It’s Hard to Say Goodbye Africa~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS

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You no longer run into rhino,
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sleeping in waterholes,
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visited by a friend.
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There is no need to break for baby waterbuck,
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crossing the road to mama,
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protected by papa, and watched by a drifting hippo.
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And of course you no longer see the elephant herds,
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with all the happy babies.
Thank you for coming with me to Africa. I hope we can go back there someday.
Cheers to you from Africa’s wonderful wild creatures~

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228 thoughts on “It’s Hard to Say Goodbye Africa~”

    1. You’ve done one trip more than I. I have no idea if I will go back, but I fully appreciate why you went three times! If we keep on going, I wonder if eventually, we will not return. I could see this happening to me. The pull is so strong.

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      1. I was born and raised in Europe, right between Austria and Italy. A trip to Africa wasn’t so dramatic then, as a matter of fact it was the #1 tourist attraction in the 80’s.

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      2. In Europe I can imagine it was. It is an 11 or so hour flight from Europe. A one way trip to South Africa takes me 22 hours, still I grew up in La Jolla, and remember my grandfather’s home movies of Kenya, and of Treetops Lodge, the Masai. I still have the wood carvings he bought. He went and it must have taken him even longer. This was probably 1963 or so. It was unusual then. 90% of people who visit Kruger are South Africans which surprised me. Most American tourists go on led safari experiences, at super expensive lodges, and do not self drive. They pay a lot more for this and are not free to do their own thing, and they don’t develop their own skills and confidence. Plus, since it is so expensive, they only stay for short periods of time. On each trip to Kruger we encountered one American couple self driving, but many self driving Europeans.

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  3. I’m going on a South African photo safari in September by way of Cape Town. I can’t wait! So glad I found your blog and your gorgeous photos. I’ll be scrolling through all of your posts. 🙂

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    1. Oh how wonderful. I know how excited you must be, but your excitement now pales with how you will feel once your feet touch the ground in Africa. I look very much forward to hearing about your experiences!

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  6. thanks again for taking us with ya on your adventures…beautiful photos😎😻😺😸🐅🐂🐆🐫🐪🐕🐗🐘🐏🐇🐃💘💞💗💜

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      1. I love those emojis…I’m an emoji addict😉😎👍🏼I’m glad I made it more fun..that’s a huge compliment to me, much thanks✌🏽️👌🏽😀

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  7. it’s been a wonderful trip Cindy – thank you so much for taking us along. I do like the quiet story you tell, you’ve given us the best of the best. A very special visit ~

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  17. Gracias por habernos mostrado la maravillosa fauna africana al natural. He disfrutado mucho con todas las fotos que me han transportado a esa naturaleza virgen. <3<3

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  22. Laughing, we are going to Yellowstone, Waterton and Glacier in Canada in September to look for wolves and Grzzlies. Jim just booked us on a last minute, super cheap deal to Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Budapest while I was out grocery shopping. It is an amazingly cheap flight and we leave in November. I was looking at hotel prices in these parts of Europe in early November, unbelieveable deals! Eeeeeks this is a lot even for me, but there are all these places we haven’t been too, and think of all the great food! Laughing…….

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    1. Yes, there is a deep connection between humans and wild animals, at least there should be! We have lost ourselves, truly, if we don’t feel this kinship. Thank you for knowing this~

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    1. Yes. They tend to be the places you go back too, despite distance or hardship! Patatgonia, Africa, and Antarctica are like this for me. Canada too, although minus the hardship!

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  29. Aww 😟 It ended so soon. We were having a nice vacation in Africa from the comfort of our homes. Thank you for the beautiful tour . I enjoyed every bit of it. Especially the two headed giraffes.

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  30. I simply adored your doing all the hard work, Cindy! Traveling far, enduring heat and being close to danger: All for our entertainment! I liked the rhinos, waterbucks, and especially baby elephants in this last leg of your adventure. Have a safe and lovely trip home, Cindy! ♡

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    1. Jeans and boots please. We’re heading to Yellowstone, Glacier and Waterton in Canada to look for bears and wolves! So glad your coming along my friend! <3

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    1. Well, that’s where the foxes come in! 😉 Plus I went to a tattoo/barber shop and got a very severe haircut that looks just awful but it was a completely novel and very fun experience. I have never been in a place like that and it was most fascinating, and, no, I didn’t get a tattoo! 😉

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    1. So horrible to contemplate the reality of actual extinction of a sub-species particularly when we knew about it and had time to take action. Unforgiveable. Period. As you know there are about 8 or so subspecies of Black Rhino, the Western is now extinct as you sadly point out. In Kruger,southern black rhinos are making a small but hopeful recovery, but are still very endangered. It makes me weepy, after walking amongst these gentle grazers.

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  41. Cindy, have you read the story about the dentist from Minn that killed the lion is Zimbabwe? Very sad story. I hate to see these beautiful animals hunted even though the authorities use the fees for conservation, I still find it heartbreaking.

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    1. Yes. I read several stories about him. He paid $55K to lure a collared lion out of a protected reserve with meat. He shot the lion outside of the park with an arrow. The lion was injured. He found the lion 40 hours later and shot him. He skinned the lion and took his head, hid the collar. The lion was well known in the park and was the patriarch. Now all his cubs will be killed by rival lions wanting to assume his place. This dentist has photos of himself with rhino, leopard, and big horn sheep he killed slowly with his bow and arrow. He has a criminal conviction for illegaly killing black bear in the US. I went to his yelp page and left a rude comment which I never do. I said he was a little man, with big arrows, and no heart. I am sick about these kinds of actions. I read that he most likely won’t be prosecuted. Leopards, rhinos, big horn sheep, lion, are vulnerable species in the wild. America’s gun and kill culture is just revolting. You can tell I am bothered by this. Seeing these animals in the wild, it is just impossible to understand how someone would want to kill them slowly and painfully.

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      1. I agree. I have joked that man/woman can eat and kill anything he can drag out of the wild with his/her bare hands. This story made me so sad for humankind. I know we are capable of great moments, but their are times that our destructive nature is overwhelming.

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      1. I think I grew up inside the book. I would read the jungle book, about Nag, the evil cobra Rikki-Tikki-Tavi fought. I closed the book, and there would be a snake in the garden. To me, it was normal. I lived “inside” the Book. (Add to that I was born in India…)
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        But the book is still there. You can go back inside just about any time. Grab a plane… Oh. Not yet. Next year…

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        1. I finally met lots of very big Rikki-Tikki-Tavis a few years ago. They were living under a place we stayed. Rudyard Kipling was one of my favorite authors as a child which is one of the reasons I felt so enchanted with Africa and seeing places in the book, like the “The great grey green greasy Limpopo River all set about with Fever Trees.” I even saw the trees!

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          1. God, the Just So stories. My father read them to us in Africa. Then bought us a wonderfully illustrated book for us to read. I still have the book. Must read it to my grandson soon.
            So you saw the Limpopo river? 👍🏻

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            1. I did and Oliphants and Sabie which were amazing. My father bought me the illustrated Just So Stories too and I bought it for my children. I don’t still have my original book but I remember it well. I already read The Elephants Child to my two year old twin grandsons. What a wonderful legacy for us to pass down the generations!

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                  1. He’s coming tomorrow, but it’s school time. On- line. so we generally spend most of the day running and helping him with the computer… If not tomorrow, another day.
                    Take care Cindy.

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