The Earl and I did a long circular drive. One section was called “klipspringe” but none put in a appearance and the birds and other animals seemed to be in hiding too. This I am sure was probably because they were sheltering from the wind somewhere. However, the scenery was spectacular and what we saw was awesome.

The wind blew all night and when we arose at 08h00 this morning it had not died down! I have to admit it was difficult to extract myself from my warm and cosy bed but when I did I found that it was not that cold outdoors. The mercury was soon up to 17 degrees C. After a compulsory cup of strong, hot, black coffee and a rusk with our travelling companions we got ourselves ready for some exploring.

It was around 1 o’clock when we returned. After doing some camp chores and catching up with emails and social media the others took a nap and I did the rest-camp trail. The wind was howling so it was not very pleasant but interesting nonetheless. I started on the south trail which had detours to see things of interest and then joined the north trail to complete the circuit.

Along the route certain of the plants were labeled but they all looked the same to me. It was very dry and nothing was flowering.

One of the detours took me to an olden day hyaena trap. Early stock farmers tired of losing their stock to jackal, hyaena, leopard and other predatory wild animals would build these traps

The bait was secured to a pin at the rear of the trap. A rawhide rope would be covered with animal fat and attached to the bait at one end and to the pin on the trapdoor at the other end. When the animal tugged at the bait the rope would tighten and release the trapdoor. A small aperture (usually blocked by a stone) was located above the bait enabling one to see into the trap. The farmer would insert a rifle or assegaai through the aperture and kill the poor trapped thief.
Sadly, the use of these traps contributed to the extinction of the brown hyeana in the karoo.

I also detoured to a wonderful fossil trail which would delight anybody interested in paleontology. The Karoo is very rich in fossils of terrestrial animals from the Permian and Triassic geological periods. The 300m paved trail, has collections of fossilized creatures in glass cabinets each having a signboard explaining its exhibit.

These Karoo wildlife fossils are from 255 million years ago. Today the Karoo is a dry semi-desert but 300 million years ago it was a sea.

Of course I was also on the lookout for birds.

It was tea-time when I returned and it was a relief to escape the gusting wind.

For supper we once again went to the restaurant and all had the ox-tail which was excellent.

Tomorrow we leave for Kimberley.

For the past several weeks, the third wave of Covid brought an Alert Level Four Lockdown with strict curfews, alcohol bans, and limitations on travelling through Gauteng.  Then to add insult to injury insurrection and rioting caused havoc in Kwa-Zulu Natal causing us to rethink routes to avoid the rebels, hijacking and fuel and food shortages.  The joys of living in Africa!   Fellow Gecko owners, Alec and Cathy (109) and the Earl and I (81) had a 38-day Kruger Trip planned and feared we might have to postpone or cancel.   But with a positive attitude and a desperation to get into the bush we planned regardless and prayed that calm would descend upon our country and that our esteemed president would return us to Alert Level Three.  And yes – we listened to his address to the nation on Sunday night and to our relief and joy found that not only could we travel through Gauteng without our permits we could pack our favourite alcoholic beverages too!  A sunset in the wild is just not the same without a glass of “Life from Stone” to enjoy it with.  Cheers and thank you dear President Cyril Ramaphosa.  

Just before departure date the country was hit by an incredible cold front and just two days ago our first destination, Karoo National Park was covered in snow!  Now for those of you who don’t know our beautiful sunny South Africa, snow in The Great Karoo is a rare thing.  Yes there might be a sprinkle on the mountain tops but not  that often anywhere lower down thank you very much.  All over the land temperatures plummeted and we were shocked to see, on social media, snow storms occurring all along our planned route!   Even in our seaside village of Struisbaai it has been bitterly cold causing us to light the wood burning stove from early on in the day.   But clearly the Gods are on our side as today dawned chilly with clear skies and a promise that the Little and Great Karoo had left the minus temperatures behind.  But our caravan beds were made up with down duvets and an electric blanket to ensure that the chill stayed well away.

