A DAY AT HOANIB
A DAY AT HOANIB
The wind died down about 3 am and we awoke to weather that was sunny and cold and calm. After a quick breakfast we left for our first game drive of the day. It was wonderful - the dried river bed held many acacia trees - all of them full of birds. We added many new species to our list. We met our first giraffes - a mother, a yearling and two young ones. As we drove further, we encountered several more. The giraffes here are paler in colour and smaller than their counterparts in areas that get more water. We met a troop of baboons. We had morning tea in the bush - we are constantly being fed! Then Glen spotted what he thought was the rear end of an elephant. We went looking and it turned out to be a huge male heading to a water hole. We went ahead and waited for him to come to drink. He would dip his trunk into the water, spray it down his throat, then spray what was left in his trunk out. We watched as he used his trunk to search for the best water. On his way after the water hole he had a huge pee and poop then proceeded to give himself a dust bath. He continued on to join other elephants feeding in the river bed. It was fabulous to be able to take the time to watch him going about his daily business.
Then it was back to the lodge for lunch. We did our morning bird list on our verandah and watched as first, a herd of oryx came to the water hole, and then a small herd of elephants. At lunch we commented on how perfect the day had been so far - no wind, sunny, gradually warming temperatures, lots of bird species and mammals. The silence out here is blissful. No noise except for bird song. We can hear the elephant's footsteps. Heaven.
The wind has picked up and another sandstorm is brewing but we are heading out again for another game drive. We only added one new bird on this drive but it was still pleasant to be out and about in the wilderness. We also added a new mammal species - a male and female steenbok. She was exquisite. Her eyes looked as though they were outlined in black eyeliner and her long lashes with mascara and her mouth with dark lipstick. I hope you can see her beauty in the picture I took. I cannot get over how much wildlife exists in this daunting, dry, windy, climate. The wind was really strong and it got extremely cold. Thank heavens for the hot water bottle in our beds at night - there is no heat in our rooms. The concrete floors are warmed by the sun during the day but cool off quickly at night. I am sure that the temperature was not much above zero Centigrade when we went for breakfast at 6 am for our excursion to the Skeleton Coast.
The wind died down about 3 am and we awoke to weather that was sunny and cold and calm. After a quick breakfast we left for our first game drive of the day. It was wonderful - the dried river bed held many acacia trees - all of them full of birds. We added many new species to our list. We met our first giraffes - a mother, a yearling and two young ones. As we drove further, we encountered several more. The giraffes here are paler in colour and smaller than their counterparts in areas that get more water. We met a troop of baboons. We had morning tea in the bush - we are constantly being fed! Then Glen spotted what he thought was the rear end of an elephant. We went looking and it turned out to be a huge male heading to a water hole. We went ahead and waited for him to come to drink. He would dip his trunk into the water, spray it down his throat, then spray what was left in his trunk out. We watched as he used his trunk to search for the best water. On his way after the water hole he had a huge pee and poop then proceeded to give himself a dust bath. He continued on to join other elephants feeding in the river bed. It was fabulous to be able to take the time to watch him going about his daily business.
Then it was back to the lodge for lunch. We did our morning bird list on our verandah and watched as first, a herd of oryx came to the water hole, and then a small herd of elephants. At lunch we commented on how perfect the day had been so far - no wind, sunny, gradually warming temperatures, lots of bird species and mammals. The silence out here is blissful. No noise except for bird song. We can hear the elephant's footsteps. Heaven.
The wind has picked up and another sandstorm is brewing but we are heading out again for another game drive. We only added one new bird on this drive but it was still pleasant to be out and about in the wilderness. We also added a new mammal species - a male and female steenbok. She was exquisite. Her eyes looked as though they were outlined in black eyeliner and her long lashes with mascara and her mouth with dark lipstick. I hope you can see her beauty in the picture I took. I cannot get over how much wildlife exists in this daunting, dry, windy, climate. The wind was really strong and it got extremely cold. Thank heavens for the hot water bottle in our beds at night - there is no heat in our rooms. The concrete floors are warmed by the sun during the day but cool off quickly at night. I am sure that the temperature was not much above zero Centigrade when we went for breakfast at 6 am for our excursion to the Skeleton Coast.
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