Summary Bots Nam May 2015

Home safe and sound at 12 noon after GPS took us on a scenic 30km detour. We were one block away from the N4 and it decided to take us towards Madikwe. Ah well, pleasant drive passing a lot of game lodges where we saw more game than we did in Khutse!
Slept well with the roaring trucks substituting for lion!
Anyway, SUMMARY
28 nights
Total Kms: 5 477
Total fuel costs: R6 396
Economy: 11 lit per 100 Kms
Accommodation: R12 439
Boat trips: R1 340
Meals out: R3 434
Bar bill: R2 645
Total cost: R31 731

Highs:
Mavunje (Dan) as always
Erindi (aardwolf and aardvark)
Zelda's (leopard & porcupine)
Khutse (seclusion)

Lows:
Senyati (rules & regulations & money aspect)
Hakusembe (no fish!!)

'Till next time!

28 Zeerust 22/5/15

Woke at dawn after a peaceful nights sleep. The trip out seemed shorter and less hectic that when we came in. Obviously because we knew what to expect.

Saw springbuck, hartebees and ostrich on our way out. Oh, and the (same) steenie.

Turds and trotters evidence a large variety of game: antelopes, large and small, dogs and cats but the seed grass is high and the few animals we did spot were extremely shy. Would still recommend the place for at least a two nighter though just for the wonderful isolation.

Trip went well for the first phase. We did hit a concealed speedbump in Lethakeng at about 20kph.

Molepolole was a traffic nightmare; taxis and pedestrians (and donkeys, goats and cows) everywhere. Headed for Kanye and our last stopover for this trip. Missed Motse Lodge completely ... wonder if it still exists. Decided to push through to Lobatse but stopped at the side of the road (beautiful wide, grassy verge with huge umbrella thorn), for a bite to eat. Speedbump had taken it's toll:  fridge bounced off moorings and was face down on the floor. Door of rad forced into semi open position so dust everywhere. Took us (mainly Luis) a while to sort out!

No lodges in evidence near Lobatse soooo South Africa here we come. Lovely friendly (both sides) border crossing for a change. 

Arrived in Zeerust at 17:15, stopped at first camping site venue on offer: Sha Henne's. 

Seedy and run down, very close to main road, but we're weary and it's getting dark so here we are. 'Blutes are terrible but they gave us a room key to use the shower and toilet there. 

Talk about from one extreme to the ol' cor blimey!! Total isolation to mainstream public (ugh!!!) in one day! Only saving grace is that it has a steak house on site ... guess where we're eating.

Oh, and chalk another one up to the speedbump:  our electric kettle is shattered! No great loss but one wonders what else one will discover over the years!

27 Khutse 21/5/15

Only sounds we heard through the night were jackal. Their spoor evidence that they had visited our campsite.
Warm evening, cool morning.
This site has a long drop which, surprisingly, is clean and doesn't smell! Also a bush shower (suspended bucket with tap). We'll be sticking to our own solar shower though as bucket is full of green water and dead insects.
The silence is so intense that one's ears zing.

Little mongoose (slender) hanging around the bush perimeter of the campsite.
Luis got to tick one of his bucket list items: walk around in the bush veld stark naked! Naked Chef (no apron!)
Cooked up a fried breakfast ... He's not only chef but washes dishes well, too! Solar shower prepped for later in evidence on this pic.

Decadence personified: showering in the bush under the open sky ... well ... under a tree, we needed somewhere to hang the shower. Luis wanted to take a pic of me in revenge for the one I took of him earlier but our wide angle lens isn't wide enough!!??
All sorts of butterflies are attracted to whatever moist spots we've created.

Spent an awesome evening around the fire and to crown it, we had a nocturnal visitor.

