I think it was a ravenous hyena that crashed into the side of our tent at about three in the morning. It must have not been looking when it basically fell into my lap while I was sound asleep.

"The hyenas have found a way in."
I woke up thinking Matt was trying to tell me I was snoring again... only to see he was asleep. The electrified fences are supposed to keep animals out of the rest camps inside Kruger National Park, but apparently the hyenas have found a way in.

Kruger is said to be the cheapest, most accessible game park in all of Africa. And the fact that we could both afford it and drive our Toyota rental sedan into it seem to bear that out.

Kruger's Giraffes

"Within twenty feet of three giraffes."
Within a few minutes of entering the park, I let out a yelp and slammed the brakes as I realized we'd passed within twenty feet of three giraffes. There were no other cars on the dirt road and we sat quietly and watched the enormous things much on trees.

Giraffes are my favorite. Maybe because I'm a bit too tall, also. They've been excluded from the famous "Big Five" animals people want to see when visiting Africa. But for my money, these guys are the coolest. I say take water buffalo off the Big Five and put the giraffe in there.

"It'd be about time to go home."
Over the course of two days we got within twenty feet of almost every big animal you'd associate with Africa. Just outside our car windows, nearly within reach, were elephants, zebras, water buffalo, warthogs, antelope, rhinos and hippos. If I'd come to Africa just to see animals, it'd be about time to go home.

Turns out the humans at Kruger are just as fun to watch. The rest camps

Elephant at Sunset

in the park are home to hundreds of South Africans who load up their trailers and campers and set up homes for weeks at a time. They even sometimes use plastic netting and stakes to create their own "fenced in areas." Just as the rhinos use piles of their own dung to mark their territory, we use petrolium-based products to do the same.

And the fact that most of the campers spoke mainly Afrikaans made it all seem even more observing social habits of a strange species.

"I can't let it go without mentioning their shorts."
And speaking of the Afrikaaners. I can't let it go without mentioning their shorts. Those of you who've, sadly, been with us from the beginnings of ThereGoesJohn.com will remember my concerns about my convertible pants and the length of the shorts when the legs are zipped off. That would not be a problem to the men here. These guys walk around in the shortest shorts since cutoff jeans were cool (and there was a guy wearing those, too). I can't help but think of colonial officers wandering around amongst the natives when I see it.

With our South African experience nearly over, we're heading for Upington near the border with Namibia. We'll turn over our rental car and on the bus. I'm ready to be back on public transportation. Less to worry about.