Our Travels: Part 6

Our Travels: Part 1|Our Travels: Part 2|Our Travels: Part 3|Our Travels: Part 4|Our Travels: Part 5


Day 26: Saturday, 18 August 2012

Hobas, Namibia – Namibian border crossing – Kalahari Trails camp site, near Kgalagadi transfrontier park, South Africa

We were up early, and had some small for breakfast while watching the sun come up. Our first stop was the roadhouse, and we thought we might just get a cup of coffee, but when we found out they didn't serve coffee on its own, but only a very good value breakfast buffet, including coffee, we went for that. Esben definitely gets his value for money when eating at a buffet. They had everything on offer – it was such a change for us, as we usually just have porridge and museli. They had all the standard cereals, yoghurt, fruit, meats, cheeses, sweet buns, toast and hot food including bacon and eggs. And to top it all off, the best coffee! 

The roadhouse itself was great to walk around and to take photos. They had numerous old cars parked in the eating area, and many old signs from railway stations, and the like. They even had a Murphy’s sign by the breakfast buffet. One of the locals (the cat seen above) seemed to like to hang out on or in the old cars :o)

An hour and a half later we were back on the road. Luckily, the drive wasn’t too bad. We knew that we would be on C roads, but they were in good condition. We passed through Keetmanshoop, and then headed east towards the border. When we reached the border, we got our passports stamped on the Namibian side, and as we were heading back to our car, the border police asked us some questions. And then he said: do you have any firearms you want to declare? This question seems so alien to us, as we would never be carrying a firearm. So we said: no! And he said: are you sure? Us: Yep, we’re sure! Him: okay then, have a good trip! Phew, passed that one.

Got to the other side and got the passports stamped no problem. Next task – customs. We saw the police looking through another car in front of us, and it all seemed very serious. They took some firewood from them (not sure why you aren’t allowed this), and were a good 15 minutes going through stuff. Our turn, and we answered all the questions. Then Esben had to show him around the car, but before he did, he asked Esben: do you have anything illegal in your car? Esben: no. Police: are you sure you have nothing illegal in your car? Esben: eh, no! Police: okay then, let’s take a look. 10 minutes later and we were on the road. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to border checks – I’m nervous each time, even though I haven’t done anything wrong!!

The road from the border in South Africa was very nice, and we made good time getting to the campsite, given that SA is an hour ahead of Namibia. We were just about hungry when we got there (given the size of the breakfast), and the lady at the campsite suggested bringing a drink up to the dunes to enjoy sunset. And that’s exactly what we did – South African red wine, naturally! The campsite we booked into is only 30km from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier NP, so the plan is to drive there tomorrow and to stay the night, and then to come back to this campsite and do a game drive and morning walk. It’s nice to be back surrounded by wildlife once again.

Day 27: Sunday, 19 August 2012

Kgalagadi transfrontier park, South Africa

We arrived at the Kgalagadi NP early, checked in, pitched the tent and then started to drive around in our own car. It’s handy that the roads in this NP are suitable for a 2WD, although we think that we might do a night game drive later with an organised tour. We haven’t done a night drive before, and there might be a chance that we would spot a leopard or other predators. Given that this NP is very near the Kalahari desert, there are many red dunes about, and given that it is very windy at the moment, there is a lot of sand blowing everywhere. You can tell that the animals aren’t too impressed with the sand either! While driving around today we spotted numerous ostriches, sprinkbok and wildebeest. And then we came across a few cars parked on the roadside, and they said that there were lions up on the side of the dune. We could just about see them, as they were lying down, sleeping, of course! But then all of them got up and moved location, by about 10 meters. It was great to see an older and a younger male lion, and two females. And then they all sat down again and relaxed in the sun.

We headed off up the road to visit a few more waterholes, and it was great to see an owl in an tree – I am convinced that the owl turned his head 360 degrees – can this be right? The sand was annoying him too!

The NP is very big, and given the 50km/h speed limit, you can’t get too far in one day. So we turned back at around 2.30pm, and enjoyed looking at the numerous animals wandering across the veld (most of whom we had seen on the way out). We stopped again at the lions, and they were all sitting in the same position. I love watching any members of the cat family, and it was a joy to watch them again. When we were almost back at the campsite, we drove over (the car, not the tyre) a puff adder (snake), and drove back to take a look. It was really impressive to see one, and read about how dangerous this species can be. Then it started moving under our car, and we were afraid that it would attach onto the car. But the people in the car passing us by directed us away from the snake, and we saw him move quickly into the undergrowth. I’m not sure I would like to find him anywhere near my tent!

Once we got back, we were able to organise a night drive (starting at 8.30pm),
 and cooked dinner while watching the lovely sunset. The night game drive was brilliant. We were the only two on the trip, and we had two guides, Sarah and Mariska. Esben and I had a spotlight each, and we were advised to shine it up high at the ridge, and down low to try to spot some animals. The animals’ eyes would reflect in the light, making them easy to spot. During the trip we saw springhares (they are mix between a hare and a kangaroo – adorable!), bat-eared foxes, elands, springbox, genet, African wild cat, black-backed jackals, and mongoose. The springhare in particular is a nocturnal animal only, so we wouldn’t get to see it at on any other trip. We didn’t see any predators like the lion or leopard on the night drive, but it was very enjoyable all the same. We slept soundly that night after a long day.