We met up with our Napier friends Cathy and Alec at the Bredasdorp silos at 8:20 am and with joy in our heart drove the scenic route to Karoo National Park.  The snow still lay thick on the mountain tops but temperatures did not drop below 6 degrees C. Mostly we enjoyed sunshine and warmth to 21 degrees C by midday.

The entire trip from Bredasdorp on the R319, N2 and R324 through Swellendam and Suurbraak to Barrydale where we stopped for breakfast at the delightful Country Pumpkin and then followed Route 62 to Oudtshoorn where we refueled and joined the N12 and passed through the very beautiful Meiringspoort to Beaufort West finally arriving at Karoo National Park at 3 pm.   We will be spending two nights here, before continuing for another 5 days to enter at Pafuri Gate in the north of Kruger National Park.   Watch this space for reports of our adventures.

The Little Karoo thrilled us with its unusual greenness and beautiful orange flowering aloes. against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains.  The Great Karoo was dry in spite of the recent snowfalls.   But what I love most about the stark Karoo are the colours – the awesome beauty of the muted pinks, mauves greens and russets.  

Karoo National Park’s campsite is awesome. Today is the first day of Term 3 so there were not many campers and we had no trouble picking out two lovely campsites next to each other. The ablutions are pristine and beautifully cared for.

We had dinner at the restaurant this evening and were their only guests. The food was fantastic – Chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and feta for me, Karoo lamb chops for Cathy, Beef Steak for Alec and Venison steak for the Earl. All served with veggies and potato wedges.

It is now half past nine. I am snug under my down duvet, the hot blanket is on and the Earl is already fast asleep. Outside it is chilly and the wind is blowing but luckily no snow! Tomorrow we will explore the park and hopefully I will have some more photos to show you. Thank you for joining us on our latest Gecko adventure.

Wednesday 2 December 2020

This morning I awoke pain-free! We were on the road by six o’clock. The weather was cool and overcast. We needed to get the caravan to Malelane for a service. The plan was to deliver the caravan and leave it at the workshop overnight. When the Earl booked this service he was not sure how long they would need the keep the caravan so we booked a bungalow at Berg-en-Dal for two nights.

Originally we planned to stop at Berg-en-Dal before going to Malelane so we could unpack what we needed from the caravan into the bungalow but then we realised that check in is only at two o’clock! So we stopped at Afsaal, did our rearranging and then drove to Malelane, found the workshop, went to Safeway Tyres to check when they would get the new tyre we’d ordered, had breakfast at Wimpy and then went back to the park. We took a slow drive and checked in at Berg-en-Dal at one o’clock. They were happy to let us in an hour early.

For the first hour of our journey to Afsaal very few creatures turned up to chat. Then suddenly I called out, “Rhino!”

A little later the Earl saw something running toward us.

Nothing much more exciting happened until we returned from dropping the caravan off. Then we received a lovely surprise.

Last year we chalked up 163 different bird species. This year we have beaten our record and have 166 species. I’m still looking for a Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl and have one more day to find him! But today we got a new one for this year’s list.

There were lots of elephants today but we were fascinated to see a mom with two calves. The one was obviously older but still suckling.

We had a total of four rhino sightings today but not all the photos are worth posting. It is encouraging to see these creatures as they are very sort after by poachers. There is a war going on to protect them.

Our Berg-en-Dal bungalow is really cool. I still prefer my caravan but a break in comfortable accommodation that is well equipped doesn’t hurt. The only thing I couldn’t find when preparing dinner was a vegetable peeler. There is a microwave but no microwave dishes! This did not bother me as I used one of their pots to cook my chicken casserole on the stove.

The kitchen has a two-plate built in hob, a microwave and fridge. It is fully equipped

We were welcomed to our accommodation by some friendly creatures

At two o’clock the Earl received a call from the workshop. The caravan was ready for collection! Safeway tyres had also received the ordered tyre so off he went to Malelane. We needn’t have booked accommodation after all! But never mind. We’ll stay here until the day after tomorrow when we are due to leave. In the meantime the caravan is safely parked and available for anything we might have forgotten to bring in.