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Two Geckos on a Road Trip – Day 7 – Augrabies

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This morning breakfast was hosted by Cathy and Alec. They enjoyed the ‘original Early breakfast’ and wanted to see if they could get it right. Well, of course they made their own tweaks to it and it was delicious. The Earl is now scheming how to improve his recipe even more!

It was laundry and house cleaning day today. After a week on the road our clothes and caravans needed some attention. I popped my load into the machine. It took my three five rand coins but then didn’t switch on! Some staff were about and they quickly called the techie guys and it was sorted within minutes. The weather being hot and breezy meant we could hang it all out in the hanging yard and it was dry very quickly.

Living in a small space means that cleaning up is done in a jiffy. After a good sweep, wipe and tidy up I went off to the pool for a swim and then toddled off to the bird hide. It was the middle of the day so I did not expect much activity at the pond. There were not birds but the dragonflies were so pretty so I spent some time trying to photograph the hyper-active little creatures.

Yesterday Cathy and I had seen the malachite kingfisher but neither of us got the portrait. I willed one to appear and as I snapped a dragonfly something bright and orange caught my eye. He made a brief appearance, posed beautifully and then flew off as if to say, “I hope you’re happy now. I came her specially to say hello.”

Malachite Kingfisher

I then walked around the lawns where, like yesterday, there was quite a bit of bird activity. The sparrows, starlings, bulbuls and doves were very active. Then I saw something slightly different. A glossy starling? I wondered. But no – It has a long decurved bill – a scimitarbill! I spent ages watching him digging in the bark of a tree looking for insects.

With his wings out
What will I find here?
Very tasty, thank you.

Back at camp the greedy African Pied Wagtail came peeping by hoping for a crumb or two.

Some cheese, please?

In the afternoon we all went for a drive and visited some more view points. We also saw some creatures!

What a surprise to find Jeremy Giraffe – none of is friends or relatives appeared to greet us
We almost missed Kippie Klipspringer – Look carefully someone is hiding under the tree
As we rounded the bend I looked back and shouted “Stop” Kippie’s wife was staring down at us.
Swart Rante means Black Ridges
The black ridges  are composed entirely of Metagabbro, a rock that contains no quartz and is made up entirely of dark ferromagnesian minerals and feldspar and they contrast to the pink granite gneiss they are intruded into.
Atop a rock this gorgeous guy surveyed the scene
Another stunning view
A Quiver Tree
Three-banded plover
A party of three-banded plovers. The males were chasing the females
Close-up of a quiver tree near the campsite
This San People thought this tree resembled a man – see the hair on the head and the tiny arms? It is called a halfmens (Afrikaans for Half Person)

Sadly it was our last day. We braaied chicken drumsticks and pork chops for dinner.

A couple from Somerset West arrived late as they got a little lost. Before setting up they said they would go to the restaurant for dinner. They had no defrosted food to braai. Well with the restaurant being closed that would not work. We all started making suggestions. Cathy and Alec have a microwave, perhaps they could defrost something. Maybe they could do bacon and eggs? NO! Not good enough. Hang on, I said, I still have left-over lamb curry from last night. I went over and offered our new friends some braaied chicken drumsticks and lamb curry. Come over when you’re ready, I said. They were most grateful. Cathy warmed to curry in her microwave and also had some left over rice. After they set up Louise and Francis came over. That’s what campers do – pay it forward. We now have two new friends who I am sure we will run into again in the future.

Two Geckos on a Road Trip – Day 6 – Augrabies

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It rained in the night. But not a lot. The Earl and I had left our camp chairs at Gecko 109’s site but they were dry when Alec brought them over at 07:00. It was overcast but still very warm at that hour.

Once everyone was up, showered and dressed we had an ‘Early’ breakfast just after nine. The Earl whipped up scrambled eggs with feta, bell peppers, mushrooms, bacon and tomato. Cathy brought her four slice toaster so there was no waiting for the pop up.

After breakfast we went to the bird hide. There was a little activity there but we saw a lot more on the lawns and in the trees outside the hide.

Cape Robin-chat at our campsite
Reed Warbler from the hide
Trying to hide
Male Red Bishop
Posing nicely
Karoo Thrush in the distance
House Sparrow
Karoo Thrush with Bulbul and sparrow
According to my bird app the brown-hooded kingfisher is not supposed to be here – seems he has not read the bird book! The starling and thrush are also surprised to see him
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Karoo Thrush
Crested Barbet
Back at camp we found a ground squirrel!

