I was surprised not to hear a single barking gecko my entire trip.
Wonder if they hibernate, or have decreased metabolic activity ??
(A brief rant coming, sorry) -
One thing that didn't surprise me, because it happens EVERY trip - SanParks can openers don't work.
We've had to borrow our neighbor's, or they ours, on so many occasions that I always bring one from home. I did not on this trip, as I was trying to pack as light as possible….well, except for the camera equipment.
They should be renamed "Can't Openers". I suspect they belong to a Union, and seems I always visit when they're on strike.
Their job is not that demanding. Traversing the circumference of a can is the ONLY task at hand. And they only have to do one lap. They are not being asked to multitask as egg beaters, shoe horns, or drones.
Heed my warning: Soon, just like in the USA, foreigners will volunteer to do the job you SanParks can openers won't do. They will pour across your borders, take your jobs, and even look around and see what else they can do to help out. Need a bottle of wine opened, a screw tightened, help filing a nail? No problem. Before you know it, they will not only replace you, but perform your job more efficiently, effectively, and multitask to boot.
Yep, Swiss Army Knives are soon going to hear about all the job openings, or lack thereof, and then SanParks will be able to kiss your sweet cans goodbye.
Eish. (End of rant)
I experienced my first true Kalahari torrential downpour, and it was quite impressive! I went out late in the afternoon to try and get a rainbow, lightening, neat weather pic of some type, but the dark clouds were moving in my direction much faster than I had expected. I decided to head "home" in fear of being stuck in the mud all night, so no cool pictures to be had.
The downpour hit just as I reached the entrance to KTC, so I was absolutely drenched trying to run inside with all my gear.
I didn't know if the Auob was flowing due to all the rain, but the honeymoon tent definitely was! Had to pick up all my "stuff" from the floor and put it on chairs, etc., but it was all fun and exciting, seeing such a display by Mother Nature. Tried once again to get some pics of the lightening, but it wasn't actual strikes/bolts, just the whole sky illuminating, but very beautiful.
Unable to braai, and having a can opener that was on strike, I settled for nuts, olives, cheese, whole grain bread, and sardines for dinner.
The following day provided more exciting moments along the Vertiende loop:
The day began with a sighting of the Four Musketeers 1 km N of Sitsas. They were in tall grass so not worth posting any pics of their heads poking out.
Some distance north of the Vertiende waterhole, my eyes opened a bit wider than usual:
2 male lions had taken down a giraffe. One had already had its fill, but the other (younger?) was still tugging at various parts.
He eventually had enough for the time being, and joined his companion to snooze away the hotter part of the day.
A sad, but necessary part in the battle to survive. I'm SO happy I didn't witness the take down, so don't know if it was yesterday evening, or earlier this morning.
I would revisit this sighting on a number of future drives….
The day also revealed 6 lions ( a male, 1-3 lionesses and some subadults ) flattened out just north of the "old" hyena den between Dertiende and Urikaruus and an evening sighting of the 4 cheetahs sitting on the mound across from the Sitsas waterhole.
A cat-filled day, but my stop at Mata Mata for gas also presented me with some tiny treasures that I get as excited about (or more so) as I do cats…..
Isn't it rather rare to see four adult animals staying together 
