"Imagine" - A Comfort Van in the Kgalagadi*

[puppy]

SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2015 MATA MATA
Today is our last day at Mata Mata. We go for a very short drive and return at lunchtime.
Maureen is first in the queue and I am second as Des is packing to leave today. We dash off to get to those waterholes early and are well rewarded when we come upon a lioness at Dalkeith. We spend a good few minutes watching her drink and then she goes to a tree to mark her territory before loping off. We follow her until she disappears over the ridge.





There are giraffe, a secretary bird and a jackal at 13th Waterhole and we get some photographs.


Later we find a Martial Eagle

and shortly after that a young couple stop us to point out a PCG on the ridge – There’s also a cobra next to him they tell us. We watch and see the snake catch a lizard but he is too big for the PCG to handle. Jim and Maureen see the snake come rapidly down the slope and try to warn us that it is trying to get onto our tyres. Earl moves just in time and then it makes its way toward their car but they too move off rapidly.



We need to get back to camp as there is packing up to do. On our way back we find gemsbok drinking at a waterhole but they are soon chased away by the more dominant wildebeest.
They see them coming

And move off immediately

The wildebeest take their time enjoying their refreshment while the thirsty gemsbok look on nervously.


Back at camp, Jim needs to change a tyre so the boys get busy.

Later we have a gentle visitor


We spend the rest of the day packing up camp, visiting the pool and relaxing.

[puppy]

SUNDAY 15 MARCH MATA MATA TO NOSSOB
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. Earlybird 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 out of the gate by 6:40 – just 10 minutes later than our usual start.

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 very thin kittens. 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!



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 14th 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.

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.

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! Instead we catch up with washing and general camping chores.
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!

[puppy]

MONDAY 16 MARCH 2015 NOSSOB
As I am getting ready to leave a neighbouring camper comes to chat. She tells me that she saw the African Wild Cat walking past our campsite and going up onto the roof of the ablution block. This wild cat was rescued by Peter and Colleen who I met at the pool yesterday. They were camping here last year and found this abandoned kitten on the road. Peter caught him and brought him back to the camp where the ranger reared him and then released him back into the wild. But he still comes back and preys on the birds in the camp!
I am second in the queue but as one has to open and close the gate oneself several campers race to the gate while their spouses get the exit permits. This means that we have to wait for them to get their permits before we can leave! We still manage to get out pretty smartly and take the north-bound road.
Jim and Maureen are ahead so when they slow up we know there is something interesting. Earl says – it’s a skunk thing – not able to get the right word out of his mouth.

It’s a honey badger and he is in the company of a Pale Chanting Goshawk and jackal.

The HB and PCG have a symbiotic relationship and are often seen together although this is the first time for us. The HB digs in the ground for insects and grubs and those that he disturbs are grabbed by the PCG. It is fascinating to watch and the highlight of our day.


We are a fraction too late to find lions on the road but manage to watch them walking through the bush – I don’t even try to take a photograph.
At the turn off to Kousant water hole Jim and Maureen have a cursory glance to see if there is anything there and nearly drive off when a car indicates that they should go there. Lucky for us as we find 2 jackals and a stunning brown hyena.

We stop at Polentswa Waterhole and have breakfast in the car. There are hundreds of doves and a herd of wildebeest trying to get a drink. It seems to us that there is no water in the waterhole. We wonder whether the solar powered pump is working as it is quite overcast. We spend an hour there and watch the lanners trying to catch the doves – a fascinating spectacle. The birds all drink at the same time and the whoosh off together and scatter then repeat the whole process. This confuses the lanners and other birds of prey – there is definitely safety in numbers.
We find out later back at camp that the water did eventually pump in and other folk saw lions there after we’d left.
On our way back to Nossob Jim and Maureen stop when they see a chap struggling to change a tyre. He says he doesn’t need help but Earl decides to stay with him anyway.

It is hot and I stand in the shade of a tree with his wife. We keep a sharp eye out for dangerous animals but to our disappointment none arrive. I comment – oh such a pity to get a puncture in the middle of the bush. Oh – she says – we’ve been travelling through the Central Kalahari for weeks and nothing has gone wrong – we get more punctures on the road to our holiday cottage in Infanta. This of course gets me to saying – I know people with a house in Infanta – Turns out they're close neighbours and know each other very well!
Jim turns back to see if we’re all okay but the job is done by then and we carry on. The next exciting sighting is two Bateleurs at the Cubitje Quap Water Hole. The male flies off and we see another with him in the sky – probably their juvenile. When he comes back the female spreads her wings showing all the white beneath and then she flies off and he takes a drink at the waterhole.


