Mata Mata Camp offered way more luxury than the unfenced rustic Rooiputs. Showering in the morning was now possible and Lady Peigh and Mrs Leigh were first up and finished at the ablution block before the other campers awoke. Now they had to check out of camp and the gate attendant did not open the office till 6:30 on the dot!
Mr and Mrs Frend-Leigh was first out the gate and indicated to the Grum-Peighs that they were following lion tracks. They followed them to 14th Waterhole but the cats were not there. A return to Dalkeith produced no luck either.
Clearly the lions had killed the previous night as they found a tawny eagle eating their leftovers. It then flew up into a tree to join its friend and they got some photos.
It was also good to see giraffe about. The leopard was nowhere to be found.
Back at camp the Earl cooked breakfast.
In the afternoon they all went out again. Nothing much was seen but a common buzzard was nice to see.
Other birds gave them pleasure too.
Red-headed finch
White-faced scops owl
Wattled Starling
Lilac-breasted Roller
So after a rather slow day they returned to camp and enjoyed a meal together before retiring for the night.
By 6:30 the Frend-Leighs and Grum-Peighs are packed up and ready to leave Rooiputs. Although it had stormed in the night it kindly let up for them to pack up without getting wet.
The Frend-Leighs left first as they wanted to get a good site at Mata Mata. Their large-lensed cameras were packed so they wouldn’t be stopping for anything but the most exciting sightings.
The Grum-Peighs were thus able to follow at a more leisurely pace. There was a lot of water lying around and they found bokkies drinking at the puddles. They took the dune road and found a total of 16 korhaans.
Then there was a lovely sighing Mom and Dad Jackal with their pup.
It was great to see giraffe on the Mata Mata road and there was plenty of game around.
“Why are there cars parked up ahead,” called Lady G-P. They looked into the bush but couldn’t see anything. The Lord G-P said – “Look – there in the tree – leopard!
Wow – what a great sighting. They were about to move on when suddenly he stood up on the branch.
I don’t think I like this spot anymore
Let me find a more comfortable perch
There’s a cosy hollow here – this is where I’m staying for the rest of the day
At 10:30 they arrived at Mata Mata and set up camp. The Frend-Leighs had found a lovely shady site.
At 4:30 the Grum-Peighs were ready for another drive but the Leighs decided not to go out. It was a long way to the waterholes but the drive was rewarding.
They enjoyed the little steenbok that were about and one chose to pose beautifully.
The highlight of the afternoon was seeing a lanner at Dalkeith – he had caught a sparrow and was devouring it on the ground.
At 14th waterhole they were delighted to find an African harrier-hawk.
They found the leopard in the tree again but he had moved and was difficult to see. However, they managed to point him out to two other cars who were most grateful as they had not yet seen leopard.
In the evening the Earl found some good steaks at the new improved Mata Mata shop and that is what they had on the braai for supper.
This morning’s game drive found Lord and Lady Grum-Peigh back at Kij Kij in search of the lioness and her cubs. They found them in the company of two adult lions. One of them was a young male. They must have been drinking at Kij Kij but by the time they arrived there they were on the Rooiputs side of the WH. They played for a bit and then made their way over the ridge – the opposite way to the previous day.
There was nothing much to see other than kori bustards and other birds further on toward Melkvlei. Then the Earl and Her Ladyship turned around and went to Twee Rivieren to refuel. On the way they had lovely sightings of the smaller things. They saw two yellow mongooses hunting and one caught a mouse! There were also two slender mongoose and the two species didn’t seem to want to share territory.
“What’s that jackal up to,” said Lady G-P He was howling and looking quite agitated. “There must be a cheetah or a lion about – that’s how they behave when they want to get at the left overs from a kill” The jackal was staring into a tree but in spite of a thorough search Lord and Lady G-P couldn’t see anything so they continued on their way.
At Twee Rivieren they filled up then went to the restaurant where they took advantage of the internet access and caught up with emails and messages. The shop had no fresh produce they nipped off to Kgalagadi lodge and bought some cauliflower and broccoli, pattipans, cucumber, tomatoes and sweet potatoes.
The Frend-Leighs decided to pop there too and they met up with them on their way back to TR. The Leighs reported that there was a leopard in a tree between Leeudril and Rooiputs. That’s what the jackal must have been agitating about.
On their return trip to Rooipust they found the site of the leopard but were told by Jan (a young man from the Cheque Republic who was camping on their site) that they’d just missed her in the tree. She’s jumped down and was definitely in the undergrowth under the tree but she was impossible to see. They waited half an hour but it was very hot so they left her in peace with a promise of coming back later.
At Rooiputs waterhole there were 4 Secretary birds.
The late afternoon found them back searching for the leopard. En route they were amused by the meerkats.
