Sand Rivers Diary - January 2008
by: Rob & Storm on 19/01/2008 (sand rivers selous)
Dear all
7 months have passed and “Tis the season to be Jolly”!!!
December, as always, is the countdown to Christmas!! The lodge has been extremely full, and Kiba Point has been full steam ahead. We’ve had lots of honeymooners, lots of families, and lots of people recovering from a hard year worked in the city of London!!
Ishmail, one of our waiters, injured his hand this month. He somehow dropped a glass and cut his hand open pretty badly. With me almost fainting at the sight, Rob and Ross very calmly got the trauma kit out and proceeded to sew him up, sans any anesthetic! The patient never flinched once. The hand healed beautifully and he is back at work and raring to go.
On the game front we managed to sneak out once to see an amazing lion kill. The way they had taken the giraffe down was incredible. In the chase, her legs must have given way beneath her and she must have collapsed belly down. We think she had suffocated and as a result was left in the seated position. The only way the lions could get to her underbelly was to dig a hole around her and therefore slide down to lie and feast. A crazy thing to witness, as from a distance all you could see was a sitting giraffe and on closer inspection you could see her head bobbing up and down, only to then notice that a pride of lions were feeding on her.
Coming back from leave in November we stopped in Dar es Salaam and bought my favourite game….30 SECONDS!! And it has been a hit!! We have had a lot of very festive evenings resulting in guests feeling very relaxed and pulling a few games out of their hats as well.
All too soon it was Christmas. The day was a lot of work, preparing for 27
people at Sand Rivers, as well as 9 over at Kiba. For Christmas Eve celebrations at Sand Rivers, we enjoyed a lovely bush dinner. We had a
traditional barbeque/braai with lots of local flavours. It was a huge hit.
Christmas Dinner was celebrated under the stars on the sandbank next to the
lodge. It was a lot of work to setup, only for the rains to come at the very
moment we took guests down to the beach. After lots of wishing and hoping and very, very fortunately after only two short drizzles, the rain moved on. It was spectacular though because the lightening was still very active and an amazing experience to watch while having dinner. We had a traditional English Christmas, including hams, turkeys, and mince pies made by Rob himself!!!
Before the New Year was upon us we, we decided to venture on a game drive one last time to bid 2007 in the Selous “Farewell”. We saw absolutely nothing for the first hour, and were about to give up when we came across a dead stump habituated by a family of dwarf mongoose. The light was already poor so our photos did not come out that well, but to sit and watch the incredible energy and social interaction of these tiny little creatures was simply a privilege. It was in that brief moment that we were reminded why we have chosen the path we have and why we have embarked on this journey in the first place. The African wilderness is a true wonder and we are so honoured to be a part of it.
But home sick we still were over Christmas and we thought of you all. We trust you had a wonderful time with your families and friends. Happy, Happy
New Year to you all and may 2008 be filled with endless moments of happiness and memories that will last you a lifetime.
All our love
Rob and Stormy
Sand Rivers Diary - December 07
by: Rob & Storm on 15/12/2007 (sand rivers selous)
Dear all
And finally our 6th month has passed. Rob's birthday on the 28th of October was celebrated a little late!! We had a house full of guests who fulfilled the role of our family and friends far away. It rained and we had to have dinner under covers, but what fun!! Happy Birthday Rob!!
The rains contributed to the main lodge deck collapsing somewhat, and us being forced to close it off and mend it!! A long process and very unsightly but essential! Amazingly our guests were all very understanding,despite the fact that the mess looked a bit worse for wear.
We had some wonderful guests this month who really touched our hearts!! Such warm and really special people and it was such a pleasure hosting them!! We look forward to visiting them in chilly England as soon as we can!!! Then there was a lovely English gentleman, a repeat guest and a most fascinating one! He has already booked his visit for next year and we look forward to his return.
