Greetings and salutations!

Ok, so the last month has been busy and bitter-sweet in the extreme; my step-grandfather passed away from a short but brutal struggle with cancer. So this is a tribute of sorts; you see he was part - a large part - of the inspiration that had me pick up my first camera, and then years later discover a passion for photography. 

He was always helpful and eager to criticise my photos with a constructive attitude, and the advice he gave me on practical situations was invaluable. 

But before I get maudlin; on to the story!

My mother and I had to travel to PE for a few weeks to help sort out the funeral and estate arrangements and most of all to offer some support to my grandmother who was devastated by his death and the suffering which broke down this incredible man. 

Amongst all the appointments and errands that filled the weeks we were there, we managed to take a day and travel to the Addo Elephant Park, one of South Africa's beautiful national parks. 

It is a trip worth making; the park has grown substantially over the last decade and now covers far more ground than ever before. It is filled with beautiful brush that grows so thick one cannot see past the first line of vegetation that grows alongside the road. And from one extreme to another, the "forest" often falls away to reveal huge meadows criss-crossed with rivers and streams.

It is crawling with all manner of wild animals, from the mighty elephants that give the park its name, to the lowly dung beetles which have right of way on all the roads. Zebra and buffalo, antelopes aplenty, from the humble bush-bucks and duikers to the majestic kudus - which despite their size vanish into the undergrowth with shocking ease. 

I was excited to finally put my camera and zoom lenses to some real work, to practice my skills in the "wild"! 

We arrived just shortly after 09h00, a slight disappointment as I was hoping to get some of the early morning light. The disappointment was short lived however as the weather was perfect. It was warm; but not uncomfortably so. The light was often softened by the cloud cover which made for fantastic shooting conditions. 

And above all; the animals seemed to want to have their photos taken. We were lucky to spot 17 of the 30something species listed on the park guide. The ones we missed were all nocturnal, so no hard feelings. 

As if the variety of animals were not enough we were treated to a large number of birds, and especially birds of prey - who were kind enough to sit and pose while I jumped from one side of the back seat to another, eager to get the perfect picture.

I managed to get plenty of shots, and many of them were even worth showing off afterwards. 

It was a learning adventure, manipulating the settings for the various light conditions. I also learnt that I need to start composing my photos, rather than just clicking away thoughtlessly.

But the real adventure started when we were approaching the gate to leave the park.

By this time the light was starting to fade fast, but we were still going slowly, enjoying the heavy brush and majesty of nature as many of her children bed down for the night, and many more start to peek out into the half-light. 

We were not even 5km from the gate when the road twisted. Around the curve, standing in the middle of the road was a massive bull elephant. The pictures and video clips of these huge mammals cannot prepare one for their sheer mass when they are standing not more than 5 metres away from your car. 

Dubbed Mr. Addo by my mother, this bull was clearly in musk and looking for a fight. And who was this shiny, metallic creature making its revving and crunching noises to interrupt his evening stroll?

His head would sway from side to side, his ears flapping wildly as he dragged his trunk along the dusty ground, snorting and breathing; blowing clouds of dust into the twilit air. Every now and then he would reach his trunk over to one of the bushes or trees on the side of the road. With an easy flick of his trunk a large branch would tear free, leaving the vegetation trembling for a moment before he hurled the branch into the road. 

We were all nervous, sitting in front of this bull, bigger than any prize fighter in any ring, the light failing fast. Now the best thing to do is to just sit still and keep quiet. Elephants are ridiculously intelligent animals with awesome senses that humans can barely understand. 

We sat quietly, reversing slowly now and then when he got too close for comfort. After a few minutes - that felt like hours - a car approached from the other side; the side we wanted to be on! Instantly Mr. Addo's attention was diverted to this newcomer and we decided to make good our escape. Just ahead was a branch in the road, according to the map it was a 5km detour that would take us around the elephant and bring us back to the main road. 

By this time the sun had sunken below the horizon and only a small amount of light was drifting across the landscape. My mother drove with haste, not speeding - the speed limit within the park is 40km/h - but eager to get ahead and make our way home. 

We reached the main road with some excitement and quickly we started towards the gate once again. It was only a minute or two before a large dark shape appeared in the road ahead of us once again: Mr. Addo had gotten ahead of us again!

By this stage the other car was nowhere to be seen, and once again we were forced to stop. The sun had set by now and the only light we had was the cars headlights, which seemed as likely to make Mr. Addo angry. 

One thing was for sure; this elephant had no intentions of letting us pass. He would move to one side of the road, leaving enough room for the car to get through, but each time we moved forward he would swing back and hold his ground in the middle of the road again, ears flapping all the while. 

By this stage we were all a little more than anxious, trapped in the park, in the dark, with a massive elephant that seemed to have decided that we would make good sport for the night. 

We all jumped slightly when lights appeared behind us. A small white bakkie - a Corsa or Bantam - pulled up next to us. The relief in our car was palpable as the ranger told my mother that it was ok to pass. But old Mr. Addo would have none of that! 

In desperation she asked the rangers to go ahead; lead the way. They were kind enough to oblige.

It was not long before they realised just how agitated this elephant was, and soon they were also moving slowly; trying to ease Mr. Addo off the road. 

By some miracle they made it passed him and through no small amount of effort managed to keep his attention focused on them as they reversed through the dark, leading the elephant away. They indicated that we should switch our lights off, and in that moment it was truly dark, save for the blinding lights from the rangers vehicle as they distracted Mr. Addo. 

After a good hour of stopping and reversing frequently, crawling along at barely 5km/h, we reached a curve in the road. Here we sat for several minutes, unable to see very much as the rangers flashed their lights on and off.

And then the road was clear, Mr. Addo had vanished into the bushes. Not wanting to tempt fate anymore, Mom whose legs were almost jelly from the constant pressure on clutch and accelerator took the chance and quickly reached the speed limit (40km/h) and made her way down the road. The rangers fell in behind us and not two minutes later we could see the lights of the gates which had closed an hour earlier!

We made it home and slept like logs that night; we were all utterly exhausted.

It was a great trip; I learnt loads and came away with plenty of photos to keep me busy for a while.

Let me know what you think – of the photos and the story – I’d love to hear it!

Until we meet again

Ciao for now!