Africa Wild

Is that a tick? Hope no-one got sick.

It is a velvet mite, harmless!

Just saw the ID thread!

Aha... you did venture away from Kruger when you were younger and more adventurous

to hear all about the road trip.

looks like this was all pre-digital

and you were using a kodak instamatic

We gathered in Pretoria to embark in our vehicle, the Witrenoster! A fantastic machine with wildly oversized tyres and a huge long-range fuel tank, which was sometimes more of a curse than a blessing...


The Dimwits felt that my flip-flops smelled, so I had to get new ones and the old ones were left in the bullbar for the rest of the trip.




Early the next morning we headed north via Potgietersrus, I think, to Martin's Drift border post, my first ever trip out of SA!


Saruleng's mother had packed us some picnic food (I think they knew we were not going to be very healthy) which included a big container of hard-boiled eggs! Saruleng took a real shine to these things and had 5 or 6 in a row, which meant that by the time we hit Botswana the stench in the car was unbearable.


Anyway, our first destination was Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe.


Here are the best map I could get so far!



One drives for thousands of kilometres, endlessly!

But as a "first time" it is very interesting, obviously!





This is an absolutely marvelous place, or was back then. The campsites are on soft sand with plenty trees!


Pic from website: http://www.khamarhinosanctuary.org.bw/home



The place was set up a long time before the SA poaching scourge, as Botswana had a small threatened white rhino population, and was a great success helping with a lot of breeding. It was only hit for the first time in the 2010s as the new wave of poaching began.


We arrived early afternoon and set up camp in high spirits!


Then went on a game drive of sorts along soft sandy roads, and I think we saw rhino. I shall never forget this drive, as I sat on top of the vehicle on the return to camp, with one can of beer, dodging the overhanging thorn branches mostly unsuccessfully with some resultant deep cuts. But what can one do?


Here is Shert on the roof, looking smug. The bucket is the beginning of the experiment of "bushveld washing machine", where you put clothes and washpower in for a few hours if you get to rough roads, and it worked jolly damned well!

We had a great braai with fresh food!

Here is young Dwarf talking nonsense, which has not really changed!



The next day was my 30th birthday. This is the worst birthday, in my opinion, as it is the end of your innocent youth. I was suitably depressed for a couple of days. They crowned me with a strainer, which on reflection I don't know was doing there as packing space was at an absolute premium.

First pic of RP without a plate in front of the face

How old were you guys? apart from boys staying boys forever

Those places must have been great in those days without loads of tourists

I was talking too early ignore my post!

Look at RP

He was also young at one stage