The Regulars of the Bush

South Africa is mega diverse in flora and fauna; and the private game reserves boasts of some of the best wildlife that might be found in the continent...













....wildebeest and impala are as obvious as cattle in India!!








So is ‘Pumba’(Warthog) that usually runs off at any signs of human presence.....






Vervet monkeys are also a lucky spot





So are kudus that are generally shyer than the other grazers.












The reserve is also very rich in its water ways and dams by virtue of having the Waterberg plateau in its territory.....






the water monitor is quite common at such embankments.




There is abundance of wildlife on the plateau as well...





the very charismatic Blaze buck as well as zebra roam in large numbers here.










The lesser creatures are a source of immense pleasure if one is observant enough.






Snake eagle













And then there are the mastodons- the rhino and the elephant




The reserve easily accommodates the current number - seven rhinos including the calves considering factors such as food, water, area etc.





Still, being nature’s heavy weights they try to boss around the drinking ponds!!....
most would give them a wide berth...except probably male lions and elephants.













And speaking about ‘Jumbo’, they take their own sweet time to cross the road!!






seen here is a herd with the matriot leading...















It was towards evening that we completed our wish list of African game...






concluding it with the world’s tallest mammal....




and what an encounter it was!!




this was no ‘love tangle’ as it seems...it was reconnaissance before the duel began.....





with necks and legs in place, they went for the slugfest!!!












barely 20 feet away, we could hear the every thud as clearly as it was intended to be!










dual purpose of the weapon: a giant club suspended from a thick rope....





the club being a thinking tool as well!!.





only occurs in nature!!









Blow by blow, the fight went to the road just as we had enough of being trigger happy..





And commenced for another 5 minutes or so before the driver intervened by moving the vehicle forward.....





and that’s when the belligerents called for an unexpected but much needed interval- both for us and them




....and gazed....quite puzzled at the source of interruption.....











finally they gave way... as we left them to hopefully truce!






P.S:
All the information and pictures furnished here have copyrights strictly reserved and shared between Shaz Syed (blogger) and The Entabeni Game Conservancy- South Africa.
Any possession, production or distribution of the material by anyone other than the owner/s would be considered copyright infringement and dealt with accordingly.

The Escapade

Firstly for the regulars of my blog, South Africa is still unfinished!....as a matter of fact, a lot is yet to come. But as fickle minded as iam, i feel all my trips are worth the mention...and therefore, abruptly enough, i hit the road again...a photographic assignment that came with some meagre but badly needed ’refuelling’....and it couldn’t have been better than my place selection! -Rajasthan!...yes with the mercury above 40!


Three hours of traversing through the blazing afternoon brought us to a huge valley in the Alwar district that was once a private hunting ground for the Maharja....











....a part of this area also forms the ‘infamous’ Sariska Tiger reserve...










As dry as it may seem, the Wilds of India are never devoid of their beauty...






















each season offers a different colour and charm...


















...we are completely dependent on certain gadgets to give us a night’s sleep in the cities...and admittedly, I’ am no different...






.....which brought me to my biggest problem- forget air-conditioning!....i was deprived off a simple fan!












But a few hours into dusk found me lying flat under the night sky enjoying what seemed to be a cool waft of fresh air, the origin of which has kept me puzzled to date!












and got my much needed 7 hours of slumber to get me ready for the next thing that met the eye...

Of all the areas i’ve visited, any elevation in the proximity has always probed me to see what it’s like on the top!...

the hills that surrounded the valley were no different...

but only when i got up close and personal that i realised the odds!.....





firstly, the ground was strewn with a variety of dried thorn bushes that looked quite deliberate in their attempt to rip at the skin when came in contact!;

along with this, the dry and loose soil made the stones move like skates whenever stepped on to lunge forward and made it impossible to trust any small bush to get a grip on to do the same;





after having vanquished these for the first half of the climb, came the jagged rocks which had some of the weirdest protrusions! ;-)

these definitely were kinder in the sense that they gave some productive and fast climbing....but to climb, i had to hold them....and 15 seconds of holding a rock like that in the heat would either burn your hand or cut it!



So quite by default, i decided to break after every 5 minutes..
and stand wherever possible in the climber fashion with my back to the hill....
and that’s when i realised that the ’photographs’ and ‘motivation’ were right behind me!

Ever known what’s it like being on top??!!

Nirvana!.....

with all the sweat and adrenalin in your body...and the cuts and the bruises..and the limbs shaking with fatigue and the throat etching for a drop!....




it all seems worth the while...it takes a few minutes of having crashed under the nearest tree when the breeze blows all around your face and your blood pressure comes back to normal.....those minutes are some of the few when we can enjoy our accomplishment...and that too sitting in the lap of nature!


And i finally fulfilled my pre-ordained desire- to see what it’s like from the top...

....and the other side...

...childish but worth the pursuit....

It was unarguably one of the most difficult climbs i have attempted...commercially or otherwise...that too in the wrong place and the wrong season......and there was a cost...a loose rock resulting in a 10 foot drop!....and a faulty step that took me sliding (and burning!) for about 15 feet!

Despite all this, I quote the price worth only one trait- Passion......so would you care to join.....?! ;-)