Kruger National Park. Crocodile Bridge

We had a long and tedious journey after leaving Pretoria. It was OK until we left Nelspruit, where we stopped to do some shopping. From there  it should have taken us about 30 mins to reach the Malelane Gate into Kruger, instead the most awful roadworks meant that it took two hours. We arrived at Malelane at 4.30 in the afternoon on Wednesday, 2 days ago, and the temperature was 40C, putting the tent up was a bit uncomfortable. Malelane is what is termed a satellite camp, with only basic facilities, however we found nice toilets and showers with hot water, an equipped kitchen with fridges and freezers and a washing up area with the lovely instant boiling water machine. There was only one caravan there when we arrived, and over the 2 nights there were never more than 3 pitches taken. We pitched our tent next to a perimeter fence. Driving from the entrance gate to the campsite we saw elephants and rhinos. Yesterday was a quiet day, chilling out and relaxing after the last hectic 4 days in Pretoria. We repacked and reorganised the car, amazed at how much space we had. We didn't see any animals  from the perimeter fence but just the other side there were mounds of fairly fresh elephant dung and part of the fence had been badly bent. We did see lots of birds and some beautiful lizards.
Yesterday evening, as were sitting outside the tent, relaxing with a glass of wine, there were a few drops of rain, and the wind got up. It was a gamble about whether we zipped up the fly windows in case of heavy rain but it was still very hot so we decided to risk it. It didn't rain, but was very windy. This morning we left Malelane about 8 and drove very slowly to Crocodile Bridge. We saw 2 elephants early on, very close to the road, about 3 metres away, a cow and her ? cub (what do you call an elephant child?), but the highlight had to be closer to Crocodile Bridge when a large herd with lots of small babies rushed across the road, just a few metres ahead of our car. We also saw giraffe, again very close, zebra, hippo, crocodile and countless antelope. We made a small detour down to the Crocodile River where a warden, with rifle, escorted us and another couple (who live in Beccles) up to a vantage point of some rocks where we could spot hippos and crocodiles. On arrival at the campsite we were amazed to find how busy it was, we did manage to get maybe the last pitch with some decent shade.
I have to digress here, it's 19.30 and dark, we have an electricity hookup and in the gloomy shadows cast by our light a hyena has just smooched past about 3 metres away from us, the other side of the perimeter fence. There are warning signs asking that waste food is not thrown over the fence as scavenging hyenas have become a problem ad can get quite aggressive. It takes a bit of getting used to, that we are camping in the middle of bush, with so many wild and dangerous animals all around us. The camps are surrounded by high wire fences, topped with electric fence. Everyone has to be inside by 18.30 and the gates are secured. Then it is life as normal, braai, (BBQ), shower, wine. During the night you can often hear roars, screams and snorts, from various animals. The gates are unlocked at dawn, 04.30 at the moment, and you are free to drive out independently in search of game. In fact we are getting used to the fact that the day starts at 04.30 as people start moving about, doors slamming, engines started. To compensate, everyone is usually tucked up in bed by 21.00.
Another digression as I am keying in around a large praying mantis which won't get off my keyboard.
Unlike Malelane the last couple of nights this campsite is fully booked, there seems to be several family groups with children. We have just realised that it is a summer weekend and so lots of fairly local campers. I had been surprised that we have met so many South Africans camping, but of course the overseas tourists will be staying in safari lodges on organised tours, or if they are doing it independently then usually in the chalet accommodation in the Park, it takes quite a bit of planning and organisation to do as we do and camp.
Which leads nicely once again into the South Africans, or more particularly the Afrikaans. We are in the north here and in Afrikaans belt, although we have met quite a few people from Cape Town. Anyone who followed our last trip to Southern Africa 3 years ago may remember that we were stranded in the middle of an intensely Afrikaans area when our Cash Card was cloned and the bank closed it down. We were in a small town where hardly anyone spoke any English. When they heard what had happened to us their help and hospitality went beyond anything we have ever experienced, offering to lend us, complete strangers, money until we could get it sorted, arranging for us to go into workplace which had British connections so that we could send faxes to the U.K. Last night at Malelane John spoke to an Afrikaans guy about how terrible the braai wood he had purchased was, too big and green. The man gave him a sack of his own wood, which he had brought in with him. This evening John has had more help than he really needed. Our electricity cable wouldn't work, an Afrikaans guy camping near by saw our predicament, offered us an extension lead, took ours and then produced 20 metres of cable, changed our plug and socket onto it and gave it to us as a gift. Usually they are die-hard racists, 'those blacks', 'watch your back when blacks are about', etc., etc., but for a fellow white, so kind and generous.