THREE PLANE RIDES AND HOANIB SKELETON COAST CAMP
THREE PLANE RIDES AND HOANIB SKELETON COAST CAMP
We got to sleep in until 7:00 this morning which gave us time to reorganize our luggage. Everyone is impressed about the small amount we are carrying. We bid a fond farewell to Ule, as we have come to call him, as we have become friends. He loves birds and was happy to have a group that loved them too. We shared a lot of laughs. He has lived a fascinating life - at ten years of age, in Zambia, he was following birds and got lost with no idea of how to get back to his village. He survived five days on his own by relying on survival tips related to him by his grandfather. He remembered to find a herd of elephants and follow them, not too closely mind, as elephants knew where to find water. If desperate, he was to squeeze elephant dung and swallow the slimy liquid. It would coat his throat so he wouldn't feel so thirsty. His whole village was ecstatic when he eventually made it back. Observing the elephants for five days peaked his interest in animal behaviour so he took his degree in it. On graduating, he got a job as a guide in a game park where he led walking safaris. He left that to come to Little Kulala as a driver/guide because he found the job so dangerous - dangerous because of the stupidity of some tourists who would throw rocks at a pride of lions feeding so that they would stand up for a better picture! Unbelievable. Although your first instinct is to run, you have a better chance of surviving if you stand your guard and slowly back away. I hope I never have to use this newly acquired knowledge!
We left on the same kind of Cessna but this time there were nine passengers. We were expecting another turbulent flight but to our surprise, this one was a smooth as glass. So smooth that I can even work on catching up on the blog! Our second flight has only three others for a total of six. So far, also very smooth. We changed planes at our next stop to a slightly bigger Cessna - 13 passengers but a single propeller. This flight is slightly rougher as we are flying over mountains. At this stop we added lark-like buntings to the list. They are a highly nomadic bird so we were lucky to find them.
Hoanib Camp is isolated and can only be reached by plane. It is at the north end of the Skeleton Coast. We arrived around 1:30 to the camp and were shown around the main lodge. After a delicious lunch which included a peanut ice cream chocolate brownie, we were shown to our room(s). We are in the one and only family compound so each have our own suites complete with a shared outdoor sitting area, a sitting area and bedroom, and our own bathrooms! We overlook the Camp's waterhole so hope to have some good sightings.
The weather is not pleasant and the wind is howling and stirring up the sand so visibility is poor and we have to shut the windows. It is getting warmer but come nighttime we could freeze. We have just over an hour before our first game drive with Joas, our new driver.
The wind was driving the sand into our rooms - in 10 minutes my night table was covered in sand but, never mind, this is the weather that we set out in for our first game drive here. It reminded Norma and I of a severe blizzard as the road was obscured and the sand drifted over the road. We expected to see nothing. We drove along a river bed and spotted a herd of Oryx feeding and seemingly ignoring the sand blasting they were getting. I imagine that the sand helps rid them of parasites. If Norma and I had stood outside in it, we would have been treated to an inexpensive exfoliation. We spotted elephant tracks and dung and hoped to see the desert elephants who have adapted to this harsh climate. Soon, looming out of the dust, we saw huge shapes - ten desert elephants - a herd that included two bulls and two youngsters. We watched them feeding for about an hour before heading back to the camp. Seeing the desert elephants partially obscured by the dust was magical. It was better than seeing them in bright sunshine as it shows how tough they must be to have adapted to this climate and conditions.
We decided to forego the Sundowner. We arrived back at the camp and proceeded to our rooms. Glen came along to see our luxurious quarters. We managed to lock ourselves into our rooms - there is a bolt that goes into the cement outside our rooms and it dropped in trapping us. We had a thorough explanation after dinner as to how to enter our rooms without trapping ourselves. The blinds are also tricky. Once they are down, they refuse to go back up. We have told housekeeping to keep them up. No one can look into our room unless they are willing to risk being eaten by a hungry lion. We overlook a water hole which we hope will reveal a brown hyena - a rare and secretive mammal.