     

Day 28: Monday, 20 August 2012

Kgalagadi transfrontier park, South Africa - Kalahari Trails camp site

After packing up the tent, we set off again today driving around the park in our own car. We went back to the spot where the lions were the day before, but there was no sign of any today. By the way, we could hear the lions last night – makes you realise you are staying in the wild! Today we took a different route across the park, where the landscape changed quite a bit from grass to red dunes. We spotted many birds, wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok and ostrich. We also saw a whole group of suricats and mongoose. There were also quite a few black-backed jackals mingling among the wildebeests. We didn’t see any lions today, and still never spotted a leopard, but it was a very enjoyable day of watching wildlife. At about 4pm we got back to the Kalahari Trails camp, and went on a sunset game drive around their farm.

As it is a restricted area, and there are no predators on the farm, so we were able to get out of the vehicle to take a closer look at bird nests (the sociable weaver builds a really cool nest, and there is a network of entrances and exits), and tracks in the dunes. We saw evidence of an African wild cat, a mouse, a secretary bird (and saw some of these on the farm too), and a hare. Some of these are nocturnal animals, and you can get of an idea of what’s going on during the night from the trails. We also saw about 10 vultures sitting on top of a tree at one stage, and also some of these in flight. It was interesting to hear about the vegetation, how the animals get water, how the aardvark builds his various homes, how they return snakes to the wild if they catch them in the house, why some trees are really green, how the animals breed and about the mating dance of some birds. We tasted some springbok sausages with our dinner, and set up camp for the night soon after 9pm. Tomorrow, we are going on a walking trail with Prof. Anne Rosa (a zoologist) to learn more about the activities of the wildlife in the area, and to learn more about the flora and fauna. Back to watching those twinkling stars….

Day 29: Tuesday, 21 August 2012

Kalahari Trails camp site – Upington – Kuraman

Woke up early to see sunrise and to get ready for our morning walk around the dunes of the Kalahari Trails camp. Prof. Anne Rasa has been living here for over 25 years, and has many more years experience, researching in the area of zoology. She was a guide for the morning, and we were joined by another couple staying at the camp, Andrew and Tamara from Jo’burg. This guided walk was to investigate the tracks that had been left the night before by wildlife. From the minute we left the main house, Anne spotted a trail – an ant hill that was built and moved the previous evening, most probably due to the fact that a predator had disturbed them. The walk was simply fascinating – we saw so many different tracks across the dunes. While we were sleeping, so much was happening around us, and we never even knew :o)

 

The geckos were out in full force, and from the tracks left, Anne could work out that they were mating during the night. The dancing lady spider was also busy during the night – she leaves a really pretty imprint in the sand, kind of like the shape of a daisy. We saw the footprints of a spotted pole cat, an African wild cat, and a striped genet. A thick-tailed scorpion was very active, as well as the beetles and mice (pygmy and large-eared). And all over the dunes, we saw footprints of the spring hare. This walk allowed us to join all the pieces of the puzzle together, and we were now able to identify the tracks of many of the animals which we had seen during the night drive.

We also learnt about the vegetation of the Kalahari and how it was formed. It was a great end to a visit to this part of South Africa. Anne printed off a certificate with a list of all the trails we saw, which is a very nice souvenir to bring back home!

We got on the road at about 11.30am and headed in the direction of Jo’burg. It will take us two days to get back, so the plan was to drive as far as possible and then stay in a campsite, before driving to Jo’burg the next day. The drive to Upington was pleasant, on a nice road, and we saw some salt pans on the way by. Anne had told us that we would pass some, and 60km east of Upington there is a working salt mine. Over 90% of the salt made in SA is exported, with a lot of it going to Europe to use on the roads during winter. We made a quick stop in Upington to grab some lunch and a few supplies for meals over the next two days. We managed to find a throw-away BBQ, and bought some braii (BBQ) meat, and coupled that with a bottle of South African red wine. The final destination ended up being a campsite just east of Kuruman, and we should make it to Jo’burg by tomorrow lunchtime. It will be nice to spend some time in Jo’burg, before flying out Thursday evening. That reminds me, we better check-in online tomorrow, or else Virgin will re-allocate our seats :o)

Day 30: Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Kuruman – Germinston (suburb of Johannesburg)

  

When we were going to bed last night (at around 10pm), the party in the bar at the campsite was just getting going. The music started to blare out, and it was like we had pitched our tent in a nightclub. I fall asleep quite easily, but this was seriously over the top. The campsite was a little strange, to be honest. And it was super expensive! We think that most of the tents there were pitched the whole time, or all through the holidays, and that families or older couples spent the weekend or longer socialising with the rest of the people at the campsite. When the music got to an intolerable level, Esben headed up to the bar to find about 15 middle-aged people singing their hearts out to hits from the 70s and 80s. He wasn’t their favourite person when he asked if they could lower the music a bit.

