country – Clancy Abroad

Piper Pan 02 to Letiahau 06

Again after another visit by lions overnight I was careful getting out of the camper, checking around for lions. No lions again this morning, but the lions have dragged things around and knocked over boxes. I later learnt that they have taken the solar panel cloth cover. After I left I searched up and down the track, but I could not see it. Looking again at the lion tracks left last night, I think there were some cubs as well.

I drove down to Piper Pan to find the pan with the most animals yet. I picked up the binoculars and the first thing I saw was an Africa painted dog (or wild dog). Never in my travels before in Africa had I seen one. There were antelope and Cape Buffalo spread all over the pan, and the flocking birds (yet to be identified) milling around the waterhole.

I took the long scenic road around Piper Pan, getting a better view on the other side. I continued north west. The road was corrugated and slow going, I spent most of my time in second gear doing 15kmh. After an hour I suddenly came across another vehicle. They were coming towards me. The first other tourist I had seen for 7 or 8 days. I pulled off the road for them so they could pass.

I was crossing another pan, when a leopard jumped out of a bush I was approaching and ran across to hide under another tree. Once he was in the tree you could barely see him, his camouflage was so good.

A bit later I came across two more vehicles coming my way, I again got off the road for them. There were more antelopes and kudi. The road is nowhere as sandy, I will have to pump my tyres up this afternoon. I have had them at low pressure for ten days or so. At 1pm I got to Letiahau camp, which was shady, but I don’t always like shady as I need sun for my solar panels.

Tomorrow I have to start early. I have nearly 80km to go to get to the gate.

One of the Lion prints left during the night

Solar panels for the waterhole protected from Elephants

Bape camp to XaXa camp (or Xaka?)

I knew I had a long way to go, 120km, so I was up at 6am to leave as soon as I could. A few things went wrong but I did get going by 7:30am.

2km up the track I found very fresh Elephant tracks, it looked to me from the previous night. I then did a sharp turn west. I realise that traveling east and west is easier. The dunes which are low and far apart tend to run west east. So when you are heading north you are constantly crossing dunes, which makes it much harder going. When heading west you are running mostly in the interdune space that tends to be less sandy. The track west is somewhat overgrown. You constantly hit bushes either side. I should have pulled my mirrors in, and that mistake cost me one broken mirror on the drivers side. As well I managed to rip off the rear right-hand mudflap. The mudflaps are a running joke, I rip one or both off every trip, I am always fixing them.

I went through a section where elephants had pushed over trees, and generally caused mayhem.

I stopped for a stretch on the track at one time just randomly and in front were Elephant tracks, and at the back I thought there were lion tracks. I was making good time, I spent a lot of time in third gear meaning I was doing 20km and hour or more. 80km in I saw some giraffes on the road ahead. I crept up, and could see two adult giraffes and one baby. They got off the road, but they were happy to watch me while I watched them. I left them to it, with one of the Giraffe I could hear but not see ripping things of trees.

I turned over the road to Xade up to XaXa (which on the park map is called XaKa, but tracks4Africa has XaXa). I went to the solar powered waterhole that was full of vultures, and another flocking bird that I couldn’t identify. The vultures were riding the thermals all over the place. I drove up the sand dunes to the campsite that looks down on the plains.

Stopped on the track for a stretch. There is nowhere to pull off

Kameel

This is my third visit to Kameel in a bit over two years. Kameel means camel. It is a tiny town with more silos than people (49 silos with 27 residents). They grow maize locally, although this year more sunflower, because the rains came late in January. The trucks and tractors come past where I am camping throughout the day. When I visited last year, a local facility had been converted into a hatchery producing chicks. This is still going, diversifying the economy. This visit there are several workers staying who are installing solar farms locally. South Africa is so behind Australia in installing solar farms. The area is perfect with blue skies and lots of sun all winter. So that will be another good thing for the locality.

Its a nice campground. Its a B and B as well. Patrick delivers a fresh loaf of bread not long after you arrive, it is delicious. I was going to only stay two nights, but I am going to stay a third and do some more electric fixes to Clancy.