A Whale of a Time in Struisbaai

2015-10-04 | puppy1952

There are two things my darling husband knows I don’t do. I don’t fly in light aircrafts and I don’t go out to sea in small boats! Yet this year found me flying not once but twice in a light aircraft and today, wait for it, I went out to sea in Kiora – his small fishing boat!’

And why was I persuaded to do this mad thing? Well as I’ve mentioned in this Blog before, I’ve decided to retire adventurously and to do things I wouldn’t in my saner days do. A little bit of madness in one’s old age goes a long way to make one move out of one’s comfort zone. Megan was keen to go so I decided – oh well why not!

So up we were before 7 this morning and out to sea we went! I was not a happy camper for the first half an hour it’s the speed and bumping over the waves that scares me silly, but then I got into the flow and decided I’d better just enjoy it.

To be honest it is beautiful out at that time of the morning which is actually late for most fishermen.

In the middle of the ocean

This trawler is from Cape Town and on her way to Gaansbaai

Earl spotted some whales

My super zoom camera did not let me down

I even caught a fish – red stump

We changed Kiora’s name to Love Boat

Megan’s Blue Hottentot

Earl was thrilled to get a beautiful cob

The pyjama shark had to be released

The red roman was released too

Phoning and Fishing – After all we girls can multi-task

We moved from reefs to wrecks looking for the best fishing grounds but there was not really much happening today. The scarcity of birds told us that we could try but our luck would be limited so at 11:00 we headed back to shore.

Nice to take photos from the other side

Our beautiful harbour

Happy Fishers

Everybody was pretty tired after all the fresh sea air so after cleaning fish we all had an afternoon nap. Tonight we are going to Tommy and Megan’s friend’s farm for a braai.

Retiring Adventurously – Heritage Weekend – Struisbaai and Breede River

2015-09-28 | puppy1952

Weekends and Long weekends mean nothing to one when one’s retired as every day is a holiday. It’s only when somebody rings to say they want to come to stay that one realises that something special is happening.

Our darling daughter, Laurie, sometimes known as Lolz, came to spend the Heritage Weekend with us here in Struisbaai. “But Mom, You need to meet my friend Cara’s parent – they’ll be at Breede River – would’t you l like to spend Saturday there and spend the night?

Well, why not? We haven’t got anything better to do and we’ve heard a lot about Cara’s parents over the years and the girls have often said, “you guys have so much in common – you really need to meet.” When one’s kids are little, you meet the parents of their friends but when they grow up, you tend not to. So we agreed that this would be a good idea.

Lolz arrived at 7:14 pm on Wednesday evening and we went to Pelican Harbour Cafe for dinner. Not the best supper we’ve ever had there but still a pleasant evening. Earl’s ribs were okay but our grilled calamari was a bit fishy in taste and we left half of it.

Daddy and Daughter

Enjoying the old photographs of Struisbaai

It looked good and usually it is!

The next day Lolz had to do some work – she’d taken Friday off so needed to do work to make up for it.

We did some garden work and found this tiny tortoise the size of a small urchin shell and smaller than the leaf it was next to.

Lolz needed to get some air after working hard most of the day and so we went for a walk on our beautiful beach.

The harbour

Lolz

View from the boardwalk

On Friday she needed to work some more and I did quite a bit of ‘hooking’. She saw my crochet work and ordered a set of placemats!

We decided to make Banting pizzas for supper! The local fish shop stocks Banting products and we bought psyllium husks from them. I prepared the cauliflower mash and Lolz mixed this with the psyllium husks to make the pizza bases. We baked them in the convection oven and then added the toppings. I had no faith that this would work but to be honest the pizzas were divine – even better than normal pizza – But if you decide to do it, don’t expect it to be anything like normal pizza. The base is nothing like a normal pizza base. I never liked Pizza bases – I always felt sick after eating Pizza as much as I like eating them at the time. But the cauliflower/psyllium husk base was just delicious and no after effects! We put our favourite topping on top – cheese, feta, olives, creamed spinach, olives and avo after.

A canary loving our garden

Lolz making Pizza

Me eating Banting Pizza

On Saturday we were packed with towels and bedding and ready to leave by 9:00 am. We stopped to pick up a dozen pre-ordered croissants from O K Grocer and then shopped in Bredasdorp for our braai.

