Africa 2015 - Day #7

Bush Walk talk

Out in the African Bush

Giraffe siting

 

 

Lion at the sanctuary

 

White Lion at the sanctuary

Village we visited

 

Dance performed for us

Cape Buffalo - one of the Big Five

 

Wild Lion - just walking down the road

Stopping for a pose

Pretty amazing animal

Monday, June 22nd

Final full day of our marathon/safari trip.  A bush walk followed a mid-morning breakfast (8am).  The bush walk is probably the most dangerous option when on safari.  The animals know the safari jeeps and are comfortable with them.  When you get out and walk - you no longer have that protection (example situation to follow).  Our guide carried a rifle for protection.  We left from the lodge and probably only veered no more than a mile from safety at any point.  The ranger (Pete) pointed out animal tracks, how to identify game by their droppings, different types of plants/leaves, and spoke to general park makeup, etc.  Interesting for sure.

Lunch followed the bush walk and then we headed out for a full afternoon excursion to the white lion sanctuary.  We had to take about a 45 minute drive to an area external to Entabeni.  We did a 3-hr tour where we saw 6 lions (4 of which were white lions), 2 tigers, some wild dogs, and a herd of cape buffalo.  The animals we saw today were not "wild".  They were enclosed for various reasons.  The buffalo needed to be separated to avoid Hep B transmittal amongst the herd.  The tigers were actually taken over for protection.  Tigers are not native to Africa and could not be introduced in the wild.  Tigers - Asia.  Lions - Africa.  The tour ended with a walk through of a traditional African village.  We saw the huts they lived in, the pins their cattle stayed in, and were introduced to some traditional food items (some of which were sent around for folks to try).  The conclusion was an African dance/song performed by some children - they even had some of our group join in.

On our return to Ravineside - we had the most exciting encounter of the entire safari.  One of the jeeps had spotted a full-grown adult male lion.  We got into position and saw the lion approach down this small road  WOW!!  I've seen lions on my last safari a few years back - but never on the move like this, and so close to the vehicles.  He actually ended up stopping right in front of one of the jeeps - posing for some great pics.  Later - we found out that our tour almost made the news - in a really bad way. One of the female rangers (Christy) had gotten out of her jeep to go to the bathroom (this was before any lions had been spotted).  As she was out of the jeep, a lion roars.  The other ranger in the jeep calls her to return immediately.  She yells out: "I can't right now!"  The other ranger is more persistent:  "Hey - you need to return to the jeep NOW!"  Christy yells:  "I can't - I'm looking at a lion right now".  All of this happened from a different jeep than the one I was in - but we heard the story firsthand by Christy.

She had gotten out of the jeep, walked a few meters in the bush, when she spotted the lion walking - maybe only 20-30 meters away.  The lion stopped and stared her down.  Christy froze - facing the animal (she runs - she's dead).  The lion's tail was wagging and ears went back - early indications of stress.  The group in the jeep could not see her.  Christy slowly backed away as the lion walked behind a bush - his eyes focused on her.  Christy called out to the jeep - the ranger in the jeep drove into the bush and was able to get behind her.  Christy continued to back up and then jumped into the jeep.  Once in the jeep, the lion lost interest.  Potential fatal crisis adverted.  Really interesting story - especially listening to it through a few different perspectives.  Christy was a relatively new ranger.  She expressed how her legs were shaking so bad - it was uncontrollable.  She is also pretty funny - her final comment was:  "The worst thing was - I still had to pee".  We finished the safari with a drink over-looking the sunset.  Maybe my final safari ever - what a way to go out. 

Back to the lodge for a final evening dinner.  We exchanged some contact info, evened up our bill, and called it what it was - an unbelievable 5-day adventure in the South African bush.

Africa 2015 - Day #6

Video shown at the Hippo-Dome

 

Cool night with a fire at Hippo-Dome

Early morning game drive

We found the elephants

A group of 10 elephants

Picture from Ravineside

Nice Buck

Sunday, June 21st

Up today - stress-free - with some sore legs.  But all in all, feeling really good.  After breakfast, we headed out for a morning safari.  Great!!  Our safari lasted from 9am to 2pm.  We again saw rhinos - up close and in person.  The guide even hit my knee once as an enormous male rhino nearly hit my leg with its horn.  We saw 2 cheetahs, a group of 10 elephants, and a variety of other wild game.  The drive this morning was in the lower escarpment.  We got to drive "the hill" we ran yesterday and appreciate the accomplishment once again.

