Cape Town - October 2010

1st-3rd of October

Spent time getting the vehicle ready for the road again. The tent is dry again now and ready for use. Helped Laura and Toby with the garden, shower area around the pool - quality lego time with the boys - well just generally enjoying ourselves at the Selanders residence. Removed our delapidated mosquito net from the roof tent and dropped it into a local shop who would repair it for us

Took a trip out to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in Cape Town. What a fantastic place. Nestling partly on the side of Table Mountain you go from superb gardens, housing plants we have never seen before, to rain forest areas with waterfalls and Tarzan trees where you expect the guy to come swinging through at any moment. Towards the end of our visit the clouds started rolling down from the top of Table Mountain and it got a little chilly (19 degrees). Time to head back to the Selanders abode.

Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens are fantastic

4th of October

Awoke to angels singing outside our door, or was it the Selanders giving us a rousing start to our 30th wedding anniversary - it was. A fantastic start, followed by a delicious breakfast. Drove to the local shopping centre to get provisions for the trip up through South Africa. Picked up the mosquito net from the shop. They had made a new one - great. A mossie net is something you cannot do without.

Had lunch together with Laura, Toby, Selas and Linus at a restaurant in Constantia in Cape Town. The restaurant was situated in lovely gardens right in the middle of several vineyards and the view while we ate was great. Finished getting the vehicle ready for the off tomorrow. 

5th-6th of October

We didn't leave on the 5th as planned, we just couldn't leave the Selander sanctuary!!! We did how ever drive downtown to see if we buy Krakts Botwana Safari guide. We had tried several places without luck, but at last a shop that stocked it. All of a sudden the world, and not for the first time, seemed very small. The lady who was helping us suddenly said "don't I know you two"? Karen and me just looked at each other neither of us being able to place her. We camped in "Hell" together last year she said. (Hell is a camping site in the mountains in South Africa and not what you reading this are thinking!) I had long red hair then she said, now it was short and black. The penny dropped, now we could recognise her. Of all the shops we could have walked into!!!

Said our goodbyes - wow it was hard. There is an old saying that goes "it takes a long time to make old friends", well don't you believe it, we managed it. Thanks guys for everything.

Here, I John, made a big mistake. I followed the advice of our GPS against my better judgement. We got well and truly lost. The GPS said goodnight ( it didn't know where we were) and with bad roads, no road numbers, signposts or people to ask around, we bush camped. The temperature was 28 degrees C. Difficult to sleep.

South Africa - 7th of October

Quite blowy when we awoke early. Found our way to the Tankwa Park reception, after only taking the wrong way twice. Decided to do some primitive camping in the park. Luckily we could park the vehicle right at the side of a dissused cottage, because the wind had now increased in strength and the temperature dropped. The view was breathtaking as the colours in the mountains changed, as the sun disapeared for the day. We took refuge from the wind in the cottage, where there was a collection of bones, stones, car parts, bird droppings and lots of burnt out candles. I bet that cottage could tell a tale or two.

8th-9th of October

Decided to stay for the one night. The park was a bit of a disapointment really. Not many animals and very barren. We didn't really see anyone else in the park and with it still being very windy it was time to hit the road again. We got back onto the R355 towards Ceres and branched off towards the Cederberg mountain range. We drove up through Skittery pass, then Katbakkies pass, climbing up to over a 1000 meters in the process. We are now heading due north working our way up through the Cederberg area. Found a great camping site on the way up. It is a farm with a fourth generation family running it. Lots of trees for shade and new ablutions and power points on the sites. Went to the little bar and had a drink and chatted to the owners for a while.

Unfortunately two very noisy South African families with six kids arrived during the early evening and after the first half an hour of screaming and shouting around our location, we decided it was good we hadn't paid for two nights. Tomorrow we would leave.

On the road next day and continued through the fantastic Cederberg mountain range. Only drove 50 kms or so on a very bad road (even the map said it was!!!) Drove into Algeria rest camp. Lots of shade, and over 40 sites to choose from. Our biggest problem with campsites is finding the right one which gives some shade, but no too much, or it can be too cold and then of course not too much sun and does all this change during the day!!! You definitely need your gin and tonic after all these considerations. Got a bit blowy again, but found some comfort on the lee side of our vehicle. The camp is quite empty, but the views compensate for the lack of company.