Our first stop was at my sister at Riverine, Breede River. Her son, Robert was there with his wife Katja and baby Matthew. There is another little great nephew on the way!

Matty waiting for Granny’s scones

Tucking into scones

The croissants weren’t bad either

But Matty prefers his Grandma’s scones

Mom, I need a jammer lappie!

Boy having fun

Robs still love his mommy

Lolz, Tana, Earl

Brian, Robs

After a couple of lovely hours catching up with family we made our way to Lemoentuin to meet Laurie’s friends. L Cara and Laurie have been friends since they spent a year working in London. The girls have always wanted their parents to meet and this weekend it finally happened. What a stunning time we had! In spite of it being a cold and wet weekend we had the most amazing time. As the girls predicted we immediately clicked with Doug and Bridget as we have so much in common.

We had an early braai so that we could go to The Boathouse Pub to watch the Rugby.

The gang - Earl, Doug, Lolz, Justin and Cara

The gang – Earl, Doug, Lolz, Sean and Cara

Watching the Boks beat Somoa – Cara, Heather, Earl, Sean

The Boathouse, Breede River

I’m not really big on watching sport but it is after all The World Cup – so I got quite excited to see the Boks doing so well. Last week we ate Sushi – with disastrous results – On this day we had a traditional braai with boerewors and obviously this bode well and we crushed the Samoans! Go Bokke!

After the match we took Doug and Bridget home, enjoyed a cup of coffee and chat and then retired to bed.

Next morning the kids cooked breakfast on the skottel and we finally made our way back to Struisbaai. The dirt roads were muddy and slippery but luckily we can go anywhere in a Land Rover. But oh wow just look at the designer mud!

Earl getting rid of the mud

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 22

2015-07-14 | puppy1952

23 June 2015

I am late for school – again. I rush into the building and race toward where I think my classroom is but I can’t seem to find it. I panic – the girls will be fretting, wondering where I am. They won’t know what to do. Some will be crying – I dash across courtyard after courtyard searching for a familiar room but mine does not appear and there’s a lion roaring really close by. He’s getting closer – I must find my classroom!

A distant voice yells, “Lion! Lion! Get up there’s a lion outside.”

I wake up – it is just the same recurring dream – I am at Gharagab and finally a lion has come calling.

It is 5:15 and it is Earl who alerts me to the lion’s roar. We listen but it does not come again. We check the water hole – no sign of them. Earl gets dressed and sits at the glass door, while I snuggle under the blankets a little longer. When it’s light I get up too. The Schoffls have heard them too and Erich says he heard the first roars far off at 3 earlier this morning. While Earlybird is packing Dawid comes to show him the spoor of two lions going past our cabin – so they were here!

At 7:30 on the dot Earlybird has us in the car and off in search of the cats. We find spoor on the road and just near Dankbaar water hole, Eagle-eye Wendy calls, “what’s that?” and there in the grass sit two beautiful young black-maned lions.

We are delighted that the lions are still in the area and that we found them!

Eagle Eye Wendy spots something again. “Are those ant hills or animals?” she says.

We scan with our binos and at first see nothing then they materialize – 7 very cute suricate a but quite a distance away. How did she spot them!

We are delighted with this lovely sighting and continue to enjoy the steenbok that appear quite often, red hartebeest in playful mood and gemsbok getting their morning exercise by racing across the veld.

It’s a long trip over the desert dunes and much like a rollers coaster ride. We are delighted by the Disco 4’s performance.

We stop at all the waterholes but apart from some bird activity there is little to see.

At Nossob we have brunch at the picnic site.

Upon arrival at Bitterpan we see another CA Land Rover. Another couple arrive just after us – Dave and Jeanette from Hogsback. The land rover owner introduces himself as Lee and we chat for a whole. Later his wife Shannon joins us. The six of us braai together but Dave and Jeanette decide to do their own.

We have a delightful evening.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 18

2015-07-12 | puppy1952

Friday 19 June Cheetah Day

I wake at quarter to six and get up at quarter past – it is freezing! I wrap myself in a rug and go to the loo. My ablutions are quick and I get dressed under the blankets! Today I don a pair of thermal tights under my jeans. I can’t feel the ends of my fingers even though I wrap them in a warm pair of gloves. Packing up is painful and takes twice as long as with warm hands!

