4/5 Michael S. 6 years ago on Google
We
in
North
America
and
Europe
are
used
to
digital
mapping
and
house
numbering
address
schemes.
(Much
of
the
Spanish-speaking
world
still
use
house
names,
Edificio
Raul,
and
Japan
uses
a
hierarchy
address
scheme
of
prefecture,
municipality,
wards,
district,
and
town
or
village.)
In
Swaziland,
addresses
are
step-by
instructions:
Depart
Maputo
on
the
EN2
past
Matola
and
Boane.
Approximately
5km
after
Boane
turn
left
onto
the
EN5,
passing
the
quarry
on
your
right.
Continue
straight
with
this
road
to
enter
Swaziland
at
the
Namaacha/Lomahasha
border
post.
Continue
on
the
road,
cross
the
bridge
over
the
Mbuluzi
River
and
turn
left
on
the
tar
road
after
the
bridge.
Mbuluzi
Game
reserve
is
600m
on
the
left.
Following
the
GPS
map,
we
find
the
village
of
Ngomane,
and
then
the
entrance
to
Mbuluzi.
We're
received
warmly,
as
long-separated
family.
Check-in
was
methodical,
giving
me
time
to
explore
the
nicely-designed
Randoval-style
office
and
the
exhibit
of
wildlife
bones
just
outside.
Mbuluzi
Game
Reserve has
eight
different
lodges
and
a
campsite,
separated
by
walking
paths
through
the
woods.
We
got
the
Timbuti
tented
lodge,
a
Botswanan
military
tent
with
a
wooden
thatched
roof.
The
interior
has
a
cement
floor
and
an
attached,
very
comfortable
bathroom
with
a
full
tub
(that
looks
out
onto
the
forest).
It's
secluded
and
quite
magical.
The
tent
cabin's
awnings
and
wooden
porches
protect
from
the
rain
and
provide
a
satisfying
outdoor
seating
space.
There's
also
an
outdoor
shower,
surrounded
on
three
sides
by
a
wooden
privacy
screen.
There's
a
central
common
Randoval-inspired
shared
kitchen
and
living
room;
it's
huge!
The
common
kitchen
is
large,
with
ample
counter-spcae
and
a
standard
(small)
European-sized
gas
stove.
Pots
and
pans
and
crockery
and
cutlery
galore;
one
wants
for
nothing
in
that
department.
My
favorite
piece
of
kitchen
equipment
was
the
bush
baby
cast
iron
pot,
with
three
stubby
legs
to
allow
one
to
place
it
directly
in
a
campfire.
(I
really
wanted
to
take
one
back,
but
even
the
smallest
version
took
up
way
too
much
luggage
space.
Someday.)
Because
a
bit
of
pre-trip
research
had
uncovered
a
dearth
of
restaurants
in
the
area
we'd
gone
hog-wild
in
our
shopping
and
now
had
plenty
of
options
for
meals.
We
cooked
everything
with
a
South
African
twist,
either
with
the
ingredients,
spices,
or
both.
A
typical
breakfast
of
ours
was
scrambled
eggs
and
crisped biltong
and
droëwors.
The
common
area
also
had
a
round
swimming
pool
overlooking
the
river.
Several
times
a
day
we'd
be
out
there
when
the
troops
of
monkeys
would
commute
through
the
trees,
hooting
and
hollering.
Some
would
drop
to
the
ground
and
explore
our
area,
although
none
came
particularly
close
to
us.
(Years
of
camping
in
US
forests,
with
their
resident
bears,
taught
us
to
secure
food;
the
monkeys
weren't
rewarded
for
their
efforts.)
The
common
area
also
has
a
wood-fired
open
grill,
built
into
a
fire
ring
(which
also
serves
as
bench
seating
around
the
fire).
The
staff
provided
wood
and
a
stern
warning
not
to
harvest
our
own,
lest
we
inadvertently
burn
the
wood
of
the
tambuti
tree
--
umthombothi
(Spirostachys
africana)
--
the
smoke
is noxious
and
the
cooked
meat,
mildly
poisonous.
We
loved
the
campfire
grill
so
much
we
used
for
cooking
lunches
and
dinners!
The
marinated
skewers
we'd
bought
on
the
way
came
in
very
handy
indeed.
The
campfire
is
also
the
perfect
place
to
relax
at
day's
end,
the
flickering
light
magically
illuminating
the
trees,
the
crackling
sound
of
the
burning
mixing
with
the
burble
of
the
river.
The
animal
preserves
are
just
across
the
road,
and
several
times
we
took
multi-hour
walks
along
the
marked
trails,
sharing
space
with
giraffe,
zebra,
kudu,
nyala,
impala,
bushbuck,
grey
duiker,
and
warthogs.
Two
kinds
of
simians,
the Chacma
baboon
and Vervet
monkey,
always
made
their
way
to
our
tent;
we
never
saw
them
in
the
wild.
We
highly
recommend
the
Mbuluzi
Game
Reserve;
the
staff,
the
accommodations,
and
the
grounds
made
for
a
wonderful,
self-sufficient
week.
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