KRUGER NATIONAL PARK..........My tour made several stops on our drive from Jo'burg to Kruger, including the Nyani Shangaan Village and the Kapama Cheetah Center.

I'd been told that Kruger Park was amazing for both animals and scenery. It certainly had the reputation as one of Africa's best parks. Nobody mentioned just how big it was. I spent an awful long time inside the van crossing long miles.

Shooting pictures from a van meant waiting for your turn. I didn't always get my turn, but I had a great view most of the time. We had a really nice view of an elephant. Maybe too nice for him; he charged us trumpeting.

My favorite section of the park was in the south. When we neared our destination, one of the girls let out a scream for the van to back up. Right next to the road was a leopard. He didn't stay long, but it was long enough to get us very excited. That was one animal I never expected to see in the daylight.

Later we headed out in search of rhino. Several were spotted at a distance and eventually we found two close to the road. Of course, I finished off my roll of film.

Southern Africa had what are called the Big Five animals. We'd seen buffalo, hippo, elephant and leopard. We wanted to see number five - the lion - on the morning safari. It never happen.

Instead there was another leopard. This fellow posed long enough for us to get great photos. Our guide said he'd never seen two leopards in such a short amount of time. And, there was more. A little further on we saw several vehicles clustered together. We suspected lions, but it was just another leopard. He'd made a kill and pulled the impala up into the tree tops. Too hungry to let tourists disturb him, he feasted while we photographed.