Addo and the Frontier Parks - Two-timing the KTP (March 2012) *

[Mel]

By now I have her positively ID as Aardlam. But just look at her! She’s a real fighter – what a body.





This whole encounter didn’t even last 10 minutes and she was gone into the bushes not to be seen anymore. But it was full of awesomeness. We could hear her panting from the labour dragging that hartebeest along. Right time, right place is all I’m saying...

[Mel]

And the next kill happened right in front of us as well:




The stonechat is another tick!

[Ronnie]

Thanks Mel for all those kind words, much appreciated!

It was a real pleasure meeting up with you and Spots in Addo Park.

To think that we had met through the forum a little more than a year ago.

It was a pleasure and honour to show you folk around Addo and I would love to do it again.

Going through your TR and looking at your pics I still get goosebumps.

What fantastic sightings we had!

[Mel]

The three of us meandered further up north, stopping regularly to enjoy the critters lining up at the side of the roads. This vervet looked a bit ouch though:



For a change the hartebeests didn’t run off when I pointed my cam at them:



Ronnie told me to hurry up with this one as I might not get a similar opportunity anymore on our trip :lol:

[Mel]

A fiscal shrike was shouting its head off:



Then we stopped for breakfast at Jack’s where the resident plated lizard tried to warm up a bit on a overcast morning:



After our break we got on our way to Hapoor dam. On route we found a hoopoe with a mangled claw. Still he seemed to be quite chirpy and SO was allowed to take this photo of him and that until Mr. Crest decided he had enough:

[Mel]

Further along the road we met up with a very well-kempt buff. Just look at that neat eyebrow lining!



I reckon the next one didn’t like me all too much…

[Mel]

And them two had obviously gotten up the wrong foot first:




Would you, please, take your horn out of my eye?! NOW!


Well, thank you very much! If I had know, I wouldn’t have bothered.

[Mel]

Rasp, rasp. I kinda… yap… can’t breathe anymore.


What did you say??? Can’t hear you! Your horn is in my ear!

And inbetween the buffnipresent black-headed heron:

[Mel]

So we got to Hapoor dam which was once again deserted, but a kind OSV driver told us where to find a mongoose:



Before going to the main camp we went to check out Domkrag and did the Gorah loop towards Carol’s Rest. Just before that Ronnie showed me my first and only meerkat for the trip. Alas, the critter was a bit far away and the pic turned out to be one big blur. Even closer to Carol’s Rest we found a battie, but it didn’t look all too healthy anymore the way it was lying there next to the road.

The elands however did look rather alive:



And kudus that were jumpy as usual:



On our way back towards the camp, I finally got a jackal quite close, but I manage to mess up the photo:



Can you imagine staying in Addo for 5 nights and not to come out with at least one decent jackal shot? Well, I managed…

[Mel]

At the camp Ronnie and SO waited in the car park at reception while I scampered off to check in. The counter was taken by two other guests. I started to get a bit excited in anticipation of meeting another virtual friend (other side) for the first time and was thinking about whether she had already arrived or not.

Just before the visitor on the right was almost finished, I heard the receptionist say that she would stay in unit one. Oh my word, my head shouted in excitement, this must be Mel standing there doing the check in. And as she turned around after she had got her keys, I approached her and said: “Wait, don’t go anywhere just yet.” What a stupid opening line… And then hell broke loose in reception. Words cannot describe the feelings that overwhelmed us at that moment... Mel and I had become very close friends over the forum. Our respective trips had been carefully planned around this meeting – and there we were, finally standing opposite each other in flesh, live and in colour. It was a very special moment. Even the people around us were infected by our enthusiasm, joy, elation, you name it.

After coming back down to earth again, well, at least behaving close to civilized again – or just about, because I forgot to take the key for the unit with me - we went outside to meet Mel’s dad and Ronnie respectively. We all clicked instantly and celebrated the fact with a first cold one right there and then in the parking lot.

At some point we got around to dump our stuff at our rondavels. Mel and Dad and SO and I would be neighbours for the next three days.

In the camp a Karoo Scrub-Robin allowed me another tick: