BootsnAll Travel Blogs

Well, its been 7 months since I was in Africa – I was missing it

OK, I was missing it AND Stuart at Tuli had emailed me to ask if I would go over and help him run the Tracking course now offered by ACE and then help to run Koro camp after Charlie sadlyleaves it.

16th Sept and I’m off with Virgin to Joburg then by hire car to Kuruman where I met Ikey (in his by now very battered Cruiser) and then to Clive’s farm again ( I was there twice last year with Ikeys ‘lot’) to catch Sable, wildebeeste, kudu and others. Twas nice to see the gang again (Tokman, Des, Hannas) but now with Hannas brother and a new guy Michael. Was also good to see some of the ‘boys’ again – including Rasta, Gunman and Samuel(s). Catching went well with no major mishaps, tho I did get kicked by a darted Sable as we picked it up in a sheet of tarpaulin, which tore freeing a rear leg (the Sable’s not mine)

me and Ikey also skived off and drank lots of coffee in the town whilst the guys were busy building/dismantling the boma …ah well – he IS the boss!

next we were off into the Kalihari – me driving the 4.5l Cruiser with a rhino trailer in tow (another phrase I never thought Id be writing. We stopped at a nice farm with the farm manger (Gideon) and his wife joining us for a braai that night. Next day we were up early (as usual) and catching Kudu, Zebra and Wildebeest..today I was doing 3 jobs: the first red door, the 2nd red door and also the truck door too!

End of the day’s catching but still the middle of the day so we went off to deliver some kudu at a guys farm. Sadly as we released them, one fell from the back of the truck and broke its neck. as everyone got down from the truck, i stayed sitting on top (no-one had said we HAD to get down) at this point the truck started moving…faster and faster till I realised they were actually leaving the farm, not just moving ON the farm!…no bother, I thought, I’ll just stay here and enjoy the rid – which is what I did….until we drive thru the thorn trees. man THAT HURT!! my arm and side got shredded as I was whipped and dragged along the top of the truck….luckily chicks dig scars, eh?

When we left the farm that evening – after a number of beers…we all jumped into a Cruiser pick up (backie) and speeded along the dirt roads back to our lodging – en-route, our driver decided to try and catch a Springbok which was running along the road in front of us…he managed to hit the poor thing (though it was unharmed) but also managed to spin us off the road in the process – another life experience!

Next day we moved to another farm for more catching, however it being my last day with the team, Ikey drove me back to Clives farm to pick up the car and return to Joburg.

update 26th June Well, as I now get the keys to the Landie, I can drive folks around (well kind of: I get to drive the students up to meeting points with Stuart) its kind of entertaining as theres quite a few ellies around again now…we got charged the other day: firstly we got ambushed – an ellie had pushed a tree down over the road, we got out to try and move the tree but then the ellie appeared so we had to jump back in the landie and wait for it to disappear again. Then after driving another couple of hundred metres, I spotted a small ellie at the side of the road, eating a tree…it was too young to be on its own, so we hung about and waited. soon the Matriarch came thru the bush and was cutting off my escape route along the road, so as it approached I quickly drove off along the road, past it – at which point it trumpetted (so loudly that Stuart who was a good 1/4 mile away heard it) and gave chase. As we escaped we drove past teh rest of the herd which was hiding in the bushes where the young ‘un had been!!

lots of fun eh?

Ive been asked to help out at Tuli, so I’m back in Botswana again!!!

basically Charlie the co-ordinator has visa problems so in the short term, I’m working as student co-ordiantor in the camp

its nice to be back and see Stuart and Anna-lein again – nice group of students here too it seems (apart from the fact that theyre mostly giggly girls) Its interesting to see how much its changed here: much drier and less leaves etc on the bushes, but same old Tuli non the less. The ellies are just returning and theres loads of leopard prints (again) though nowts been seen (again!)

more info laterz

well my 6 weeks at GC is up - sad really its been incredible: being so close to the animals - and is some cases grappling with them is incredible and summat I never thoughtI ... [Continue reading this entry]

OK, lots to write as its been a while since I got internet access: I left Tuli and spent a day in Johannesburg (Joburg) with a guy called Will who is also on his way to GC. We had a tour ... [Continue reading this entry]