Fortune and Misfortune in a Fortuner *

[puppy]

A Brief Preamble

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

The plan this trip was to take Earl's Toyota Hi-Lux twin cab - not as comfortable as my Caravelle but it still had plenty of room to pack the catering equipment and luggage for four travellers. Earlybird has never been completely happy with the afore mentioned Toyota which he's had for about a year. The back didn't seal well. He was afraid everything would be covered in red dust. It was an automatic and he didn't like the way it handled on the road and the list went on. After having a special holiday service something went wrong and that sent him over the edge and the day before departure he arrived home with a brand new Toyota Fortuner. Well! All very nice and comfortable with tinted windows (just done and couldn't be opened for 48 hours) BUT what about the packing space! He should really have purchased one of those aerodynamic roof rack thingies with bags that fitted snugly in included but there was no time for that!

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

26 June 2012

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

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

27 June 2012
It was freezing when we got up but we dressed in layers knowing that the days warm up considerably - so it was a short sleeved shirt, jersey and warm jacket over jeans and shoes and socks all wrapped up in scarves, beanies and gloves. By the time we reached Twee Rivieren we were beginning to peal off the outer garments!
Before entering the gate we were treated to a wonderful sighting of this magnificent martial eagle.

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

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

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

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

The Kori Bustard is the heaviest flying bird in the world. He is a magnificent bird and we get really excited if we spot one. This beauty proudly showed himself early in the trip ....... and then again every day thereafter - there were scores of them - we counted 97 on one day and stopped after that! I think there must have been a kori bustard convention that nobody told me about.

Just being in the Kgalagadi again, enjoying the muted sandy shades of every hue - that unique light and dry air, the wide open space and peacefulness of the place made me feel relaxed, happy and excited all at the same time. I love the desert creatures - they're cuter than the big five - and the ground squirrel is my favourite.

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

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

[puppy]

Thanks Sprocky, Bushveld Jock and Flutterby for your comments. Here we go with the next episode.

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

Lanners and red-necked falcons both prey on small birds and look pretty similar. This one is a red-necked falcon - it has finely barred underparts whereas the Lanner has none.

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

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

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

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

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

[puppy]

Thursday 28 June

It was chilly when we woke up and so the layers were piled on, breakfast consumed, the car packed and we were off to Urikaruus.

Our first interesting photo session was with crimson breasted shrikes. They are beautiful birds but difficult to capture as the busily go about their business.

We met many of these cute, furry and most entertaining little rodents - the ground squirrels.

At a lookout point we found this chap making sure we obeyed the rules.

This cutie is, I think, a spike-heeled lark all fluffed up and standing at ease.

Here is another, more neatly dressed one.

We came across a small traffic jam and the occupants of the cars were staring up the dunes. At first we did not see what the fuss was about and then we caught sight of a leopard heading to the ridge. We managed to follow him with our binoculars for a few minutes and then he disappeared over the edge. He was the only leopard we saw this trip.

We spent some time looking for the Common Fiscal which is different in these arid areas in that it has a white brow absent in its cousins in other parts of the country. Finally we found one willing to pose.

Iconic in the park is the pygmy falcon. What a cute little raptor. The female has a deep chestnut back which is not always easy to see when they're perched - this one obliged us with a good view.

Another bird that adds colour to the desert is the yellow canary and they are everywhere.

At one of the waterholes we found this group of creatures.

These elegant, long necked creatures were introduced to Kgalagadi a few years ago and are doing well in their new home.

The raptors in the park are one of the reasons we love coming here. This rock kestrel surveyed the scene.

Always an exciting bird to see is the Secretary Bird. This one spread his wings for us.

We only managed to get one night at Urikaruus and spent the afternoon there watching the waterhole which produced gemsbok, secretary birds and springbok while it was still light. Other birdlife kept us amused in the bush around our deck. When the light started to fade the spotted hyenas made an appearance - but we did not take photographs.

Our huts were on stilts and there was a board walk between the two that we occupied - number 1 and 2. This meant we could walk between them after dark, something we were not able to do at Gharagab later during the trip.

After our braai we watched the flood-lit water hole but not too much appeared. During the night I woke a few times and lifted my head to look out of the window - but nothing exciting happened.