Now we are showered and in bed. We have a wake up call at 6:00 and will be on the road at 7:00. No internet here so postings will be fast and furious once we have it.
We got to sleep in until 7:00 this morning which gave us time to reorganize our luggage. Everyone is impressed about the small amount we are carrying. We bid a fond farewell to Ule, as we have come to call him, as we have become friends. He loves birds and was happy to have a group that loved them too. We shared a lot of laughs. He has lived a fascinating life - at ten years of age, in Zambia, he was following birds and got lost with no idea of how to get back to his village. He survived five days on his own by relying on survival tips related to him by his grandfather. He remembered to find a herd of elephants and follow them, not too closely mind, as elephants knew where to find water. If desperate, he was to squeeze elephant dung and swallow the slimy liquid. It would coat his throat so he wouldn't feel so thirsty. His whole village was ecstatic when he eventually made it back. Observing the elephants for five days peaked his interest in animal behaviour so he took his degree in it. On graduating, he got a job as a guide in a game park where he led walking safaris. He left that to come to Little Kulala as a driver/guide because he found the job so dangerous - dangerous because of the stupidity of some tourists who would throw rocks at a pride of lions feeding so that they would stand up for a better picture! Unbelievable. Although your first instinct is to run, you have a better chance of surviving if you stand your guard and slowly back away. I hope I never have to use this newly acquired knowledge!
We left on the same kind of Cessna but this time there were nine passengers. We were expecting another turbulent flight but to our surprise, this one was a smooth as glass. So smooth that I can even work on catching up on the blog! Our second flight has only three others for a total of six. So far, also very smooth. We changed planes at our next stop to a slightly bigger Cessna - 13 passengers but a single propeller. This flight is slightly rougher as we are flying over mountains. At this stop we added lark-like buntings to the list. They are a highly nomadic bird so we were lucky to find them.
Hoanib Camp is isolated and can only be reached by plane. It is at the north end of the Skeleton Coast. We arrived around 1:30 to the camp and were shown around the main lodge. After a delicious lunch which included a peanut ice cream chocolate brownie, we were shown to our room(s). We are in the one and only family compound so each have our own suites complete with a shared outdoor sitting area, a sitting area and bedroom, and our own bathrooms! We overlook the Camp's waterhole so hope to have some good sightings.
The weather is not pleasant and the wind is howling and stirring up the sand so visibility is poor and we have to shut the windows. It is getting warmer but come nighttime we could freeze. We have just over an hour before our first game drive with Joas, our new driver.
The wind was driving the sand into our rooms - in 10 minutes my night table was covered in sand but, never mind, this is the weather that we set out in for our first game drive here. It reminded Norma and I of a severe blizzard as the road was obscured and the sand drifted over the road. We expected to see nothing. We drove along a river bed and spotted a herd of Oryx feeding and seemingly ignoring the sand blasting they were getting. I imagine that the sand helps rid them of parasites. If Norma and I had stood outside in it, we would have been treated to an inexpensive exfoliation. We spotted elephant tracks and dung and hoped to see the desert elephants who have adapted to this harsh climate. Soon, looming out of the dust, we saw huge shapes - ten desert elephants - a herd that included two bulls and two youngsters. We watched them feeding for about an hour before heading back to the camp. Seeing the desert elephants partially obscured by the dust was magical. It was better than seeing them in bright sunshine as it shows how tough they must be to have adapted to this climate and conditions.
We decided to forego the Sundowner. We arrived back at the camp and proceeded to our rooms. Glen came along to see our luxurious quarters. We managed to lock ourselves into our rooms - there is a bolt that goes into the cement outside our rooms and it dropped in trapping us. We had a thorough explanation after dinner as to how to enter our rooms without trapping ourselves. The blinds are also tricky. Once they are down, they refuse to go back up. We have told housekeeping to keep them up. No one can look into our room unless they are willing to risk being eaten by a hungry lion. We overlook a water hole which we hope will reveal a brown hyena - a rare and secretive mammal.
Now we are showered and in bed. We have a wake up call at 6:00 and will be on the road at 7:00. No internet here so postings will be fast and furious once we have it.
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