A340 to Johannesburg
I almost bought a cuckoo clock
Zurich airport art
Departing Switzerland
On the plane – I was lucky with an empty seat beside me 😊
On approach …

European Travel Journal 2021 – Post 9

My visit is almost at an end but this weekend I spent some more time with friends and family in Germany.

I enjoyed two more excellent lunches at ‘The Fuchshöhle’ and at the ‘Villa Martini’ in Bad Säckingen.

Tomorrow I will get a COVID-19 PCR test at the Zürich Airport and if everything goes well then I will be on a plane back to South Africa tomorrow night.

If you read all my travel post and looked at all the posted pictures then this trip looks a bit like a food tour. But I think that there are few better ways to spend quality time with family and friends then over a good meal.

I had a very enjoyable visit and I am looking forward to be back in April 2022.

Today’s picture is of tall trees in the Black Forest, Southern Germany.

Picture data: iPhone 12 Pro Max

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My niece and her boyfriend were ready for their Halloween party 🎉 (posing as Patrick Bateman and The Black Mamba 🎃)
My mum loved the Proteas, the South African national flower, which I found in a German flower shop.
A very tasty pumpkin risotto!
I love sour-cream ice cream!
An excellent Italian lunch!

European Travel Journal 2021 – Post 8

I had very busy and very enjoyable three days with lunches and dinners, catching up with many more friends in Switzerland and Germany.

And today good friends, who live in Lucerne, took me on a boat ride onto Lake Lucerne ‘Vierwaldstättersee’. They own a beautiful wooden speed boat and we spent a pleasant autumn afternoon on the water. The day ended with a superb dinner at the Hotel Montana in Lucerne which features an incredible view of the city.

Today’s picture is of misty mountains ‘in blue light’ around Lake Lucerne, Switzerland.

Picture Data: Canon EOS R6 with RF 24-240mm lens.

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A Linzer Torte was the desert to an exceptional dinner with friends in Aarwangen, Switzerland
Switzerland is providing fast charging stations for e-cars at most rest places along the motorways (Autobahns)!
A beef carpaccio is one of my favorite starters. This one I ate at the Fuchshöhle in Bad Säckingen, Germany.
Sunrise from the ClubGolf restaurant above Sempach before my dinner with friends.
Swiss mountains.
On the speed boat.
Famous German composer Richard Wagner’s house on Lake Lucerne.
Mist and pastel colors.
Dinner at the Montana.
Lucerne at sunset.
Lucerne panorama from the lake.
Ship on Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee = Lake on four cantons (~states) with forests)
A ‘must have app’ when visiting Switzerland called PeakFinder (to identify the names of the mountains around you)!