[puppy]

29 June 2012

It was freezing when we awoke and not easy to get up out of our warm beds. I made the first move and after a cup of hot coffee felt better to face the day. Although cold, it was crisp and clear and promised to warm up later. The first bit of wild life I encountered was in the kitchen - a tiny mouse was scavenging at the bin. I won't post its poor portrait here but he resembled one of his mates that I took later in the day.

Once we were all up, we stood out on the boardwalk chatting and eating our muesli - it was the warmest place with the sun on our backs! Our tourist assistant (his name escapes me) called to us - there's a hyena at the waterhole. We just caught sight of it as it ambled off.

Later as we were driving we spotted it again, this time with a some fresh kill in its jaws. It must have either stolen it from a lion kill or she made a kill herself. Her tummy was quite big either from gorging herself or was she pregnant? She could have been taking the meat to her den - for puppies?

Because we only had to check in at Mata Mata by two and it was a short distance away we decided to drive the dune road and then turn back. We did not see much but this little chap always deserves to have his portrait taken.

We hadn't gone far when we realised that we'd forgotten to collect our park permit - so just as well we were turning back. We picked it up and then continued on the road to Mata Mata.
Common in the park and always good to see was this Marico Fly Catcher

Then to brighten up the scene a swallowed tailed bee eater posed beautifully

When you see cars stopped up ahead it is a sure sign than something interesting has been spotted. We looked in the general direction that others seemed to be staring but could not see anything. We asked a chap who said there were three cheetah but they'd ducked down and were now not visible. Then one sat up and we eventually got to see four of them before they lay down in the long grass again.

Most of the fun on trips like these occurs at the waterholes. We stopped at 13th where there was not too much action and moved on to 14th and enjoyed the birds coming in waves down to drink. But most of the action seemed to be at Dalkeith.



Driving between the waterholes we saw a favourite bird of prey.

We were also happy to get two cousins within a short distance of each other.
Purple Roller

Lilac-breasted Roller

While parked off at Dalkeith, I became aware of movement in the trees to the left of the waterhole. "There's something happening in this tree people," I tried to get them interested.
No response - One was too intent on the action of the birds, another was deep into a bird book trying to i.d. one of the finches another was fidgeting about for a snack.
I trained my binoculars on the disturbance and then yelled - "People there's something furry in that tree!" Earlybird reversed and to my absolute delight we found an African Wild Cat grooming itself in the fork of a very comfortable tree! How amazing to find this nocturnal creature preparing for a nap in the middle of the day! He looks just like your house pet - but don't try to stroke this creature of the wild.

We continued on to Mata Mata and took pics of the more common animals - like these Springbuck setting off somewhere in a neat line with the boss checking on them every now and then.

Our last bird of the day was a male pygmy falcon. He has a grey back while his wife's is red.

We checked into the riverside cabins and Mata Mata and were delighted with them.


We unpacked, settled in and spent the rest of the day in camp.

[puppy]

30 June 2012

The 'misfortune' part of the story starts here. Earlybird did not have a good night and in the morning complained that he was full of aches and pains, had no appetite and decided to stay in bed, rest and drink only water to try and cleanse his system. He'd been sick weeks before we left home and I was still recovering from laryngitis so I didn't think that it was too serious - we'd both had our share of winter ills and antibiotics. He couldn't possibly get sick again. In fact I was quite annoyed that he was so grumpy and thought he just needed to get over himself. I was convinced that work stress - he'd been very busy on a huge project - the stress of buying a new car and getting organised for a trip away had taken its toll. "No problem," I said. "We will bird in the camp and have a chill day." "No - you must take H2 and Pete on a game drive." "I'm not going to drive the new car." "Of course you are. It's an easy car to drive."
Now I knew he had to be sick! He never lets me drive! I had tried to rouse H2 and Pete at 6 to tell them not to get up but there was no reply from their hut and we had not yet switched on our walkie talkies. At 7:30 I went over again and they had just arisen. Pete said he had set the alarm for 7:30 instead of 6:30. So it all worked out for the best. We decided to make a slow start to the day and ended up leaving after 10 o'clock for a game drive.
Before leaving I found this groundscraper thrush outside my hut.

We decided to go on a short drive and then return to bird around the rest camp. The birding was good. We found this lovely Capped Wheatear.

Secretary Birds were seen frequently - and here is one with its crest up

A young pale chanting goshawk modelled nicely for us.

We saw lots of white-backed vultures but the other species were conspicuous by their absence.
The great thing about Kgalagadi is seeing so many raptors. This tawny posed in good light.

