Journal Entries
Bad day
Posted Jul 10, 2000
Today my brain went on holiday and left me behind.
What a day.
When he returns Imust offer to pay him more.
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Jul 10, 2000
ZA - Africam
Posted Jul 10, 2000
I want to be a good ambassador to the rock under wich I live. That is why the first article I write for THE GUIDE is about the site that was officially the most popular South African site of the last century.
http://www.africam.co.za
One can visit any of 18 live web-cams and if you are lucky, see some of the wild animals Africa is so popular for.
The Etosha cams
Etosha cams North and South are located in the Etosha National Park just outside the rest camp known as Okaukuejo (pronounced Oka-koo-yoo), overlooking a waterhole. The Okaukuejo waterhole is floodlit at night, so that our cams will be able to show both day and nightlife around the Pan. Okaukuejo North is a pan-tilt-zoom cam, while Okaukuejo South is a static cam that will also provide us with night-viewing
Gowrie Cam
Isolated in the remote north-eastern corner of the Sabi-Sand Game Reserve, Gowrie Camp exudes a romance that is reminiscent of Africa's bygone days. The dam in front of the cam is fascinating in that it epitomises the contrasting faces of the African savanna
Djuma cam
Being the first of the family, the Djuma-Cam holds a proud place in the history of AfriCam. Situated in a tall tree approximately 30 meters from the lodge, the camera is protected from the inquisitive nature of elephants by an electrified loop of wire.
The cam overlooks a small concrete crib to which water is pumped throughout the year in order to provide animals with a continuous supply of drinking water. The contrast between the wet and dry seasons is remarkable and to witness the resurrection of lush, green vegetation from winter's barren wasteland is to truly appreciate the resilience of the African bush.
The leopard project
Jonathon Kingdon recalls his first encounter with a leopard: "...There is only the memory of an incomplete and fleeting optical impression." Most sightings of this elusive animal are similarly only mere glimpses. How does one go about filming this secretive subject, documenting behavior rarely, if ever, seen before?
Undoubtedly, the most important requirement is absolute dedication. Ideally one would need to spend every hour of the day, every day of the year with the subject in order to capture any insight into the animal's behavior on film. Unfortunately even wildlife filmmakers need to sleep! We do, however, usually spend approximately 16-18 hours of every day in the field. Hence you will notice a period of inactivity on the live images you are watching during our sleeping periods back at our base camp. Because leopards are primarily nocturnal, we similarly adjust our sleeping patterns and rest during the heat of the day. Provided we can successfully track the elusive "Tjololo", we try to spend all of his most active hours (from before dusk to after dawn, South African time) with him.
Satara Cam
Despite being the third largest camp in the Kruger National Park, Satara has an unassuming presence and although not blessed with a spectacular view or a lush riverine setting, the spaciousness of the surrounding flat, open grasslands create a particularly tranquil atmosphere.
The turf flats on which the camp is built offer the best grazing in the entire Park and provide exceptionally rewarding game viewing. A multitude of big game can be seen within a stone's throw of the camp and the surrounding plains are home to some of the bush's more elusive inhabitants, including the majestic sable antelope, the graceful nyala and the ill-tempered and extremely rare black rhino.
The spectacular sunsets that fall over these plains signify a time of great trepidation, as it is when most of the innumerable predators that thrive on the abundance of game in this area become active. The density of carnivores is higher here than anywhere else and there is an ongoing feud between lions and hyenas for supreme control of the veritable larder that is the area surrounding Satara.
Other Activities
Visitors can submit their entries to Pick of the day/week/month.
One can visit: afrinews, africlub, African diaries, African video and Afrishop.
Guides
Extensive guides on any walking, flying, budding, crawling and swimming goodies you could encounter on one of the cameras are also available.
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Jul 10, 2000
Ode to the original guide
Posted Jul 7, 2000
My first encounter with THE GUIDE was more than 15 years ago.
Put short:
It changed me.
Put long:
It ccccccccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddd me.
I'm glad I eventually found this site, thanx to arnau (who by the way know as much about Douglas Adams and the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy as I could tell him in 10 minutes next to the braavleis fire.)
Discuss this Journal entry [16]
Latest reply: Jul 7, 2000
ZOE(Scout), Patron Saint of Multiple Personalities{TANGO NEEDS HELP WITH PROJECT :STARS @ A403930 ALL STAR-GAZERS PLEASE PUT YOU
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