Back at camp the Gibsons offer us rare beef sandwiches for lunch which we gratefully accept. Earl struggles to sort out the solar panel problems for the rest of the afternoon and Jim tries to give non-expert aid. It turns out that it is too hot! It stops functioning when the temperature reaches 25! How ridiculous is that in Africa!
Maureen and I do some chores and then go for a swim.
Dinner tonight – Maureen treated us to Tai Fish Curry which was to die for. It was full of prawns and calamari and lovely seafood. What gourmet food we eat here in the middle of the Kalahari Desert!
It is hot when we go to bed and I sleep on top of the comforter but need to get under as the night cools down.
(I mention these things so that potential visitors know what to expect )

[puppy]

TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2015 NOSSOB
I am awake before the alarm this morning and up by 5 am. The showers are cold again and as this morning is a little chillier than yesterday I am somewhat annoyed! But one should not complain as the cooler morning is a relief after the extreme heat we have been experiencing The only way to keep cool is to languish in the pool in the afternoons and then to wrap a soaking wet sarong around oneself.
We decide to go South today and stop off at Casper se Draai. There is not too much happening but we enjoy watching the birds at the waterhole. A shikra and a Gabar make an appearance. There is also a tawny, first in the tree and then walking through the scrub.

At a distance we see a black bird. Jim thinks it might be a black sparrow hawk but I am sure it is a melanistic Gabar. After checking the book we both concur. It’s just a pity we can’t get good photographs as we are facing the rising sun. We enjoy watching the wildebeest and gemsbok compete for watering rights and a couple of female kudu make a brief appearance but decide not to risk a drink with the other buck.
After spending a while at this waterhole we decide to go North again to see what we can find. We become separated from Maureen and Jim who took a longer route back to Nossob. When they get there Jim is not keen to take the north road so stays in camp while Maureen comes in search of us. Meanwhile I am convinced they’ve found the ultimate sighting while Earl and I languish at Kang waterhole watching very little! When Maureen arrives Earl suggests I get into her car while he returns to camp to fix the solar panel. M and I enjoy a couple of hours of female bonding but do not see very much in the way of game!
Back at camp we have lunch, have a swim and a nap before going out again at 4:30. Earl and I are ahead this time and when we reach Cubitje Quap water hole we find three Bateleurs – Male, Female and juvenile. The female flies away but we get good photos of the male and juvenile.




Jim and Maureen arrive soon after they have all flow away. We carry on to Kwang and find a lappet-faced vulture and more bateleurs at the waterhole. We also observe the springbuck butting heads and there are gemsbok drinking and grazing too. A lanner entertains us by swooping down for a drink and we manage to get good photographs.


We stay a while observing the activity and hoping for lion but today proves to be the quietest sighting wise this trip. We are pleased with our bird sightings though.
Crimson Breasted Shrike

Earl and I do a braai for supper. We enjoy Earl’s famous chicken wing starter when the wind gets up to gale force and we have to run around rescuing things blowing about. We manage to finish braaing but we have to move the table to a more sheltered spot and we all get a little more crunch in our food than we bargained for. Earl and I have to take our sidewall down as it might rip in the wind. We climb into bed and listen to wind howl while the caravan rocks dangerously. We hope it is strong enough to withstand the blast and the pelting rain. It doesn’t last long and before long we are asleep. I wake in the night to the sound of rain but it is not enough to make a dent in the drought they are experiencing in the Kgalagadi right now. It is supposed to be the rainy season but not enough has fallen and it is very dry and the animals in this area are pretty scarce having migrated to greener climes.

[puppy]

WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH 2015 NOSSOB
We wake to a calm and pleasant morning. But there is desert sand everywhere! Maureen and I head for the showers at the same time and decide to deal with clean up after our morning game drive when it is light enough to see. The showers are cold again this morning and as the temperature of the day is cooler I don’t feel as tolerant about the cold water as I did yesterday!
We head North on our drive and see very little. There is a family of three jackal us hassling a bateleur which is very amusing.