26 Khutse 20/5/15

Set off with much trepidation, having been informed roads are terrible and deep, "impenetrable" sand. Hey, others have done it, so can we.
Had a brief sighting of a peregrine falcon but he flew off before we got a pic.
Did get a pic of this juvie black chested snake eagle

Were delayed for 2 hours trying to get cash. All the ATMs were offline, bank wouldn't advance cash against credit card as they were offline. Eventually, a shop owner allowed me to use their wifi, transfer money to their account in SA via EFT and give us the Pula equivalent.
A sad experience with a little tit babbler which was sucked into our intercooler. Luis spent ages removing feathers from the cooling system. That's a first.
The road here turned out to be, for the greater part a breeze. Tar until the last 100kms to Khutse entrance. That 100 consisted of 50kms @ 80kph; 30kms of bone rattling corrugation, 10kms of 70kph and the last 10 - deep sand!
Once we had paid our park fees, we still had 60kms to do to our campsite! Most of that was corrugation deluxe, the remainder: odd patches of sand and "highway".
We arrive at campsite as sun was setting.

Bought a load of wood at the gate. Brutus' load bay still usable and versatile!

Very secluded. Haven't seen much game. One and only mammal to date = 1 steenie. Still good to be away from noise and light pollution.

25 Kalahari Rest nr Kang 19/5/15

Woke to grunting leopard and other "Old Macdonald" farm animals. Really enjoyed this place. Anyway, on the road again.
Pleasant border crossing back into Botswana. Tedious drive with both of us checking out the various sand tracks leading off into the bush to see if Brutus will make it to Khutse!
We've been to Kalahari Rest before, 2 years ago, but until we ended up at the campsite, none of it looked familiar. We have brilliant memories, obviously!
Went for grub at the "lodge" (bit of a glorious name for a collection of buildings comprising bar, dining room and reception). Fillet steak with mushroom sauce, very good.
Arrangement we had was that we would settle the bill via EFT from their computer which has access to Internet. Logged onto FNB but their browser has (never) been updated and FNB blocked access! Luis goes wandering off to get the wallet from the car. 30 minutes later, he comes stumbling in - couldn't find the car, even though we remembered the torch this time! Ah well, both of us stumbled back to the car, got the cash and settled. I must add, at this conjecture, that the roads are thick, soft sand which makes walking extremely difficult! All good!

24 Zelda's Game Farm 18/5/15

Hauled the extra blanket out last night as we were cold the night before. Slept toasty warm, to the accompaniment of roaring lion and gnu grunts, once again.
As we left Erindi, a herd of Impala cut in front of us, one of them got such a fright when he saw us, he leapt into the air, so high, I'm sure he would have cleared our bonnet in need!

Had a couple of Sharon detours on the way to Zelda's - my guesstimates on the gps, again!! Ah well, all in the interests of exploring.

Zelda's has a lovely setting and is tastefully decorated.

Tonight, we'll have lowing cows in stead of lion, but, with a lot of imagination....

Hah, on second thoughts we will listen to a grunting  leopard. Her name is Tornado. She is 18 years old and was orphaned around 4 weeks of age. Mum probably lost to poachers based on spoor they found near Tornado. Has extremely large enclosure.

Up close and personal with a pearl spotted

How about this prickly character for company

What an enjoyable experience "meeting" the above characters.

Had a lovely supper at the lodge followed by a couple of drinks at the bar. Interesting company.

Battled like hell to find our way back to camp in the pitch black dark. Found a trampoline, a fishpond and a couple of walls that we definitely didn't know existed and had never come across before ... would have remembered the pain! Realized we were heading in wrong direction! (How astute!).

Retraced steps back to bar, shuffling along with arms outstretched, giggling like schoolgirls... Really was the blind leading the blind! Eventually, and I mean eventually, we found our campsite. Lovely hot shower and off to bed.

23 Erindi nr Windhoek 17/5/15

Spent a very cold night in bed listening to lion roar ... seems to be becoming the norm. Will have to have a cd playing at home just to lull us off to sleep. Maybe all these camping venues we've graced with our presence have mega speakers strategically placed in the bush to create the illusion of a lion on the move!

We did take a very long way down to the waterhole last night. 2 hippo grazing nearby. Coming back to camp was much shorter ... Helps when you know where you're going.

