In the African night, the beat of a drum means news...

  
 

February 2009

  
 

Read about events at Djuma Game Reserve
 
Lightning does strike twice
Click here to read more.
 

Bush Lodge
"Out in the bush we are thrilled to have seen several additions to our big cats." …. Click here to read more.
 

Vuyatela
"Go on Google Earth you can't miss it!" …..Click here to read more.
 
 

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This newsletter is archived in the Drumbeat section of our web site
Editor: Pippa Moolman
 
The photos above were taken by Andrew Khosa - guide and tracker at Bush Lodge.
   
 
Lightning does strike twice
A couple of nights ago we received a direct lightning strike to our telecoms tower, as has happened before… several times! This has resulted in an outage of telephones, internet and cell phone coverage at Vuyatela. We also lost two computers in the mayhem; with the result we lost all our January newsletter data for Galago and Vuyatela. Kim at Bush Lodge managed to get her report in the day of the damage. However, even though we lack lodge and guest news, there is plenty concerning the recently completed upgrade at Vuyatela.
 
Bush Lodge

January has been hot, sunny and humid with a whopping 215mm of rain produced from some spectacular thunder storms.
The animals may be taking an extended December holiday - or there is better grazing in the bush - as there has been little activity around the lodge. We did however have a visit from an ellie bull at the waterhole during dinner one evening. After morning safari, guests found another elephant bull on the door step of No. 8, perhaps eyeing the rusks on the coffee tray. We nearly lost our manager, Anet, from shear fright as a Mozambiquan spitting cobra slithered past her in the office while she was on the phone. We were lucky enough to see a black mamba in a tree in the garden being flogged by birds. As the snake beat a hasty retreat down the tree it was accosted by a family of mongooses, and the poor thing managed to find safety in hole within the tree's trunk.
Out in the bush we are thrilled to have seen several additions to our big cats. Sandy Patch lioness has been spotted with her three two month old cubs on Buffelshoek. After a lot of searching by guides Andrew and Greg last month, Karula's (female leopard) inquisitive two month old cubs were found and have been seen many times since then. Whitecloth, female leopard, has produced a single cub and has been see in the Bush Lodge drainage line, near camp.
The New Year brought a lot of competition for our male lions, the Manyeleti brothers. They found themselves in a gang fight with two of the Mapogo brothers (a coalition of five male lions). Our boys unfortunately came off second best and one the Manyeleti boys was seriously injured. We have heard him calling for his brother once or twice but no one knows what has happened to him. As the saying goes someone's loss is someone else's gain. After the disappearance of the lion brothers we have had a new pride move in to the fertile savannah of Bush Lodge from Mala Mala on our southern boundary, They are known as the Windmill pride, consisting of three sub adult males, a sub adult lioness and three fully grown lionesses. Watch this space for upcoming events regarding the Windmill pride. The Nkahuma pride of ten lions were found on a giraffe kill very near our sister lodge Vuyatela. A sighting of a rare caracal occurred as drive was ending one evening.
Welcome back to Peter and Michelle O'Connell and congratulations to out honeymooners Phillip and Fiona Green as well as Rico and Julia Lasker
We have had some excitement around the lodge. Every day in January additional bricks have been added to a new building at the back of house. New offices and a few more staff rooms are nearly completed and all that we miss are the roofs standing proud. February will see a two week period when the lodge will close for renovations. The lodge will get a whole new face lift starting in the rooms and running all the way through to our brand new bar in the revamped main lodge. In our next news letter we hope to announce the reopening of our dam in front of the lodge and that we will hopefully have attracted a few Hippos. The guides think management is unfair asking them to do extra hours luring hippos from nearby dams.
Happy staff birthday wishes to Life, Evalina, Peshy, Pippa, Annah, Constance, Joyce, and Kim. We look forward to next month when we can show you all some pictures of our New Bush Lodge.
Warm bushveld greetings from the Bush Lodge Team.
 
Vuyatela
The first two weeks of January was business as usual, with fantastic game sightings including several of our two month old leopard cubs. The staff eagerly awaited the lodge closing on the thirteenth for builders, thatchers and decorators to move in and revamp, update and better the lodge we have called home for the past nine years.
The first week was nerve racking as mountains of old thatch piled up while the rooms and main building's roofs were redone. Holes were knocked out of walls to make way for new exterior doors and windows, and the lounge had a complete makeover. Interior and exterior walls have all been painted, some colours have lead to a bit of speculation, but compromises are being reached. For example, Pippa chose a spectacular shade of orange for the chimney which lead to a hasty phone call from Charmian telling her, "Go on Google Earth you can't miss it!" In a week or two this will be changed to a more suitable bush grey/green shade. The decks and woodwork have been varnished and the pools have all been redone with fresh marblelite and new lights.
A week later a huge truck rolled into camp and unloaded what seemed to be over a hundred boxes of goodies, new mattresses and a lodge full of furniture. Naturally there was a tussle between decorators and builders as to who had right of way in order of importance as to when and where items could be placed. The décor team, Lula Concepts, won over in the end.
The changes are most noticeable in the main buildings. The lounge changed from ochre to cream, with more seating areas focussing on a more contemporary look. The dining room has beautiful wispy curtains right around, softening the over three metre high fold out glass doors. A magnificent striped carpet shows off the modern chairs, and the colours are all reflected in the orange chimney breast. The bar counter has been replaced with a shiny white quartz top complementary to the funky bar stools.
The gym has new glass and wooden French doors and a landscape window, which will make exercising a pleasure. New items include a water cooler, IPod dock and music centre, a step unit, two spinning bikes and a treadmill. Apart from new furnishings in the library, we have installed DSTV and a DVD for those not to be missed sporting and news events. The Rubbing Post spa has had a full adjoining bathroom built as well as an awning over the patio to shade lounger chairs for those preferring to have treatments outdoors.
The khaya lounges, or salas, have new seating, a cabinet for the mini bar and coffee service as well as a dual air conditioner and heating system. The bedrooms have been completely over hauled with new mattresses, linen, curtaining, lights, remote controlled fans, artworks and a huge comfy chair. The dressing room has been opened up with a landscape window through which the bush beyond is framed. The bathrooms have new tap and basin fittings, additional curtaining and superb tables as well as amenity containers. We have seen some possibilities that will enhance the outdoor showers, and that will happen soon.
There are still several boxes expected to arrive in the next week to add to the complete picture. A heartfelt thank you to Lula Concepts, Wildlife Thatch and Building Projects, as well as the staff that went well beyond the call of duty to make sure the lodge was up and running in time for reopening at the start of February. Then, thanks to the Nkahuma and Mapogo prides of lions that kept us on our toes, especially when the former killed an impala in front of the lodge! Thanks too, to the continuous parade of elephants and buffalo meandering past the building works to lift all our spirits. And last, thanks to the gorgeous Vuyatela nyala herds that never even blinked an eye while we unloaded deliveries and filled the rooms with goodies.
So, to all our past guests, do "come visit again" and let us know what you think of the new face of Vuyatela.
 
 
Join us next month and share our experiences as the seasons march on.
 
 
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Fax: (+ 27 13) 735 5070
 



 
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