There were a number of cars looking into the tree but nobody could see anything. The Earl wanted to move on but Her Ladyship persuaded him to be patient. Finally they were rewarded when all of a sudden the leopard emerged from his hiding place and began moving.
His nap was over and he was off on a mission
What a beauty
I wonder if I’ll find a snack anywhere here?
Nothing much happening – think I’ll sit here for a while
After walking off along the dunes the leopard flopped down for a rest then got up again and disappeared over the dunes.
“Another wonderful ending to a great day,” said Lady G-P
The day started with a lanner. This is a common bird in the KTP and the Grum-Peighs often see them chasing and catching doves. But this one decided to show off to them on the road. He was eating insects or getting minerals from the gravel or whatever attracts all the creatures of the park to this habit. Anyway he posed beautifully.
After enjoying the lanner they pushed on to Kij Kij and found a beautiful male lion drinking at the waterhole. They then followed him as he walked off toward the Nossob road. Several cars were parked facing the waterhole and he flopped down in their shadows. Eventually they decided that enough was enough and set off in search of other game
A kori bustard entertained them by showing them how to take a dust bath.
When there is little game to be seen the G-Ps keep a sharp eye out for birds. Even the little familiar chat is good to see.
At Melkvlei waterhole there were lots of gemsbok.
On their return they found the male lion sleeping in the shade of a tree. Lady G-P aimed her camera but suddenly the car started moving forward. “Hey – I’m trying to get a shot,”she complained.
“But this guy in front is calling me to chat to him,” replied the Earl.
He pulled up next to the hired four by four. “I’m so sorry,”said a British voice “But I stopped here to see this lion and now my car is dead!” There were two men and two women in the vehicle and they all looked terrified.
“Don’t worry,” said Lady G-P, “My husband will fix it.” She has great confidence in her her husband’s MacGyver type skills.
The Earl turned the car around with a view to jump starting his dead car. “Just keep an eye on Leo.”said His Lordship as he climbed up and opened a rooftop box to retrieve his tools. “He’s sitting up!” yelled Lady Peigh. But her hero was not fazed. He took out all the tools he needed and passed them to her.
“He’s standing up now!” Lady Peigh was getting nervous. Leo sniffed the air and decided the smell of his Lordship was not to his liking and dropped down again and went back to sleep!
Leo licked his lips as he contemplated an earl for dinner
Nope – not worth the effort – think I’ll have another nap instead
The Earl decided that caution was the better part of valour and quickly hitched the tow rope to the distressed vehicle and towed him to a safer spot. The car did not start while being towed but when they stopped the Earl found that it was a loose connection and fixed it pronto.
The First Earl of Struisbaai using his MacGyver skills
The British tourist were most grateful. They had no tools in the hired vehicle and were quite unprepared for any mishap. Lady G-P would never travel without her personal handyman.
They went back to look at the lion and wait for the Frend-Leighs and then took a slow drive home finding a pale chanting goshawk and a few ground squirrels on the way.
Isn’t he beautiful
On guard and ready to warn his friends of pending danger
“It can’t be time to get up yet,” complained Lord Grum-Peigh “It’s still dark!”
“It will be light soon and we need to get out before the Twee Rivieren Mob arrive – come on get up – here’s your coffee.” Her Ladyship packed the picnic basket and filled the flask while her grumbly husband reluctantly readied himself for departure.
The sunrise was just a stunning as last night’s sunset and they were on the road atn6:30 am on the dot. The campers from the other five sites were rushing off too. The Frend-Leighs always keen to be first at the waterhole to ensure good photographs were up ahead. As the Grum-Peighs followed slowly behind a fellow camper passed and waved to them to stop. “Your left front tyre looks a little soft,” he said.
And so they had to turn around and return to camp to check it out. The Earl who fusses about the small stuff was remarkably calm about this major disaster. He set straight to work. Getting the tyre off proved no easy task. The thingy that is used to loosen the bolts was faulty but the Earl made a plan and within 45 minutes the job was done.
Now when one travels in the extreme conditions of the Kgalagadi one would be foolish not to have a working spare so the Grum-Peighs decided to abandon their original plans and make their way to Twee Rivieren where there was a workshop to have the spare tyre repaired. And although it was a Sunday it was open.
After enjoying a cooked breakfast at the restaurant they took the long Mata Mata and Dune roads to get back to Rooiputs. “Hopefully we will see game on this route,” declare the Lord.
Lady Grum-Peigh had an acute attack of FOMO (fear of missing out). “I bet the Leighs have found yesterday’s lions on a kill and that the cheetahs are mating or giving birth or something equally exciting.”she whined.
“No way,”comforted the Earl “we’re going to see good stuff.”
And he was right. “Look what we have here,”he said excitedly.
Tawny Eagle
A little later they found a male lion right next to the road
Then a little far off under a shady tree lay a cheetah with its kill. It was not worth taking a photograph though.