Those blasted, devious, little buggers (jackal) also stole our cooking oil and pepper! There should be a lot of thirsty, sneezy jackal around Okakoujoe!

Ok. After buying replacement oil and pepper, we found our pepper in the kettle - perfectly logical place to put it! So, no sneezy jackal just very glossy coated jackal!

Some pics from the waterhole. Counted 3 hippo but could be more.

Place got lovely and quiet after all the families with kids left. (Did I mention last night was very noisy?) I managed to get some nice pics of pied babbler, pytila, cristed bristed and groundscraper thrush but ... The highlight was the afternoon's game drive. All the usual suspects plus

AARDWOLF

Mum

and later, her 3 Cubs

Hard to beat but then ... along came an AARDVARK

During the afternoon we also came across this young rock Python

All in all, a wonderful experience

22 Erindi nr Windhoek 16/5/15

Listened to lion throughout the night - he's starting to sound a bit hoarse!!

Michael very cleverly and at our behest, put all his stuff in Brutus last night ... BUT ... He left his shoes (takkies) next to his hammock. Guess what, the fiendish imps struck again ... Poor Michael hobbling about barefoot in thorn tree territory looking for his shoes. Luis found one, together with the remains of many others! Michael found his other one hanging in a tree ... some kind soul must have put it there. And, yes, the laces and other trimmings had been gnawed off but they are useable! "Emergency" wash line to the rescue again!!! He now has matching shoes and back pack!

We bade Michael a fond farewell and, certainly in my case, a heavy heart. He did manage to get an edition of The Elephant Whisperer so he'll have good company!

Arrived at Erindi (private game reserve north of Windhoek). Very nice campsite with own spotless and modern 'blute, fridge, kettle, stove and ... Wait for it ... A patch of green grass!
Saw a Ludwig's bustard on the way in. Have a pic but not a good one. Will look out for him.

Will go down to their floodlit waterhole after supper and suss it out. Did see some grazers and browsers on the way in and all looked very healthy. The bush is generally greener, area more scenic with some distant mountains, reminiscent of the lowveld and our Kruger National Park.

21 Okakoejoe Etosha 15/5/15

Constant bush noises during the night including lion, hyena, jackal, Ellie, barny and zebra. Awesome.

Jackal made off with my "prize plastic, limited edition, container" last night. Never to be found. Ah well, it was a bit on the large size ... Now I can buy a smaller one. The little blighters also tried to make off with Michael's back pack. He saved it but it has a smallish rip in it. The ripcord was also chewed to bits. Ah well, gives it (more) character, or, as they say in SA, "houding!" Luis replaced the ripcord with some of our "emergency" wash line nylon cord. All good.

Spent a quiet day wending our way back and forth between camp and waterhole. I didn't take the camera as it was the usual suspects. Camp is close enough to run back for camera in need. There were 9 marabou storks on the other side of the waterhole. A bit far for my camera lens to do justice.

Luis did capture this great sunset.

20 Okakoejoe Etosha 14/5/15

A pleasant night's sleep with sporadic lion roars and jackal howls. No matter how often I hear the lion, I still feel exhilarated and awe inspired. 

Early morning trip to waterhole revealed 2 jackal in hot, if unsuccessful, pursuit of guinea fowl.

Luis spotted a chestnut vented tit babbler.

Plenty of herds of all the grazers at the waterhole. Constant coming and going. A badly scarred springbok, but seemed to be healing, against all odds.

On way back to camp, found a green winged pytila

Then, a flurry of crow squawking and chasing, this guy appeared. Not able to id him yet- some black morph of sorts 

Michael, a 29 year old New York City resident spending 6 months in Southern Africa, joined up with us. He is touring on a motorbike and, in order to get into Etosha, had to leave his bike outside the park and hitch a ride in. He sleeps in a hammock. A very presentable and likable young man with interesting stories to tell. A lion was roaring close by from early evening. We so hoped he'd put in an appearance for Michael's sake. Michael ended up taking his sleeping bag down to the waterhole and sleeping on the bench. Eventually, the lion kindly announced his presence with a mighty roar and Michael got to see "his" lion.

