Thurs 17th June
We had an adventure of a completely different kind this morning, we again set off in search of a leopard at around 8am. Again we headed to the water's edge but this time the water was flooded just a bit too much and we got completely stuck in about a foot of muddy water, the wheels span, we were grounded. Luckily the engine did not stop and the exhaust was half out of the water and it spluttered and farted but did not stop. Lenti stripped off to his vest and shorts and went into the bitterly cold water and the cold wind to rescue us. First finding logs then jacking up the car to get them under the wheels so that we could get some grip. It took over an hour to get us moving after several failed attempts, but then finally we were off. We got about 6m before we were stuck again and this time the engine stopped. That is the worst thing, now, had the exhaust been underwater still, water would have been sucked up into the engine and then we would have been stuck for good. Lenti's hands were so cold that he couldn't turn the key but fortunately when I gave it a go the engine spurted back into life and after another 10 mins of jacking and placing logs we managed to make it out of the water.
We leapt from the vehicle and covered Lenti in blankets, made him coffee and fed him chocolate then, after about 15 mins he could feel his hands and feet enough to get underway again. Phew!
But our aquatic adventure was not over yet, as we left the Moremi game reserve, that has been our fantastic host for the past few days, we had to do three river crossings, one of which was the one where the two German guys got stuck yesterday. So we were all a bit nervous and Lenti was definitely more cautious, we rocked and rolled through the rivers and pools, one time water splashing up over the engine, but we made it through. Then we were off 120km along a sandy track with a top speed of about 30kmh to Sabuti, a dry marsh area where the river hasn't flowed for over 30 years, but this year it is flowing and is over a foot deep! We passed some South Africans who obviously didn't know how to drive in the sand and they had got themselves stuck. Lenti gave them advice but they didn't seem to want to take it until they had tried and tried and were just digging themselves deeper and deeper into the sand. Eventually Lenti gave them one last bit of advice and then told them that we were driving on but that we would stop up the road and wait for about 20 mins to see if they could get out else we would send for help by his radio. They finally took his advice and unhooked their trailer and did lots of reversing and then going forward - SLOWLY - so that the wheels could get traction. We bypassed them and stopped about 1km ahead to have lunch and just as we finished they came along the road, finally having followed his advice and managing to free themselves.
We arrived in our new campsite at around 2:30pm, had a quick cup of tea and then went out on a game drive. We had only been going about 20 mins when there she was, the beauty, a leopard right out in the open, sunbathing on the top of a termite mound. She was gorgeous and posed for us for over half an hour as we sat and watched. Then we went to see some Wildebeast and by the time we returned she had gone, but what a treat. Another great day.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Moremi Game Reserve - Day 3
Wed 16th June
We had a lie in until 7:30am, it was cold again last night but I went to bed with roasty toasty legs due to the large campfire we had been sitting around. Lenti had gone off into a village about 1/2 and hour away so their were no lights that they usually leave lit from the car battery, he went to watch the Brazil game, he reckons they are going to win again. Celso decided to sit around the fire for longer than Tris and I and he was rewarded with a brief sighting of a grey Bush baby that scuttled up the tree right by our fire and then leapt away.
After a breakfast of hot rice pudding we set off on a game drive to see if we could find the pride of lions that had kept us awake from about 4am with their roaring. Lenti explained that they only roar for 3 reasons; 1, they have made a kill and are just happy; 2, they are calling together all their members after an unsuccessful hunt; or 3, they are confident and advertising their presence and ownership of the territory. To Tris and I it had sounded like they were only about 400m away but Lenti thought they were more like 3km away. He said that if they are within 15m or so you can actually feel the vibrations of their roars through the ground!
We found one pair of lions, an (about) 5 year old male and a female, we are not sure if this was the lion that made all that noise or not, but he was magnificent anyway even though not yet fully grown. We later saw tracks for more lions with cubs and another set for a Cheetah but we couldn't find them.