We saw lots of white-backed vultures but the other vulture species were conspicuous by their absence.

Dalkeith waterhole was once again productive and we enjoyed watching the birds flocking down to drink.

On our drive we saw the usual gemsbok, wildebeest, springbok and jackal but the cats were elusive. We got back to camp at about 3. Earl had slept most of the day and had made himself a cup of soup. We had a rest and then went for a walk around the camp. There were lots of yellow mongoose and ground squirrels - the holes they make can be quite hazardous if you don't look where you are going.

A chat spread his wings over something - not too sure what.

Earlybird did not have a temperature but was feeling really ill. I cooked supper and gave him his in bed and hoped that the next day would see him feeling better.......

[puppy]

1 July 2012

Earlybird was still not feeling good this morning. He did not have a temperature but he complained that his body was aching. I left him in bed while H2, Pete and I packed the car. "I'll drive," I told EB - but no he wasn't too ill to take the wheel - rather that than suffer the horrors of his SO's driving!

We were enjoying the early morning drive, snug and warm in our vehicle, no cars in sight and just the odd springbok and gemsbok about, when just up ahead we saw a car. "He's seen something." "Can't be that interesting - too few cars" "No - Look in front of his car." "Cripes - a lion!" Eyes forward we got our cameras ready. We were thrilled to be only one of two cars and did not have to fight for position. Then someone in the car ahead gesticulated to us and we looked around to see a lioness in the distance slowly making her way toward us. Now we didn't know where to look - the oncoming lioness or the forward moving but close lion.
"Stay here," I insisted. "She's going to join her husband," "Then we'll miss this lovely male." "No way - he's waiting for her" And he did keep looking behind him to monitor her progress. I was quite smug when she came up right next to the car and we got fabulous shots of her.

We got the young king too although the light was all wrong.


Finally she got into step behind her lord and master

Close by a jackal expressed his disdain for the royal couple.

It was a great start to our journey to Nossob!
We haven't seen many Kudu in Kgalagadi so it was a thrill to find these two males at a waterhole.

A passing tourist alerted us to cheetah around the corner. We took our time as we'd seen cheetah in this spot before and knew they would be far from the road and not in a hurry to move on.

On the way we spied these two perched high up and surveying the scene.

We could not resist snapping this kestrel either

And then as we rounded the corner we saw a few cars looking over the wide grassland and soon caught sight of cheetahs on the move.



Then they flopped down under a shady tree.

We continued on our way, delighted to have had 2 cat sightings in one morning. It certainly had EB in a good mood - he almost forgot about his aches and pains and took most of the cheetah photographs.
There was not much excitement for the rest of the way but we did stop for birds and enjoyed seeing all the springbok, gemsbok, kori bustards - we counted 97 in one day - there must have been a Kori Bustard convention that nobody told us about. Usually it's very exciting spotting one but we had become quite blasé about these magnificent birds.
Our plan was to stop at a picnic site and Earl would cook breakfast but by the time we got there he was feeling dreadful so we settled for cereal and coffee.
Isn't it amazing that you can be 1000 km from home in a reserve where you seldom see another soul on the road and then you can randomly turn up at a picnic site and you recognise the only other people there. Yes - we pulled up right next to a couple who are members of our bird club, who just happened to be on their way to Mata Mata where they were exiting to go to Namibia! What were the chances!

There was a lot of bird activity but this was the best photograph I managed. This little chap is a black chested prinia. He is in his non-breeding feathers hence no black chest!

We made Earl as comfortable as possible in the passenger seat and I drove the rest of the way to Nossob. He had the shivers and was not a happy man.

It was after 1:30 when we arrived. We needed to refuel for our trip to Gharagab the following day as there would be no place to do so between here and there. We had also been warned that Nossob was running low on diesel but there was no point on filling up at Mata Mata as we were close on full. It was a Sunday and the petrol pumps were closed till 2! Earl got into the queue while I went to check in. There was some delay at reception too as there was only one attendant who could deal with us and she was busy dealing with a gate and key crisis - not too sure of the details. I got chatting to a young woman in the queue who was checking in to go to Gharagab. There were two vehicles and three people in her party and they'd driven all the way from Twee Rivieren and were heading straight for Gharagab 160km away on a 4x4 track. I wished her luck as I was sure they wouldn't make it before dark! We would not dream of driving from Twee Rivieren to Gharagab without an overnight stop at Nossob. You never know how often you are going to stop for animals, whether you'll get a puncture, how bad the roads might be etc. etc. But they were young, thought themselves invincible and didn't have a care in the world. Do I miss those days? No, I don't think so!

