Take a Virtual Safari through Kruger National Park for a bit of Happy

Going a bit crazy staying at home? Take a virtual safari with us to spot some beautiful wildlife in South Africa’s famous Kruger Park.
No, it’s not real time! It’s from our last visit about a year ago. With the world and our lives in turmoil with Coronavirus a bit of happy is very much in order. Grab a cup of tea and sit back as you take a virtual safari with us.

Enjoy Photos and a Video on Your Virtual Safari

We start our day before sunrise. The Crocodile Bridge Gate opens at dawn and were ready to spot some wildlife driving our trusty old Land Rover.
Our first sighting… a lone Giraffe and his passengers. How many Oxpeckers do you see enjoying ‘breakfast’?

A bit hard to determine in the light of dawn. We’re no experts, but it appears to be a Tawny Eagle watching for his breakfast.

The sun begins to brighten up the bush.

There’s just something about silhouetted trees isn’t there?

More Giraffe. A curious youngster. See his passenger?

And mum… and of course, her own very own oxpeckers.

A drive in the Kruger is never complete without seeing Impala. What’s this with all these Oxpeckers?

Unless really close these Black-Bellied Bustards are hard to spot. Unless they’re vocalizing of course.

A Warthog.

Must be time for a mid morning nap! This lone Wildebeest is enjoying the warm sunshine.

In the Kruger National Park you can only get out of your vehicle in designated areas. This is at a hide.

Spending time in a hide is both peaceful and exciting.

You never know what you’ll spot in a hide. We sure weren’t expecting this Boom Slang right next to the viewing area.

A Lilac Breasted Roller. A bit more serene to spot.

Then there’s always a Crocodile!

Once on the road again we spot Zebra.

A lone Elephant bull. Best to keep our distance.

Along the river we find the most wildlife today.



Even one of our favorite… the Goliath Heron. The largest heron.

Right there fishing from the bridge we find a Giant Kingfisher.

Moving away from the river we spot a Vulture nest.

Its getting warm now. This Kudu bull is resting and chewing his cud in the semi shade.

A Spotted Hyena also escaping the heat.

We reach Skukuza Camp and its time for us to have some lunch in the shade.

Hope you enjoyed your Virtual Safari with us.
There’s more coming. For the first time ever we see Cheetah in the wild. And Leopard? Well, almost.

Go ahead relax some more and enjoy the VIDEO version of our Virtual Safari.

The post Take a Virtual Safari through Kruger National Park for a bit of Happy appeared first on Nikela: Helping People Saving Wildlife.


* This article was originally published here

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History Lesson with Poppa Pockets

Perspective is served up in many ways in life and usually comes right when you need it.  It's easy to get sucked down the vortex of adulting- the I need a pat on the back, the being so busy having to bring your kids or yourself somewhere, so many sports, so many events, so many meetings and still someone has to make those damn school lunches.

But then someone tells you some stories and all of a sudden your crazy doesn't seem so crazy anymore.

And that someone is your 90 year old Grandpa, spending some time with you and kids out on his homestead- the home and the land he grew up on.

Yesterday we took a day off of school and did a field trip to my mom's ancestral land just north of Blaine Lake.  We saw the home that my Great Great Grandparents built in the late 1800s and we learned of life in the olden days.

The first home on the homestead- circa late 1800s. 6 people lived in this home.

 The added bonus was the tour guide, my Grandpa or Poppa Pockets as we refer to him (because when we were younger, he always wore these button up shirts with buttons on the pockets which were fun to pop open).  My mom had done some prep too and came with pictures and print outs about our family's place in Saskatchewan history.

The best part of the day was the learning curve for the kids.  Earlier this week I presented them with the opportunity for the unique learning experience and they jumped right in.  I prepped them some research to do before hand so that they could have a framework and some direction for their learning.  Okay, I kinda miss being a teacher some days.   Willis was focusing more on learning about the Depression/Dust Bowl and how it affected Saskatchewan Farmers as well as about the Riel Rebellion.  Lucia was learning more about life of a child in the early 1900s and the roles of animals.

Grandpa's childhood home- 12 kids were raised in here and it had a grand veranda around it and a kitchen on the back (collapsed).  In the winters they would host dance parties for the neighbours.

Grandpa spoke about taking a horse and caboose to school and picking up people along the way.  He told tales of the chores he'd have to accomplish when he got home. He explained how much money he could earn hunting jackrabbits, skunks and muskrats.  Using the pictures mom had brought, he talked about the wolf hounds that the had and what their roles were for hunting and how winters would be so bad some years that they wouldn't get out for months.

We tailgated with a picnic and enjoyed the fresh air while the kids peppered Grandpa with questions and soaked in all the knowledge.  They even eagerly came home to finish their assignments and write down all their learnings.

 We added a stop to the Dagenais homestead, not far from my Grandpa's home- where my Grandma grew up and few cemetery stops to put flowers on my Grandma's grave and to find the graves of the original homesteaders, my Great Great Grandparents.   We read about William Diehl being one of the scouts that found Louis Riel and reported him to be captured during the rebellion.

Photos of life

Here's the thing.
I look at these pictures and I typically would see my flaws, you know, the things that make me want to never take photos of myself again or just wear a giant paper bag.   We all do it to ourselves- that inner mean girl has a knack for taking over the dialogue in our head.  
You know the one, she (I am going to name mine Darla) (I apologize if any reader's names are Darla...) (that's awkward), Darla points out how that angle makes me look giant, or she questions my choice in outfit.  
Darla is a pest, she makes me feel bad. She's a nuisance and she has no place in my life.

I'm 40 now and I don't have time for that shit.

I want to be uplifted and motivated, I want to feel like my heart is on fire.  I want to be surrounded by people who believe in me and who push me to be the best version of myself possible.  I want to celebrate the big moments, like turning 40 but also the little moments, like friendship and I want to wake up feeling so damn good about myself that I have no choice but to go out and do good.

That is what these pictures do for me.  These are the best of the best (according to me) from our photoshoot with Larissa (Lovely Roots Photography) and they highlight everything I aspire in life:  Strong, confidant women who feel good in their skin and go out and change the world by doing little and big things.  And sure, we don't always feel amazing but one look at these pictures and I sure as well do.  
I need to get these blown up and framed to remind me of how powerful we can be.

Let me tell you a little bit about these women.  These are the friends who have been narrating the playbook of my life since before high school.  Christy was my bff since day one of kindergarten, Alynne and Candace were friends in elementary school and same for Sara and Carmen.  We all may have come from different elementary schools, went to different high schools (okay, just me) but we all we brought together and have stayed that way through thick and through thin.  

What's unique about this friendship, aside from the longevity,  is the sisterly nature of it.  We know each other inside and out and see through the faults and failings with love.   We support each other through the trials but we also are right there in all the celebrations. 

These women are my rocks and they are all so beautiful.

And isn't it a magical thing when people see you and know your worth and want so badly for you to live your best damn life that you almost kinda start to do it because they believe?  My hope is that my friends are able to look at these pictures and see their absolute beauty and worth, but also that they see the strength that they have behind them, nudging, poking and sometimes shoving along the way.

I loved this photoshoot.  I love that when I'm GrannyDeena, I'll be looking back and thinking, damn- we were beautiful, weren't we?  I love these photos because they remind me of what I'm capable of when I have such an empowering team of women behind me.
Cheers and thanks gals for letting me celebrate friendship through photography.

* This article was originally published here