The temperature registers at -2 in the car and goes down to -3. Thank Goodness for an effective air-con in the car as soon we warm up.

There are a few exciting spots the first being two African Wild Cats darting across the veld. Unfortunately the light is wrong and they are too quick for a photograph. But still it is a great sighting.

At 13^th water hole we meet a couple we’d met the day before – George and Venetia. They say they’ve seen the cubs but they have now gone over the ridge – clearly following their mothers who must be ahead of them. We chat for a while then both cars move on. We find them stopped up ahead of us and as we draw nearer see what they have seen – three cheetahs moving swiftly through the bush high up on the ridge.

One of the cheetahs moving stealthily through the bush

We guess they are on their way to Urikaruus water hole so hurry along to wait for them. After 20 minutes, Earlybird says – they’re not coming let’s go but then a land rover ahead of us turns around. His mate has gone up to the viewpoint and has radioed him that the cheetahs are coming. So we turn around too and – there they are – coming right for us!

He is centimeters from my eyeballs

And touches the car as he passes by my door

He makes his way across the road passing right next to the passenger side of the car

We’ve been looking at a steenbok at the waterhole while we are waiting and the cheetahs spot her too. The one gives chase and she scoots off into the trees – we think the cheetah will return with breakfast for the others but she comes back empty handed.

She looks at the cheetahs nervously

We watch the cheetahs frolic and have fun for a while and then they move back over the road and over the ridge – but wow – what a sighting.

Next we find the three eagle owls in the tree.

one of the Verreaux’s Eagle Owls

We stop for breakfast at Kamqua before continuing our journey to Nossob

Earlybird cooks a killer brekkie

On the way we see some interesting birds and big herds of gemsbok at the waterholes.

We check into Chalet 8 just behind reception. It is quite warm now. We have a braai for supper and eat outdoors.

Sundowners at Nossob

A visitor looking for titbits

Nothing beats a good old fashioned South African Braai

After supper Earl takes the Schoffls to the waterhole and I stay behind and have a shower and catch up with my bookkeeping.

There is not much happening at the waterhole so they are soon back.

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 13 and Day 14

2015-07-10 | puppy1952

Sunday 14 June 2015 Okaukuejo

We go out at 6:30 this morning and visit a couple of waterholes. There is not much except for the usual suspects. We see one elephant. It is good, though, to see that there are animals scattered about. We return at 8:30 for breakfast and then do our own thing for the rest of the day.

Breakfast at Okaukuejo

Earl takes some lovely shots of animals at the waterhole.

Lots to see at the waterhole

Keeping an eye on the ladies

A tawny hoping for a snack?

Janet and Stuart arrive and we find their camping site and invite them to join us for a braai in the evening. We have a great time.

Monday June15 2015 Are there any Lions in Etosha?

Our six days in the park are stunning. We have marvellous encounters with elephant, zebra and giraffe. We see black rhino at the waterholes and the weather is fabulous. But hey where the hell are the lions? Certainly none cross our path. Okay, so we come to the parks for the birds and enjoy whatever happens to turn up – but this is the first time ever that we’ve visited a major park and not seen cats. Yes – we see Cheetah but they are half hidden and boring. And when you have overseas guests you want to impress them with the king of the African Bush for Goodness sake. So it was with a slight feeling of disappointment that we exit Okaukuejo Gate for the last stretch to Anderson Gate and I say, Don’t worry guys – we will probably get lions in Kgalagadi.
Then just minutes from the gate we see a few cars stopped up ahead. Wendy yells What’s that?

A lion cub slipping through the bush

Soon we catch sight of 4 lions. 1 mother, 2 small cubs and an older sibling we think. The Mom and big sister flop down under a tree but the cubs go on a bit further and then flop down in full view. Oh Joy! The older one gets up after a while and joins the little ones. We spend 20 minutes watching them get up and wander and return to the comfort of their spot. we reluctantly bid them farewell and continue happily on our way to our next destination.

We reluctantly bid them farewell and continue happily on our way to our next destination.

Goodbye Etosha

We check into Sun Kaross, Daan Viljoen at 1ish and are assigned chalet 8 and 9. Great spot but the view is of an empty dam! Our accommodation is stunning but it is very cold. Luckily we have down duvets and extra blankets and we put the airocn up to 30.