After the safari, we had lunch.  Our afternoon bush walk was moved to Monday - so we had a couple hours free.  We then got picked up at 6pm to go the Hippo-Dome.  It's a big outdoor tent where Albatross put on a celebration for all 267 runners participating in the Big 5 Marathon event.  This included runners from all the lodges at Entabeni, as well as locations external to the game reserve.  There was approximately 150 marathoners and 117 half marathoners.

The Hippo-Dome party was really great!  Music, dancing (some traditional African singing/dancing), and a lot of food/drink.  The night progressed with more celebration.  By this time of the trip, we knew our fellow Ravineside marathoners pretty well.  This is my favorite part of group tours - the interesting people you meet along the way.

The night ended on our deck at Ravineside - listening to music.  One of the park rangers brought us a few beers as our lodge bar had closed.  Very, very good day from a wild game reserve in northern South Africa

Africa 2015 - Day #5

The "picture" we had been waiting for

Tired - and thankful

The fellas

close-up wildebeest

We did not see this today -- just a cool shot

Some great scenery on the run

More views

Great views during the run

Saturday, June 20th

Marathon Day!  Up for an early breakfast around 7am and then a transfer to Lakeside Lodge at 8am.  Marathon was set to start at 9am.  We went through the normal pregame ritual - bathroom, gear check, etc.  We snagged a couple photos at the start line and then got in line for the start of the race.  About 8:55am - we hear an announcement:  "We're going to be delaying the race start about 15 minutes while the rangers get into position".  We later learned that they could not locate one of the lions and had a helicopter fly overhead - with rangers walking into the bush with rifles in hand until they found the elusive cat.  Note -- The Big 5 Marathon is run completely exposed to the dangerous safari animals in the reserve.  We learned there were spotters/markers on all the big game - elephants, rhinos, and lios to secure our safety during the run.  Previous runs have been delayed as well until the rangers were able to secure the course completely.

About 9:15am, another announcement:  "We are ready for the start - we will start the marathon in 2 minutes".  9:20am - Saturday, June 20th - the 11th annual Big 5 Marathon began.

To get started, I knew the course - I just drove the whole thing yesterday.  I knew the first 2 miles consisted of a significant climb - I took it slow - walking up most of the severe slope.  The first 10K was mostly uphill to a turnaround.  I wasn't feeling so good (stomach uneasy, out of breadth, legs heavy).  It's OK I tell myself - I'll work it out.  After the 10K mark, we were able to see the strong runners coming back.  Greg and Liam were strong today - already several minutes ahead of me. 

Miles 6-10 would be my best ---- downhill (but with sketchy footing as the trail was filled with stones and gullies).  Unfortuantely, I could tell at this time that today was not my day.  I just never could get into that sweet spot.  I knew I had to be buckled in for a long one.  Around Mile 12 - we headed down "the hill".  The "hill" was a 1-2 mile stretch with such a steep incline/decline that one could barely run down, yet alone run up it.  I took my time on the steep sections headed down - my half marathon time was around 2:30-2:40.  Not great - but OK for me on this terrain. 

Miles 12-18 -- the sand.  Entabeni Game Reserve is made up of the upper escarpment and the lower escarpment (above "the hill" and below "the hill").  The lions on the game reserve were only on the lower escarpment.  Therefore, during miles 12-18, around every corner, in my mind, there could be a lion waiting ahead.  In addition to this mental hurdle, these 6 miles were like running on a beach for long stretches.  The sand was very deep and inconsistent, proving to be difficult and frustrating at times.  Note - there were cutoffs in the race:  25.5k @ 4hr-15min, 31.5K @ 5hr-15min, full marathon @ 7 hrs.  The first cut was at the base of "the hill" going up.  I made this with no problem - around 3hr-15min or so.  Upon hitting "the hill", I decided to take it slow.  Mile 18 was around 35 minutes for me.  I made the 5hr-15min cut by about 30 minutes. 