10th of October (10.10.10)

Up at 7.0am, temperature only 12 degrees C and after breakfast Karen got some washing done. We had decided to go up the mountain at the side of the camp to have look at the waterfal. Quite a stiff climb, but the "old timers" made it. Quite a high waterfall, with the drop from top to bottom about 300 metres. We could only see a 50 metre section of it. You would have to be a bird to see the whole thing - or rent a helicopter which was Karen's observation. Really worth the climb though. Started to really blow up again as we got down. It then started to rain a bit and it seemed that a storm was brewing up. We relented and hired a cottage for the night. We were glad we did, because the storm really arrived with high winds and torrential rain. A GOOD DECISION! 

11th-12th of October

After a really stormy night, the morning revealed that rain had come through the roof of the cottage at two points and  had been forced in under the doors. Had John's special scrambled eggs for breakfast and then on the road. The road is pretty wet, so we checked at the camp before we left as to which road was the safest to take. No problems, just kept in four wheel drive until we hit the better road. The weather brightened up as we left the Cederberg mountains. The general temperature is still pretty low - 20-22 degrees C during the day and below 12 at night. Headed for Clan William.

Roobois country

Had our lunch at Emil's Place. I made sure of getting my coffee and afternoon cake, by having it right after Lunch at Emils. Called in at the tourist info. to see if they had any ideas up their sleeves, but no. Did a bit of shopping and Karen picked up a pair of sandals and it was off towards Roobois Farm, where we would see if we could stay for the night (a tip we got from people we have met). We are now in the heart of the Roobois tea production area.

The tea is not produced from a leaf just as normal tea is. It is produced from the needle like leaves of the Roobois bush, and this only started at the beginning of the 19th century and is now a big industry here. I, John, drink it all the time.

We found the farm, but to our disappointment they had no rooms prepared for letting. She gave us a box of tea bags to take with us down to her sister-in-law where we would now stay. It was just down the road and we ended having a  whole house to ourselves.Had a walk round the farm, but it seemed quite run down. They had a horse, goats, chickens and a couple of Guinea Foul were running around  the place. The farm was situated in a valley with mountains on both sides, an area which is just right for growing the "roobois" bush.

Left the farm and the valley and started the climb up the mountain to get out of the valley. A herd of goats came towards us in the middle of the road, with only a dog and a car directing their movements. In Africa you move over to let them pass and not the opposite. Eventually we hit the tar road taking us up to the N7, which goes up to Namibia. Karen had found a hotel which had camping facilities, about 60 kms from Springbok. Still too cold to camp - so again we rented a self catering house for the night. The house was about 100 square metres in size, with two thirds of that being the lounge!

Tomorrow we are heading for the Namibian border, then up to Fish River canyon. Lets hope the weather gets a bit warmer so we can resume our camping life.

Namibia - 13th October

Drove into Springbok, which is quite a big town. Found a much needed post office, where Karen had to wait in line for about half an hour while I tried to track down an internet cafe. Got the stamps, but no luck with the internet cafe. Pressed on towards Ai Ais at Fish River Canyon. Warm and blowy when we arrived. Soup for our evening meal and then into the spa pool - just what the doctor ordered. Karen has had some problems with her back, so hopefully this will help. Cold and still blowing as we got back to the tent..

14th of October

Up early and off to have a proper look at the camp. A large outdoor swimming pool with water fed from the hot springs which the area is famous for. The temperature is about 40 degrees C. We left for a walk up the canyon and followed a pipeline out to a dam. Evidence of wild horses and monkeys all over the place. The whole area when you get away from the camp is a wilderness and you don't meet anyone, with the exeption of maybe someone doing the canyon walk from the other end - 83 kms altogether.Got back after 3 hours. Yes you got it right - we were not about to do the 83 kms walk!!!

Had dinner in the restaurant. They didn't have Kudu on tonight, but Eland - so we made do with that !!!!!! In the spa again and bed - still blowy and cold.