We unpack and have a cup of tea and then go on a journey of exploration. The list of game includes warthog, giraffe, zebra, red hartebeest, eland, jackal, wildebeest and kudu. Erich is delighted when our first spot is a single wildebeest and red hartebeest together! We follow a 4×4 trail and find all the species except eland, zebra and jackal.

Red Hartebeest

Go Away Bird

Short-toed Rock Thrush

The braai facilities are great but the chalet is not equipped with crockery and cutlery. There is a fridge, kettle, glasses and cups and saucers. Tea and coffee are also provided.
We go to the restaurant and find we are the only chalet dwellers and there is no one else there for dinner. We order the chef’s curry which is a huge helping and totally delicious. Erich has Schnitzel, which is okay, if a little dry. The value for money is good.
Nobody wants dessert.

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 12

2015-07-09 | puppy1952

Saturday 13 June 2015 Halali to Okaukuejo

By 7:00 a.m. we go off to have our last breakfast at Halali.

Earl forgets to refuel so we can’t take the long route to Okaukuejo. We stop at a few waterholes but as we get nearer and nearer to Okaukeujo it became drier and drier.

Still we enjoy what we see, the highlight being a honey badger in its natural habitat and not scrounging in dustbins for tourists’ left-overs.

A nice mix of creatures

He is too quick for a good photograph

Honey Badgers are tenacious little creatures with little fear. They will stand up to lion should there be a confrontation. Their hide is tough and unpalatable to most predators.

We check in at reception at 9:00 but of course our rooms are not ready. However, we get our numbers and take a look at what facilities they have to offer. We are pleased to see there is a braai. So before going for a drive we shop for supplies. Luckily this shop is better stocked than the previous two camps. We get fresh tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, potatoes and onions. The meat on offer is ‘game’ but no mention of which animal. It looks good so we buy fillets and steaks and some sausage. We also indulge in an ice-cream treat, stow the goodies in the car fridge and set off for a our drive.

Okaukuejo

Male kudu with his females

Shy Steenbok

This jackal was hiding away to take a nap

We return at 12:00 but the rooms will not be ready till 14:00 So we have a drink next to the pool. Erich and Earl climb the tower and then come back to tell us that they’ve spotted elephants and would we like to go for a short drive to find them. Of course we do – and we find them.

They are heading toward the camp waterhole and so we race back and sit there and wait. A springbok stands stock still staring into the distance and Wendy says, – I think he senses the ellies. Sure enough they appear at that moment, come down to drink and play and it is fun to watch.

Here comes the matriarch

We then check into our chalets

For the record: Bush chalets are either two bedroom (4 beds) and one bathroom or one bedroom (two beds) one bathroom at Etosha. Halali and Okaukuejo have braai facilities. Halali provides crockery and cutlery – Okaukuejo does not. There is no stove or hot plate. There is a fridge in each unit. There is a kitchen with sink, kettle, cups and saucers and tea, coffee, sugar provided. Work space is limited. You need to bring your own pots, pans, chopping boards, braai kit etc.

Comfortable bedroom

Basic Bathroom

Small open plan kitchen/sitting room

Basically equipped with fridge and sink

While I am waiting to get my keys from reception there is a man ahead of me in the queue. He asks if there is DSTV. “No sir, – no wifi – no TV – We have a waterhole with live animals”

“Oh no – I want to watch the rugby”

“The springboks are here,” I joke.

He is not amused.

We relax for the rest of the afternoon visiting the pool and the water hole and enjoy a great braai for supper.

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 7

2015-07-04 | puppy1952

Monday 8 June 2015 Windhoek to The Waterberg Plateau

Our hostess, Anthea, cooks us a superb breakfast and tries to get an appointment with dentist for Erich because he has broken a tooth. Unfortunately he is unable to see him straight away and as Erich is in no pain he decides to leave it until we return to Windhoek in a week’s time.

The birds are active at the feeding table and bird bath and before we leave I take a few photographs of these cute little blue waxbills and black-throated canaries.

On our way to the Waterberg Platteaux we stop to shop and refuel at Okahandju. The street markets look interesting so we decide to browse. The traders are pushy and call for us to come into their shops. We look at some necklaces and small bowls in one and ask how much. He shows us a hugely inflated price on the calculator on his cell phone and says – “This is my normal price – but because you are my first customer today – I will give it to you for less.” The price offered is still way too much so I help Wendy bargain. “$400 is my final offer.” I tell him after haggling for several minutes. He looks upset and annoyed and shakes his head so we turn to leave. He calls us back – Fine -You can have it all for $400 but it means I will starve!”

