Monday, 3 April 2017
In the Kalahari
Friday 31st to Sunday 2nd April
We arrived at the Matswere gates of the Khalahari by early afternoon. The journey was longer than planned as we had assumed we could get food and supplies on Oran's forgetting that this is a mining town with restricted access. The diamond mines are the biggest in the world and security is tight. This meant a drive back the way we had come to find the shops at the next town. It was busy and the queue for the bank was long, it was probably pay day. We also stopped in Rakops the last place before the dirt road to the Khalahari but the petrol station had n fuel.
The 40km of dirt track to get to the gate felt long and bumpy. We had a late lunch and headed in to the biggest game reserve in the world. As you see the grassland stretch away you get a feeling of the vastness. It also makes it hard to spot the wildlife, as we discovered! On our drive to the campsite which took a few hours we saw Oryx, with their huge straight horns, ostrich, spring bok identified as they pronk or jump with all four feet off the ground and lots of birds that were hard to identify but beautiful nonetheless.
We arrived at camp as it was going dusk and quickly got the tents up and dinner on. We shared our campsite with ground squirrel who seemed quite happy with our presence and put their noses out of their burrows every so often. Everyone slept well and enjoyed a lie in as we didn't need to get up early. We had time to make pancakes for breakfast served with fresh mango. The campsite is marked with a sign and is an area of cleared ground with a spiral shaped shelter with a plastic toilet over a hole and one with a bucket and shower nozzle. There's also a fire pit.
We spent most of the day driving to see if we could find the elusive giraffe and predators, but we only saw more deer and birds. A scorpion in the camp caused some excitement and a huge spider whose web hung across our path was equally fiercesome!
We headed back to camp made some dinner and squeezed all eight of us into one of the vehicles for an evening game drive, when we were sure we'd see some animals at the water hole. Just more birds!
We arrived at the Matswere gates of the Khalahari by early afternoon. The journey was longer than planned as we had assumed we could get food and supplies on Oran's forgetting that this is a mining town with restricted access. The diamond mines are the biggest in the world and security is tight. This meant a drive back the way we had come to find the shops at the next town. It was busy and the queue for the bank was long, it was probably pay day. We also stopped in Rakops the last place before the dirt road to the Khalahari but the petrol station had n fuel.
The 40km of dirt track to get to the gate felt long and bumpy. We had a late lunch and headed in to the biggest game reserve in the world. As you see the grassland stretch away you get a feeling of the vastness. It also makes it hard to spot the wildlife, as we discovered! On our drive to the campsite which took a few hours we saw Oryx, with their huge straight horns, ostrich, spring bok identified as they pronk or jump with all four feet off the ground and lots of birds that were hard to identify but beautiful nonetheless.
We arrived at camp as it was going dusk and quickly got the tents up and dinner on. We shared our campsite with ground squirrel who seemed quite happy with our presence and put their noses out of their burrows every so often. Everyone slept well and enjoyed a lie in as we didn't need to get up early. We had time to make pancakes for breakfast served with fresh mango. The campsite is marked with a sign and is an area of cleared ground with a spiral shaped shelter with a plastic toilet over a hole and one with a bucket and shower nozzle. There's also a fire pit.
We spent most of the day driving to see if we could find the elusive giraffe and predators, but we only saw more deer and birds. A scorpion in the camp caused some excitement and a huge spider whose web hung across our path was equally fiercesome!
We headed back to camp made some dinner and squeezed all eight of us into one of the vehicles for an evening game drive, when we were sure we'd see some animals at the water hole. Just more birds!
First night under canvas
Thursday 30th March
We had planned for our first night camping to be relaxed with time to learn how to put up the tents and enjoy cooking on a fire. But this is Africa so things take longer and you never know what will happen next. We found a lovely picnic spot just before the border and had lunch in the shade. We realised that the fridge on our car wasn't working and spent a bit of time trying new fuses and plugging the fridge into a different battery, but nothing worked so we decided to travel on and see if we could get it fixed in Gaborone.
The border crossing was unusually quick although bafflingly inefficient. We had to fill in forms and have our passports and vehicles registered on the South Africa side and then fill in more forms in Botswana and visit a couple of different desks to get forms stamped and pay fees. We had two identical vehicles with 4 people in each yet the visa charges were slightly different! Anyway the border post was quiet and all went well.
We stopped at the first town and found a mechanic who spent a few hours looking at the spare battery which powers the fridge and the lights. After checking everything it looks like the cable from the battery has corroded. There wasn't time to stay and get it fixed so we drove on and arrived at the nature reserve just as dusk was falling. A wrong turn meant that we drove further than we planned and saw our first wild animals, bush buck and impala.
We glimpsed our campsite in the last light and then began to set up camp in the dark. The tents go up easily but first time is more difficult. We got the tents up the fire lit and enjoyed steaks and sweet corn cooked on the open fire. The children were delighted that we all went to bed at the same time.
The embers of the fire gave a comforting glow, although when I woke in the middle of the night it was pitch dark. It was surprisingly noisy with an undercurrent of chirruping from insects interrupted by louder noises from other creatures. I woke as the sun came up.
We had a quick breakfast and got on our way. The roads were fast and unlike yesterday there were no roadworks to slow us down. We arrived at Khama Rhino sanctuary and have left the others to explore, and the doc and I have driven back to the nearest town to see if we can get the cables fixed.
I am writing this sat in the waiting area of a small mechanic shop. The large Toyota garage could identify the problem but didn't have the right wire so sent us to the roadside mechanic. They have found some wire and are now fitting it, we hope!
Wednesday 29th March
Back in Africa
I'd forgotten how public life is. Everything happens outside and it's all there to see.
We set off from Johannesburg and have driven up the N1 and turned before Pretoria onto the N4 to travel west to the Botswana border. There is so much going on and lots to see. People are walking alongside the busy roads and there's view into villages of tin shacks with washing strung between them. This morning there are people cutting the grass on the verges, with tractors and strimmers and there are neat bales further on.
The roads are good and mostly toll. There is dual carriageway in some places but mostly it is single lane with a hard shoulder that is also a crawler lane, although there is not quite enough space when cars on both sides pass vehicles in the crawler lane.
The road to Botswana is straight and it's easy navigation so hopefully we will get to our first campsite easily.
Back in Africa
I'd forgotten how public life is. Everything happens outside and it's all there to see.
We set off from Johannesburg and have driven up the N1 and turned before Pretoria onto the N4 to travel west to the Botswana border. There is so much going on and lots to see. People are walking alongside the busy roads and there's view into villages of tin shacks with washing strung between them. This morning there are people cutting the grass on the verges, with tractors and strimmers and there are neat bales further on.
The roads are good and mostly toll. There is dual carriageway in some places but mostly it is single lane with a hard shoulder that is also a crawler lane, although there is not quite enough space when cars on both sides pass vehicles in the crawler lane.
The road to Botswana is straight and it's easy navigation so hopefully we will get to our first campsite easily.
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