This morning I planned to leave camp at 07:00 – the gate opening time. But it was freezing! So I only emerged from the duvet at quarter to seven, went to shower, and on my return persuaded the Earl that he ought to rise and shine. The temperature was 3 degrees C!
We gobbled down some boiled eggs and ham, drank a hot cup of coffee, took our meds, and then set off for the wild at 08:10.
Our route today was to Rooiputs Waterhole, then Kij Kij, up to Melkvlei picnic site, and then just another 11km to Gunong Waterhole. We were snuggled up in warm jackets and gloves but as the sun rose higher in the sky so did the temperature. By midday, it was 25 degrees C. We were dressed in layers and as the day warmed up the layers were shed.
The scenery in Kgalagdi is phenomenal. The beautiful red dunes really brighten the landscape and I love the contrast of colours.
“Omiword but it’s cold,” complained Russel Rock Crestel as he ruffled up his feathers to keep warm The Rugby Team didn’t seem to mind as they decorated the landscapeJack the Jackal was proud as punch as he trotted off to take breakfast to his cubsThe Rooiputs lions did not want to look at us – something else was attracting their attentionI’m tired of all this nonsense, I’m just going to lie here till it warms up!The sisters agreed and stayed soaking up the sun all day.Hi, I’m Goldy. It’s cold but my Tawny Eagle feathers keep me warmAt Kij Kij, the lions were conspicuous by their absence but the Namaqua Sandgrouse were enjoying the waterholeThe beautiful colours of the KalahariA Tawny surveys the sceneMelkvlei Picnic SiteIt has clean facilitiesGemsbok enjoying a drink at Gunong WaterholeThis lot were at RooiputsThere’s a water shortage in the Kalahari so Dust Baths are the order of the day!
This will be my last blog post for some time. We leave for Nossob tomorrow and there will be no internet connection until we return to Twee Rivieren on 25 August. Depending on what happens I may only blog again when we return home on 20 August.
Before I begin on today’s adventure let me tell the campers what the facilities are like here at Twee Rivieren.
There is a laundry with a functioning washing machine and dryer. You need to buy tokens from Reception at R21 each. There are also laundry basins for hand washing and there is a courtyard where you may hang your clothes.
The ablutions are clean and well-maintained if a little old-fashioned. The showers are hot and they work well.
There is also an adequate kitchen where you can do the washing up. It also has a microwave oven for the use of guests.
The park shop is okay. You can get some fresh veggies like cucumber and tomatoes, potatoes and onions but nothing special and supplies are limited. It is well stocked with nature field guides and books as well as camping equipment that you might need if you forgot to pack something. Of course, it is also full of touristy stuff.
Now to the good stuff!
We started the day with a light breakfast of cereal and yogurt and of course good strong coffee. A flask and nibbles were packed as we planned to have a snack stop at Auchterlonie Picnic Site.
The mornings and evenings are quite chilly but it warms up considerably during the day.
We followed the northern road on the west side passing Kielie Krankie to the Auchterlonie Picinic site and then across the Tierkop road to Kij Kij Waterhole. From there we drove south back to Twee Rivieren
This morning’s sunriseSteenbok couple starting their dayA handsome gemsbok descends the mountainThere were lots of sociable weavers aboutI think the pale chanting goshawk is the most common bird of prey in the parkThe cutest sighting – ground squirrels catching the early morning sunraysWe were delighted to meet a Kalahari RobinGemsbok descended the dune path
We watched a drongo and shrike chase each other and call out bird swear words but we’re not sure who won. They settled down on separate perches as if nothing was amiss.
This Crimson-breasted Shrike wondered what he’d done to upset the drongo.Fork-tailed Drongo looking ever so innocent after being very rude to Crimson Breasted ShrikeThe white-browed sparrow-weaver decided not to get involvedView from one of the viewpointsThe Northern Black Korahaan was strutting aboutOne of the many Marico Flycatchers that we sawThe Common Fiscals of the Kgalagadi sport a white eye stripeWe were delighted to find a Short-toed Rock ThrushSally Steenbok running away from Simon again!A handsome Yellow-billed HornbillAuchterlonie Picnic SiteThere were a few opportunistic yellow mongooses begging for crumbsMr. Cape Sparrow kept an eye on the ladiesA Sobota Lark methinksMr. Northern Black KorhaanMrs. Northern Black KorhaanGreater KestrelAnother Wildebeest for my Oztrian friend, Erich
As we neared Kij Kij we spotted something large and orange. It was a sleeping lion with his back to us and we couldn’t see his head. However, a little further on we found two sleeping peacefully. Local gossip had it that there were several more including cubs but they were dozing somewhere out of sight.
