South Africa is An Aphrodisiac for Lovers
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Sunday, 12 September 2010 20:25
- Written by Jesse Nash
South Africa is for lovers. And I don't just mean the two-legged kind. Everywhere we went it was though there was this aphrodisiac-like mist in the air. Beginning with the 
Marula tree, which, legend has it, bears fruit with magical powers to heal matters of the heart.
South Africans sometimes refer to it as "The Marriage Tree." Thousands of elephant can't seem to live without it, quite often knocking down barbed-wire, electric fences just to get to it, that's how powerful the juices of this libido-enhancing fruit seem to be.
So why not bottle it? Of course! Yes, there's even a liquor promoting its legend, Amarula, a product that reminded us of Baileys but with the warm edge of a spirit. Brown-Forman brought us down to experience it first-hand. Amarula is the second-best-selling cream liqueur in the world and available in 150 countries. But, as the Marula tree only grows in sub-equatorial Africa, it is a noteworthy find. At first, we paid no attention to its lore. But as each day progressed, one incident after another made us believers. But never in a million years did we expect to see such a strong sensual side to a country all on one 10-day trip. But we did.
Everything in South Africa spells sensual; from a glass of red wine to the Marula fruit to Amarula on-the-rocks to Capetown's Amalfi-like coast to sexual safaris where the animals were fornicating quicker than you could put a quarter into a slot to watch a porn video at your local Downtown strip joint.
Even South African Airways [SAA] lit the fire to our aphrodysia with their Premium Class. Five-star restaurant quality care, both in cuisine and in hospitable service, it was an experience that rocked the senses. Smiling faces everywhere, our dinner began with slices of tuna sushi followed by a rack of lamb, porcini mushroom ravioli, and a bottle of Meerlust Pinot Noir to wash it down... It was some of the best food we ever ate on an airline.
On the ground, we started our sensual journey at the Melrose Arch Hotel in Johannesburg to regain our traveling legs, so-to-speak. A modern hotel with a hip fashion sense, it was the perfect place to recharge our batteries in preparation of our safari adventure. Below we found a myriad of restaurants where we delighted ourselves in a few glasses of red South African wine from Durbonville Hills, and partook in eating the Biltong dried meat delicacy. An aphrodisiac buzz set in, a combination of jet-lag and the potent fruit of the vine -- but we resisted in favor of a good night's sleep, turning in at an early hour. But it didn't come easy.
Upon returning to our rooms, we quickly discovered that even the hotel was affected by the hint of aphrodisia in the air. Looking to watch a movie to help us sleep, we soon discovered each room had a DVD collection that included free porn! Okay, South Africa is hot. Red hot. But we were ready for it!
Ngala, meaning ‘lion’ in Shangaan, was the first private safari reserve to be incorporated in the world-famous Kruger National Park – the largest wildlife sanctuary in South Africa. With exclusive traversing rights over 14 700 hectares (36 323 acres) of Kruger's game-rich wilderness, the Ngala Game Reserve offers an extraordinary African wildlife safari experience. occupies 36,500 acres of the nearly five million acres that make up Kruger National Park.
Kirkman's Camp and Ngala Game Reserve are owned by Conservation Corporation Africa and operated in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund South Africa and South African National Parks.
Kirkman's Camp overlooks the Sand River. This South African game lodge has spectacular views of the unspoilt wilderness as far as the eye can see. Sometimes called Kirkman's Kamp. this historic and famous camp which was originally built in the early 1920’s. It was named in honour of W. Harry Kirkman, one of South Africa ’s foremost conservationists, who began his illustrious career as a ranger in Toulon in 1927.
The colonial atmosphere of Kirkman's Camp, with its gracious style and luxury, has been retained. One steps back in time upon entering the old homestead, which now serves as the recreational hub of the camp. The large lounge, decorated in 1920 style, leads through double French doors onto rolling lawns that provide a velvety contrast to the wild and tumbling bush surrounding the camp.
Afro-dysia continued to sustain its effect even in the bush. It seemed like mating season in the 50 km area of the Sabi Sans Game Reserve, where Kirkman's Camp resides. Astoundingly, in our first three game drives, we were surrounded by the Big Five -- rhinos, elephant, cape buffaloes, leopard and lions -- all which we saw fornicating at one point or another.
One of the rarest animal to spot on any game drive is the leopard. To see more than one at a time is considered an event in the bush. But to see a male and a female having sex, to capture it on film and then to watch them walk just a 100 yards away to munch on a freshly killed impala hanging from a Marula tree, well, to those who know, it's practically a miracle sighting. Forget that even our ranger, Murray, had never seen something like this.
National Geographic spent three years tracking a male and female leopard to capture them mating on film. We wake up at the crack of dawn, have a coffee, take a casual ride in our Range Rover and catch this rarity by happenstance.
Oh yeah, and did I mention minutes after this sighting we came across another female leopard with her two baby cubs? Incredible.
Soon after, we would soon see the startling sight of cape buffalo mating on a nearby riverbank, two of the largest animals we'd ever seen "doing it."
There would be elephants in "must," a term used to describe the males when they go into heat, who, we were told, can be quite dangerous during this period as they can become extremely aggressive without warning.
Female and male baboons doing the mating dance, screaming at one another, the females butt swollen red, which indicates they, too, are ready to mate. All the commotion they would make would not soon be forgotten.
Rhinos, who when they mate march in a circle to mark their "spot," so-to-speak, would also be on the prowl. Like dinosaurs from a bygone era, it was almost surreal to see these animals behaving amorously.
"For the record, animal-tracking is unpredictable," Ranger Murray explained to us. "They move around a lot. This is not a zoo. So to see all these animals and to see the kind of sightings we saw, is truly remarkable. Even I've never seen leopards mating. And I've been doing this for years."
On our final game drive, we made our way through the bush, with a big orange sun setting in the distance as we returned to our luxurious rooms at Ngala. As the sun finally disappeared behind the magical Marula trees, we couldn't help but notice the emerging moonlight washing along the landscape. Within a pale blue tint, there were elephants and giraffes in silhouette dotting the horizon line, the distant roar of lions and the squeal of hyenas permeating the cool night air, and even the smaller creatures of the bush, the lowly crickets, could be heard screaming for attention, seemingly the loudest of them all.
Our safari experience left us with a new-found respect for nature, an awakening and an awareness of the environment as well as a few new ideas on lovemaking. Without a doubt, we will never be able to look at these amazing animals the same way again. Seriously, though, to experience these wonders in their own habitat, uninhibited and free, was awe-inspiring. And to see nature and life in motion, in its rawest form, made us think of our own existence on this Earth and just how precious life truly is.