First Night On the Food Chain!

Day 3 Monday March 3rd 2008
From Khama Rhino Sanctuary to Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Whoo-ee, today was a corker! We started late as it took about two hours to get ourselves organised. I felt it was because we had camped late last night and weren't able to pack up properly in the dark (and it was our first day, so we were still getting our bearings). Simon was cross, saying we had to be faster in future!! Faster! Faster! Faster! Grrrr.... But we managed to get on the road without incident - in other words, no, I didn't smack him! He's too cute. Heheheh

The road is tarred all the way up to the Central Kalahari turn-off, and it was quick and easy going. We planned to get fuel at Rakops, the last "town" before the turn-off, and we reached it by about mid-day. However, while there are indeed fuel pumps in Rakops, there was no fuel!

A back track all the way to Mopipi to get fuel and ice put us over an hour behind schedule. We were unable to obtain cash or groceries here either (very small shop near the service station). By the time we made it back to the turn-off to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, we knew we were not going to make our camping spot in time. Knowing that we would be camping in the open, with nothing between us and a hungry lion, we were a little concerned.

The road into the Reserve is sandy, long, closed in by tall foliage, and slightly claustrophobic.
After a brief stop to let the air out of the tyres, it took about an hour and a half to do around 45km/28 miles. What a relief to see the Gatehouse loom ahead of us! The sentry/gate keeper/guard/ranger (whatever his title) was very thorough, and very slow, and the paperwork was interminable. I was bouncing up and down impatiently, trying to be polite, but so tempted to just tell the guy to get on with it! Obviously he's very bored sitting there all day and it was real nice to have company. We wanted to get it done and go find a camp site!

The average speed through the Kalahari, we worked out, was 36km/hr (22.4mph) over the soft sand. The roads were good, if muddy in patches, but we definitely could not make up lost time. We drove directly to our designated campsite at Sunday Pan, but it was getting late and we seemed to have lost the way. We passed a lovely spot with trees and grass and kept going to what seemed to be a cul de sac. We just couldn't work out where to camp.

Returning to the grassy tree spot, Simon pointed out that there was a signpost there but the sign had fallen off. He reckoned that this must be a campsite. We knew that we would be camping in the open and that there were no facilities in the Kalahari, so we set up camp. We had read that if there are a lot of droppings under the trees, it is best to camp clear of them, so we set up just on the edge of the tree line. It was getting late and the light was fading, so we worked fast to set up camp, eat, clean up and pack away before nightfall. It was odd trying to be a chameleon, with one eye on what we were doing and one eye scanning the bush for any sign of predators. I felt very nervous being back on the food chain!

There were Gemsbok (Oryx), Springbok, and Wildebeest grazing in the grassland around us and it was so good to be out in the open with them. I didn't get to take photos of them as we were trying to make the sundown deadline, but it was fabulous being out in the wild. I felt like a pioneer. Then the jackals started yodelling right around us and I felt like a very nervous pioneer! My chameleon ability moved up several notches and I was as jumpy as a rat at a rattlesnake convention. Simon found this very amusing.

Simon positioned our chairs so that we faced each other. If this sounds romantic, it was so we could look out all round for trouble! After dinner, we pushed the chairs up against the truck (hopefully no lions would think to crawl under the truck to get to us) and watched the stars for a bit. Then we climbed into bed for our first night out in the wild!

Check out that ASS!

Day 2 Sunday 2nd March 2008
From Bela-Bela to Khama Rhino Sanctuary

Our hosts prepared a delicious breakfast for us and then presented Simon with a bunch of porcupine quills. Not knowing what to do with them, he tossed the quills onto the dashboard of the truck, where the dash dips against the windscreen.

We filled our water bottles, all 20 gallons/80 litres of them, said our farewells and set off for Lephalale (used to be Ellisras) where we were hoping to buy bottled drinking water and a jerry can for spare gas. Simon wanted the security of an extra 5 gallons/20 litres of diesel, just in case, and we were sure we would find somewhere in Ellisras to buy one.

However, Sunday is not the best day to go shopping!

Having driven around Ellisras, asked a few people, and come up empty handed, we thought to try the local Shoprite supermarket. Simon sat and waited in the truck while I went in to find .... nothing. The closest I could get was an oil filter disposal can. Not good.

A man browsed the shelf next to me. He looked local, so I asked him if he knew where I could find a jerry can.
"Not on a Sunday," he mused. "The shops are closed on a Sunday."
Uh huh. We'd worked that out.
"I have two jerry cans at home," he continued. "I can borrow you one." (A South African colloquialism used by Afrikaans-speaking people.)

Taken aback by his trust, I regretfully advised that we would not be returning the same way and could therefore not "borrow" a can, although we'd be willing to pay for it at replacement value.
"Not a problem," he replied, "will you wait here?"
I assured Johann, for by that time we had introduced ourselves, that I would wait outside by the truck once I had purchased the other few items I required, and he dashed out.

