Reptiles, insects and more!

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  Campfire Safaris, South Africa
Sunday, September 16, 2007

Phew! What a scorcher! 35 degrees in the shade, so what do we do today? Go on a 5 hour hike, including shinning down ladders of varying stability(!) and scrambling here and there but our reward was the opportunity to cool off in beautiful clear pools and stand under waterfalls.

Last week involved a great trip to a reptile park where we witnessed live mice being fed to black mambas, tickled an iguana under the chin (he loved that!) handled a chameleon and watched a nile croc getting a bit grumpy! We also all knelt in a circle and a red kneed spider round round our hands using it as a track. There was also the oportunity to get really up close and personal with a scorpion and those mad enough were encouraged to have it on their face!! and yes I was one of those people - maybe that photo next time!

We also had the opportunity to visit another reserve last week and went to the location where there had been a lion kill of a zebra the previous evening. There was the rib cage with the minimum of remaining meat and half the jaw - we had seen the vultures on the ground earlier and love em or hate em they, and other members of the "clean up company" do perform a vital role in the ecological system.

At this point I have to say that I went on and wrote loads more and then lost it so gave up last night gnashing my teeth.

I'm still proving incompetent in the loading photos dept but maybe when the FGASA (field guide assoication of South Africa) student have completed their final exams I can pay Tom (19) to help me. We'll be spending quite a bit of this week providing practice for them as "clients" for their practical exam. Subjects covered last week included reptiles and fish and astronomy and weather. We made rope out on the bush (strands of "string" from Mother in Law's tongue which you then plait together - it's amazingly strong.

The frogs kicked off a few nights ago, the males start advertising as soon as it's dark about 6.30pm and go on advertising at incredible volume until you get to sleep -as you would expect nothing keeps me awake , altho hilariously I am now waking at about 6am even if the monkeys aren't carering over the roofs of our accommodation!

Our group's knowledge of trees, tracks and poo (did you know for example, that zebra poo is dark about 7cm, vaguely kidney shaped and has a line down the middle thru which you can snap it neatly in two?!) is increasing daily. I am quite staggered at the amount I seem to have picked up thus far -it makes me feel quite ashamed of my pathetic knowledge of British trees -that will be remedied when I return home! I never realised that trees try and look like other trees for any no. of reasons and the amount of false "this and that" seem to be increasing -believe it or not it is a huge cause for hilarity! On that note we saw a "false hyena" the other day. Our guide suddenly shushed us and said he thought there was a hyena in the distance.We all stopped and peeered into the distance until after a couple of mins and two sets of binocs the other guide said "hang on a minute isn't that Boersveldt? (the Staffs Bull Terrier from the reserve) You'd be amazed what you think you might have seen when you really want to - how we laughed!

Tonight we were returning to camp approaching sunset and we'd been up at the Coppie -a rocky outcrop which cats like. We'd seen some tracks earlier and they looked like cheetah,we suddenly heard a rushing in the bushes behind us and spun round to see ............... a group of warthogs legging it away -again how we laughed....!

Think I'm going to conclude here b4 I lose this .

So take care and enjoy yourself , you can be damned sure I am!

Africa Sal

xx