We took a track along the edge of the river but it was completely flooded and at times I was sure we were going to get stuck as the water came up over the wheels and the exhaust farted from under the water, but Lenti got us safely through. We saw some Red Lechwe antelope that live in or around water, about twice the size of the Impala and with no black markings. We had taken that route because it is prime habitat for leopards in the trees above the water as they sit in wait for animals to come down to drink; no luck for us though. We thought we had found a large kill when we saw vultures circling and then coming down to the ground, we got fabulous pictures of them hunched in the trees; but as we approached 'the kill' we found that it was a dead 3m Rock Python, perhaps killed by a Honey Badger, or maybe it died of old age, but anyway the vultures were enjoying it! There were three types of vulture, 1 Hooded vulture that flew off as we approached, 1 White Headed vulture and perhaps 20 or so White backed vultures, they are such ugly-beautiful creatures!
Later we came across a couple of elephants sunbathing and looking completely blissful and unaware of our presence.
By 11am we had found our way to the park entrance gate to collect some more water for camp. We met a couple of German guys there who had spent all night in their rented 4WD stuck in a river, all their documents and money had been in the safe in the floor of the car and they were completely soaked so they were trying to dry out passports, money and visa papers in the sun. Fortunately their 4WD was one of those with a pop up sleeping section so they had managed to get some rest up and out of the water but it must have been absolutely freezing and a scary time. They were pulled out this morning by a passing truck and were now waiting to be towed back to Maun to see if the vehicle can be fixed.
We are now back in camp and sitting in the sun. Lunch will be served soon! Celso has spent the last hour photographing a strange little beetle thing, first found by Tristan when we went to get water but now we find them everywhere. They have two antlers and a long stick thing down their backs but they are less than 5mm long, we haven't a clue what they are and we have no insect book so we will have to wait until we can get some Internet access before we can discover what they are.
The afternoon game drive was a bit unsuccessful, we saw plenty of Impala and baboons, but some Meyer's Parrots were too shy for us to get a real close up look or even a distant photograph. We were specifically looking for leopards, which in this tree filled area can sit up to 6m above the ground, so we spent the drive squinting up into the trees but with no luck.
When we returned to camp the hippos were honking and a female lion made its way around the camp through about 130 degrees (but over 2km away), roaring as she went and occasionally answered by a male, I wonder if it was the same 2 we saw this morning.
After dark we had a brief glimpse of a Bush baby but he/she was far too fast, up into the canopy and off, leaping and jumping. Later another came to lick the sap from the tree bark just above our fire and we managed to get a few snaps before he/she too leapt away.
We had a lie in until 7:30am, it was cold again last night but I went to bed with roasty toasty legs due to the large campfire we had been sitting around. Lenti had gone off into a village about 1/2 and hour away so their were no lights that they usually leave lit from the car battery, he went to watch the Brazil game, he reckons they are going to win again. Celso decided to sit around the fire for longer than Tris and I and he was rewarded with a brief sighting of a grey Bush baby that scuttled up the tree right by our fire and then leapt away.
After a breakfast of hot rice pudding we set off on a game drive to see if we could find the pride of lions that had kept us awake from about 4am with their roaring. Lenti explained that they only roar for 3 reasons; 1, they have made a kill and are just happy; 2, they are calling together all their members after an unsuccessful hunt; or 3, they are confident and advertising their presence and ownership of the territory. To Tris and I it had sounded like they were only about 400m away but Lenti thought they were more like 3km away. He said that if they are within 15m or so you can actually feel the vibrations of their roars through the ground!
We found one pair of lions, an (about) 5 year old male and a female, we are not sure if this was the lion that made all that noise or not, but he was magnificent anyway even though not yet fully grown. We later saw tracks for more lions with cubs and another set for a Cheetah but we couldn't find them.
We took a track along the edge of the river but it was completely flooded and at times I was sure we were going to get stuck as the water came up over the wheels and the exhaust farted from under the water, but Lenti got us safely through. We saw some Red Lechwe antelope that live in or around water, about twice the size of the Impala and with no black markings. We had taken that route because it is prime habitat for leopards in the trees above the water as they sit in wait for animals to come down to drink; no luck for us though. We thought we had found a large kill when we saw vultures circling and then coming down to the ground, we got fabulous pictures of them hunched in the trees; but as we approached 'the kill' we found that it was a dead 3m Rock Python, perhaps killed by a Honey Badger, or maybe it died of old age, but anyway the vultures were enjoying it! There were three types of vulture, 1 Hooded vulture that flew off as we approached, 1 White Headed vulture and perhaps 20 or so White backed vultures, they are such ugly-beautiful creatures!