Simon was very sceptical of this offer and wanted to know how long we were expected to wait. It hadn't occurred to me to ask. Not twenty minutes later, Johann appeared on a scooter with a brand new jerry can in the front basket.
"I found a shop that was open," he told us proudly, "and bought you a new one!"

Johann, if you ever read this, we are very grateful!

We paid Johan for the can and then asked him if he knew of the short cut to the border that we had on one of our maps. He did, and directed us clearly along the Grootgeluk road. Now "Grootgeluk" is an Afrikaans word and, roughly translated, means "extremely good luck".

How apt for this trip!

Our trip to the Stockpoort border was quick, easy and uneventful. Until I got a huge fright when a "monster" climbed up onto the window of my door! This little guy hitched a ride all the way to the Rhino Sanctuary. He was utterly windblown, see how his antennae are all sideways? Yet he clung to the glass the whole way. I was too scared to open the window to knock him off, in case he jumped inside the truck!

The border at Stockpoort was extremely efficient and we were through in a jiffy. (Ladies, the loos are divinely clean with loo roll and working hand dryers!)

The road from the border was all gravel and we travelled at the speed limit of 80km/h(50mph). The locals, however, passed us in a flurry of dust as if we were going backwards!

Khama Rhino Sanctuary was a pleasure, quick and easy to check in and the campsites are very pleasant - large and open with big, shady trees! Notice our new jerry can at the back?

From the first day, Simon and I worked together as a team, doing what needed to be done in unspoken agreement. Some tasks seemed more suited to one or the other of us, due to size or strength; others were done by whomever was free at the time. Simon took over the cooking, an excellent idea as he is an excellent cook. I seem to have the dubious talent of being sliced and diced, boiled and fried almost as often as the food.

We decided to drive around the Sanctuary and look at the animals before going to camp. This resulted in us camping very late and we decided, in future, that we would have to be set up in camp by 16h00 latest, in order to have cooked, cleaned, and be in the safety of our tent before nightfall.

In the Sanctuary we saw a lot of birds, warthog, giraffe, zebra, gemsbok, springbok, kudu and, of course, rhino. Simon was thrilled to see a Secretary bird. These large and graceful birds were all over Botswana. Here are a few pics:





Left to Right: Top: Gemsbok (oryx); Zebra; Warthog Bottom: Kudu, Giraffe, White Rhino


From the first day, almost every day in Botswana and a couple of days in Namibia, we saw these lovely Yellowbilled Hornbills. I took loads of photos of them in the beginning (as with the Springboks) but eventually I just enjoyed them being around. Then, in Namibia, I found the first "tourist" item that I wanted to buy. Yup, one of these! We nicknamed it NaBots.

Do you notice how nicely my new tele zoom lens works?

Now, most of the animals were very cooperative. They posed politely for photographs and obediently looked up when Simon made a noise (which he did often!) I was quite surprised to see herds of rhino in the sanctuary. I had always thought that they were solitary animals.

Well, one of them was probably in a bad mood!

This big guy just refused to get up and pose for the camera. No matter what, he was going to sulk in the shade and that was that. There was no way he was going to move THIS ass!

On the Road

Day One Saturday 1st March 2008

From Durban to Bela-Bela

Isn't it cool that our Day 1 is on March 1? I thought it was so great!

An early start to the day was in order as we had a long drive ahead of us. The last few items were packed, check lists checked and checked again. Finally the truck was fully loaded and we were ready to go.

Simon is a safe, considerate driver. Being the child of a racing driver and therefore genetically predisposed to speed (great excuse!), I, on the other hand, am keen to get to my destination. Many times I had to physically restrain myself from leaning over Simon's lap and pressing my hand against the accelerator! This trip was a great lesson in patience, and enjoying the journey.

The hours rolled by without incident and we arrived safely at our destination: Bela-Bela, previously known as Warmbaths due to the natural hot springs in the area. Actually, "Bela-Bela" means "boiling-boiling" in the native dialect. Our hosts were friendly and welcoming and we were assigned to our chalet for the night. It was comfortable and we could park the truck right outside the door. We had been worried about the chance of a break in, the vehicle was packed to the hilt and it would have been a bad start to the trip to have something be "appropriated".

Dinner is included in the tariff at Phumuza lodge and it is Dinner! A three course meal that would do justice to any chef was presented on the verandah under the warm African stars. Our bellies were bulging by the end of the evening and I was devastated that I was just too full to finish my divine dessert! No problem, Carolyn assured me, she would just feed it to the bush babies. And they loved it too!

As we were hoping for an early start the next morning (indeed, for the next 21 mornings that would be our goal), we retired early and had a good night's sleep!

