SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL

It's a 4.00 a.m. start to the new day, as Noel wants to be the first to drive out of the camp. We start to queue at about 5.00, and wait at the gate to collect our permit. The Park authorities have to be informed of your whereabouts in the Park, so that they can keep track of you, and if you do not return to camp they will look for you. The cars pull up, and people stand around and chat, There are many accents, some foreign and a few local. We greet our fellow-campers. Noel discusses photography, and shows everyone the Sigma lenses he has brought with him. He hands out micro-fibre cloths for cleaning the dust off camera equipment; bottle-openers; pens with Sandisk and Olympus branding, and other freebies from Tudortech, his employer.

 I am asked by a tourist from Belgium as to what animal I wish to see that morning. I reply, "leopard". I have never seen a leopard in the Kalahari, so it is high on my wish-list. The leopard is nocturnal, so the best time to view an active leopard is between sunset and sunrise.  An American chap tells me that he lives near Yellowstone Park, and asks if I have heard about that park. I tell him that I know that Yogi Bear lives there. There are smiles all around, the air is still crisp as we huddle in jackets, waiting for the gate-keeper, and to collect our permits.

      Gemsbok in the riverbed.

 The Park used to be called the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park.

 

There is no activity at the Samevloeiing water-hole. The two eland carcasses are still lying there, and scavengers have not dragged them away. We cannot detect any evidence of nocturnal activity. We see ostriches, wildebeest ( gnu ), springbok, red hartebeest and gemsbok (oryx ) . These are the Kalahari "regulars" and we don't even stop to photograph them, as they are often seen on game drives. It is a short drive this morning, as we have to head back to Twee Rivieren for breakfast and to pack up. I order a coffee with my breakfast at the restaurant, forgetting that the water is salty, and thus the coffee would have an unpleasant taste. I quickly cancel the order and settle for a fruit juice instead. Back at the chalet, I tap off the water we brought from Kuruman, and make coffee for everyone. I think the Mullins are grateful for our alternate source of water, even though the water containers are heavy and cumbersome, and take up valuable space in the car. We certainly would not have to drink, oily, salty or brack water on this trip.



Blue Wildebeest

 

 

We bid farewell to the "civilisation" of Twee Rivieren, and head up north to Nossob, 364 kilometres away. The trip will take us over five hours. The sun is starting to climb high in the sky, and the temperature will reach a sweltering 38 degrees by midday. We stop at the Melkvlei picnic site, where I was pleased to see the introduction of sliding gates across the entrance to the toilets. In previous years, many a tourist has been surprised by a sleeping lion seeking shelter in the cool rest rooms.

The Mullins at Melkvlei

 
  After a short break at Melkvlei, where we are allowed to get out and stretch our legs ( after checking for the presence of any predators ! ); we hit the road again. The road is in a very poor condition. It is so badly corrugated that we shake and shudder all the way to Nossob. It was Dave who said, " It is just shake, rattle and roll ".

 Secretary Bird

 

 

Too hot to do anything.

 

 

Midday is not a good time for wildlife photography, as the light is very harsh. The animals will often lie down in the cool shade, and there is little activity. The heat in the Kalahari forms a heat haze, which creates a shimmer that can spoil photos. The hotter it was getting, the fewer were our sightings. However, we did see the following: vultures, circling high on thermals; dead eland; secretary birds; a meerkat ( suricate ) which ran across the road in front of our car; kudu; a fleeting glimpse of African Wild Cat and two sleepy lions lying in the shade.

 We were hot and exhausted, and "all shook up", by the time we arrived at Nossob. Now, we need to set up camp ...