We wanted to browse at some more shops but the pushiness of the traders put us off and we escaped as fast as we could. It’s a pity – because if they offered a reasonalbe price to begin with they would get more customers and make more money! Every trader who approached us after this began with – because you’re my first customer, I will give you a special price!

Earl decides to buy some braai meat and salads as he has a feeling that there might be a place to braai at The Waterberg. When I booked in I was told there was no self-catering at any of the Namibian Wildlife Reserve chalets.

When we check in, we find that we could have had one chalet instead of 2. The person who booked me in had not explained that I only needed one chalet for 4 people although she knew perfectly well I was booking for 4! There is a fridge and kettle in the chalet but it is not equipped with any other catering utensils. There is, however, a braai! I have my own catering equipment so we are delighted to be able to have a home cooked meal for a change. The cottages are clean and comfortable and banded mongoose are there to welcome us.

After snacking on last night’s leftovers from Joe’s Beer House we go for a 4 hour game drive on the plateaux. It is fun and we see giraffe, sable, buffalo, springbok, impala, eland and kudu. We hope to see the rhino but no luck in this respect!

Wendy and Erich at the viewpoint on the plateau

It is warm travelling up to the plateau but the sun is setting on our return and so the chill sets in. Luckily we have our warm jackets and rugs with us. There are also rugs available on the vehicle.

We have a lovely braai for supper and turn in early so as to be ready to leave for Etosha tomorrow.

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 6

2015-07-03 | puppy1952

Sunday 7 June 2015 Sossusvlei to Windhoek

We are up and ready to for breakfast at 6:30 sharp, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, take photos of a hot air balloon over the mountains, check out and set off for Windhoek.

The highlight is travelling over the Spreetshoogte Pass. Meaning: Spreeth’s Peak Pass. It connects the Namib Dessert with the Khomas Highland by traversing the Great Escarpment and is the steepest pass in Namibia.

The pass was erected during World War II by farmer Nicolaas Spreeth, after whom it is named. He owned the farm Ubib just at the foot of the escarpment. Whenever goods were delivered to his farm they would be dropped at a bus stop at farm Namibgrens (English: Namib border) on top of the mountain. To gather them the choice was to either travel via Remhoogte Pass approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwards, or to trek uphill along existing Zebra paths.

Spreeth decided to do the latter, fortifying the path with quartzite rocks whenever he undertook the journey. Soon the bright white rocks formed a line that could be spotted from a distance. Spreeth even catered for motor vehicles (not very strong at that time), placing long, flat patches of road ahead of every steep ascent. He built the pass literally with his own hands. To flatten obstacles he used dynamite.

Here we go

Our hostess is not home when we arrive at Anjo Villa Guest House so we duck to the local supermarket café and have a coffee before checking in.

What a charming place it is. After unpacking we sit under the trees and have a glass of wine and a chat, download emails using the free wi-fi and at 4:30 make our way into Windhoek. As advised by Anthea we pop into Joe’s Beerhouse for a drink but are so fascinated by the place we decide to stay for dinner. It is a series of outdoor enclosures and spaces filled with all sorts of memorabilia and relics of the past and present. Basically it’s junk made to look interesting. Possibly each piece has a history and a story behind it. We wander about enjoying the exhibition and then sit at a table next to a roaring fire in the middle of the boma where we eat. Wendy and I enjoy Kessler and sauerkraut, Earl has lamb shank and Erich eisbein. They both have to get doggy bags as the portions are so huge.

After that we head to the casino, have a cup of tea and lose some money before coming back for an early night.

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 5

2015-07-02 | puppy1952

Saturday 6 June 2015 Sossusvlei

Our wake-up call is a knock on the door at 4:30 am. It is a tad chilly and we all meet wrapped up in fleeces and warm jackets. It is an hour’s drive to the sunrise spot. We take photos of the rising sun before climbing a high dune.