The Grum-Peighs are more interested in the birdlife and tend to stop too long to observe the winged creatures that others choose to ignore.
One of their favourites is the Namaqua Dove
Of course they also saw all the regular chaps. Gemsbok (Oryx) are very common in the park.
Meanwhile the Leighs had been wandering what happened to their friends. Had they missed them at a sighting? Had they carried on to the planned breakfast stop? But no they couldn’t find them anywhere. “They’re either behind or in front of us,” said Mr Frend-Leigh – don’t worry we’ll catch up with each other eventually.”
So when they finally did see each other back at camp they were shocked to hear that there had been a mishap. “We would have come back to help!” they declared.
“Then you would also have missed the excitement,” said Lady G-P
“Ha – we only got sleeping cats – nothing too thrilling!”
The two men got to work fixing the faulty thingy while the girls caught up with washing and then they all had a nap before going out for the afternoon drive.
It was 5 o’clock and still hot and they hoped to get the sleeping lions waking up. There was a little action but they were still pretty sleepy.
Then a police car stopped next to the G-Ps “Good afternoon, sir. How are you this afternoon?”
Lady G-P thought they were going to ask for their permit and started reaching for it. But no – “Ma’m about 3km further on, you will find a cheetah. He is on his own and has been there since 1 pm this afternoon.”
“Thank you so much officer. We will check it out!”
Just before they reached the 3km mark, Lady Peigh yelled, “I see him.”
It was overcast and a storm was threatening so the light was dim and if she hadn’t been looking intently she would probably have missed him. Then suddenly he disappeared. “Has he gone over the ridge?”
“No – there he is!” said Lord Peigh. “He’s lying down – how well he camouflages!”
They stayed with him until a car approached and then pointed him out to the occupant. It took quite a while before he could find him.
Back at the lion sighting very little was happening. Mr Leigh pointed out a striped kingfisher in a tree opposite and then they decided to make their way back before it got too late.
The Leighs pointed out the Vereaux’s Eagle-Owl and that was the last sighting of their day.
Travelling with an Earl can have its trying moments. His Lordship has firm ideas how things should be done and when things don’t go exactly according to plan he tends to shoot into stress mode. Packing up camp is a trigger so Lady Grum-Peigh has to encourage him to calm down to a panic and remind him that it will all come together in the end! On this morning all her reassuring seemed to work and all was packed up in a jiffy except for one thing!
“Don’t you have to put the leveling legs up first?” asked Lady Peigh. Uh oh! A few minutes of rapid unpacking and repacking later and all was set. The caravan was hitched to the towbar and by 7:40 am they were on their way to Rooiputs.
Luckily the rain from the early hours had abated and it was a stunning, clear day. The birds at Samevloeing cheered the Earl up and gave Her Ladyship great photo opportunities.
yellow canary drinking at Samevloeing
Next was a tawny eagle in a tree.
Mr Frend-Leigh had marked out an area where he thought the Grum-Peighs should park their caravan – this was to optimise the best afternoon shade. The setting up went well and just as they finished the Frend-Leighs returned from their early morning drive..
Here is the Earl in front of the caravan – all set up and ready for their 8-day stay.
It was very hot and Lady Peigh felt drained and exhausted. Although it was unusual for her and it was only midday, she decided to take a nap. The wind got up too and shook the caravan like a leaf. The Earl worked hard to secure the tent pole and ropes while she slept on for the next three hours! Finally she woke up and gave in to His Lordship’s pleas to go for an afternoon drive.
“Oh look, even the lions don’t feel like doing anything in this heat.” said Lady Peigh. “Don’t even take a photo – too boring.” They left them dozing and carried on up the Nossob road. All the game – wildebeest, springbok, red hartebeest and gemsbok – were standing or lying under whichever shady tree they could find. The landscape was dry but there had been a little rain so there were patches of green and lots of lovely yellow flowers from time to time.
A ground squirrel is always an entertaining sighting
Lanner Falcon
A single wildebeest in the company of a herd of springbok
“Look at Melkvlei,” said Lord Peigh, “Quite a difference from last year.”
Melkvlei Picnic Site when Dry
Melkvlei Picnic Site after heavy rains! This picture was taken in March 2015
After a leg stretch and loo break at the picnic site they retraced their route towards Rooiputs.
“What’s happening now,” said the Earl. “those springbok are stock-still and all looking in the same direction.” T
The bokkies gathered together and nervously crossed the road. The Earl scanned the dunes and soon spotted two cheetahs on the ridge.
One of the cheetahs sat up but there was no attempt to hunt.
The Grump-Peighs carried on until another vehicle alerted them to another sighting further on.
A contented, sleeping male lion
Remember the snoozing lions from the beginning of the trip? Well that’s where they met up with the Frend-Leighs who had only left camp an after they had. Their cameras trained on the felines who were still in dreamland.