At 15h00 we went for a drive in the game viewing area. We only spotted ground squirrels, hyraxes, vervet monkeys, springbok and birds. But that was not the point of the drive. It was for the colours of the Augrabies, the rocks and canyon. We stopped at a few viewpoints and just drank in the sheer, stark beauty of the place.

Driving through a puddle
Typical Augrabies Scene
Three-banded plover
Three-banded plovers at all the puddles
Vervet Monkeys were all over the place
Baby Vervet loves the Duivel Doring (devil thorn) flowers
The canyon from a view point
Another View
Me
Rocks and more rocks
The Earl, Cathy and Alec
Oh those colours!
They were so close but took off when they saw us – Our national animal The Springbok or Rugby Bucks as my grandkids used to call them!
The End of our Drive

Back at camp The Earl prepared a lovely lamb curry. We had originally intended to braai but rain was predicted so we planned accordingly. Ha – a drip and a drop heralded a perfect evening – so braai it will be tomorrow.

Sunset over Gecko 109
Waiting for the curry to cook

After dinner, I surprised everyone with a Magnum each. Earlier in the afternoon, I had walked to the camp shop and bought them while the others were napping or swimming in the pool. They were just the thing to cool the taste buds after a good curry!

Two Geckos on a Road Trip – Day 5 – Augrabies National Park

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This morning The Earl and I had to take the caravan to Upington. The tow hitch needed to have shocks replaced and the wheel bearings needed to be checked too.

We left at 07h30 and the drive to Upington took just over an hour. We saw the Khi Solar One , the first solar tower plant in Africa. 

Khi Solar One

We had no trouble finding the workshop and once the Gecko was checked in we went in search of a place to have breakfast and wait until we could pick it up again. We made a few purchases at Checkers, looked for Cafe Zest where we had been before when passing through this ‘metropolis’ but were disappointed to find that COVID had forced them to close down. Instead we went to Dros in the Pick ‘n Pay Centre. It was awesome. We had excellent coffee and a wonderful breakfast very reasonably priced. The service was friendly and efficient and they made sure that we were comfortable for the next two hours. Even the owner checked up on us, gave us some information about places we could visit in the area and also let us have the use of an extension lead to plug in the computer. They were also happy to let us use their free wifi.

Breakfast at Dros

When all was done we collected the Gecko and were back at camp by 15h30. Cathy and Alec kindly helped us set up camp and we were soon enjoying some refreshing drinks. We then went for a walk to check out the falls.

An African Red-eyed bulbul winked at me as I passed by
A thirsty hyrax slaked his thirst at a rock pool
Another basked in the late afternoon sun
The Colours of Augrabies
Brown-throated Martin
Looking down on the falls
Sunset
Oh those colours in the golden light
Enjoying the cool evening air after a lovely dinner of spaghetti bolognese cooked by Cathy and Alec

Two Geckos on a Road Trip – Day 4 – Springbok to Augrabies

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We decided to have breakfast in camp this morning and only left after 9:00 am. We had an interesting ride to Augrabies and were particularly fascinated to see a solar farm with hundreds of solar panels on the side of the road. With all the sun in the semi-desert it certainly makes sense to feed some solar power into the grid.

The caravan park at Augrabies was relatively empty. The Earl and I arrived ahead of Cathy and Alec and we soon found a shady spot to set up. Photos to follow in my next blog.

Entrance to the pristine Augrabies Rest Camp

We parked and did not unhook as the following day we needed to take the Gecko to Upington for new shock absorbers on the tow hitch.

Once settled I went to explore.

The pond nearby had but one bird – a reed cormorant enjoying a fishing expedition
A rock sprouts a tree and I struggle to get anything to grow in my fertile garden!
There were plenty of pale-winged starlings about
I found two swimming pools and both were sparkling. The Earl and I spent an hour cooling off here later in the day

I found the signposts to the falls so decided to continue my walk to preview them on my own. It was a crazy thing to do as it was midday and very hot!

These curious guys, sensibly resting in the shade must have thought I was nuts to be out in the midday sun
This one tried to hide in the foliage of a tree
I found the falls – lovely but not as thundering as I had expected

Our friends were not far behind us and after they’d set up we had a bite to eat with them before going off for a swim.

After our swim I walked with The Earl to see the falls again. In the afternoon light we could see a rainbow in the spray.

The walkway is well maintained
A lovely rainbow in the falls
These guys were everywhere too.