Later we came across a couple of elephants sunbathing and looking completely blissful and unaware of our presence.
By 11am we had found our way to the park entrance gate to collect some more water for camp. We met a couple of German guys there who had spent all night in their rented 4WD stuck in a river, all their documents and money had been in the safe in the floor of the car and they were completely soaked so they were trying to dry out passports, money and visa papers in the sun. Fortunately their 4WD was one of those with a pop up sleeping section so they had managed to get some rest up and out of the water but it must have been absolutely freezing and a scary time. They were pulled out this morning by a passing truck and were now waiting to be towed back to Maun to see if the vehicle can be fixed.
We are now back in camp and sitting in the sun. Lunch will be served soon! Celso has spent the last hour photographing a strange little beetle thing, first found by Tristan when we went to get water but now we find them everywhere. They have two antlers and a long stick thing down their backs but they are less than 5mm long, we haven't a clue what they are and we have no insect book so we will have to wait until we can get some Internet access before we can discover what they are.
The afternoon game drive was a bit unsuccessful, we saw plenty of Impala and baboons, but some Meyer's Parrots were too shy for us to get a real close up look or even a distant photograph. We were specifically looking for leopards, which in this tree filled area can sit up to 6m above the ground, so we spent the drive squinting up into the trees but with no luck.
When we returned to camp the hippos were honking and a female lion made its way around the camp through about 130 degrees (but over 2km away), roaring as she went and occasionally answered by a male, I wonder if it was the same 2 we saw this morning.
After dark we had a brief glimpse of a Bush baby but he/she was far too fast, up into the canopy and off, leaping and jumping. Later another came to lick the sap from the tree bark just above our fire and we managed to get a few snaps before he/she too leapt away.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Moremi Game Reserve - Day 2
Tues 15th June
Last night after I wrote the blog I was looking at some of the photos when a Praying Mantis came and sat on the screen as it was nice and bright; he sat there at the bottom of the screen for over 20 mins when a mosquito landed near the top of the screen; the hunt was on; he crept up the screen and then out shot his hands and he grabbed his prey and sat munching for another 5 minutes; it was safari in miniature! Then later we went to bed with the Hippos honking from 3 different directions, they are noisy, big brutes! They do 4 honks then wait 5 seconds and then repeat until another responds from somewhere else.
At about 4am we were woken by what sounded like rain, but it was just a strong wind that apparently is common this time of year, and it continued for the rest of the day making it bitterly cold when you were caught in it without protection from the trees.
Our first stop today was a visit to an area from which you can get taken out into the delta in canoes. On the way we saw Reedbucks leaping through the tall reeds at the edge of the river; then we nearly ran head first into a large male elephant in musk coming in the other direction. Males in musk look like they have been crying with some fluid oozing from just above and back a bit from their eyes. He was definitely a little bit flustered when he noticed us and flared his ears before making a detour off the track to avoid us.
When we got in the canoes, Celso was propelled by Glen and Tris and I were in a second canoe propelled by Action. They were both very knowledgeable about the plants and wildlife of the delta. We stopped for photos of beautiful lilies that change in colour after pollination from white and yellow to pinks, blues and purples, then the flower is withdrawn back under water and becomes a fruit. We found 3 fruits and ate two; I didn't think much of it, it was full of tiny pips that made the texture like eating grit and the nutty taste didn't make up for it; however, Celso and Tris munched merrily on them! We also found some water figs, tiny berries on a bush that grows in the water, they turn from yellow to red when ripe and Tris and I found 1 ripe one to munch on, again it was very gritty but this time a tiny bit sweet too. Glen spotted the tiniest frog that I have ever seen, barely 2 cm and looked like wet sugar, glistening and slightly green. He was clinging to a reed about a foot above the water and he was no thicker than the diameter of the reed itself. Action spotted another slightly larger frog later on, also clinging to a reed about a foot above the water, he was about 4cm and brightly coloured, orangey brown with cream coloured stripes and spots and bright orange feet; he leapt away onto a lily pad which was the perfect photographic opportunity. At the furthest point on our canoe journey we entered an open bit of water where the crocs can get up to 6m long; I'm quite glad we didn't see any as I felt quite vulnerable in the wobbly little canoes, then we left the canoes and crept around the edge of the water to watch a pod of 4 hippos, a large male, 2 females and a baby; however the wind was blowing and they were avoiding coming out of the water as much as possible so the sightings weren't that good. We spotted a kingfisher; no trees here to sit on a look for the fish, here they have to hover above the water to spot their prey.