Dune Sunrise

The name, Sossusvlei, comes from two languages – Sossus is the Nama word meaning No Return – or – Dead End. Vlei is the Afrikaans word for marsh or pan. The actual Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan which fills with water on the rare occasion that it rains. There is no water in it when we visit. The name “Sossusvlei” also refers to the surrounding area (including other neighbouring vleis such as Deadvlei and other high dunes), which is one of the major visitor attractions of Namibia. The area has many high sand dunes of a vivid pinkish/orangish/reddish colour caused by the high content of iron in the sand and the consequent oxidation processes. The older the dune, the redder the colour. Big Daddy is 380m high and this is the one we climb!

Big Daddy

Erich at the top

The dry pans look white because of the high salt content

Wendy does well but has a height phobia so decides to go back down after a while. As we climb it seems to get steeper and steeper with each footfall! There are a number of other climbers, some in groups, some individual. We have a photographic group in front of us so they keep stopping to take interesting and creative photographs giving us an excuse to rest frequently! We are supposed to descend at a certain point and go down to Deadvlei but I turn back and go the way I came meeting Sammy on his way up and he tells me to return so as to get to Deadvlei with him. Omiword – another upward climb before I can descend! I am feeling a bit shaky – from low blood pressure or altitude intolerance – or perhaps I’m just not fit enough for dune climbing!

The descent is lovely. We make our way to Deadvlei where the trees have been dead for almost a thousand years. There is underground water so there is a grove of green trees there too. We wonder around and take creative photos and then make our way back to the vehicle.

Looking across to one of the dunes

A short drive to Sossusvlei and we disembark once again where we find a beautifully laid breakfast table set up by Sammy who then presents us with cereal, fruit salad, yoghurt, cold meats, boiled eggs and fresh bread. Wow. The Cape Sparrows think it was for them and twitter away in the trees until we give in and feed them a few crumbs.

Our return trip takes us past all the amazing dunes and we marvel at the shapes and contrasting colours. We stop to photograph Dune 45 so named because it is 45 km from Sossus Dune Lodge.

By now it is hot and we all take off the outer layers. Back at the lodge I have a shower and change into shorts.

I put on cargo pants and take a fleece to fly over the dunes in the afternoon. We have to go to another lodge just outside the park to get our over-dune flight. We pay our fare, receive proper tickets and fill in an indemnity form at the Adventure Activity desk and then are taken to the airfield by one of the staff who also explains where we would go and what signals the pilot would give to indicate what he sees below. Unfortunately the plane is not equipped with earphones! Loubser is our pilot and we are his fifth trip of the day. I am feeling only a tad nervous having recently been up in a light aircraft with Abri and survived! This plane is a little bigger but not as comfortable as Abri’s. But I can open a tiny square in my window to take photographs which makes a big difference. I will let the photos tell the story.

Sossus Dune Lodge from the air

The Dunes

Wave after wave of them

Old Mining Settlement

The dunes stretch all the way to the sea

The Wreck

Seal Colony

Dinner this evening is kudu steak for me and Earl and pork for the Schoffls. After our long and exciting day we are in bed by 8 o’clock.

Caravanning in the Kgalagadi Mata Mata to Nossob Sunday 15 March 2015

2015-04-07 | puppy1952

We are up very early and start the final packing for departure. The most difficult part is getting the roof of the Comfort Van down. It is very difficult to clip into place there being a front part and a back part that needs to be done. If the one end clips the other won’t and we have not yet learned the knack of getting it right. One is also in danger of bashing one’s head on the ceiling if one doesn’t duck just in time. I am uselessly impractical and tend have serious coordination problems which frustrates the perfectionist in my darling husband. He has soon collected several reasons to divorce or kill me when Jim comes to the rescue and offers to help. I feel fractionally better when I find that the two men have as much trouble as I did with the task but they finally do it without destroying their beautiful friendship. This particular caravan has a problem and Earl says he will have to make a few adjustments so that the mechanism will work more easily in the future!

We had planned to leave at 7 but are ready to roll at 6:35 and we are out of the gate by 6:40 – just 10 minutes later than our usual start. This is as well as we have 160km of rough roads to negotiate while towing our caravan and the maximum allowed speed is 50km/hr

We spot at speed for a while and get Jackal, White-backed vultures and gemsbok before Jim and Maureen stop at 7:00. What do they see – then I spot them – 3 female lions and a tumble of the tiniest kittens. I call them kittens because they are the tiniest cubs I have ever seen. They must be only a few weeks old. Other tourists are turning their vehicle round to follow them and one chap teases us – “Why don’t you turn round and follow too!” If only!