The facilities here at Augrabies are very good. Hopefully, the ablutions will be adequate over the long weekend when I expect the place will fill up. There are only two blocks with two loos and two showers on each of the male and female sides. They are sparkling clean though.

More about Augrabies in the coming days.

Two Geckos on a road trip – Day 3 – Citrusdal to Springbok

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The secret to enjoying a road trip is to take it slowly. What a pleasure not to do long distances on our travelling days. Our morning started with a leisurely cup of tea/coffee and rusks, a chat with fellow campers and then packing up to go.

Gecko 109 have me completely determined to get movers before our next trip. Wow setting up and packing up is a real picnic with the magic wand in the hands of Cathy. A group of fellow campers were standing around chatting as she quietly pressed some buttons and guided her Gecko. Seeing the enormous van slip off on its own caused one gallant prince to leap forward to ‘save’ it. “Don’t worry,” we yelled, “Cathy has everything in her control.” He was totally blown away and I do believe he now plans to upgrade his camping equipment to include this modern device too.

We bade farewell to the wide-eyed spectators and were on our way to Springbok by 8:00 am. The skies were clear and after a slightly chilly start to the day it soon became pleasantly warm.

Our first stop was to refuel and have breakfast in Vanrynsdorp.

Lovely food was on offer
After ordering you can sit outdoors
Or if you prefer in. The counter along the side provide power outlets as well as USB ports.

Once our vehicles and ourselves were refuelled we continued our journey.

Gecko 109 lead the way

We had not pre-booked a place to overnight but had no trouble getting into Springbok Caravan Park. On arrival there were just a three or four other sites occupied but by 5 pm it was pretty full as a group of five or six trailer campers arrived.

We had two shady campsites next to each other. Everything was in good order. There is a laundry and the wash-up facilities and ablutions are clean and well-maintained.

Gecko 81 and 109 comfortably set up
There is a pool – but it was not sparkling like the ones we’d just left so we gave swimming amiss. I have been to this campsite before and on that occasion the pool was pristine. There was no electricity the whole day and this might be contributing to lack of maintenance of the pool
This is one of the ferral cats that visited and appreciated some generous handouts from The Earl and Alec
Another benefactor of the cat-lovers

Our supper tonight was pork rashers, steak, sweet potatoes cooked in tinfoil with a dash of Amarula, butter and salt, gem squash and a salad.

Everything was delicious

Tomorrow we head for Augrabies.

I know that a number of our fellow Gecko Family members are reading and I thank you all for your support and comments on the WhatsApp group.

Two Geckos on a Road Trip – Day 2 – Citrusdal

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The overcast conditions of yesterday were gone and we woke to a bright sunshiny day. Alec was up when I emerged from our Gecko at 8 am. We both put on our kettles and got tea and coffee on the go for our respective spouses. After we were all up for the day we decided to go to the restaurant for breakfast and then hit the hot bath.

Stunning setting for breakfast
Fabulous fun in the crystal clear hot pool

I can’t praise this venue enough. The facilities are awesome. Everything is pristine. Our campsite is not very close to the pool but it is shady and private. The road to the pool is narrow and there are the disadvantage of the campsites closer to the pool mean that you are disturbed by the cars passing by.

After our swim The Earl, Cathy and Alec went back to camp but I decided to stay with the intention of walking back later. However, I ended up spending the rest of the day in the shade, reading my book and dipping in and out of the pool for the rest of the day! Although the camp was fully booked the pool was quiet with guests visiting in waves throughout the day.

The Earl came looking for me at 3:30 and stayed for a swim. We met some other guests and we got to chatting about caravanning and camping. They were staying in one of the duplexes. We took them to see the Gecko and then we went to see the duplex which was really lovely. We also got to see the other facilities on offer. There are lovely natural rock pools and jacuzzis that are available to all guests. There is also a salon where you can go for facials, massages and other treatments.

Me with the natural spring in the background taken by my Ria who I met at the pool
Rock pool taken by Ria
Ria
The natural pool
Enjoying our new friends

In the evening The Earl, Alec, Cathy and I went to the restaurant to have dinner. It was really good and highly recommended. I had calamari, The Earl had ribs and Cathy and Alec had fillet steak. All were served with chips and a good Greek salad. Afterwards we had an evening swim in the pool before retiring for the night. It was a really good day!