15th of October

Drove out to all the viewpoints along the length of the canyon. This is really one of the new seven wonders of the world. Every viewpoint told a different story of the canyon. weather warmer today and not too windy. Drive to a campsite called The Roadhouse and it really is like walking into an "old" vehicle museum. The reception was the back of an old truck and the tables in the restaurant were placed in between a whole cavalcade of vehicles ranging from 30 to 50 yeras old. Out side a tree was growing in the middle of one of the old trucks parked in the middle of the car park. Had a drin in the bar later on, but difficult to talk to anyone as people were part of large groups travelling together. Met Nicholas and Zulfaa a young couple from Australia who were three months into a proposed two year trip ending up in Europe. We exchanged a bit of info and enjoyed chatting with them. They have just ripped a couple of years out of their calender and are going to enjoy it doing what we are doing. Good luck to you both. Maybe we will bump into them again - you never know.

16th - 17th of October - South Africa

We are now heading for Botswana, but we have to cross back into South Africa before we can do that. The border at Rietfontein which is a small border crossing. Leaving Namibia we had to hand over our stock of firewood because we were not allowed to take it into South Africa - even though we had bought it there. Met Roland a South African who invited us to come and stay at his lodge. We decided to take him up on his offer tomorrow, because Karen had a lot of washing to do and we didn't think we could come to his place and start doing a load of washing. Ended up at Molopo Lodge which has a fantastic campsite - so we were happy. Dinner at the lodge, got the washing done the next day and best of all the temperature went through the roof. 3.0pm in the afternoon it was 34 degrees. Now it's too warm - ha ha!

Drove out to visit Roland, but for some reason he wasn't home. We rang when we got back to the camp and it seemed he didn't live at the address he had given us, but a couple of km's further on. We couldn't ring, because our phone wouldn't work where he lived - only at the camp. It was 58 kms up a dirt road, so we didn' really fancy going back again. Rumo steak for tea, grilled over the fire.

BOTSWANA - The Kalahari Desert

 Now we were on our way towards the Kalahari desert. We crossed the border into Botswana at the entrance to Kgalahadi Transfrontier Park. Got our campsite and number, so it was off out into the desert. After we had driven about 20 kms, the road was closed. It was the only road - so this was a good start. Drove back to the gate and found out that they had forgotton to tell us that the road was closed and that we had to take another route. AWA - Africa wins again!!! Now it was after 12 noon and it was 250 kms to the camp, and when you cannot drive more than 50 kms an hour, it takes time.Saw harterbeast, springbuck, wilderbeast, gemsbuck, ostrich, dik-dik, vultures and meercats.

Botswana

On our own in the wilderness

The park is a joint venture between South Africa and Botswana. Covering some 37000 sq kms it is now shared by both countries as a protected area. You can actually enter the park in one country and leave into another! The campsite offers a long drop toilet and a fantastic view out over the desert. We were the only people here, but there is only three campsites, so it could soon get full. There is about 100 meters between sites, so you wouldn't be sitting on top of each other anyway. A lion paid us a visit during the night. We could easily see his tracks in the sand. During our toilet visit during the night, a jackal was scavaging aroud in our things to see if he could find something to eat - he couldn't. The golden rule here is that no food of any sort is left lying around - not even rubbish.

Lion on its way to the waterhole

Lion tracks from during the night

19th of October

A day relaxing at the camp. We will drive further north tomorrow. Temp. today 30 degrees C, a bit cooler than yesterday. A young couple arrived to stay at one of the other sites. Karen went down to invite them up for a coffee a bit later, but they thought it was a bit too dangerous walking up to our site in the dark, and besides they wanted to get an early night. They had used this camp before and had been a bit nervous of the close attention a couple of lions were giving them - well it is Africa!.

20th of October

Left early on our way towards Kang, the next big town on our trip. We saw a large flock of springbuck just as we left the camp. We drove down to the waterhole just a couple of kms from the campsite and we hadn't been there very long before we could see a big male lion on his way down to drink. He walked right past our vehicle - impressive animal. The lions here are famous because they have black manes. We saw another one a bit later on as we were driving - also a male. Their manes are really black and not the normal light brown.