Also, at the waterhole, were 3 black rhinos. 2 of them were having a standoff with much roaring (yes, they do roar), snorting, huffing and puffing, mock charging each other from time to time. Eventually, peace prevailed, they drank their fill of water and disappeared into the night.

19 Okakoejoe Etosha 13/5/15

Got off to relatively early start.

Treated to a personal, if brief, sighting of a lioness.

Usual suspects en route but nice sighting of a red necked falcon.

Have a lovely, secluded site at Okakoejoe. Close to waterhole. Slight problem is the 'blutes are quite a distance but it's worth it! Interestingly enough, our favourite site at Halali and here is number 37.

Have decided we'll probably hang around camp rather than chase the game. This is a lovely waterhole with all sorts coming to visit. Also, we have seen more birdlife variety around the camp than anywhere else. Flycatcher, pied barbet, woodpeckers, finches, weavers, crows to name but a few.

Jackal scrounging at night meal. One adopted us and chased off all would be contenders but then allowed one who was limping to hang around. Home away from home with two sets of eyes watching every mouthful.

18 Halali Etosha 12/5/15

Spent a lovely couple of hours at the waterhole. Rhino mating ritual, 7 ellies, 2 hyena and a couple of jackal. Shortly after we left, apparently 6 lion came to drink.

Barny was screeching during the night and ellies trumpeting.

On morning drive we found 2 lactating lions with at least one cub. Hard to spot in the grass.

Another highlight was a blue crane; first we've seen in the wild.

Back at camp waterhole, plenty of ellies, black rhino, jackal and a brief sighting of a lioness. She was roaring frequently, answering roars could be heard from a distance. 

Sat around our campfire listening to lion, ellies, scops and barny. What a life!

17 Halali Etosha 11/5/15

Pleasant enough drive to get here. Stopped at Tsumeb for shopping ... lovely shopping centre (P 'n P). Lovely spur burger for brunch. Arrived at Namutoni at 11:00 - 75kms to Halali took us 61/2 hours.

Lots of plain critters: Impala (black faced), springbok, zebra, giraffe, hartebees, kudu, zebra, steenbok, elephants and jackal and, oh, did I mention zebra?

I'll just have a snooze on my bruvver's back

Very hot day although probably only registering 32 deg. Also, very dry. Petrol pump attendant was saying the rains have been bad this year and their cattle are taking strain. Having said that, the Etosha beasties look good.

16 Roy's Camp nr Grootfontein 10/5/15

Checked out at Hakusembe and they forgot to bill us for our accommodation ... R900. Little angel vs red devil ... Angel won!!!

Our meat impounded (again!!!) at the disease control point en route here. (Would have thought our honesty this morning would've pushed fate in our favor!) Never mind, perfect excuse to eat here ... lunch and supper.

Very unusual decor. Quaint and rustic comes to mind. They've created an old farmhouse effect and then added old farmhouse implements for effect. Overall, quite pleasing on the eye. Caution: beware of thorns!!! I've been spiked quite a few times already. Even the campsites resemble cattle kraals.

A little dik dik came to visit our campsite on two occasions. Had the best lodge supper thus far with game bobotie, roll mops, well prepared veggies and sweet potatoes plus salad. Spent a pleasant evening chatting to two locals and running up a good size bar bill! 

15 Hakusembe nr Rundu 9/5/15

Had our best night's sleep since we commenced this journey. Heard hippo downriver for the first time since we've been here at Hakusembe.

Spent a restful day predominantly sitting on the jetty. Decided to chase the elusive tiger by boat and went on an expedition at 2pm. Pleasant enough cruise but still no tiger! Did manage to get a couple of pics of birds, though.

Little malachite in the shadows

Juvenile fish eagle posing beautifully

Had supper at the lodge and then went to the beach area. Met Paul, an accomplished fisherman and freelance guide for the lodge. He caught 3 nice size tigers, then gave Luis some tips plus live bait. Luis had 2 convincing strikes but did not land them. By this time, all the male species in the park had converged on the beach and it got too hectic. We opted for the peace and quiet of our site. Luis had managed to obtain a very dead bream which he cut into fillets. Still nothing!