Luckily there was enough diesel, we stocked up on fire wood and mineral water - no drinking water at Gharagab and checked into our bungalows. Earl went straight to bed. Heather, Peter and I, after some lunch and unpacking walked to the hide. Not too much was happening but we enjoyed watching a lanner trying to catch doves without success, a Pale chanting goshawk made an appearance and this pretty boy took a drink.

Earlybird remained in bed and Peter braaied our supper. We debated whether we should abandon the trip and try and get to Upington and a doctor. I had a well-stocked first aid kit with flu medication but no antibiotics. Earl's fever was over 40 degrees C, which worried me. Once at Gharagab we would be settled for three nights - no driving around as the only road is the one-way, round trip on a 4X4 track between Nossob and the wilderness camp. Travelling to Twee Rivieren would take forever and then it would be another 250 km to Upington. I thought Earlybird would be more comfortable staying put and decided that he might as well be sick there as anywhere else. So the plan was for me to drive the 4x4 track and see how things went. Now remember this was a brand new vehicle belonging to a man who likes to be in charge and never lets his delicate little wife drive. Was I nervous - not a bit - I couldn't wait to get behind the wheel and onto that track ...... Earlybird, though, hardly slept that night for the nightmares that plagued his dreams.

[puppy]

Thanks everyone for your comments and specially for your concern about Earlybird. It was not a good time for him to get sick and it was a dilemma for us deciding whether to try and get to Upington and a doctor or carry on to Gharagab. In the end we decided that the long drive back would be awfully uncomfortable for him so the decision was to carry on. Read on to find out how he coped.

2 July 2012

Earlybird had a bad night of hot and cold shivers and this morning his temperature was up. I gave him some breakfast and dosed him with medication and ordered him to stay in bed until we'd got everything packed and were ready to go. He did not argue and only got showered and ready at the last minute. It was, of course, freezing and as you can imagine all he wanted to do was stay cuddled up in bed.

To make things more miserable for my darling husband, it was his 68th birthday! As he settled into the passenger seat we all broke into the birthday song and managed to get a weak smile out of him.

We made some last minute purchases from the Nossob shop - beer and wine which we could not get yesterday because it was Sunday! Earlybird had his camera and binoculars on his lap, ready for any eventuality.

The first waterhole we came to had some gemsbok and wildebeest activity,there were birds fluttering around and then a flock of Namaqua sandgrouse made an appearance.

The next waterhole also produced a herd of wildebeest.

I kept up a steady pace of between 40 and 50 km an hour stopping only for the most exciting birds and game. Gharagab was a hard 160km away and I really wanted to get Earlybird into bed. Soon we saw a stationary car ahead and one facing the opposite direction. What could they have seen? We could not get past as they were blocking the way. Then I saw ears right next to us. The car ahead of us went forward and turned around to get a better view. We moved on as more cars were backing up behind us. When we looked back Earlybird managed to get a reasonable photograph. We would not have seen it if the guy opposite had not spotted it first. This is how easily you can miss an animal who is the same colour as the grass!

Near Union's End we stopped at a picnic spot and met up with the people I'd chatted to at reception yesterday. The young woman ran up to us and related a scary tale. "We arrived after dark and Eric rushed to tell us not to get out of our car. There was a lioness with cubs right outside one of our huts. We parked the cars between them and one of the huts and managed to get in. Our friend could not get to his hut - he had to sleep with us." This meant that she and her hubby had to share a narrow single bed! "When the guys went to the car to fetch our food, I just prayed that they wouldn't be eaten. The lions remained where the were the whole night and roared. It was really scary!"

I can imagine! There are reasons why you are not allowed to arrive at camp after dark. It's just too dangerous. these people had not given themselves enough time to get to their destination. When we soon after that got onto the 4x4 track I could only imagine how awful it must have been driving it in the dark.