“Let’s go,” said His Lordship. “I don’t feel like watching sleeping lions.”
“Give it five minutes,” begged his wife. “I’m sure they’ll wake up soon.”
The words were no sooner cold on her lips when one of the females stoop up and started walking toward them. One by one the others followed but the male remained hidden behind his tree.
What a brilliant sighting.
Although they were in an unfenced camp they were expected to stick to the gate times – out at 6:30 am and back by 7 pm in March. They made it by 17 minutes and then enjoyed a spectacular sunset.
The wind had dropped and they enjoyed a delicious braai before retiring for the night.
Lord Grum-Peigh woke up and went straight into panic mode. “We have to get out of here as soon as the gates open!” he stressed. “Otherwise we won’t find the Frend-Leighs and they won’t know they need to sign us in!”
“Relax,” cooed Lady Peigh “We’ll find them – and probably at a sighting!” But still he fussed and rushed her and to his extreme annoyance she deliberately took her time at the showers and laughed when he got upset.
But once they were on the road his mood improved and he was a tad less grumpy specially when he saw the familiar green of Mr Leigh’s Nissen Pathfinder. The Leighs were looking toward the top of a dune and Lord Peigh nearly fell out of the car window when he saw two young lion cubs relaxing there.
Do I have to wake up now?
I wonder what there is in those cans on wheels?
They sure look tasty
The Lord was now in a very good mood and made plans to meet the Leighs at TR, sort out the Rooiputs booking and then go for brekkie.
After watching the cubs for a bit Lord and Lady Peigh went in search of their mother. They met a man who said he’d driven up and down the road but there was no sign of her. The Earl, though, has a nose for these things and would not give up until his curiosity was satisfied.
The presence of a jackal can indicate lions in the vicinity as they like to scavenge off their kill!
His vigilance paid off because all of a sudden they caught sight of three lions walking away from them along the road.
One of the lions
All three of them
With this lovely sighting dancing in their heads the went back to report to the Leighs. Late all the business of booking in at the Botswana side of reception was completed. Then they all headed to The Kgalagadi Lodge a few kilometres outside the gate. It was almost lunchtime but they ordered breakfast – Mr Frend-Leigh asked the waiter, “Is one allowed to have beer with breakfast, here?” The waiter laughed and brought one for him and the Earl.
Back at camp :Lady Peigh went for a swim and the Earl had a nap and then when he woke up they went for a swim together before going out for an afternoon drive
Brant’s whistling rat
Ground Scraper Thrush
Secretary Bird
Scaly-feathered finch
Southern Masked Weaver
Leopard Tortoise
The creatures have right of way at all times. This male ostrich finds something tasty on the gravel road.
Because His Lordship was a too tired to do a braai Her Ladyship cooked chicken casserole on her caravan gas stove for supper. It was a perfect evening but they were woken at 2am by heavy rainfall!
We couldn’t resist going for one last game drive before packing up this morning. I’d heard lions roaring in the night and though we just might be able to find them but that was not to be. We did, though, find two jackals at Ghwarrie Pan and I managed to persuade one to pose.
On our return Early made breakfast and then we packed up and made our way to Jeffrey’s Bay. It’s lovely to be here catching up with our friends Maureen and Jim. Maureen cooked us a delicious Roast Leg of Lamb for dinner tonight and we enjoyed the company of their friend, Errol too.
Yesterday I took some videos of the elephants and I am including them here
Oh what bliss to wake up to a brilliant blue skies and sunshine this morning. The rain is desperately needed in the Western Cape and it was great to hear it during the night, but when camping, one is delighted to have some good weather.
What a pleasure to sit out, listen to the early morning chorus of birdsong and watch the activity on the river while sipping our first cuppa of the day.
A gorgeous morning
A group of young, energetic, American holidaymakers canoeing down the Touw River
A noisy Egyptian Goose greeted us hoping for a tidbit
My wonderful hubby cooked his special scrambled eggs which includes cheese, mushrooms, bacon, banana and baby tomatoes and somehow it tasted extra delicious as it was eaten alfresco.
Gourmet Breakfast at Ebb & Flow
After breakfast we did a marathon walk along the Pied Kingfisher Trail. It was 11ish and already quite hot. It’s beautiful walk not only for the birdlife but also the flora.
We also found a tortoise and a dung beetle in the path.
Dung beetles keep the veld clean as they eat the faeces of herbivores which consists largely of undigested plant matter .
Some dung beetles roll the dung into balls and move it to their nests but others stay near the dung and feed from it there. The dung is also fed to the babies and this is why she lays her eggs in the dung. It sounds disgusting to us but not to a dung beetle!
Although the trail is called the pied kingfisher trail we did not see one. However, we saw a few other birds.
