It's so dusty, the animals can't see...*

[Mel]

That excitement lasted the whole of two hours! Needless to say that at 9.30 am with the day having warmed up considerably, we decided we might as well not go for a drive anymore because every critter with the tiniest bit of pride would be hidden somewhere in the shade anyway.

So we spent the time enjoying the comings and goings of the bird at the bath, watching the lizards feeding on insects and fending off the bees.

Around 3 pm the first kudus walked in. Once again, very skittish and only after the whole herd had found its way to the waterhole they would relax the tiniest bit.



One of the martials also visited again.

[Mel]

And the day ended as it had started off...

[Mel]

22 October - Grootkolk

The story of today is told quickly... Since we knew we would have to travel a long way the next day (about 260 kays - all the way to Mata Mata), we decided to spend yet another day in the camp. I was out and about by 5.30 am whereas the SO lazed around in bed still. Well, he missed this:

A brownie appeared from the dunes to the right of the waterhole around 6 am. But it stopped its pace all of a sudden, crouching and then laying low.


And watching...


I knew there was something else around but couldn't figure out what it was really. But then I noticed the movement right in front of the units to our left.
Another brownie! Before I had gathered my wits and worked my camera settings that brownie disappeared somewhere behind those units.

Brownie number 1 then went to drink at the waterhole before marching off in the direction in came from, but still hanging around in the vicinity. That was a
bit curious, too because usually they "fly" in for water and "fly" out again once business is done. I was so busy watching brownie number one that I had almost
missed the next brownie basically sitting on top of me already - right next to our unit.



To this day I'm not sure if this would have been a third brownie or not. But I strongly suspect that it was the species that had disappeared somewhere behind the
units to the left and had walked a curve around to our unit.

After drinking there was some marking...




... before both brownies scampered off for good.

The last shot I took that day was of trouble walking in to empty the waterhole.

[Mel]

23 October - Grootkolk to Mata Mata

Today we had to say goodbye to Grootkolk - after 5 wonderfully relaxing days. If I had the choice and could assemble my itinerary the way I wanted, I'd do it again exactly the same way. There is nothing better than spending the first part of your trip in this remote and peaceful camp. We were in total holiday modus by then - the world outside completely forgotten. But today we had to go back into "civilization" with more cars and more people.

Yet the journey started off really promising! Approaching Kannaguass I could see a cat sitting at the waterhole. First I thought of the mating lions, but this one had some spots and looked distinctively like a cheetah. And it was!



Meet Zertie! There hasn't been a reported sighting of this cheetah since July 2012 when he was still with his mum Gertie and his siblings Merty and Nertie (don't blame
me, the Mills still picked those names ) and it was actually puppy who had seen the family somewhere in the northern Auob back then. So, Zertie has come quite a
distance.



He was very skittish, looking left, center and right all the time - and I can't blame him, knowing the lions had been around just the other day. Zertie eventually managed to drink, but it was so dusty, he couldn't see...



We spent about half an hour with him and at the beginning it was only him and us. Other cars arrived and went again, some obviously not interested in "just" a cheetah.
Zertie was still at the waterhole, but we had to get on our way because we had just done 10 of our today's 206 kays and you never know what else there might be around.
However, once thing I was certain of: It would be a great day!

[Mel]

Next stop was north of Kwang where the watertanks are. We had learned from Franco that the lions love to hang out there and judging by the traffic jam on the road they were indeed. Just a proof shot for our lion head count



There was also a male lying in the shade of a tree a bit further of. Since he showed us what he thought of us by displaying his behind only, he wasn't graced with a proof shot.

Since the pad was jammed we had to sit a bit and wait for an opening to get through. That way we started to talk to other people who told us about cheetah 5 kays north of Nossob. The next one told us 3 kays north of Nossob. What we did learn over the time we have travelled to SA is that you never trust anyone's judgement of distances.

Needless to say though, that I was eager to leave and try to find the cheetahs. Three of them even, we had been told.

[Mel]

5 kays before Nossob we slowed down considerably to see if we could spot the spots. All the way to the 3 kay mark there was nothing. And we were just about to give up when we had reached the 1.5 kay mark when I noticed car track marks from going backwards and forwards and turning. My eyes shot towards the riverbed and there they were indeed!



I was quite surprised to find out that this is Bedi with her pretty grown cubs Elzette and Wesco. I'm sure, this must have been one of the last days when they still were all together... Anyway, we were extremely lucky, because it didn't even take a minute before they plummeted down on the ground only the ears still visible. A few seconds later and the heads were on the ground as well. Had we passed them at that moment, we would've been none the wiser. So, thanks Bedi for showing yourself to us again.

[Mel]

On the upper dune road I told Spots that I wanted to scan the waterholes for the black-headed herons. Arriving at Moravet I said: "No heron... But a lioness instead..." The SO thought I was kidding.



And with the lioness came two more males passed out in the shade.

[Mel]

We had hardly arrived in the Auob when we spotted our first giraffe

[Mel]

Next up was this beautiful dark tawny - and since I couldn't decide which of the shots I should post, I decided to make the pix smaller and use them all.



We should learn later that big birds with their heads almost between their legs are not always a good sign.

[Mel]

The sightings continued with these cutie pies:





I'm still surprised at how early the springbok began their lambing this season. Yet it still hasn't rained in the Kgalagadi. Let's just hope nothing upset the Springboks' sense for approaching rain and led the in the wrong direction...