Earlybird was not a happy passenger with me behind the wheel but I made a meal of it. I pretended to tear up the dunes, making all the appropriate sound effects. My passengers giggled hysterically in the back but he was not amused. It was fun for us but not for him! But I was grateful and listened intently to all his really good instructions on how to manage tricky parts. He hates me driving but I think he allowed me to drive and not Pete - a man - because he was more comfortable ordering me around rather than his friend. And I like to think that secretly he actually trusted me with his brand new car

We disturbed lots of little birds - mainly larks - but photography was not really possible. Eventually we arrived at about 2:30 and were greeted by the tourist assistant, Eric who pointed out all the rules of safety to us.
Our bungalows were partially canvas but with wooden floors an open plan kitchen and a small shower and loo section. There were only 4 altogether and we had number 1 and 2. There was a deck with a table and two camp chairs with a stunning view of the waterhole. We were ecstatic. Poor Earlybird went straight to bed and I put a walkie talkie at his bedside so he could call me whenever the need arose - quite often I might add!

After seeing to Earl'ybirds needs, Pete, H2 and I sat down with a cup of soup and slice of bread and began to enjoy our new environment. We were in HEAVEN.

The birdlife was prolific and we enjoyed watching, sociable weavers, Acacia Pied Barbet, Kalahari scrub-robin, chestnut-vented titbablers, namaqua doves, ashy tits and many others. And of course the raptors flew in from time to time too.

The first mammals to visit the waterhole were a large herd of springbok. It was interesting to watch them file down in an orderly manner, circle the waterhole, interact with each other and then drink in turns. They young males were frisky and made a nuisance of themselves until the older ones put them in their place.


They spent some time and then at a signal that only they could understand they trooped off together.

Some time later a single eland appeared. This is a species we'd never seen in Kgalagadi before so it was nice of him to pay us a visit.

Not wanting to be caught far from my own bungalow after dark, I cooked an early spaghetti bolognaise supper and was back at my own deck by 6 o'clock. It was great having the walkie talkies so I could still chat to H2 and Pete without shouting across to them. H2 had never seen a brown hyena and all she wanted was for one to appear at the waterhole. Eric came around to chat to the guests and she mentioned this to him. "Well," he said, "If you look over there you will see one coming to drink right now." And sure enough a lovely one calmly trotted down to quench his thirst. The light had gone so the photographs we took were too grainy to post. But H2 was ecstatic - the one creature on her wish list turned up on her first night at Gharagab!
The flood light was not working so staying up late to watch for game was not worth it. The temperature dropped and we were soon snuggled up for a peaceful night. No lions roared to scare the wits out of us.

[puppy]

3 July 2012

It was freezing and still dark when I woke up. Earlybird was asleep - thank Goodness as he had been quite restless in the night and I had been up giving him Disprin to bring down his fever. I pulled on some warm clothes, gloves and scarf and went out onto the deck. There were Gemsbok around the waterhole but it was still too dark to take photos. But when the sun rose I couldn't resist taking a few shots.

To add to our problems, I found that water was leaking from the gas water heater. I reported it to Eric and he promised to look into it. This he did and said that he would have to order a new heater. In the meantime I placed a bucket under it to collect the many drips. During the day it had to be emptied a few times. He could not turn the water off as that would affect all four huts.
When Pete and H2 got up we decided to cook our our breakfast in our own kitchens. Earlybird likes to cook and breakfast is his speciality - He requested scrambled eggs and he wanted to watch me make it so he could give instrucitons but he fell asleep during the process and I had to wake him up to eat it. He had the grace to say, "Thank you - this is delicious." Yes - I know - he was really sick! I was seeing to his needs when H2 called on the walkie-talkie - "lion at the waterhole." It was 9:30 a.m. I asked EB if he would like me to help him to the deck so he could take a look. "Show me the photograph," was his weak reply.
The first young male took a long drink.

His brother ambled slowly down.

They shared a drink

Then brother number three came along

After satisfying their thirst it was play time.

Something in this tree smelt good. They played around it for some time then walked off to a more distant one where they lay flopped down for some time before getting up and moving off. It was an amazing encounter which had us on a high for hours.



We spent the rest of the day observing the birdlife, walking around close to the huts, visiting the viewing deck and just waiting for the animals to come to us. No driving around - no stress. It's the first time we've done Wilderness camps and it certainly won't be the last. The only trouble is that they get booked up very quickly and you have to make sure you get your reservation in early.

A juvenile sociable weaver, I think.

The mice were really cute and kept us amused for hours.