The two cats we sawToo nervous to drink in case they become prey
At another waterhole, we observed some ostriches having a chat.
Getting their necks in a twist while they hogged the waterholeThe gemsbok kept a respectful distance and waited his turn but the springbok simply made his way to slake his thirstHe was soon joined by the rest of the team and the ostriches being firm supporters of the Springboks looked on indulgentlyIf they can, I can, thought the OryxBut the ostrich flapped his wings angrily and the bad boy scuttled away
During our last stretch back to camp we came across another two interesting mammals
Jack was on a mission but he turned to acknowledge us before scampering awayAnd soon after that a beautiful Red Hartebeest trotted by.
We left Monate at nine o’clock this morning. It was once again a beautiful sunny morning with temperatures beginning at about 18 degrees C and rising to the early thirties by midday.
It was a three-hour drive to Twee Rivieren and the closer we got to the park the more the landscape changed to typical Kalahari with its red dunes.
It was awesome to see Twee Rivieren again. We were here last in 2018 and Cathy and Alec visited in 2019.
Once we had checked in at reception which was quick and efficient we made our way to the campsite and set up. We chose sites next to each other that had shelters. This time of the year TR can get quite windy and that means DUST. We would be relatively sheltered and also close to the ablutions, laundry and kitchen.
Once we were settled we had some lunch and while everyone went to have a lie down I took a walk around the camp and visited the shop before coming back to read my book until 3 pm.
These are photos of some of the camp’s wildlife
Ground Squirrel
White-backed Mousebirds
At about 3:30 we took a short game drive. The temperature was in the thirties and was very hot.
Kori Bustard on our first day – not bad!Members of our National Animal – The Springbok – welcomed usIt’s mating season for the steenboks “Come on Sally, Let’s get a room.” “No way Simon I’m not in the mood”
The South African section of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was called The Kalahari Gemsbok Park and of course, we saw quite a few members of that species.
These Guys were thirstyGreat to see this wildebeest – a favourite of my Oztrian friend, ErichThat was such a lovely sandbath!Hi there – I’m Sammy Surricate – Have you seen my friends? Can’t find them anywhere! I’m Gordon Ground Squirrel and No, I have not – mine are here somewhere.Jacob Jackal is usually on a mission but when he caught sight of us he sat down and stared.Pale Chanting Goshawk finds the top of sociable weaver condominium a perfect place to perch onOur first Marico Flycatcher of the trip – and certainly not our last!
It was not a bad start to our Kgalagadi stay. The internet was down for a few hours and we could not refuel as the card machine was not working. Fortunately, we had enough to last for our short drive and when we returned they were back online. However, the internet is very slow and erratic and my blog posts will surely be affected by that.
Thanks to those who have made comments on WordPress, Facebook, and the groups I share links on. If I don’t reply it is all to do with trying to post while the internet is good and sometimes I just don’t get to reading all the comments.
Friday 11 August 2023 Calvinia to Monate Caravan Park, Upington
The traffic noise was quite hectic last night and we all experienced some disturbed sleep. The campsite would be fine if it weren’t for that little hiccup. If the railways were functioning efficiently then there would be fewer trucks on the roads at all hours. In years gone by this would have been an ideal overnight stop.
It was not too cold when we woke up but jeans and a fleece were required. By 08:30 after a quick breakfast of cereal and a cup of coffee, we were packed up and ready to leave for Monate Campsite outside Upington. By midday, the temperature had risen to 30 degrees C.
There were no more spectacular fields of flowers but instead, the stark yet beautiful Karoo landscape took over. The colours of the Kalahari are muted – khaki, olive green, pinky mauve, and grey. The land is flat with scattered scrub and the occasional tree. Where there is water the landscape will suddenly come alive with brighter shades of green. As we neared the Kalahari there were patches of orange/red sandhills.
Typical Karoo MountainsKaroo ColoursLovely to see lots of quiver treesThe quiver tree gets its name from the San people who used to hollow out the tubular branches of the tree to form quivers for their arrows. The Dry Karoo needs windmills to pump subterranean water
The only farm animals that we saw were the occasional flock of Dorper sheep. A few springboks made an appearance and we saw a few mongooses.
There were too many pied and black crows but we were pleased to see Pale Chanting Goshawk, kestrels, and the odd Jackal buzzard.
As we travelled deeper into the Northern Cape we started to see sociable weaver nests.
. The nests consist of separate chambers, each of which is occupied by a pair (sometimes with offspring) and used to roost and breed. The birds usually build their nests in acacia trees but telephone poles are used too.
