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Ankle-Biters at Large
(Continued from Bare Faced Cheek(s) in Botswana)
Mabuasehube, the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP), turned out to be a lovely experience for Angela and I, despite our concerns about the overheating Landrover. This was our first visit to the area and we were impressed with the scenery, beautiful small pans surrounded by forests of camelthorn.
The game viewing was not as prolific as we'd hoped for after the rains but we found a pride of 12 lions (including 8 cubs) at the totally unpronounceable Mpaathutlwa Pan, about a kilometre from our campsite. Dian and Elzana, who we stayed with in Gaborone before the trip, had been unable to camp here a month earlier as the pride had occupied the campsite. The couple had enjoyed the rare privilege of "babysitting" the 8 cubs whilst the adults went off hunting!
Another highlight was the sunset visit of three Brown Hyaena to our campsite on Mabuasehube Pan; one crept up to our campfire in the dark, allowing us a very close view of what is usually a very shy and secretive animal. What struck us all is how big these animals are close up!
For reasons best known to themselves, the Botswana Dept of Wildlife provide rubbish bins in Mabuasehube, unlike Central Kalahari where you burn your rubbish and take out what can't be burnt. Aesthetically placed so they block your view of the pan when you sit around the campfire, these overflowing bins help explain the apparent tameness of the Brown Hyaena!
After four relaxing days in Mabuasehube we headed west on the very scenic 200 kilometre public road (actually a sand track) to Nossob, a familiar camp, on the South African side of the park. This being a Transfrontier Park, you do not have to exit Botswana Customs or check in at South African Customs until you leave, which is just as well because the Customs post is a mere 6 hour drive south of Nossob at Twee Rivirien.
Last time we were at Nossob, in February, we shared the camp with one other vehicle. This time, thanks to South African school holidays, we didn't so much share the campsite as defend our little patch of red sand from hoards of ankle-biters and their mostly ill mannered and loud parents. Fortunately we only had to suffer one night of screaming miniature Beelzebubs before heading north to Polentswa, a beautiful unfenced campsite back on the Botswana side of the park 60 kilometres north of Nossob.
This location was such a peaceful and relaxing contrast to Nossob we vowed we would be back the next time we visit KTP. Lions roared each night, jackals sang for us and our neighbours in the other two campsites were as quiet as church mice.
To compensate for the privation (bucket showers, strip washes and long drop toilets) of the last 15 days Isaac had arranged for us to stay at Gharagab, a collection of 4 two person chalets overlooking a waterhole in a remote part of the South African park near the Namibian border. Despite the car continuing to lose water faster than an anorexic with diarrhoea, and despite a 2-hour drive through yet more long grass, we enjoyed our overnight stay.
Gharagab was trumped though, by two nights at Urikaruus, another South African National Parks (SANP) wilderness camp. Our chalet, on stilts, overlooked a waterhole and on our second night we were fortunate to turn the spotlight on a pride of lions sneaking by silently in mid hunt. The yelp of an ever vigilant bat eared fox ruined the hunt, which was the cue for the lions to return to the waterhole in front of us to drink.
These chalets, with solar lights, gas fridges, en-suite bathrooms and best of all, no fencing, represent very good value for money at R750 (£53) per couple, though like everything else in South Africa prior to the 2010 World Cup, the prices will be going up exponentially later this year!
As we headed south to Twee Rivirien, the entrance gate to the park, we were amazed by the sheer volume of cars, mostly driven by kids sat on Dad's lap, heading in for Easter. The park felt more like Kruger and was too busy. Fortunately Isaac had a final trump card, he had booked our last night in Rooiputs, a campsite on the Botswana side of the park some 20 kilometres north of Twee Rivirien.
As the South African gravel road was closed for repairs we travelled to Rooiputs on the Botswana side sand track, the first 6 kilometres of which proved to be the toughest driving of the whole trip! Water run off from the copious quantities of rain over the last two months meant that every 50 metres or so I was required to drop in to low box and very slowly ease the car and finally the trailer in to ravine like trenches that had washed out the sand track.
Despite Angela insisting twice that there was no way the car could get across we managed to get to Rooiputs with most of the car and trailer still attached and I was able to turn off the engine just as the temperature gauge headed for the red zone!
Rooiputs, with a generous spacing between the 6 campsites most of which were empty despite the hordes flocking in to the park further south, turned out to be a lovely final night destination. The barking geckos serenaded us at sunset and we had a perfect night sky, with one of the best views of Orion ever, and Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, shining above us.
The next day we de-camped and with the usual pit of the stomach feeling that borders always create, checked out of Botswana at Two Rivers. The Customs officer could hardly stay awake and was in jeans and T-shirt, so for all we knew we may have been stamped out of Botswana by the cleaner!
A short drive across the dry Nossob river bed and we were in Twee Rivirien, the South African version of Two Rivers. Here the Customs official was in full uniform and keen to clarify why we spend so much time in South Africa. As always the urge to let steam off and point out that we spend a ton of money in South Africa (especially with Landrover garages!) was overwhelming but you resort to the usual grovelling about wanting to travel more, beautiful country, lovely people etc etc. I let Angela do most of this, she usually has them and me in tears by the end of it, and so we got our 3 months visa.
The police officer was the next hurdle, a humourless idiot whose main pre-occupation was that we might have arrived back with seeds from Botswana. I would have loved to shove him under the car to have a look at the collection of grass seeds that result from 4,500 kilometres of driving in Botswana but instead we let him look in the Landrover back seats and trailer draws.
Perhaps he was hoping to find half a dozen miniature palm trees and a tray of breadfruit plants but if so he was to be disappointed! His eyes alighted on another vehicle pulling in and we were dismissed with an impatient wave, welcome to South Africa!
A big "thank you" is overdue to Isaac and Liesel for planning this Kalahari trip and allowing us to join them on it, it was perfect. Apologies are due to Liesel, we are sorry if we inadvertently got in the way of her plans for Isaac's "death by lions"!
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