Late Merry Christmas from South Africa

[mjheathcote]

Having just arrived back today to a very wet and cold Manchester Airport, after 12 days in South Africa staying with friends in Port Alfred, thought I would say a late Merry Christmas to all at Sportmaserati with a few random pictures out of the 600+ taken!
It was a fantastic holiday, staying with SA's we did things that normally you would never do, or dare to do!
Cheers!

 

[safrane]

Great photos...strange way to cook the Turkey!

 

[mjheathcote]

Great photos...strange way to cook the Turkey!

Leg of lamb!... they do love their BBQ's or 'braai'
SA's do love their red meat, we've had our yearly iron intake, and hardly any vegables/potatoe/pasta, but salads yes.

 

[2b1ask1]

Wow, looks like quite the experience Mike welcome back...

 

[CatmanV2]

Looks like super fun!

C

 

[mjheathcote]

It was fun.
The safaris I have done before, but great for the kids.
Running around locally via VW buggy the kids loved too, hanging on the back, it was something I would have done when I was a kid, but today here in the UK....but then it's okay in SA today.
A lot is okay in SA actually, not saying its right, just it was right here in the UK 30 years ago, but not now.
Like 10 in a Toyota Landcruiser passing the local SA police patrol car, it's acceptable!
I certainly enjoyed water skiing down a wild African river passing buffalo drinking by the edge at the same time, then all of us going for a swim in the same river with the water 28 degrees C. Didn't ask what was in it, they risked it, so we did....just like surfing in 'Sharks Bay'....
It's a very interesting country for sure.

 

[dem maser]

I have family in j bourg....must go.....what a country.....how far from lions were you?

 

[Felonious Crud]

The land that vegetables forgot.

Welcome back, Mike. Glad you all had a good break.

 

[Andyk]

Mike a very different kind of Christmas for you then...Looks brilliant.....A a late Merry Christmas to you to.

 

[mjheathcote]

I have family in j bourg....must go.....what a country.....how far from lions were you?

It is a wonderful country to visit, and if you are staying with family or friends you certainly see things and experience things differently.

We were in a open back Land Rover, and went out after dark to see the lions.
It was quite an experience for we came across a couple of hippos out of the water (normal at night) and a pride of lions that where having a 'ding dong' between each other. The lion had just caught a warthog and for some reason one of the hippos wanted some, but they are non meat eaters!
It was difficult to take photos at night but I got some great video footage surprisingly considering it was under spot light.
My compact camera/HD video was at max 20x zoom, so about 50M away. My heart rate went up when they start walking to the land rover, no protection, other than pepper spray, but apparently we are of no interest so safe!
I'm going to upload to YouTube, the game keeper had never seen anything like in in 35 years!

 

[TridentTested]

A lot is okay in SA actually, not saying its right, just it was right here in the UK 30 years ago, but not now.

I LOVE SA and mostly for that reason. There is a real sense of freedom there; anything and everything seems possible.

I was going out one evening with friends in Durban and we were passing around a bottle inside the car. Our driver had just had a swig and one of the back seat passengers shouted out 'careful, the guys beside us [we were stopped in a traffic queue] are cops'. Our driver looked over and quickly put the bottle down. The cops copped that we had copped them and they raised there previously hidden cans of lager and winked at us. They were not only drinking on duty but were drinking on duty while driving!

I'm not condoning drink-driving but that's the feeling of liberation there.

Great place, great times.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 

[mjheathcote]

Interesting about the drink driving in SA, I asked what the situation was and basically if you get stopped, a few rand makes the problem go away...
SA does have a drink driving problem as a result, and also the number of road deaths are very high.

 

[Parisien]

I think that was horrific..........no ifs, no buts, no laughing.... nope................

P

 

[mjheathcote]

I think that was horrific..........no ifs, no buts, no laughing.... nope................

P

Are you surprised?
Lots of stories about corruption and back handers going on.
That translator chap who can't translate, mate of a government official who pays him a good salary for something he can't do!

 

[Parisien]

Mike, its more TTs post, drinking and driving and the SA police doing the same.


P

 

[mjheathcote]

Mike, its more TTs post, drinking and driving and the SA police doing the same.


P

Yah I know, not good, and I don't know how they can change.
Speaking to quite a few out there, they believe SA is not going to get any better only worse unfortunately.