Earl has a tummy ache and we decide to return to camp. At 9:30 I give Earl a Myprodol. An hour later the pain is gone! It It just 10:40 when we get back to Nossob and the delivery truck has arrived. However, very little produce is delivered. We buy water, ice a packet of tomatoes, bread and some canned foods. I spend the next hour or so cleaning up the sand and wiping down the caravan. Fortunately there is no damage. We set up the side wall of the canopy and all is well again.
Maureen and Jim arrive an hour later and I take all the dishes from last night to wash. I boil some eggs and make and add them to our left over salad which we all have for lunch along with some canned fish and 3 bean salad that Maureen produces.

We go for our afternoon drive at 4:30 taking the South Road and Marie se Draai. We stop to watch a PCG catch and devour a mouse.

On the way back on the Nossob road we see a traffic jam caused by 18 lions lying asleep all the way across the road.


We decide to turn around and go back via Marie se Draai.
Supper is a delicious Chicken and vegetable stew cooked by Maureen. Stormy weather threatens and there is a spit and a spot of rain but nothing soaking. We photograph a lovely rainbow and pray that more rain will fall.

The wind is blowing but not as violently as yesterday. We watch the lightening for a while and then decide to turn in early.

[puppy]

THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 NOSSOB
Today is a rest day. We go out early in a southerly direction and try to find the lions but we have no luck and find out later that nobody else had a particularly successful day today either.
The highlight of the drive is at Casper se Draai. We spot the melanistic Gabar settled in a tree which does not make for good photography. But it flies off and we head in the same direction and find it perched p tree with a juvenile and another Gabar of normal plumage. It is obviously a family – Mom, Dad and junior. They have a dove in the foliage and are feasting on it. Luckily for us they are on the correct side of the road – not into the sun – and we got some reasonable photographs.



We decide to return to camp and have a rest day as we are leaving for Polentswa tomorrow.

[puppy]

FRIDAY 20 MARCH 2015 NOSSOB TO POLENTSWA
Last night is a bit chilly but it makes a change from the extreme heat. We must remember, though, to pack an extra blanket next time. The weather can change so suddenly in the desert.
We are a tad later than usual and once again the showers are cold! Yet, in the laundry the water is piping hot! There is obviously a maintenance problem that is being ignored.
Packing up this morning goes a lot more smoothly than at Mata Mata. Earl decides to use a screw driver to help get the roof to lock down. My life and marriage are safe.
It is an uneventful trip to Polentswa except for a kori bustard walking on the road ahead of Jim’s car.
Polentswa is on the Botswana side of KTP and is an unfenced camp. There are only three campsites quite separate from each other with private en-camp long-drops! There is no water and no electricity. Thus we have to bring enough water, food and fuel for 7 days! We each find a shady tree and begin setting up. Although the morning started at 12 degrees C it is now very hot. We manage to set up with little frustration and no fights! Earlybird and I are ready first as we do not travel as elaborately as J&M! Earl decides to cook breakfast and scrambled eggs, bacon, tomato and banana are ready by 12 noon.

We sit under the A frame which at this time is the coolest part of the campsite.

Our closest neighbours are some confiding birds and half a dozen mice!


At 4:30 we take a drive to Polentswa waterhole which is just a km from camp. We see jackal drinking.

A red hartebeest comes down is seems nervous of the doves which swarm to and from the drinking hole. At last he sums up the courage and goes down on his knees to get a drink.

A springbok also comes down but nothing else. We go back to camp and braai steaks for supper.

[puppy]

SATURDAY 21 MARCH
We wake to the sound of rain which is so needed here at this time of year. It doesn't last long and we are soon up and getting ready for the day.
We have to abide by park opening and closing times even though we are in an unfenced camp. I fake bravery as I nonchalantly make my way to the long-drop casually shining my torch into the bush. I hear all kinds of imaginary sounds of predators waiting to leap out and have me for breakfast. My ever-protective SO keeps a sharp eye and stands guard while I ablute.

We leave at 6:30 just as it is getting light and make our short way to the water hole. J&M are slightly ahead of us and indicate that there's nothing here - follow us. They head south toward Kousant Waterhole and we follow. Wait - what's that - a lioness crouching down next to a tree on the side of embankment. She has spied a herd of wildebeest just beyond the ridge

She decides to duck right down so that the wildebeest don't see her


She keeps looking up the road maybe hoping her pride will hurry and join her in a hunt. Although she is in stalk mode she can't attack on her own as the herd are too far away and in the open so she does not have the element of surprise. Soon she gives up. Another car stops to observe then moves on a little further then stops. We move on to see whether they have found the rest of the pride. Yes - there is another lioness. We follow her to the KOUSANT waterhole. She looks at us disdainfully and we watch her mark her territory.
She then saunters off to the waterhole to drink.