It was great to see the ashy tit

H2's wish to see Brown Hyena was granted several times. Sometimes a brownie would be accompanied by a jackal. The jackal appeared friendlier toward the hyena and one even licked his friend. But the hyena's response was not as affectionate and he sent the jackal packing.




The weather remained cool all day which we all agreed was better than the heat we'd been having during the day up until then. How idylic it was to spend an entire day reading, chatting and watching wild life come to the waterhole. The walkie talkies were a blessing, keeping me in close touch with the invalid. He did not eat his supper last night but managed to eat some of it at lunch time. There was a bit of a wind blowing so we decided not to braai. We pan fried ostrich steaks and served them with sousboontjies, avo and cooked carrots. EB thought he was hungry but could not eat. I managed to get him to take a few spoons of left over spaghetti bolognaise.

[Bushveld Jock]

Hi Puppy,

You had an amazing time at Gharagaba and some great pics of lions and brownies. Pity to hear that Earlybird did not feel well and was even so sick that he did not bother about the lions.

Bushcraft,

No kids under 12 years old allowed and only two person per unit. If you five people you will have to book 3 units. We booked last year at Grootkolk and my 12 year old son was not allowed to share the unit with us., which means we were suppose to book two units and only use one.

I will definitely book at either Grootkolk or Gharagab again and pay that extra cost. So far we have stayed at all the camps with my son except for Gharagab. Its only during the past 3 years that the rules changes and they became very strict on the number of people per unit.

This rule is very strange to me because your todler can stay with you at Rooiputs or Poletswa on Botswana side with no fence around the camp and only sleeping in a tent, but not the wilderness camps. On SA side kids of any age can join on the Eco 4x4 trail where the camps are not fenced with no structures at all and the toilets a far way off. Not sure the reason, maybe some guess moaned that children are too noisy or a child got injured when he/she played outside the cabin / tent and wanted to pat a hyena or jackal.

[puppy]

4 July 2012

Once again it was cold when we got up. Earlybird was still feverish and had not had a good night. We thought it might be a good idea to cut our holiday short and make our way home. I went to Eric and asked him to try and get us accommodation in Nossob. There was no way Earlybird could travel all the way to Upington in his state of health. Unfortunately, Nossob was fully booked so we would have to stay another night and leave early the next morning as planned. It turned out to be the best thing as he started to improve.

It was even colder today than yesterday. We dressed warmly and prepared to keep vigil on the waterhole. We were a bit horrified to see that the water level had dropped considerably and found out later that the pump was broken. The animals would be having a muddy drink today. New people had moved into the hut 3 - an Italian dad and his teenage son. It was their second visit to Africa having previously travelled through Namibia and Botswana but they had never seen lion. Well at 9:45 a.m. they were to be rewarded. Along came a lovely female.

The dad called across to us - there's another one and sure enough Number one was joined by her sister.




They stayed for a while and then went off to do what lions do all day - sleep under a shady tree somewhere.

The bush telegraph must have gone out because very few animals came to drink at the waterhole today - they must have known that the water level was low. Eric went off duty and he introduced Andries who was to take him place. Andries turned out to be a very capable attendant. He turned off the water and set about trying to fix our water heater. It took him most of the day and in spite of many attempts at repair it became clear that a new one was required. But he fixed the pump and the level of the water came up. He also fixed the flood light!

There was not much happening after the lion visit but we enjoyed our bird watching.
Kalahari Robins were frequent visitors

The barbet posed nicely

A chestnut-vented titbabbler tried to hide.

And the last photograph of the day was a pair of jackals sharing a sundowner at the waterhole.

Eric took his leave and introduced us to Andries who spent the day trying to fix our water heater. The water was off for most of the day but he was not successful - a new unit had to be installed but that would only be after we left. Luckily we had the use of Pete and H2's bathroom.
Earlybird was feeling better and got up to have a shower. He was exhausted afterwards and went straight back to bed.

The wind dropped so we made a braai and then turned in for an early night. And what a scary night it turned out to be. Earlybird had slept most of the day so was not sleepy and we read for a while before going to sleep only to be woken in the early hours of the morning by a prowling lion roaring loudly right outside our hut. I leapt up and unzipped the canvas window but could not see a thing. "He must be behind the hut," I said
"Go out on the deck and see what you can see"
"You must be crazy!" I was terrified and was not about to risk life and limb to see and predating cat! He roared and roared. It was at once both thrilling and terrifying. We lay and listened to the sound which eventually faded away and we went back to sleep.