johannekekroesbergen

Playing lions

We were parked at the viewpoint at Lengau Dam. Just about to turn around I looked up and said, “There’s something else coming. Looks like kudus… or lions.” I wasn’t even serious about the lions, it was just that whatever I saw from the corner of my eye had that sort of color. I looked again and… there really were lions!! Seven lions came down from the hill to the water to drink and play. What an amazing sight!

Black rhino

A black rhino with its head held characteristically high. Black rhinos always look like they are asking “What do you want?” in a not too friendly way. I guess it’s just that they hold their head up high instead of looking demurely to the ground like their cousins the white rhinos. Anyway, it’s always a blessing to see one of these endangered animals!

Kissing giraffes

An affectionate moment between two giraffes. Giraffes are mostly seen in groups – if you spot one, you are likely to see more in the surrounding bushes. They do, however, not really form herds. A group of giraffes (aptly called a ‘tower’) can be composed of different individuals every day.

Lioness staring at me

Goosebumps to see this female lion, part of a pride of seven lions, staring at me from close by! Photo taken in Pilanesberg National Park.

Cheetah cubs behind a tree

Photographing wildlife can be very frustrating. Not only do you need to find the wildlife, which sometimes happens and sometimes does not, the animals need to position themselves in a photogenic way as well. In a majority of the sightings, especially in a park that does not allow off road driving, the animal is far away. Even if they are close like these cheetah cubs, you still have to find that one spot that gives you an amazing shot – and sometimes that spot doesn’t exist. So here are two cheetah cubs, looking in the right direction, quite close to us, photographed through a tree…
I guess I need to try again soon!

Baby impala

One of the great things of visiting Pilanesberg at this time of the year is that there is an abundance of baby animals, like this young impala lying in the grass. I’m sure the big cats are enjoying it too, though…

Black-backed jackal in a hurry

While for some their trigger finger itches when they see a black-backed jackal, I like these opportunistic hunters. This one was in a real hurry, running towards and past us on the road, tongue out. I wonder where he had to go!

Steenbok male

In Europe, a steenbok is a big and impressive curly-horned mountain goat. In South Africa, it is the cutest little antelope. The male has two twig-like horns on its head, the female has no horns. They are extremely shy and will run away at any suspicion of danger. It’s a blessing to find one that stands still for long enough to be photographed!

Flooding in Venice

In the bus to Piazzale Roma I saw people carrying plastic bags with rubber boots. I decided to buy a pair as soon as I arrived. They were not cheap.

But necessary they were. The water started immediately. Walking through water is slow, and everything in Venice seems to be in some kind of slow motion at the moment. Tourists wonder: Do I dare to take this street? Venetians are trying to keep the water out of their houses and shops, with little to no success.

The difference between canal and walkway is gone. The best is to just accept that you will get wet. You will get wet if you don’t have boots. You will get wet if your boots do not reach over your knees. Even Banksy’s graffiti of a migrant is getting wet.

Life goes on in Venice. You can still buy fish on the Campo Santa Margherita, and some bars and shops are open even though there is about 20 cm water inside. The question is whether flooding like this will be a normal part of life in Venice…