OK - done with "the hill".  Let's get going.  Wait - hamstring is cramping up!  I discovered that for whatever reason - my hamstrings were going to lock up after every 50m I ran.  What do I do?  Accept it.  Meaning - I basically walked 80% of the final 8 miles of the run.  OK though - I had my head up.  How many times in my future will I be walking in the middle of the African bush amongst some of the deadliest and majestic animals on earth.  I taked with a guy from Hong Kong a couple miles to pass the time.  I gazed out at some wildebeest in the distance for a time.  6hr-36min after I started early this morning, I crossed the finish line of the Big 5 Marathon - completing something that was started back in 1997.  I have now completed marathons on all 7 continents in the world.  Starting with the St. Louis Marathon in 1997 (since run 26 other states), I then ran the Great Wall Marathon in China in 2008 (running on the Great Wall), then the Inca Trail Ultra in Peru in 2010 (finishing at Machu Picchu), then Athens Marathon in 2010 (where the marathon started), next the Antarctica Marathon in 2011 (boat ride to the most southern continent in the world), then Auckland New Zealand in 2012 (running across the Harbor Bridge), and now - ending the adventure by running through a safari in South Africa in 2015.

Greg and Liam were waiting for me at the finish line.  They had both just completed the 7 continents as well.  What a great feeling - and especially more memorable to complete this with a couple great buddies.  Thankful, relieved, accomplished, blessed - many emotions going through me.  I was disappointed with my time - with Liam (26th) and Greg (48th) both finishing impressively, my 118th place finish out of 141 total finishers - was not something to write home about.  But, 3 days post race - I'll take it.

Luckily, I did not feel sick at the finish.  We were able to take some photos, grab some food, and even get a 15-minute massage.  That photo at the finish, that's the one.  That's the one I have been waiting for.  I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to travel and the physical ability to participate in different athletic events.  So many things can happen along the way - thankful and fortunate to have things work out. 

Marathon day ended with a dinner at Ravineside with the whole group - followed by an adult beverage or two.  The night ended relatively early as exhaustion had set in.  You only have so many days in your life - today will be a day I remember forever.

Africa 2015 - Day #4

Lakeside Lunch - start/end of marathon

Ready for course recon

One of these animals is not like the other

Wildebeest, rhino, waterbuck

Nice buck

Rhino plentiful

 

Close-up ostrich

A look down "the hill"

Nice looking cheetahs

Another great cheetah shot

Friday, June 19th

The day before the marathon.  This is a nervous day for me.  Nervous if I'm doing a city marathon in the US - extraordinarily so in a foreign country with many unknowns. 

We start the day with breakfast at the lodge and then immediately get transferred to the host hotel (where the marathon would start/finish).  The host hotel was Lakeside Lodge - located about 2 miles from Ravineside.  We got separated into marathon and half marathon participants and went out on a 3-1/2 hr full recon drive of the actual course.  We drove the entire 26.2 miles. WOW!  We quickly learned this marathon would be extremely challenging.  At altitude (5500 ft) - the course was hilly, sandy, rocky and had a 1-2 mile "hill" in the middle.  It took all I had not to get car sick riding over the treacherous terrain. 

After completing the course via safari jeep, we had a late lunch at Lakeside.  It was around 2:30pm when we transferred back to Ravineside  We chilled in our room in the afternoon trying to keep our feet up and get some rest.  We also took this time to prep our gear for the marathon - packing an extra bag for the finish

Dinner was at 7pm - then back to the room for a semi-sleepless night.  Tomorrow we would try to conquer the challenge that brought us here. 

Africa 2015 - Day #3

 

A look inside our cabin

Afternoon safari = rhinos

 

Afternoon safari = close-up rhinos

Entrance to Game Reserve

Great looking lodge

View from the main lodge

Entrance to Ravineside - our lodge for 5 nights

Thursday, June 18th

Today our 5-night marathon/safari adventure began.  We awoke about 7am at the Genesis Hotel in Johannesburg.  We met our driver at 8am for our 30-minute departure back to the airport.  I picked up a couple electrical adaptors at the hotel (as the ones I brought unfortunately needed an additional piece).  We had an awesome breakfast at the local restaurant with a full spread of fruits, eggs, croissants, etc.

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare  We grabbed a hot tea and waited at the international arrival gate. (10am was our departure time)  It wasn't too long and we saw the Big 5 Marathon Tour sign.  Albatross Adventures puts on the marathon.  The 2 US tour companies that coordinate the US contingent are Marathon Tours (Boston) and Let's Travel Vacations (California).  We went through Let's Travel.  There were many folks that went direct through Albatross Adventures as well.