One morning I told Rob to be ready by 06h00, and off we headed to the airstrip!! His belated birthday present was to fly with Dr. Fraser Smith, of the Selous Rhino Trust, on an anti-poaching flight!!!! He was so excited. It was a beautiful morning, we spotted 9 wild dogs en route to the airstrip, and with that kind of luck it could only mean that he would have the most amazing time!!! The plane however is rather small, one side is completely open, and Rob suffers from airsickness. He was very happy to finally land and enjoy breakfast and a cup of coffee on the banks of the Ruaha River
Fortunately no poached animals were seen which was great. On landing we had to bid Fraser farewell, he is off to Nairobi for Christmas and he is not too sure what the future holds for the rhino project. The ever-present financial worries of keeping the project running still beset them. He was feeling terribly beaten and de-motivated when we said goodbye, we are hoping somehow the situation will be rectified.
Other than that we lwent off on our leave on the 10th November, and returned on the 26th. It was a short month for us within the lodge but never a dull moment!! It was great to get away and re-group and we returned with some fresh new ideas ready to face the next 3 months and start gearing up for the festive season!!! And so until then, thinking of you all, get those Christmas hats out because "Tis the season to be jolly!!!!!!"
Lots of love to you all
Rob and Storm, and all at Sand Rivers Selous
Sand Rivers Selous Diary - November 07
by: Storm, Rob, Ross & everyone at Sand Rivers Selous on 21/11/2007 (sand rivers selous)
Dear all,
And so our 4th month of the season has passed…..
KibaPoint, the new private camp just down from Sand Rivers Selous finally opened! We hosted our first guests there on the 8th of Sept and needless to say, the build up to this grand opening was pretty busy! With a full camp here at Sand Rivers, Rob and I were busy looking after everything here, and so our relief managers Peter & Nicola were called in to lend a helping hand. A seriously hard push got the job done and guests arrived to a brand new highly sophisticated and very beautiful lodge! It's probably the smartest lodge within East Africa; it is very very lovely incorporating huge Leadwood pillars and cream screeded floors. Plunge pools in all the rooms add to the WOW factor and it is built incorporating huge trees within the main lodge area to create a shady and cool piece of paradise.
It’s been a busy month here at Sand Rivers, with much going on and lots of activities at the lodge, and out in the park. One thing we did attempt this month was a dinner on the sandbank island in the middle of the Rufiji opposite the lodge. A lot of work and preparation all by boat and at night but completely worth the effort!! We also decided to do a full moon beach dinner on the sand bank just next to the lodge! Absolutely spectacular, and very happy guests.
A hippo died opposite the lodge this month and was a hive of activity.Vultures in droves and hyena and lion. Pretty amazing. We visited the skeleton a few days later and turned the lower jaw over to hide the teeth to keep it safe from the hands of any poachers.
Spring has sprung here in the Selous and the trees, and flora has been incredible! It really is Rob’s dream come true. For him it's been photo, photos and more photos. The most incredible thing this month for me, was my first ever sighting of wild dog! Three dogs that have broken away from the larger pack, two males and one female. Two have been mating and have been based at one specific spot under a low lying Tagalala tree for days on end. We are hoping they will ultimately build a den here and have pups.They have killed plenty of impala lambs and seem very comfortable. It is incredible to see these endangered animals, and it’s something I have waited a long time for. It was so worth the wait!
Rob’s food and menu planning has improved in leaps and bounds. The food is simply delicious. And so beautifully presented. We have had wonderful feedback from guests and needless to say we are both becoming the size of two fat and happy warthogs.
The little shop we have here at the lodge is really doing very very well. All the profits go the Selous Rhino Trust (www.selousrhinotrust.org for more details) and after receiving all the items I bought in Arusha for the shop it has taken on a seriously new and improved façade. It’s our way of contributing to a very worthwhile cause here in the Selous.
All in all it has been busy, but rewarding few months here at the lodge. The days go by very quickly and the nights for sleeping even quicker. Our little resident water monitor continues to be a vigilant bouncer over her nest and the Goshawk… who has definitely now been identified as a Little Sparrow Hawk continues to visit us and in fact killed a little squirrel by drowning it in the pond next to the main lodge area. An incredible thing to witness!
We hope life outside of this beautiful reserve is treating everyone well and hope you think of your time here with is often. Take care, look after yourselves and we hope you look back on your time here with us with the fondest of memories!
Storm,Rob,Ross,and the Sand Rivers Team