The night skies are awesome, feels like a low canopy of lights that you can reach out and touch.

14 Hakusembe nr Rundu 8/5/15

Restless night ... one minute hot then cold.

Spent a pleasant 30 minutes on the jetty watching small tiger swimming near the bank. Much interest shown in the lure but no takers.

Lunch at the lodge. Pretty boring, hot, windy day! Fishing crew who camp next door came home with their catch of the day: a beautiful Nemwi

Night time and mood improved. Sat on the jetty ... nice and cool. An owl flew by - guessing it was probably a barny.

Went down to the little "beach" near Sam Situ. River was alive with tiger leaping about.

Luis had a couple of good hits but failed to land any. Guess where we're off to tomorrow night!

A playful, mottled dachsie came to join us on the beach. She loved chasing shadows cast by the moths.

Found out her name is Snowy!

13 Hakusembe nr Rundu 7/5/15

Arrived here around 11ish. Have own 'blute and view of river. Very close to floodlit jetty so Luis hopeful re tiger.

Had a couple of Amarula at the lodge pub. Pleasant surroundings.

Jetty is coolest place with breeze off River plus shade. Look onto Angolan village. Get to watch the kids bathing and other bits of village life. Young Angolan girl thin as a reed carting their water bottle to the river to fill

Took her ages to fill and light was gone by the time she battled up the incline with the full bottle.

Three different herds of cows came down to drink at similar time of day. Interesting that the herders know exactly who belongs to who. The bulls from each herd would challenge each other creating consternation amongst the herders.

Above depicts a leader challenging another bull (out of pic as in bushes). Ah, wildlife ... Rundu style!

Challenges seem to be the order of the day with this Reed cormorant challenging another

Had a surprise visitor ... startled me 'til I figured out who he was

Luis spent an unsuccessful couple of hours looking for the elusive tiger

12 Nunda River Lodge nr Divundu 6/5/15

Checked out this morning with the intention of going to Mahengo Reserve and then to Popa Falls Resort for something different.

Mahengo was lovely with an abundance of wildlife: giraffe, zebra, piggies, Impala, lechwe, duiker, loads of water birds, sable.

Popa was disappointing, likewise Rainbow ... So ... here we are ... back at Nunda's. Will take a lot to beat!

Nice male lechwe

Impala fleeing male

Rutting male

Lovely supper of roast pork, yum yum veggies and crochet spuds. Hake starter ... Very nice. Yet another awesome sunset over the river. Every one is different.

10 Nunda River Lodge nr Divundu 4/5/15

Sad to leave Mavunje. Long, tedious drive to get here.

Very nice place.

Nicest 'blutes we've ever come across with little indoor garden and spacious showers. Plenty of room to shower, dry yourself on a dry floor, keep all your clothing and towel dry, etc.

Swimming pool area is also pretty

Decided to treat ourselves to supper at the lodge: pea soup, spare ribs and veggies with lovely salads topped off by chocolate delight. Mmmmm!

11 Nunda River Lodge nr Divundu 5/5/15

Relatively early to bed. Nice ambience with river flowing over Rapids nearby. Woke at dawn to melodious, if somewhat repetitive, robin chorus.

Quiet day hanging around lodge, pool and campsite. Had a burger from the lodge for lunch.

A youngster befriended Luis. He was fascinated by Real Racing 3 - had to download it and get tips and guidance from Luis. 

Spectacular sunsets in this neck of the woods. Tried something different, Luis' suggestion ... use flash for foreground. Quite like the effect

Anyone who knows us well will know that I'm neurotically anti light and Luis is neurotically pro light. Tonight he had the hanging light above the braai area on and walked into it. Had me giggling. I was teasing him that if the light had been off, he would have "seen" it, only to be told it's the fourth time he's walked into that light today ... the other three occasions in broad daylight!!!