A Karoo Prinia
Levaillant’s Cisticola
Yellow bishop
Reed Cormorant catching some rays
On the last leg of our walk we met a German couple and as we were chatting a little Malachite Kingfisher appeared and we watched it catch insects in the water collected in the gutter on the side of the road.
Although we didn’t get the pied we were delighted to find a Malachite Kingfisher
All morning in camp I’d heard the Black-headed oriole but it insisted in hiding in the foliage. But this afternoon he obliged and posed beautifully for me.
Earl’s feet were hurting after our long walk and he blamed his heavy shoes. We decided to go to George to find a softer pair. After that we went to Victoria Bay and walked along the promenade.
These rocks bore plaques of remembrance possibly for people who love Victoria Bay
Signpost to everywhere
This bay is a surfers’paradise
It has been such a happy day and now we are going to pack up as much as possible the have a sushi supper in George so we can have an early night and leave for Addo at 6 am tomorrow morning. Watch this space for more!
I was not raised in a camping/caravanning family. When I was a little girl my mother told me, “Camping is not a holiday! A holiday is a relaxing stay in a luxurious hotel where everything is done for you. Why would you want to stay in a tent or a caravan with no modern conveniences when you could be more relaxed at home!” That’s why we hardly ever went away on holiday. We couldn’t afford it! I do remember going to The Kruger National Park when I was seven and The Lakes, Wilderness when I was 13. I thoroughly enjoyed both of those holidays! There were odd weekend trips in chalets at odd venues but other than that – no we stayed at home. “After all,” my dad would say – “we live in a holiday resort – the most beautiful place in the world – why would we want to go anywhere else.” And yes – I was content to enjoy the seaside town where I grew up but just because it was the most beautiful place in the entire world didn’t mean that I didn’t want to see other places!
So when I grew up I really had the attitude that camping was not my scene until I went to deepest, darkest Africa which required a 4×4 vehicle and roof-top tent. That was my first introductions to the joys of camping in the wild and I loved it! There is something very special about being in the bush, cooking your food over an open fire and doing your ablutions in inadequate facilities – sometimes even digging a hole for the deed. It’s called ‘communing with nature.’ For a few years we did this on trips to Botswana and some parks in South Africa but then we got soft and decided that air-conditioned chalets were more comfortable – and way more expensive!
Now that we’re retired and want to travel more widely we’ve settled for the cheaper option of an off-road caravan – and I’m so glad we have because it is great! It’s not as rough as roof-top tenting and not as soft as chalets. It’s a happy medium of outdoor cooking and relaxing and sleeping in a dry comfortable bed! If you’ve been following my blogs you will know that we had a great trip to Kgalagadi earlier this year and today we set off on another caravanning trip.
We were up bright and early and left Struisbaai at 6:00 am. An old friend of Earl asked us to meet him for breakfast in Riversdale. They hadn’t seen each other for 4o years and it was great for them to catch up.
Earl and Fred catching up
Travelling the Garden Route is always a pleasure as it is so picturesque. We passed by Little Brak, Great Brak, Mossel Bay, George and finally reached Wilderness and The Garden Route National Park where we are staying at Ebb & Flow Rest Camp. What a beautiful place it is. We set up camp and then went to George to do some shopping.
We are right on the Touw river at Ebb & Flow
Our camp chairs are stored in bags and Earlie thought he’d packed two but the one turned out to be a tripod! So we went to Cape Union Mart to purchase another one. While there we spotted a few things we thought might be useful for our new camping life – like a super bright spotlight torch and electric cool box!
This cool box gives us extra fridge space
I have made some wonderful blogging friends from a many countries around the world and for their benefit I am going to describe the South African Braai. The word braai rhymes with cry. It is the shortened word Braaivleis which means roasted meat. Loosely translated it means Barbeque but a barbeque is not quite the same as a braai!
South Africans use invasive, alien wood to make a fire for their braai. Electric braais and Gas Braais are not considered proper braais. Every campsite in South Africa provides braai places and almost everybody braais when camping. Most South Africans braai at home at least once a week. You can braai almost anything and Fish Braais are quite popular if you catch your own fish. But the most common food braaid is chops and “boerewors” Boerwors is unique in South African. The word means Farmer’s Sausage. It contains 90 percent beef or a mixture of beef, lamb and pork. The other 10% is made up of spices and other ingredients. Not more than 30% of the meat content may be fat. Boerewors may not contain any “mechanically recovered” meat (meat derived through a process where meat and bone are mechanically separated). Potatoes are wrapped in tinfoil and cooked in the coals. Any vegetables can be cooked this way too. A salad also usually accompanies a braai. Some people also make cheese, tomato and onion sandwiches on a braai – so delicious.
There isn’t a South African man alive who can’t do a good braai – It is seldom the domain of the women.
Chops, Wors, Sweet potato (done in tinfoil) and Greek Salad
It was very pleasant here today and we were visited by Helmeted guineafowl.