We loaded up a big bus and set out on a 4-hr trip to Entabeni Game Reserve - location of our marathon/safari.  Pretty smooth ride on the big bus (much smoother than what we had on our return - as I'm writing this on our departure trip to the airport).  We arrived around 2pm at the Ravineside Lodge - our final destination spot.  Ravineside is 1 of about 5 resort/lodge options at Entabeni  We were transferred by safari jeeps to our rooms.  One of the unique things about Ravineside - the rooms were about 1/2-mile from the main lodge  Due to the impending danger of elephants, rhinos, etc. - we were not allowed to walk back and forth.  I thought this may be an issue upon arrival, but, the punctuality and availability of the safari jeep transfers was amazing  We threw our gear into our rooms and then sat down to a nice lunch.  We immediately started meeting the other 30 folks participating in the tour at Ravineside.

Right after lunch, we went out for an afternoon game drive.  About 15 minutes into the drive, we came around the corner to 4 rhinos, giraffe, zebra, and deer (blessed bucks)  - all about 20 meters away.  The Big 5 - what are they and why?  The Big 5 are elephant, rhino, lion, cape buffalo, and leopard.  These were selected because they are considered the most dangerous animals when hunted on foot.  So - back to the rhino.  We sat in the safari jeep and had this huge male rhino come up and eat grass right by the front tire of the jeep.  I could have basically reached out and touched the horn  A little adrenaline rush early in the trip.  Unbelievable!!

After the drive, we had dinner at the lodge with the group.  More introductions - people from everywhere.  We had couples from New Zealand, Australia and Canada, a girl from China, 2 ladies from Sweden, and several representing the US (Texas, Chicago, Virginia, North Carolina, etc).  Our Albatross tour guide, Veronika, was originally from Sweden.  We would later learn over the next 5 days that this was a solid group of people - always an added bonus for any extended tour.

The night ended early around 10am - some catching up on sleep was in order.

Africa 2015 - Day #2

 

Nice place in Johannesburg for night

 

Nice place

Wednesday, June 17th

The day started for us aboard our 15-hr international flight.  All went pretty well - got 4-5 hrs sleep, mixed in with watching a couple movies, eating, drinking a lot of water, and stretching.

We arrived into Johannesburg around 4:45pm local time on Wed, June 17th. We got through customs and met up with our driver who was waiting for us with a sign.  We then took about a 20-30 minute ride to our hotel.

First impressions of Johannesburg are really positive.  The airport is new (completed in 2010). The city was large, impressive roads and structures.   My previous 2 experiences in Africa (Tanzania and Egypt) couldn't be more different.

By the time we got to the hotel - everything had gone nearly flawless all day.  I guess that is scary sometimes - because - something not so good happened.  We decided to go to the ATM and get some money.  Pretty standard - done this bunch of times in 50+ countries.  Today, I put my card in and go through the transaction.  Just as I hit the confirm button to get out my 4000zar (353 dollars) -  immediately the power went out.  Everything went black on the machine and the hotel.  My card was still in the machine and no money came out.  Very Bad.  Luckily, our driver from the airport called an emergency number for us.  End result was not so good.  I guess Johannesburg has power outages frequently.  Because of fraud risk, I was told by this bank that I could not get my card.  What?  They stated that the bank was closed and no personnel could come over.  Since we have to leave tomorrow early - my card was gone.  Bummer deal.

We checked into the hotel.  I immediately got on Skype and called my card company.  I cancelled the card and they will be sending me a new one in the states.  Fortunately, I have 2 back-up cards.  Unfortunately, this was my preferred card to use.

Bad luck.  Bad timing.  10 seconds earlier - I would have been good.

Greg, Liam, and I grabbed a nice dinner at the hotel and I'm now wrapping things up.  Getting some sleep for our 7am wakeup tomorrow.

Africa 2015 - Day #1

Tuesday, June 16th

Today I left for a trip to South Africa.  Will be spending the next 1.5 weeks doing a safari, shark dive, and attempting to complete the 7th and final marathon on each continent.

The day started about 4:45am for me in Denver.  I went into work for about 3 hours this morning and then headed to the airport.  I flew out of Denver for Atlanta (11:40am mst) where I met up with my buddies Greg & Liam.  All 3 of us are going for the final marathoned continent.

Everything went really smoothly today.  We all got into Atlanta about the same time (4:45 pm est) with flights arriving from Denver, Seattle, & Raleigh respectively.

We grabbed some dinner at the TGI Fridays right by our gate.  We flew out of Atlanta - headed for Johannesburg, South Africa departing at 7:19pm est.  The day ended aboard a 15-hr Delta flight - somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.