And then the next morning at 6.30am, we were woken by loads of people chatting outside our tent, and the noises coming from the work yard next door. I chatted with a lady who worked there, and she wondered if we were staying for the weekend – the look on my face probably said it all, but I smiled and said, no, we had to get to Johannesburg.

The drive to Johannesburg was constantly disrupted by road works, which involved stopping at a stop/go sign for 15 minutes at a go, and then driving about 4km, and then stopping at the stop/go sign. We weren’t sure if we would make it all the way to Johannesburg the way things were going, but eventually we did. We entrusted the planning of the journey with our GPS, and all was ok until Vryburg, a big enough town on the way to Johannesburg. Then we wanted to know how to get out of the town, and as I was driving along a narrow enough road with numerous potholes, I mentioned to Esben that the road was quite narrow for the main road to Jo’burg. And then it dawned on us – our GPS had directed us along a secondary road, filled with potholes (there were signs to tell you that there were potholes) and at random intervals on the road, the tarmac would disappear, and we were on a bumpy gravel road, and then the tarmac would reappear. So we had the chance to drive through provincial towns along the way. While driving through Kleindorf, we saw a sign for the same ‘doctor’ (Dr Mama-Fatuma) as the one in Zeerust, who is willing to deal with many issues, including penis enlargement, promotion at work, solving court cases and bringing back lost lovers. This is the kind of woman to call in an emergency!

And so the drive continued through the ever-changing landscapes of South Africa. It’s amazing to see large open spaces, with no people or houses for miles and miles, and just the mountains in the distance. We had no idea where to stay in Jo’burg, and didn’t have a guidebook to help us out. So we just picked an area south of the airport, and asked the GPS to recommend names and addresses of B&Bs. We wanted to stay in a B&B so that we could get our things organised, pack everything away, and to clear the car out. So I saw one listed called ‘Museum B&B’ – sounded interesting, and off we went. We arrived into Jo’burg via the motorway, and had a really good view of the CBD on the way in. We pulled up outside the B&B – Esben went in to check about accommodation. 10 minutes later we were checked in to a lovely apartment with two rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a sitting room. Everyone was very friendly, and while we were unpacking the car, one of the owners (they are a couple) came by and said we were very welcome to join them for dinner. There was a big group staying (who come back frequently, so we assumed they were passing through on business), and the BBQ was lighting.

It was a really warm evening (22 degrees), so we were more than happy to join them for dinner. They set up a table for us in the courtyard, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner, comprising of soup for starters, BBQ meat, rice and vegetables for main, and ice-cream to finish off. This was all washed down with great SA red wine. After dinner, the husband asked us if we wanted to see the museum. Of course; this sounds very interesting. He is a doctor, and his surgery is situated in the building that we were staying in. There are three parts to the building – the main house, and a wing on the right and a wing on the left. It is a house built by a Greek couple in the 30s, so it has a lot of  the features of a palatial Greek home. Our apartment opened out onto a lovely balcony, and when we were brought on the tour of the house, we saw the most interesting pieces all over the house. It is a museum based on donations from people who come to see the doctor. He has a plate that was used by Napoleon Bonapart, a piece of Elizabethan cloth, which is over 300 years old, the first Bible that was brought over to South Africa in the 1600s, and he even has a shillelagh from Ireland. The collection also included old typewriters, telephones that you need to wind up, and old china sets. The list is endless. It was one of the most interesting things to come across, and he said that they are in the process of declaring the places as a World Heritage Site. We spent over an hour going around looking at the collection, but we could have spent much, much longer. The doctor and his wife had to go home after a long day, so we also turned in for the evening. We couldn’t have asked for a better B&B – the people were so welcoming and friendly; it really made our last night in South Africa special.

Day 31: Thursday, 23 August 2012

Germiston (Johannesburg) – London – Dublin 

We both slept soundly (the novelty of sleeping in a bed), and were served a lovely breakfast at around 9am. The staff had said that we could take our time packing, and could stay on longer if we needed to. We weren’t sure how long we needed to get the packing finished, and in the end, by the time we were finished, we didn’t have enough time to go and do anything in Johannesburg. We hadn’t even planned to be in the city, so this wasn’t disappointing at all. With the help of the GPS, we did a little tour of the city (this is the home of seriously crazy drivers; I thought Vietnam was bad), and opted to head out early to the airport. You never know how long a short journey will take, and with all the road works and traffic on the roads, this was the best option. All went well at the car rental place – yes, we had a damaged hub cap (from a pothole on day 2), and there was a dint at the side of the car (we have no idea how this happened and never saw it until the guy pointed it out to us), but as we had full cover, so there was no issue.

8202km later, and we had arrived back in Jo’burg airport. And so the trip ends….well, we still have a few hours of films to enjoy on the plane :o) We have so many great memories from our honeymoon – how on earth are we going to pick out the best photos?!