We stopped in Kenhardt to refuel. Originally, we were not planning to have a meal there as we were sure there would not be anywhere suitable. But Kenhardt turned out to be such a quaint town and it was like going back into the mid-twentieth century. Oma Miemie’s Bakery caught Cathy’s attention and after refueling we doubled back and were able to park both caravans very comfortably.
What a gem this little restaurant is. It was really like visiting Grandma’s house in 1960. Pies are their specialty and are baked on the premises. What a treat they are! I had the Vegetarian which was filled with butternut and bell peppers. The others had Lamb and Rosemary and we all had a delicious side salad of cucumber, tomato, carrot and avocado pear. The pies are served with their homemade spekboom chutney – really good with just a little kick. They also serve excellent coffee – an Americano for me, lattes for Alec and Cathy, and a cappuccino for the Earl. We all agree that Oma Miemie’s is five-star!
Bone-handle, silver cutlery, and fine china straight from Grandma’s houseA really delicious lunch
There are some lovely preserves, raw honey, home-baked fare, and other products on sale, and we all went away with some lovely treats to enjoy in the park.
Feeling refreshed and fortified we continued on for another hour and a half. Driving through Upington which is quite a big Northern Cape town was quite hair-raising as there was a lot of traffic, school had just been let out and very few of the traffic lights were working! It’s a good thing we did not wait to have lunch there!
Our campsite, Monate, is several kilometres outside Upington and is just lovely. We have plenty of shade, a neat little picnic table, a lovely braaiplek, and the birdlife is great. A special bird to see in the park is the Northern Black Korhaan – well there were ten walking around the campsite when we arrived. I have never seen so many in one place in my life before. White-browed sparrow weavers have made their nests, as usual on the west side of the trees, and they were very vocal today. We also spotted a crowned lapwing and some bulbuls. A ground squirrel and a yellow mongoose also made an appearance.
Two Geckos arriving at MonateOur campsiteSome of the korhaans at the campMale Northern Black KorhaanWhite-browed Sparrow WeaverGround SquirrelYellow MongooseLaughing DovesSunset at MonateThe Earl at the Braai
It was warm enough to strip off jeans and jerseys and change into shorts and t-shirts and although it got slightly cooler in the evening it was only necessary to don a fleece.
Because we had eaten such a lovely lunch we were not very hungry at supper time. So we decided just to braai some boerewors, and a chop and chicken wing each and serve it with salad.
Load shedding started at 8 and by that time we had finished eating. Everyone went off to do ablutions and get ready to bed while I finished washing up duty. When I’d finished I walked toward the ablution block and noticed another caravan had arrived. Lo and behold it was Gecko 36 – Shirly and her hubby whose name now escapes me. They had driven here all the way from Pretoria! We chatted for half an hour. They are on their way to Namaqualand to see the flowers.
As I write it is half past nine and it is still warm outdoors. I think I might have packed too many winter clothes!
Gecko 109 (Cathy and Alec) and Gecko 81 (Helen and Earl) are on the first leg of their road trip to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape, South Africa.
Thanks to Cathy’s excellent organising skills the trip that she planned a year ago began today. But there was a hiccup. Earl needed to renew both our car and caravan licenses but when he tried to do it at 3 pm on Tuesday the municipal office had already closed at 12 noon and yesterday was a public holiday! So Cathy printed out the required forms on Wednesday afternoon and the Earl and I arrived bright and early at the Bredasdorp Traffic Department at 07:45. Earl was third in the queue but was finished first as he had his forms all filled in! The office opened at 08:00 and he was done by 08:12 enabling us to meet at the appointed spot by 08:25!
Our first stop at 10:00 was at Christina’s on Van Loveren’s Wine Farm in Robertson where we had a delicious breakfast. It’s a great place to stop as there is plenty of space to park the caravans. Their Eggs Florentine and omelets are awesome. The coffee is excellent too.
At lunchtime, we stopped at Kardoesie and had toasted sandwiches and smoothies before continuing to Calvinia where we spent the night at Klipwerf Self-Catering and Camping. The camping section is tiny and we could not park our little Geckos without using our movers. The site is also on a busy road so the sound of heavy vehicles can disturb your sleep. We have a small ablution of a loo, basin, and shower shared by our two caravans.
We wanted to go to a restaurant for dinner but when I phoned around they were all fully booked It is, after all, flower season! So we opted for takeaway pizzas from Ciela which were excellent. I phoned to order and they Whatsapped me the menu then I replied with our choices – Just Meat for the men, Kiepie for Cath, and Stella for me. South African readers will guess the “Kiepie” had chicken. Stella – butternut and feta among other stuff. They then sent a pin and promised to let us know when to collect. The wait was about 40 minutes as they were really busy. Flower season is really good for business in this neck of the woods!