The Final Countdown:

Simon had the truck serviced, the brakes done and the dyno tuned. I fell down the stairs. Well, it wasn’t exactly planned, I slipped walking down one morning, but I severely sprained my ankle. So severely, in fact, that it was later found to have torn ligaments and tendons. The physio strongly suspected a stress fracture. It didn’t show up in x-rays but she was adamant there was a break. Three weeks on crutches, two weeks of physio, and it was time to go. I returned my crutches, switched to hiking boots with ankle support, gritted my teeth and packed LOTS of painkillers.

The weekend before we left we started packing the truck. As we were going on our own into very remote areas and out of season, we had to be totally self-sufficient. Simon and I both put together comprehensive lists of equipment and went through them endlessly. We bought non-perishable food and packed it into labelled boxes. Spares, cooking and camping equipment and a full first aid kit were purchased and packed. Electronic equipment was checked, rechargeable batteries were recharged, and the lists were ticked off a page at a time.

I counted the “sleeps” until it was time to leave, I was so excited!

My camera is a Sony H1 purchased not quite 2 years ago, with an optional tele converter lens for zoom photos. I decided I needed one. Do you know that the Sony has managed to move up to an H9 model in only 22 months! “The definition of obsolete? You just paid for it!”

Much to my joy I found the last lens in the country. Camera packed, bags packed, truck packed. I bought fresh vegetables, Chinese take-out, and a six-pack of Coke. We were ready to leave and celebrated by having Chinese with my dad and gran. An early start the next day chased my folks away, and we retired to bed. Last sleep!

How NOT to go camping

Our first camping experience was on a trip up Sani Pass into Lesotho. This is a dusty gravel road that winds its way up through the mountains, with hairpin bends and steep dropoffs. If you drive off the edge of the road, you'd better have wings stapled to the side of your vehicle!

My daughter rode with my dad in his Land Rover (as we no longer had seats for passengers) and we carried a ground tent for them to sleep in. We had only an hour to two to pack, so I literally grabbed an armful of cutlery and crockery, Simon filled a cooler box, we threw the sleeping bags into the back, added some clothes and took off.

The modifications worked a charm. The camping expertise needed some fine tuning. With four adults in the party, you'd think one of us would have thought to bring pillows? Or serviettes? How about salt?


Despite the minor inconveniences, we had a fun weekend out and enjoyed the climb up Sani and the drive around Lesotho.

The climb up the pass totally overshadows the cars, and there are some interesting rock formations. I've a fertile imagination - I see faces in the rocks. Do you see this one?


Of course, there were the practical jokers too. We loved the wag who put these items by a rock fall on the road.

A great weekend!

The bed in the roof-top tent was definitely NOT made for comfort, so I purchased a foam eggshell mattress cover. It had to be especially made to fit the unusual size mattress, and I had to buy an extended length sheet to fit. It made a huge difference to our next outing, we slept far more comfortably. Bringing pillows helped too! ;o)

A weekend camping at Oribi gorge led us to Lake Eland, which offers a spectacular suspension bridge over the head of the gorge. They have a beautiful lake, plentifully stocked with fish, as well as a fine selection of game which is relatively tame. You can't walk up to an animal, but they don't seem to be particularly disturbed by the vehicles and are kind enough to remain close to the road for photographs.

The camping was fun and educational; we learned a lot about how, what and where to pack things to make them most accessible and least likely to be jolted around under off-road conditions.

Time for the last few tweaks, and we would be ready to go!

Safari Adventure - Africa!

Preparation:

“No, I’m not changing it again! Stop being a pain in the ass!” was Simon’s reaction to yet another itinerary change I suggested. After months of consideration we were finally down to brass tacks, with maps, books and computer mapping software. Simon had spent hours on the computer putting together a route (nifty software this - shows estimated distance and drive time) and I kept popping up with changes to visit somewhere new and exciting. We worked on different rules; he believes “you can’t do it all”, while I go for “never pass up an opportunity!”

At last we agreed that it was done, no more changes, and our course was set. Now we started spending some real money. Well, Simon did anyway. I watched and made sympathetic clucking sounds as his credit card begged for mercy.

The Toyota Hilux 4x4 Twincab was about to become “The NaBotsmobile”! First, a new Old Man Emu suspension, then an extended range fuel-tank, rounded off by new tyres. The bull bars and bumpers were modified to take a highlift jack and the 5 ton winch was rolled out and tested. Finally, the entire back seat was removed and a special platform was bolted in to allow for a system of drawers accessible from both sides of the vehicle. It looked very good. Simon is extremely handy, while I know the difference between a wrench and a spanner.

We discovered that camping in Botswana is literally “in the wild”, the camp grounds are not enclosed, allowing the wild animals to roam freely and, on a whim, to visit you in your tent. Being included in the food chain didn’t appeal, so we invested in a roof top tent, which required special brackets fitted to the roof. Then Simon decided we needed more storage space (such a brilliant man!) and a canopy was especially made for the bin of the truck. Modifications over, it was time for testing!