Dinner at the restaurant

Share Your World – 15 March 2021

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Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Sparks

How well do you know your next-door neighbors?   Do you like them?   (credit to Cyranny for the question)

This is a good question. We have lived in Struisbaai for almost six years. The neighbours on one side were only in residence once or twice a year. We knew them vaguely to say hi, and then we ourselves would be leave for the holidays so never got to know them very well. There is now a young family living there and we are on friendly but not visiting terms with them. The little boy is six and we chat over the fence. Sometimes he deliberately drops a toy or kicks a ball over and then asks to fetch it. He is really cute.

We have had three different neighbours on the other side and got to know the first lot briefly. They worked for the airforce and were renting. When the house was sold, they left and we never saw them again. Then a single man moved in, made some renovations and then sold. While he was in residence we got to know him fairly well but we weren’t great buddies. Then the latest neighbours moved in, a fellow fishing enthusiast and his partner. Johnny’s daughter also stayed there for a while and we became quite fond of her but she has subsequently moved on. We have become quite friendly with Johnny and Anneline but they are often away and so are we. This is the nature of our lives. But we like our neighbours and recently have got to know them quite well.

Do you have a full length mirror?  (credit to Sadje for the rest of the questions)

There is a full length mirror in my spare room which I like to use every day. It’s important to check that I’m not to scary when I go out to face the world.

However, when I’m camping I don’t have such a luxury unless the ablutions stretch to such an item. This is rare!

(for the men)  Do you shave every day or do you like the ‘stubble’ look, or a beard?

My husband has a beard so does not shave every day. However, it’s not a full beard so a bit of trimming and shaving is necessary from time to time

(for the ladies)   How long do you spend putting on make-up in the morning?

Not long. I put on base, blush and lipstick and that’s it.

How many items of clothing are in your bedroom (or closet) and not hung up?

All my dresses, trousers/jeans and shirts/blouses are hung in a cupboard/closet. Shorts, t-shirts, scarves and other items are folded in drawers. As I no longer have to dress up to go to work I have a very practical wardrobe. I wear skirts and dresses at home and shorts, tee shirts and jeans on camping holidays. I adore clothes but try to resist the temptation of buying more until what I have falls into rags. LOL

GRATITUDE QUESTION (as always optional)

Do you have a happy place?

Yes I do. I love being in my caravan and I am there right now. We’re on a road trip with some new friends who have the same Gecko off-road caravan as ours. We will be travelling for two weeks and this to me is bliss. I am generally a happy person but being off on a trip with the caravan is just the cherry on top and I love it. The best place in the world to be is Kruger National Park but that’s a once a year thing. Righ now we’re visiting other national parks in South Africa as well as visiting small places along the way. It’s just another ‘lousy’ day in Africa!

Two Geckos on a Road Trip – Day 1 – Struisbaai to Citrusdal

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Alec and Cathy, live just up the drag from us in Napier, Western Cape. The only connection we have with them is that they also own a Gecko Off-Road Caravan.

These caravans are manufactured in Haenetsburg a village situated on the edge of the Great Escarpment in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, on the R71 road between Polokwane and Tzaneen en route to the Kruger National Park. It’s a small family business and each of their caravans are numbered. We are 81 and Cathy and Alec ar 109. Since they began in 2013 they have produced 160+ caravans. All Gecko owners belong to a Facebook and WhatsApp group and share tips and information about their caravan and camping experiences and this is how we met up with our ‘neighbours’ just 50km down the drag from us.

So shortly after meeting them they invited us to join them on a spur of the moment, two week Road Trip. It took only a heart beat of thinking to reply and say, Yes indeed we will join you.

Today marked the beginning of our our trip from Stuisbaai/Napier to Citrusdal, The Baths Natural Hot Springs. We decided to leave in our own time and meet up at The Baths.

It poured on Sunday night before departure and was still a bit iffy when we left at 8 am. We stopped to shop at Checkers, Bredasdorp and then at Springfield in Robertson to stock up on wine. It was overcast but not too wet. It was after 10 when we reached Worcester when hunger pangs insisted we stop for breakfast at Mountain Mall. The Wimpy, as usual, provided us with a satisfying and inexpensive breakfast of scrambled egg, cheese griller, bacon and toast. Wimp coffee also never disappoints. A text from Cathy confirmed that they too were having a sandwich and coffee somewhere in Worcester and we were just behind then on the road to Citrusdal. The route was scenic and they arrived just minutes before we did.

Our campsites are 23 A and 23 B. We set up camp and chilled for the rest of the afternoon. How amazing that we met other Struisbaai people camping nearby too. It is indeed a small world.