So those are the details of Day One. Now for the photographs of our scenic drive through Namaqualand. The weather was glorious. Our starting temperature was 12 degrees C but through Namaqualand, it rose to 30 degrees C! August is the best month to visit Namaqualand especially if the preceding months have had good rains. And indeed it has been a very wet winter. The photographs do not do justice to how incredibly beautiful the flowers are this year. Most of my photographs were taken from a moving vehicle!
And for the campers and caravanners – our campsite photos
Cathy and Alec’s siteHelen and Earl’s site The tiny ablution between the sitesThe Gate in the background.
Winter has been particularly cold and wet in our neck of the woods this year. But for the past few days, it has been sunny and slightly warmer. Spring, we hope, is making her way towards us.
Last Thursday our good friends Tom and Meg from Cape Town came to spend a couple of days with us. “We want to sleep in the caravan,” Tom insisted although we had plenty of beds in the house! And so I made up the caravan as cozily as I could and they were delighted.
On Thursday evening we invited mutual friends around for a braai and we had an awesome time catching up.
On Friday, Tom said he would love us to take him and Meg bird watching. When they stayed with us in 2015 we had a very successful trip to Arniston and surrounds and got a list of 72 birds. The route Tom requested this time was to De Mond and back which covered some of the roads we did in October 2015. This time of the year, I warned, would probably not produce as many birds.
On checking on the 2015 excursion I saw that we made a very early start. Eight years later we only made it to breakfast at Earth Restaurant after 10! But even with the time and the light not being quite right we still managed to chalk up 55 species.
Little GrebeRed-knobbed CootYellow-billed DucksCape ShovelersBlack-winged StiltCape Weaver at his nestSpeckled MousebirdCape LongclawRed-faced MousebirdAnd then they flew awayCape BulbulsOstrichWe did not do the whole 7km circular route but I have done it in the past and it’s lovelyTom and Meg crossing the bridge at De Mond Nature ReserveMe on the bridgeTom, Meg, and I climbed to the viewpoint and enjoyed the panoramic viewsAfrican DarterWe then joined The Earl to walk towards the mouth – E alerted us to this Three Banded Plover
I really wanted to see a secretary bird and a Denham’s Bustard. The latter was a real possibility as these birds are quite common in the area but they must have been away for the weekend. However, just as we were resigning ourselves to the fact that no more species would be added to the list, a big bird dropped from the sky, landed in the field next to the car and took off at a run! It was a secretary bird. We almost fell out of the vehicle in surprise and I only just managed to get two very poor photographs!
In the evening we had a wonderful time at Suitpunt Diepsee Hengelklub’s social where we enjoyed pork curry for dinner and enjoyed the company of our friends Sonja and Roger again.
Megan and Tom posing in front of the Marlin!
On Saturday Tom and Meg packed up and went to spend a night with a friend in Agulhas before returning to Cape Town on Sunday.
Sunday was a truly awesome sunny day and I could not bear to waste it so persuaded the Earl to take a drive along the Elim Road and then to Napier where we had lunch. We left at 9 am and had a wonderful morning of birding chalking up 45 species. Some we’d seen on our birding excursion with Tom and Meg and but others were new giving us a total for the weekend of 64
I really had to think about this question because I always say stuff isn’t important in the greater scheme of things but then I thought – but I love my stuff – both expensive and sentimental. The expensive stuff like my jewelry also has sentimental value as most of my pieces were gifts. The home we owned back in Cape Town was a wrench to part with as it was filled with so many happy memories and I miss it still. So each thing I own has sentiment attached to it. But some things can be replaced while others can’t like a little yearbook my Grade One class made for me several years ago. I would be heartbroken if that disappeared because it is truly irreplaceable.
2. What do you consider to be ‘a quiet night in’?
Most nights are quiet nights in with my hubby. We have sundowners at 5, dine at 6, and are usually in bed watching our favourite TV shows till after 10! Once or twice a week we entertain at home or dine out with friends. These evenings are also quiet compared to our very busy social lives from yesteryear.
3. Do you believe in Soul Mates?
I absolutely do and I believe I have a few.
4. Can you dance? (for example: old time, disco, jive)
I can dance with my husband because he leads very well and we just get into the rhythm and do our own thing. If our song, Lady in Red, is playing, we get up and dance whether there’s a dance floor or not.
Gratitude:
Concentrate on what we have, not what we want.
What a privilege to have all that I need and more and that I am surrounded by loving friends and family and am able to truly enjoy my golden years.
I have a few loved ones who are not well right now but they’re in good, caring hands, and for that I am truly grateful.
Adventuring into Retirement 