Difficult driving

The road had now changed to a deep narrow sand track, and our progress was very slow. We were now using four wheel to keep moving. All of a sudden an oryx ran over the track just in front of us. He just broke out of the bushes which now lined the track. We were lucky we didn't hit him.

In the baking heat we reached the gate, where we had our lunch, then we pressed on. We were in for a surprise - the road got even worse - even our GPS said DEEP SAND and it was. Now it was low gear and four wheel drive. We decided after a couple of hours that we would bush camp, because we were getting nowhere fast. Decided on a simple evening meal, because the bush in the desert is so dry that lighting a fire was not on. We decided to move the vehicle before putting up the tent and we got stuck. You have to be in the desert to appreciate how easily this happens - the sand is deep everywhere, even when trees are growing in it. You are easily fooled into thinking that around the base of a tree the foundations are solid. We dug ourselves out by scooping sand out from under the wheels and with Karen pushing we got the vehicle positioned where we wanted it. Goodnight, .                                                                            

21st- 22nd of October

We attacked the sand again. Slow and hard to drive, but we are after all now driving in the Kalahari. Got to Kang, the largest town in the area. Stayed for two nights at Kalahari Rest Camp. Washed the car inside and out - it needed it, did some washing, ate fish in the camp restaurant, chased ants away, had a dip in the pool, experienced thunder and lightning African style, an interesting chat with the receptionist/chef/information giver - he did the lot and did it well. 

23rd of October

Left at 7.0am for Ghanzi - 258 kms away. Tar road all the way, so we arrived at 9.40am. Booked some camps, on the net, shopped a bit and of course a bit of lunch. Weather hot again today (34 degrees C). Booked in at Thakadu camp not far from Ghanzi. Good site with plenty of shade. Went up for a dip in the swimming pool to cool off. It's getting hotter as we move closer to the Cental Kalahari area. Chris the owner of the camping site seemed interested in our vehicle, so we gave him all the info on it and maybe he will be one of the interested buyers when we are ready to sell next year. 

It has been a long time since we updated our homepage, but internet cafes are few and far between. Hope you will bear with us

24th of October

We are now heading into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The road from Khatzi was a sandy one with deep patches of sand where our 4x4, not for the first time, battled its way through everything the track threw at us. We had booked into the Grasslands Lodge Camping Site. The lodge was closed, but the camping site, which was a couple of kms down a sandy track, was open. The owner of the lodge said we could sit around the pool and use the covered area for shade and to eat our lunch. It is low season at the moment - hence the closed lodge. It was a good job that we could stay at the lodge for a while, because the African sun had sent the temperature soaring to 35 degrees C - too hot to be at the camping site until a bit later. A couple of doctors were also staying at the camp, so we did the usual exchanging of info. They were moving south and we were going in the opposite direction. The Lodge also had Lions and wild dogs in special enclosures. They are all supposed to released back into the "wild" at some point after rehabilitation - but they are a good tourist pull - so they don't seem to be in a hurry.

25th - 28th of October - The Kalahari

Left early in the morning so we could get to the park gate at Xade. Well, now we are in the central Kalahari and we are now driving on soft sand all the time, except for the occasional salt pan. Here you cannot buy anything at all -  all your own fuel, water, food and wood you need to have with you. We arrived at the gate just before noon, where we had booked the camp at the gate. The guy at the gate was, excuse my French, a total idiot. He didn't stop talking, but said nothing and we totally confused with his directing.

Bush camp preferred

The info we did preen from him, proved later to be incorrect. We decided to backtrack along the track we had come a km where there was a single bush camp, instead of using the camp at the gate. The guards would have nothing to do but stare at us all the time. Next day we used the shower at the gate and pressed on up to Pipers Pan where we had booked camp 1. This was a tip from the doctors.

As with the previous day, we didn't meet anyone at all  on our way through the desert. The temperature is now around 40 degrees C, with the evening temperature still around 28 degrees C at 11 pm. So the myth that the desert is freezing during the night and + 40 degrees during the day, doesn't work in October.

