Caravanning in The Kgalagadi Twee Rivieren Saturday 28 March 2015

The rain seems to be holding off and there is no wind at all today.  We go out early as usual and take the Mata Mata Road until the Dune Road turnoff and then take that.  It is a very successful drive as far as birds are concerned.   Once again I will let the photographs tell the story.

An early morning Tawny Eagle

Black Shouldered Kite

Elegant Giraffe striding up the dune bank

Earl has not yet filled up with Diesel so we do not go any further than Melkvlei which is largely flooded but we find a table that is on dry ground and have a late breakfast there.   On our return trip we have some interesting sightings.  A tortoise and springbok find the road puddles convenient drinking places.

The Springbok eyes the tortois with suspicion

The tortoise decides to make way for the springbok

The thirsty bokkie can now take a drink

Soon after this Earl nearly jumps out of the window when he spots a cobra right in front of the car.   We get some good photos of him before he slithers off into the bush toward a secretary bird. They haven’t seen each other but if the sec bird spots the snake he will become lunch!

The secretary is contemplating something – lunch or a bath?

No – the secretary is more interested in his abutions.

Refreshingly cool on a hot day

Tip toe out

And shake the feathers

Back at camp we go to the shop which is better stocked than Mata Mata and Nossob. We get hot pies and ice creams for lunch – what a treat!

We spent the afternoon in camp catching up with chores and diary writing etc.  For supper we pooled ingredients and Maureen cooked us a delicious chicken stew.

Caravanning in the Kgalagadi – Polentswa Wednesday 25 March 2015

We wake to the sound of roaring lions this morning. I look out to see Jim shining his torch into the bush while standing guard at the long drop. I think the lions are just behind the tree but Earl assures me that they are far away.
We go south all the way to Nossob 60 km away. There is still a lot of water on the road and we see very little game.

At Polentswa we have been very frugal with our water supplies and showering has been limited to 30 second splash downs. So as soon as we get to Nossob we go the the ablutions for a shower. Joy of joy we find that the geyser system has been repaired and we have loads of hot water.
We then go to refuel and shop. I go ahead while he is at the filling station. When he comes in, he says – where is our envelope of cash? On our way here I’d checked how much there was and put it back in the cubby hole. It’s not there he says. Men! They look with boy eyes. I go and check, search and search – no envelope! It must have been stolen. But the wallet, iPad, cell phones, cameras are all untouched. I begin to doubt myself. Did I drop the envelope out of the car? I return to the ablution block and search around the area where we were parked. I report the loss to reception. The attendant asks me Where did you last have the cash? You must check your car thoroughly.  But after all 4 do us search nothing turns up. Maureen pays for our purchases then we search again. I am sure I put the envelope on top of the handbook which sits on a bracket in the cubby hole. Maureen feels down the back of the cubby and declares that she can feel something, eRl tries too and agrees with her but is it the envelope? There is no way of grabbing it or reaching it I any way so we go to the picnic site, enjoy our brekkie and decide to take the cubby apart when we get back to camp. Our men have tools for the job.

Picnic Breakfast at Nossob Visitors’ Area

Our return it is heartening to see lots of game. The rainfall has brought them back. But no cats again today.

We often see just one wildebeest with a herd of another species

Lovely herd of red hartebeest with young

Water everywhere

Just wait while I finish my drink, please

We return to camp and as Maureen is about to step into her caravan she spots something curled up next to her fridge. She leaps away nimbly and yells – snake!

Lazy, fat puff adder – luckily fast asleep

I grab my camera, Earl runs with a tent pole yelling Don’t worry I’ll catch it. Jim also bravely approaches the spot while M and I scream don’t let it bite you. We don’t have snake bite kits. The macho men approach and Earl hooks him onto the pole and flings him away and onto the ground. The snake refuses to scurry off so he lifts him again and throws him under a tree where it curls up and goes back to sleep. My hero!

After the excitement dies down Maureen washes last nights supper dishes and I dry. Then Earl and Jim get going worth torque keys and screw drivers. There is much grunting and groaning and struggling, but the task is not as easy as they hoped. Maureen calls Jim for lunch but Earl refuses to give up. I fear that the effort is for naught and my fears are confirmed when he manages to get his hand behind the cubby and says there is nothing here. But he struggles on and although he doesn’t get the cubby hole free he manages to free it a little more. I can see it he yells and Jim brings a pair of pliers. He grips the envelope and to my delight R3500 is returned to my grateful hands. For the second time today my hubby is my hero.

He then cooks us bacon and egg sandwiches and we sit and relax while watching lightening and listening g to thunder. The storm is some miles away but within minutes a bright flash of lightening and deafening clap of thunder warn us and  E says we had better get to the caravan now. He and Maureen pack the chairs under her shelter and I run and put everything that’s out away and shut up our kitchen. Just as we shut the door the rain comes pelting down and an enormous wind violently rocks the caravan. After 5 minutes it gets worse and rips the tent poles out of the ground and the tarpaulin rips free from the Velcro. Earl rushes out to rescue what he can. Jim’s solar panels are whipped up by the wind and a Earl chases after them too. Jim rushes out to help. Our tent poles are be bent and the hooks scattered around the campsite. It’s all over in 20 minutes and then the mopping up begins. Not too much damage but we decide to do without the extra side tarpaulin for now. Earl is my hero yet again.
The rain clears and there is calm once again.

Our hero enjoying a well deserved drink after all the drama of the day!

In the evening we have a braai. As we turn in for the night we hear Maureen scream – it’s back and it hissed at me.  Earl calls out – Just hang on – I’m coming – He tries to get his head torch on but the strap comes loose – it’s seems like hours but is only seconds before I help him get it together again – he rushes forth with braai tongs in hand and he and Jim march off like Vikings into the night to make sure the snake does not return.