After 2.5 hours out on the water we were cold but happy with our sightings and we returned to a welcome cup of hot tea and then headed back into the drier area East towards the River Kwai again but on a rather protracted route due to the many track closures due to flooding. We again were treated to some fantastic wildlife viewing. First we ran into the male elephant in musk again, then 2 lions (young males) lazing in the sun, one with his head on the others back looking very contented. Then a hippo out of the water and munching on the grass, another Hammerkop duck, a large male warthog with his antenna tail, 3 large Topi (the fastest antelope), a flap necked chameleon that we nearly ran over as he tried to cross the road, he was yellow, camouflaged against the sand but turned green as we picked him up and then brown as we released him on a tree - incredible. We stopped and had some lunch and watched a huge ant colony carting away our bread crumbs and blocking the hole into their nest with a largish piece which caused quite a commotion for a while as they sorted it all out. As we started off again a Honey Badger crossed the road about 10m in front of us but the road was so bad at that point that it took us ages to reach that point and all we could see was his bottom disappearing into the bush. He/She is such a funny looking creature, sort of the shape of an earwig, very low to the ground but with a hairy skirt rather than a shell, it just looked like some sort of dry elongated mop head shuffling across the road. Our next encounter was a little hairy; a tree had fallen across the road in the winds and Lenti decided to try and pull it out of the way with the truck. As we left the truck to attach a rope to the tree Celso joked that it was an elephant that had pushed it over to block the road in some kind of protest, then Celso shouted 'Elephant, Elephant!' and we looked up to see a large male with ears flared tramping towards us from out of the brush. Tris, Celso and I dived into the truck, but poor Lenti who had had head down fixing the towing rope didn't have a clue where the elephant was and didn't know which way to go... we laughed about it afterwards! Luckily the elephant decided not to do a full charge and stopped about 5m away behind some bushes at the edge of the road, then turned and went away. So after the tree was successfully moved we got under way again and came across a huge herd of elephant, mums and toddlers, at a water hole. There were, perhaps, 25 to 30 individuals and some posed and drank beautifully for us. As we neared our next camp we surprised a group of Vervet monkeys foraging on some fallen wood, they leapt up into the trees and watched us pass. We are staying at this camp for 2 days so the guys have even set up a small canopy tent for our dining table, it is all very civilised - oh yes, I tried the loo and it's fine, you just put some soil down the hole after each visit!
Last night after I wrote the blog I was looking at some of the photos when a Praying Mantis came and sat on the screen as it was nice and bright; he sat there at the bottom of the screen for over 20 mins when a mosquito landed near the top of the screen; the hunt was on; he crept up the screen and then out shot his hands and he grabbed his prey and sat munching for another 5 minutes; it was safari in miniature! Then later we went to bed with the Hippos honking from 3 different directions, they are noisy, big brutes! They do 4 honks then wait 5 seconds and then repeat until another responds from somewhere else.
At about 4am we were woken by what sounded like rain, but it was just a strong wind that apparently is common this time of year, and it continued for the rest of the day making it bitterly cold when you were caught in it without protection from the trees.
Our first stop today was a visit to an area from which you can get taken out into the delta in canoes. On the way we saw Reedbucks leaping through the tall reeds at the edge of the river; then we nearly ran head first into a large male elephant in musk coming in the other direction. Males in musk look like they have been crying with some fluid oozing from just above and back a bit from their eyes. He was definitely a little bit flustered when he noticed us and flared his ears before making a detour off the track to avoid us.