A scenic route
Our campsite at The Baths, Citrusdal

We had an awesome braai for supper and turned in early this evening. More of our adventures tomorrow.

Share Your World – 8 March 2021

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Here are my answers to this week’s questions from Sparks

If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be for?  (Covid considerations are suspended for this question)

It would probably be for someone in my family reaching a milestone – like 21, 60, 70 100 etc. I don’t like huge parties where you just don’t get to interact with everyone but sometimes it is necessary. I prefer to celebrate with a Champagne Breakfast and I would serve a variety of fruits, Greek yogurt, muesli, croissants, rolls, small pastries, smoked salmon, ham and other cold cuts, pates, cream cheese and savoury quiches. There would be fresh orange juice and chilled champagne. And everybody would help themselves. There would be both indoor and outdoor seating and everyone would be free to mingle and chat.

Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

Sometimes, yes. A stunning sunset/sunrise, a silhouetted giraffe on the horizon, lions having a drink at the waterhole in the early morning light – priceless. You can describe these things in words but the picture tells it far more eloquently.

Uh Oh!

Where IS Waldo?   (Waldo, for those unfamiliar with him, is a cartoon character featured in many “find Waldo” images and puzzles)      <——  WALDO

Waldo would be hiding behind a tree at a Kruger National Park picnic site, binoculars glued to his eyes as he searches for a bearded woodpecker.

What’s the best part of waking up?

Finding that I’m still alive!

No seriously – it’s the coffee.

Would you rather be covered in fur or covered in scales?   (Wee disclaimer.  I’m certainly not advocating the slaughter of creatures and the use of their skins for clothing or accessories.  No!  This question is a ‘grow your own’ type question…if you had an option of your own skin being made of fur OR scales, which would you choose?)

Fur would be lovely. It would be warm in winter and cool in summer after I moult the winter layer. And imagine the lovely feeling of being stroked – I’d purr like a cat!

GRATITUDE SECTION (Always optional) 

Feel free to share your gratitude for our world!

grat3

I am grateful for my friend Kim who came to stay bringing her daughter and friend along. We have had such lovely adventures with them which has cheered us up after keeping things low key during Level Three Lockdown. (We’re now on Level One.)

The Earl and Me with Kim, Siobhan and Kimmie

Share Your World – 15 February 2021

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Some interesting questions from Sparks this week. Here are my answers.

QUESTIONS:

Do you feel you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know?

If I want to know something, I ask or I go to that know-it-all called Google. She has all the answers.

I don’t ask too many personal questions though. If it is none of my business, I’d prefer not to know.

When did you fail to speak up when you feel you should have?

I regret not following through with something that happened to my step-child at school. The brief for a assignment was to write to a friend whose parents were getting a divorce. I think what she wrote was excellent but the teacher commented that she did not show empathy and clearly didn’t understand the situation. Well, how dare he. My child was coping with the loss of her mother, her step-sister (my own child) was a product of a ‘broken’ home and she saw the effects of that. We spoke about our problems in our home, dealt with them and moved on! Her advice to her fictional friend was sound. Don’t blame yourself and get on with your life. (not those exact words but you get my drift) I wrote a letter explaining that his pupil was a very caring girl, who’d coped with grief and was kind and loving toward her siblings, and how dare he judge her when he didn’t even know her! I never got an answer and only later found out that it was because she wouldn’t give my note to her English teacher. She feared she would be picked on if she did so I let it go. This was many years ago (she is 50 years old now) and I still in my head, I play out the conversation I wanted to have with that idiot although now I can’t even remember his name.

When was the last time you felt lucky?*

I feel lucky all the time. It would be awful if it finally ran out!

What is a boulder?

It is huge, smooth rock which comes in different hues and can be rather fun to sit on and stare out at the view below. They are found everywhere, on the mountain, beside the sea and even in the garden of the house I lived in as a child. It must have rolled down from the mountain behind us many, many years before. I loved that boulder and would climb up on top of it and lay down flat on my back and watch the clouds and dream.

Two of grandsons atop a boulder on Elsie’s Peak, Fish Hoek, Western Cape, South Africa

*If the lucky question feels like a re-tread, sorry. 

GRATITUDE SECTION (as always optional)

Feel free to share your gratitude with everyone! 

See the lucky question – I am hugely grateful for things usually going well in my life, for the lovely seaside village I live in, for my and my hubbies health, for good friends, children and grandchildren that still live in the country and are close enough to visit, enough money to live comfortably and the energy to still enjoy the remaining years of our lives.