Plenty of wildlife

During our three days in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, we saw lots of Oryx, especially around the waterhole of our last campsite in the park at Summer Pan. Encountered a pride of 5 lions at Piper Pan - we could more or less see them from the camp! Springbuck and wilder beast were in abundance on the planes. Dik diks were always lurking at the side of the tracks, Meerkats were often putting on a show of running around and standing on their hind legs looking at us. We even had a couple of Dik diks coming up to the vehicle in the camp trying to find food. All in all, an exciting experience driving through the Kalahari - but a hot one! As I sit here at the Kalahari Rest Camp in Maun, the temp. is refusing to fall under 28 degrees C at 11.30 pm - it's going to be hard to sleep tonight.

Driving through the Kalahari makes demands on both the vehicle and its occupants. driving through deep sand in temperatures approaching 40 degrees C was hard, but definitely worth the effort - though I don't think it's something we will do again.

One of the guards from the camp came running over earlier to ask if we wanted to see a Python. It was only a small one he said, but it was still 2 metres long. It was wondering around the camp in the hope of finding a juicy morsel (mice etc). Now the planning section of the next phase of our trip is underway. Today we got as much information as we could about seeing The Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobi.

Bush fire not far from our camp in Kalahari

Oryx next to our camp at Summer Pan

The Okavango Delta 29th - 31st of October

Washing day has arrived again. getting the Kalahari dust out of our clothes is not going to be an easy job. Didn't have enough clothes line, so what do you do??? Of course find one of the extension leads and from the vehicle and "hey presto" an extra clothes line. Drove into Maun, and while Karen drove round attempting to reserve the camps we wanted to go to, I went into the local inter net cafe and updated our homepage and downloaded mail from home to read at the camp later. Had lunch in Maun. Maun has certainly developed since we were last her twenty years ago. Now it's the centre for all Okavango activities, with safari companies etc on every corner.

We had booked two nights at Gunns Camp in the middle of the delta. Left the vehicle at Gunns headquarters in Maun and flew out to the camp, which took 20 minutes. We flew in a six seater plane and he kept low over the delta, so we could see the wildlife roaming the area below. You really have to fly over the delta to appreciate its size beauty. Last time we were here we only saw it from the water line. Luckily, the pilot found the landing strip and guided the machine down to a perfect landing. The girls who work at the camp sang as we approached the entrance - wow, what a welcome.

Gunns Camp is a luxury tent lodge, consisting of seven fully furnished Kenya style Meru tents, with en.suite bathrooms and lounge. The whole thing was set on a raised platform, giving you a fantastic view over the delta from a gigantic terrace. The double bed was so big, that you could really get lost in it. The camp also consisted of an elevated bar (The thirsty Buffalow) and a dining room, lounge and swimming pool.

One angry elephant

Tea in bed

Next day after being woken with a cup of tea at 5.30am, breakfast at six and then again off out in the Delta at 7.0am. Again just Karen and myself. We each had our own "mokoro" (dugout canoe) and guide. The "mokoros" today are made out of fibre glass and not wood. Glad to see that the environment is winning ground and countless trees are being spared. The fibre glass "dugout" lasts 50 years, whereas the wooden one had a life span of max 10 years and could not really be repaired as with the modern fibre glass ones.

On our mokoro trip we saw countless birds such as fish eagles, vultures, kingfishers at work fishing, herons, cranes, storks - just to name a few. We saw a painted reed frog which is the second smallest frog in the world. It wasn't any bigger than 3mm wide and 6mm long. Bones our guide said it was one of the noisiest of the species found in the swamp. I could just go on and on about our two and a half days in the Okavango - a fantastic experience. The camp was full after our first day - so we realised how lucky we were to have the camp, its guides and facilities to ourselves for 24 hours. Jinxy, the camp manager was a howl - he had one good story after the other and was an expert in emptying the bar when he thought we had had enough. One night he took us from the bar to see the stars and complete with his laser stick pointed out all the galaxies he could and of course a story from the warm land followed. We were closer to our tents than the bar and as we were not allowed to walk by ourselves after dark, because of the risk of problems with elephants or rhinos, we all went to our tents - well done Jinxy!!!