When we got in the canoes, Celso was propelled by Glen and Tris and I were in a second canoe propelled by Action. They were both very knowledgeable about the plants and wildlife of the delta. We stopped for photos of beautiful lilies that change in colour after pollination from white and yellow to pinks, blues and purples, then the flower is withdrawn back under water and becomes a fruit. We found 3 fruits and ate two; I didn't think much of it, it was full of tiny pips that made the texture like eating grit and the nutty taste didn't make up for it; however, Celso and Tris munched merrily on them! We also found some water figs, tiny berries on a bush that grows in the water, they turn from yellow to red when ripe and Tris and I found 1 ripe one to munch on, again it was very gritty but this time a tiny bit sweet too. Glen spotted the tiniest frog that I have ever seen, barely 2 cm and looked like wet sugar, glistening and slightly green. He was clinging to a reed about a foot above the water and he was no thicker than the diameter of the reed itself. Action spotted another slightly larger frog later on, also clinging to a reed about a foot above the water, he was about 4cm and brightly coloured, orangey brown with cream coloured stripes and spots and bright orange feet; he leapt away onto a lily pad which was the perfect photographic opportunity. At the furthest point on our canoe journey we entered an open bit of water where the crocs can get up to 6m long; I'm quite glad we didn't see any as I felt quite vulnerable in the wobbly little canoes, then we left the canoes and crept around the edge of the water to watch a pod of 4 hippos, a large male, 2 females and a baby; however the wind was blowing and they were avoiding coming out of the water as much as possible so the sightings weren't that good. We spotted a kingfisher; no trees here to sit on a look for the fish, here they have to hover above the water to spot their prey.
After 2.5 hours out on the water we were cold but happy with our sightings and we returned to a welcome cup of hot tea and then headed back into the drier area East towards the River Kwai again but on a rather protracted route due to the many track closures due to flooding. We again were treated to some fantastic wildlife viewing. First we ran into the male elephant in musk again, then 2 lions (young males) lazing in the sun, one with his head on the others back looking very contented. Then a hippo out of the water and munching on the grass, another Hammerkop duck, a large male warthog with his antenna tail, 3 large Topi (the fastest antelope), a flap necked chameleon that we nearly ran over as he tried to cross the road, he was yellow, camouflaged against the sand but turned green as we picked him up and then brown as we released him on a tree - incredible. We stopped and had some lunch and watched a huge ant colony carting away our bread crumbs and blocking the hole into their nest with a largish piece which caused quite a commotion for a while as they sorted it all out. As we started off again a Honey Badger crossed the road about 10m in front of us but the road was so bad at that point that it took us ages to reach that point and all we could see was his bottom disappearing into the bush. He/She is such a funny looking creature, sort of the shape of an earwig, very low to the ground but with a hairy skirt rather than a shell, it just looked like some sort of dry elongated mop head shuffling across the road. Our next encounter was a little hairy; a tree had fallen across the road in the winds and Lenti decided to try and pull it out of the way with the truck. As we left the truck to attach a rope to the tree Celso joked that it was an elephant that had pushed it over to block the road in some kind of protest, then Celso shouted 'Elephant, Elephant!' and we looked up to see a large male with ears flared tramping towards us from out of the brush. Tris, Celso and I dived into the truck, but poor Lenti who had had head down fixing the towing rope didn't have a clue where the elephant was and didn't know which way to go... we laughed about it afterwards! Luckily the elephant decided not to do a full charge and stopped about 5m away behind some bushes at the edge of the road, then turned and went away. So after the tree was successfully moved we got under way again and came across a huge herd of elephant, mums and toddlers, at a water hole. There were, perhaps, 25 to 30 individuals and some posed and drank beautifully for us. As we neared our next camp we surprised a group of Vervet monkeys foraging on some fallen wood, they leapt up into the trees and watched us pass. We are staying at this camp for 2 days so the guys have even set up a small canopy tent for our dining table, it is all very civilised - oh yes, I tried the loo and it's fine, you just put some soil down the hole after each visit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)