But we are delighted to have got this much of them. I find out later that M&J had seen the male too. He was sitting down proudly watching his family. Somehow E and I missed that!

We do not take the loops round the waterholes but travel the bypass road instead keeping a sharp lookout for anything interesting. We spot three cheetahs (which J and M miss) on the ridge of the dune. It looks like they intend going to 14^th Waterhole.

We pass some giraffe then turn onto the Dune Road toward Nossob. The vegetation is denser now but the game is sparse. We find one or two steenbok which we haven’t seen this trip yet. A Kori Bustard struts past and a lanner flies into a tree. At Vaalpan we find a black headed heron in a small waterhole.

Jim is ahead of us and when we catch up he is stationery – we think to wait for us but when we draw up beside him he points to Northern Black Korhaan – the dunes are famous for these birds.

At Elan Water Hole we find a jackal and a little later we spot red hartebeest.

Our loo stop is at Kikbaardskolk picnic site where we meet some people who warn us that there is ‘nothing to see’ in the Nossob area. The annual rains have not yet arrived and may in fact be too late. There will be consequences to the wildlife if good rains don’t come soon.

We find Gemsbok at both Dikbaardskolk Water Hole and Kaspersdraai Water Hole where there is also a jackal. Finally we arrive at Nossob at about 9:30. Jim and Maureen go straight to the camping area and find the shadiest spot they can. I go to reception and the man complains that people seek their camping spot before checking in! We decide not to go out for a game drive today as it is just too hot!

I am finding camping so much nicer than staying in chalets. Ones fellow campers are all so friendly and one gets to meet some interesting people. After breakfast I take the dishes to wash and find a gentleman sitting at a counter, laptop plugged sorting out his photographs. He calls me over and shows me the most amazing video and photo sequence of a leopard that came down to drink as Kaspersdraai water hole. It was on his granddaughter’s birthday so he named her Tara. Later when I return to do some washing he is there with his friend Peter – both of them on their computers. They are discussing birds that they might see and mention that in the rainy season you could sea knob-billed duck. Isn’t that now called comb duck, I ignorantly chime in. Oh no, says Peter – the comb duck is in India – we’ve changed our one’s name back to knob-billed duck. And if you read my book you will have all the new names. Turns out he is Peter Ginn chief editor of The best companion to Southern African Birding.

I meet Peter, his wife Irene and their friends in the pool later. Peter offers me his set of books at a reduced price and I tell him that I’ll chat to E which I do later and Earl is dead keen. Other campers had shown us these beautiful coffee table books at Mata Mata and E was impressed. Peter agreed to give us his banking details and we are now the proud owners of these stunning books signed by both him and his wife who is co-editor!

For supper we do steaks, sweet potato and onions on the braai and combine our ingredients for a salad. It won’t be long before we run out of fresh veggies so we’re making the most of it while they last.

It is very hot tonight and I wring my sarong out in cold water and sleep with it draped over me. I don’t wake till 5 the next morning!

Diary of an Adventurous Retiree

Making the most of the South African Lifestyle

Category Archives: Africa

A Whale of a Time in Struisbaai

Retiring Adventurously – Heritage Weekend – Struisbaai and Breede River

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 22

23 June 2015

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 18

Friday 19 June Cheetah Day

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 13 and Day 14

Sunday 14 June 2015 Okaukuejo

Monday June15 2015 Are there any Lions in Etosha?

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 12

Saturday 13 June 2015 Halali to Okaukuejo

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 7

Monday 8 June 2015 Windhoek to The Waterberg Plateau

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 6

Sunday 7 June 2015 Sossusvlei to Windhoek

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 5

Saturday 6 June 2015 Sossusvlei

Caravanning in the Kgalagadi Mata Mata to Nossob Sunday 15 March 2015

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23 June 2015

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Friday 19 June Cheetah Day

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Sunday 14 June 2015 Okaukuejo

Monday June15 2015 Are there any Lions in Etosha?

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Saturday 13 June 2015 Halali to Okaukuejo

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Monday 8 June 2015 Windhoek to The Waterberg Plateau

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Sunday 7 June 2015 Sossusvlei to Windhoek

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Saturday 6 June 2015 Sossusvlei

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