A pretty but common bird in South Africa
The Egyptian Geese passed nonchalantly by before taking to the water
Fortunately the rain held off until the braai was done but we still managed to eat under the canopy without getting wet and afterwards everything looked clean and fresh.
Hopefully the weather will be sunny tomorrow as we have some great bird walks planned. Watch this space!
Windhoek is not the biggest city in the world. No it is not even ‘big’ by any average standard. Yet we managed to get lost. How do we manage this? Well it’s all to do with not following your instincts. Its paying too much attention to robotic machines who will possibly take over the world one day!
The day starts well enough. We have a delicious breakfast at our fancy B&B – smoked salmon and a variety of cold meats and cheeses are on offer with the usual yogurts and cereals. OH and who can resist fig preserve with Camembert – so in spite of my Banting Diet I indulge in the tiniest little piece. My total carb allowance for the day.
This is followed by eggs, bacon tomato and mushrooms. Erich has an appointment with the dentist at 3 and we want to do our shopping for Kgalagadi — so we set off at 10:30 fill up with fuel and find all the places we need with ease. Armed with a new torch, flask, taser and meat – the latter from a stunning butchery called Trans Kalahari Meat – we make our way to the Dentist where we plan to have coffee at a nearby supermarket coffee shop. As we near I say -“I really would prefer a better place with nicer coffee,”
So we do a search on the “Car Wife” and find a mall 2km away – The coffee is somewhat better and Erich indulge in a slice of cake.
Don’t remember the name of the coffee shop
Then a miracle happens – Earlybird agrees to leave Wends and me to shop while he takes Erich to the Dentist! Bliss – but I am warned to have my cell phone at the ready so that my guardian and protector can find me on his return. I discover that I have run out of Namibian air time so find a cell shop and quickly top up. I leave Wendy to browse while I do this and some Chemist shopping. Then the two of us go to Checkers to do our grocery shopping. This is almost complete when The Boys return – tooth successfully repaired by a charming dentist who Erich thinks undercharged him = It would have cost twice as much in OZ.
The boys help complete the shopping – mainly by adding beers and wine to the trolley and then we try to make our way home.
Earlybird enters the destination and for some strange reason the thing gets us lost! You’re mad he tells his car wife – that’s not the way to go – but still he slavishly obeys her instructions. After meandering around WIndhoek for an hour while he and “Greta Garmin” argue. I finally intervene and say let me speak to her. Well she’d lost satelite reception hadn’t she!
Go back to town and find Sam Mojoma Street says Wendy so we do and then we manage to reset satellite contact and head into the blinding sunset.
We have pre-dinner drinks and then go to the lovely but chilly restaurant again. We are the only guests in the vast, high ceilinged room. We are the only chalet dwellers but there are some campers who brave the cold and have outdoor braais.
Earl has game steak but the rest of us order two starters – delicious tomato soup and then calamari with a wonderful aioli sauce.
For dessert we decide on the cheese platter to share – R80 – well – it is enough for 10 people so we take the leftovers in a doggy bag – well worth the money. When I booked at this venue I saw the rate as over R1000 per person and didn’t want to take it but Early bird told me to go for it as we’d visited Daan Viljoen as day visitors 20 years ago – it was stunning then as the dams were full of water and the bird life was prolific. This time it was dry and so I felt a bit cheated after paying a fortune to stay there. Everything was lovely, though, so I didn’t fret too much. But on checking what I actually paid I had a pleasant surprise – There are 2 rates – one for rich overseas tourists and one for Africans – Hooray – I paid the African rate – only R795 per person per night. That made me feel much better! Also the food was excellent and cheaper than the buffets in Etosha! We could have braaied at our chalet but we opted for the restaurant as we will be self-catering fro the next 9 nights. Another tip for potential travellers NWR resorts – get an NWR card for about N$700 and all accommodation will be 25% less.
17 June Kalahari Tented Camp
Daan Viljoen to Kalahari Tented Camp
Earl is worried that we won’t make it to the Mata Mata Border Post by its closing time at 3:30.
“What’s the worst that can happen?” I say.. “If we don’t make it we can check into a B&B” and I find one 14km from the border post which puts him in a better frame of mind!
Of course we do make it – with an hour to spare.
We check into tent 4 and 5. After unpacking we go for a short drive and find the usual gang.
Wildebeest cannot be ignored
Jackal checking around before taking a drink
We get back by quarter to six and start the braai. It is chilly sitting outside but Wendy and I have knee rugs and warm jackets so we aren’t too fussed. We sit in the kitchen to eat.
But when we go to bed it was freezing. We put two extra blankets on each bed but it takes ages to warm up. I find sleeping with my beanie on helps. If ever you go here in winter – take a hot water bottle!