When she's done she makes some roaring sounds which gets our adrenaline going. We follow her back to the road as she heads north toward her friend. We see Number 1 making her way south. As they meet they ignore each other but number one turns and follows number 2 north. We stay with them for ages.

They cross the road and continue walking steadily on the river plane and then one suddenly decides she is tired and flops down for a rest. Number 2 continues and then she too flops down for a few minutes. Then they continue and cross the road again and walk through the bush. We follow I till they move out of sight.
We continue north and stop at a picnic site for breakfast. There is a flush loo there which I gratefully make use of. We take photos of rufous vented tilt babbler.

Next we visit the Lijersdraai waterhole but the windmill is broken. We wait there forJ&M but they have clearly been delayed. Mike and Harriet stop by and tell us that they've seen lion at Kannaguass further north. Then we meet up with Jeff and Jackie who are on their way back from Gharagab. They are on their way to Lijersdraai Picnic site so we ask them to tell J&M that we are going onto Kannaguass. En route we find some bat-eared fox but they are too far for good photographs. At the waterhole we only fine sandgrouse. J & M soon join us and tell us to look out for Ludwig bustard which we do find but also too distant for a good photograph. However, we see him well with our binoculars.

Back at camp we have salad sandwiches for lunch then have an afternoon nap. We are out again at half past 4. We check Kousant waterhole and then sit at Polentswa and wait. We have to be back at camp by 7. At 6:15 a single wildebeest starts to run then stops and looks onto the ridge. We see nothing but suddenly a mighty roar fills the air. Still no visual. Mike and Harriet arrive and tell us they can see 2 males behind the trees on the skyline. I notice Daan and Jeanette training binos in the other direction then Earl yells - look the female - and she is almost upon us! M is still looking beyond her and we try to attract her attention to tell her to look closer when obviously she appears hugely in her binos and she lowers them in fright. Soon the second female appears and the two walk right past the waterhole towards where the roar came from.

Then we spot the males. There are 3 altogether. The light is fading fast but we watch them and the males finally appear so that we get good views of them.

At 6:55 we all head back to camp.
Mike and Harriet join us for supper. We hear the lions roar but none come calling. We are in bed by 9:45

[puppy]

SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2015 POLENTSWA
It is time to get up and brave the possible wildlife visiting our campsite. I am convinced I hear roaring behind the tree but Earlybird assures me it's my imagination. I dash for the longdrop and my ablutions are quicker than in any other camp! J&M are just as ADHD as ever and lead the way to the waterhole. First up we find a Verreaux's eagle-owl in the tree right next the drinking hole. It's a youngster and he is screaming for him mamma in the most unbecoming way. She, however, is nowhere to be seen. Get your own grub, Mister!


We have heard that the lions visit Polentswa WH every morning and every evening but they don't seem to like us and don't pitch up. We watch the lanner trying to catch a breakfast of doves but he has no luck either.

After a while we decide to make our way North stopping first at the broken waterhole. It is sad to see the animals come down in anticipation of a drink and leave again, thirsty.


There is nothing to see at Kannaguass either so we continue towards Union’s End. We find the Ludwig’s Bustard but once again too far away to get good photographs.
We stop at Lyjersdraai picnic site for a loo break - my current favourite because it flushes We continue, stopping when we spot a PCG having brekkie.
How delicious is that!

He takes it up into a tree and sluks it down.

We spend the rest of the afternoon in camp. It is very hot and even the birds and mice have gone to ground. We do find a yellow-bellied eromomela in the tree. After a nap we go out again at 5. The lions do not appear.
We invite Jeanette and Daan from Camp Site 3 to join us for a braai and have a lovely evening with them.
Clouds have built up and there is thunder and lightning but the evening is still warm to 9:15 when a wind swirls up and the temperature drops. We decide it is best to get into our caravans as soon as possible and then the heavens open. We are tucked up warmly while we listen to the thunder and the pelting rain! Oh dear and we’re supposed to break camp and move to site 1 tomorrow.

[Flutterby]

I think oats for breakfast will do just fine! Great pics again!