Fortune and Misfortune – a Fortuner Adventure

A Brief Preamble

You can, if you are brave and not particular about your motor vehicle, travel the roads of The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in an ordinary sedan car.   We have done it twice in my Volkswagen Caravelle which is four motion. But we found that it was expecting a bit much and ever since the first shake up of a trip we suffered the consequences as the poor vehicle had its insides and parts severely shaken up and it was never the same again!

The plan this trip was to take Earl’s Toyota Hi-Lux twin cab – not as comfortable as my Caravelle but it still had plenty of room to pack the catering equipment and luggage for four travellers. Earl has never been completely happy with the afore mentioned Toyota which he’s had for about a year.  The back didn’t seal well. He was afraid everything would be covered in red dust. It was an automatic and he didn’t like the way it handled on the road and the list went on.    After having a special holiday service something went wrong and that sent him over the edge and the day before departure he arrived home with a brand new Toyota Fortuner.   Well!   All very nice and comfortable with tinted windows (just done and couldn’t be opened for 48 hours) BUT what about the packing space!   He should really have purchased one of those aerodynamic roof rack thingies with bags that fitted snugly in included but there was not time for that!

He arrived home late on the day before departure.  Our travelling companions had dropped off their luggage and now the Magiver manipulation began to get everything in and leave room for the passenger.  Talk about canned sardines – we were canned tourists for the next 10 days!  Having said that – it all worked out and got the packing an unpacking down to a fine art for the rest of the trip!

26 June 2012

I am always like a kid before Christmas the day before departure and so of course I was too excited to sleep.  I must have dropped off an hour before the alarm went off at 3:30 a.m.  Typical!  But I was up and out of bed like a shot and soon we were picking up Peter and Heather in Fish Hoek and we were on the road on schedule.   We stopped at Muis Huis in Van Rynsdorp for breakfast and spent the night at Kalahari Guest House just outside Upington.  Our hostess cooked us a delicious three course dinner – mushroom soup,  babootie, roast leg of lamb with sweet potato and vegetables followed by Melba pudding followed by Melba pudding and custard.

She also gave us a packed breakfast – toasted cheese and tomatoe sandwiches, yogurt and juice. I thought cold toasted sandwiches would not be so great but they were delicious!

Earl, Peter and Heather at Muis Huis, van Ryndorp

27 June 2012

It was freezing when we got up but we dressed in layers knowing that the days warm up considerably – so it was a short sleeved shirt, jersey and warm jacket over jeans and shoes and socks all wrapped up in scarves, beanies and gloves. By the time we reached Twee Rivieren we were beginning to peal off the outer garments!

Before entering the gate we were treated to a wonderful sighting of this magnificent eagle.

Martial Eagle

We checked in at around 10 o’clock but could not get into our accommodation before 2 so set off for our first game drive.   Everything is exciting on the first day so the cameras were clicking furiously as we stopped for every creature.

The white-browed sparrow weaver is a common resident in these arid parts.

White-browed sparrow-weaver

The black-backed jackal was not too shy to greet us.

Black-backed Jackal

It was good to find our National Mammal – or Rugby Buck as my grandsons used to call it.   These beautiful antelope were everywhere and we never tired of watching their antics.

Our National Animal – The Springbok

The Kgalagadi was formerly known as the Kalahari Gemsbok Park and was originally created to protect these handsome creatures.

Gemsbok/Oryx

The Kori Bustard is the heaviest flying bird in the world.  He is a magnificent bird and we get really excited if we spot one.  This beauty proudly showed himself early in the trip.

Kori Bustard

Another common resident of the Kalahari is the ground squirrel.  These cute, cuddly creatures are my favourite.   I just love their bushy tails and cute manners.

Ground Squirrel

Earl started complaining that his muscles were sore – I told him to stop being grumpy so he showed me GRUMPY.  Watch this space to find out why he was grumpy!

Grumpy Old Man

The last pictures we took were of Red Hartebeest – lovely to see – and then we went to check into our family chalet.

Red Hartebeest

Twee Rivieren did not have a more comfortable bungalow for us so we had to settle for one with one bedroom and a kitchen with two beds in it!   You had to walk from the kitchen through the bedroom to get to the bathroom – but we managed and it was only for one night.

Once unpacked we set off for another brief game drive.  We found these beautiful black faced waxbills just outside the gate.

Black-faced Waxbills

The Kgalagdi is home to many small rodents and  birds and so it is not surprising to find a variety of birds of prey.  Lanners and red-necked falcons both prey on small birds and look pretty similar.  This one is a red-necked falcon – it has finely barred underparts whereas the Lanner has none.

Red-necked falcon

One of the little creatures that has to keep a constant look out for raptors is this cute little whistling rat.  We had great fun watching him and his mates.

Whistling Rat

The colours of the Kgalagadi are beige, stone, brown, cream, pastel greys and blues, pinks and mauves.  Now and then you get a splash of brightness like this swallow-tailed bee-eater.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Just as beautiful but not as brightly coloured, the scaly feathered finch is a common resident and appears frequently with flocks of friends.

Scaly-feathered finch

As our afternoon drive took us back toward the gate – closing at 6 o’clock – we watched a tawny eagle fly over and then settle in a tree giving us a good photo opportunity.

Tawny Eagle

Altogether it was not a bad start to our trip.  As the sun set the temperature dropped and we added our discarded layers and sat outdoors to enjoy a good South African braai before tucking up into warm beds to rise early and continue to our next camp – unfenced in the wilderness – Urikaruus!