18 June – A Lion Day
We rise in freezing temperatures – when we got into the car at 7:30 we find the temperature to be -2 and it went down to -5 as we drive toward the waterholes. Brrrr. We turn the aircon up to 24 and soon warm up. We welcome the sun streaming into the car too.
There is very little at each waterhole and we when we get to 13th we stop to watch the red-headed finches darting in and out of the water.
Red-headed finches
We are the only car there when we notice one reversing at speed toward us. He rolls down his window and says “Stay here – there are 10 lion heading this way”. Another reversing vehicle is right behind him and he reports seeing 11.
Wow – we find ourselves in the prime position without any effort at all. Here they came yells Wendy and sure enough 4 adult females and 7 cubs appear and begin drinking right next to us.
Here comes the first one
CLosely followed by the others
Other cars have gathered from both directions and jostle for position but we are right where the action was – right time right place! We see the moms snap at the cheeky youngsters and chase them to their own spot.
They all lap happily for a while and then the cubs begin to play. Soon the moms head in the opposite direction to which we are parked. We decide that we won’t turn around to follow them. But just as we start the car Wendy says – they’re coming back and they give us another half and hour’s entertainment before heading toward the trees and over the ridge. The babies remain behind playing and climbing the tree until one of the moms has to come and demand they follow. It is so much fun.
We are chuffed with our first day and continue on. We stop for breakfast and Earl cooks scrambled eggs, bacon, banana and cheese. Our starter is banting muesli and yogurt. A chap from another group comes over to chat and see whether our brekkie is better than theirs. Of course it is! He tells us they’d seen the ion but also a leopard and cub at another waterhole – how had we missed that!! Wrong place at the wrong time.
Nothing else too exciting happens the rest of the drive and we arrive home at about 3.
some of the creatures we see besides lion.
African Harrier-hawk
Yellow Mongoose
Always good to see – giraffe
Erich and Wendy go to their tent to do a few things, I wash up the brekkie things and prepare for the evening meal before having a short rest.
Earl is sitting on the deck when he suddenly yells – lion – he runs to fetch Wendy and Erich and we watch a male and female come down to the water hole.
Earl spots the lion at a distance
A male and a female make their way to the waterhole
The springbok are stock still
They quench their thirst
The springbok run when they see them then stand perfectly still watching them. A wildebeest some way away is also on high alert. after a few sips they head across the veld and we dash for the car to see where they come out. Other residents have seen the action too and are heading in the right direction to follow the lions. We find them and get some close up shots before heading back to camp.
Jan has seen us all dash off without our permits and comes to check up on us and to ask what we have seen.
Supper is chicken casserole and dessert peaches and yogurt. After tea we pack up and have an early night. It’s off to Nossob tomorrow.
The princess sleeps with earplugs and covers her eyes with a black mask so as not to let in the early morning light so I was surprised to find her up with the sparrows and ready to go! We were out the gate by 7:05 and as we admired the gorgeous sunrise she said, “I’d better take a photograph so I’ll remember what this looks like because I’m never up to see sunrises!”
A sunrise fit for a princess
She is sitting comfortably in the front seat and has warned me not to take photos of her without make-up – but she somehow manages to get it on between sightings – while we’re watching birds I suspect!
We drive around until 10ish finding the usual suspects – warthogs, a variety of buck, zebra play-fighting the odd elephant and lots of birds the highlight being a bar-throated apalis. Two pale chanting goshawks in a tree are also great and of course the bokmakieries are iconic in Addo.
The beautiful bokmakierie
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Denim’s Bustard
Bar-throated Apalis
Back at the hut we shower, the princess tarts up and Earl and I go to the communal kitchen to make breakfast. The princess has specific requests – no tomato and no kidneys please! Dad presents her with eggs, bacon and banana cooked to perfection. We slum it on scrambled eggs and kidneys – somehow I think we got the better deal!
When Her Highness is ready we set off for another game drive. We hear on the grapevine aka the Addo Face Book page that there were two male lions on the Gorah Loop 2 hours ago so we head there without expecting much. There are a few gathered parked on a bend and we see two lions a little way off but fast asleep. We snap a photo just to say that we’ve seen them then move on to enjoy more exciting things.
The King of the Jungle does not interest our royal passenger in this lazy state
Our drive is fruitful and we have fun watching Princess’s favourite creatures, marvelling at the Kudu and eland, amazed at the number of warhogs abound and are thrilled at how plentiful the game is. We spot one jackal but he is no mood to pose for a portrait.
We’re happy for a photo shoot
Mongoose
Zebra confrontation
An elephant tussle
A bum view
We go past the lions once more – still fast asleep and then go back to camp for lunch. The Cattle Baron has edged into the Sanparks. I hope all goes well and that I won’t have to do battle and change their name to the Battle Caron. The service is good. The Princess and the Earl order beef burgers. I settle for a house salad. The latter is stunning. The princess needs to do Battle with Caron. Her burger is inedible – “If I throw it against the wall it will bounce,” she tells the longsuffering waitress. “Let me try the chicken burger instead, please.” This turns out to be just perfect. The chips, too, are done to perfections. The Earl eats his burger but admits it was rather disgusting. “You should stick to Banting,”I say smugly. My salad is full of greens, tomato, avo, cheese and grated egg. Yum!
After a loo break we set straight off for another game drive. It is now 3:30. We head for Gorah Loop and get there around 4 – the lions have not moved – still dead to the world. We see a tail flick slightly so know they are in fact alive. Off we go in search of the ellies. We find lots and enjoy all the other game and birds too. “We should go to the lion sighting at 5,” I say. “They’ll wake up then.”
“They’ll only wake up if buffalo turn up,” says the Princess knowing that this is their favourite food.
So we continue on our way and enjoy the other things to see in this beautiful park.
We find ourselves back at the lion spot just after 5 – but they’re fast asleep. We switch off the engine and wait to see if anything will happen.
Suddenly the Princess yells – The buffalo are here! And sure enough there is a biggish herd, alert and sniffing the air.
What can they smell
They’re aware but are very short sighted and don’t actually see them. A few separate from the rest and begin grazing in the bushes behind the lions. One of the lions sits up,
The other rolls over and lies on his back.
Just let me sleep!
The grazers suddenly realise the lions are there and return to the herd. They regroup and start walking toward the lions. The boys leap up and start running toward the parked cars. The buffs chase after them and see them off. Wow – what an exciting sighting. See the video on Youtube
We follow the lions for some time and marvel at seeing elephants in the background too.
That was a rude awakening!
The gate closes at six and so the whole fleet of us head back to camp.
After packing up for an early departure tomorrow we decide it is too cold to do a braai so The Princess treats us to dinner at The Cattle Baron – they haven’t misbehaved enough to call them Battle Caron.
The Earl orders ribs – The Princess and I have grilled calamari tubes and share a Greek Salad. Perfect! The Earl is not 100% happy with the ribs – the sauce has a very strong taste that is not to his liking – It’s a half portion but he can’t finish it! We chat to the manager about our concerns and he takes it well and says he will investigate what the chef is doing and suggest some amendments to the way he does burgers and ribs! Everything else is perfect.
Addo Elephant park is fabulous. It is teeming with game, Jack’s picnic site is amazing, the facilities are clean and well-maintained and service is good. Next time we plan to visit one of the other rest camps – perhaps Spekbook tented will be fun. It overlooks a waterhole.
Friday 15 May 2015 Addo Elephant to Struisbaai
We left the park at 7:00 am and made our way to the South Gate. We spotted lots of warthogs but not as much game as when we came in. The elephants were there to bid the princess farewell.
We went to our B&B to collect a pack of beers we’d left in the fridge and the headed to Jeffrey’s Bay where we met Jim and Maureen at In Food Bakery for breakfast. It was so good to see them and hear about their wonderful experiences in Etosha and Kgalagadi. Their friend Joy also joined us a little later.
The breakfasts were delicious. I ordered paoched eggs, spinach and salmon which came with a croissant. Hold the croissant I told the waitress. Would you like Banting bread instead, she offered. Banting bread? Well why not – if it’s awful I just won’t eat it. Well it was delicious! One could eat it without butter or jam as it tasted like a savoury loaf on its own. Yummy – Banting certainly is an easy and satisfying diet to follow.
Don’t ask if I’ve lost weight – I don’t think much – I’ve been eating too much – I’m on holiday after all! But I’ve felt good and not at all hungry. I definitely have not put on any weight and I’m really doing this for health and not reduction reasons. But I am hoping the belly fat will miraculously disappear eventually! Even in my sixties I care! The plan is to be stricter about the orange list and the amount we eat when we settle in Struisbaai in July.
We arrived in Struisbaai at 5, unpacked the essentials and made a braai for supper. We watched TV for a bit and then collapsed into bed.
Saturday 16 May 2015 Homeward Bound
Earl did all the things needed at the house this morning and by 10:30 we were on the road for home. We stopped in Bredasdorp to refuel, pay an account and shop for takkies for Laurie. The latter two were unsuccessful as there was load shedding and the municipality didn’t open on Saturdays!
We dropped the Princess off at her flat at 1:15 and we arrived in Sun Valley at 2:00 pm. Another wonderful trip under the belt!
When there is little game to be seen the G-Ps keep a sharp eye out for birds. Even the little familiar chat is good to see.
Meanwhile the Leighs had been wandering what happened to their friends. Had they missed them at a sighting? Had they carried on to the planned breakfast stop? But no they couldn’t find them anywhere. “They’re either behind or in front of us,” said Mr Frend-Leigh – don’t worry we’ll catch up with each other eventually.”
Diary of an Adventurous Retiree 
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