Kalahari San!

It would be another long drive today as we now headed inland towards the Kalahari desert. With 500km of gravel roads, 40c temperatures and an early start, we were off.

Our objective was the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. This desert park in the Kalahari covers over 3.6 million hectares and is one of the largest reserves in Africa. The reserve is now part of a reconciliation agreement that has been worked out between the government and the San, or Bushman People. During apartheid the land had been taken from the San and this agreement helped to rectify that injustice. The lodge within the reserve is run as a joint project, with a manager hired by the company that operates it, a staff made up completely of San tribespeople and a profit sharing policy that has turned over a significant amount of money to the tribes.

When we entered the reserve we were again on the outlook for wildlife. Because of the extreme arid conditions of the park the animals are found within the vicinity of the waterholes so we kept our eyes pealed for the famous black maned lion. Unfortunately the females we did see were not sporting this attire!

Following the dry riverbed through the reserve, we came to a turn off. Waiting for us were two open jeeps and a trailer. We were quite surprised to find that we would be offloading the truck and going to the lodge in these jeeps as the lodge lay 91 sand dunes farther on and our truck would not be able to make it. After changing another flat on our truck!!!! we headed off on a one hour roller coaster ride through the dunes to the lodge, hidden in the middle of nowhere.

Arriving at Xosa Lodge we met with the manager for all the rules we would be observing for the next two nights. Watch out for snakes, scorpions, leopards, spiders and don't go anywhere outside the three foot fence because danger lurked there. I guess danger respected the short fence. We all left to cautiously check our rooms for any varmit that might turn up. After supper it was even more interesting in the dark. Our room was great, overlooking a salt pan and watering hole. Did I mention that there had been a leopard spotted on the raised walkway a few days earlier? OK, I won't mention it because it might scare the kids!

The next morning we got the news the Gary and Ida...fellow Canadians from Toronto...left their room at midnight after seeing a large puff adder snake. Not finding anyone to help them, they slept on the couches in the open lobby. That is when Ida noticed the fist sized spider beside her chair. Neither of them slept a bit and were moved to a new room the next morning but the snake was never found.

After breakfast most of us walked to a San craft village and marvelled at their creative abilities using local materials such as ostrich egg shell, porcupine quills and animal bones to make very nice jewelry. Watching them craft these products was very enjoyable and seeing them squat for hours while doing it made us appreciate their fitness as well.

Our lodge was quite neat although all drinking water had to be made via reverse osmosis and all shower and washing water was salt water. The power was on for only a few hours every morning and evening...such hardship...;-) as you may have noticed, communication has had its hurdles. As for the temperatures, nighttime 30c and no fan or electricity after ten...buggar!!!

The second night when Gary and Ida went to their room they turned on their light and fan only to have a bat fly out of the thatched roof and get whacked by a blade of the fan. Other than that, they had a peaceful  rest!!!

We also took part in a field walk as our San guides talked to us about the various medicinal uses of many of the local plants. We tasted several, asked many questions and marvelled at the complexity of their knowledge. They also protected us from the lions that may or may not have been prowling nearby. Their advice was, don't run, we will look after the lions. If you run they will kill you...very quickly!

This experience, although at times unnerving, was most enjoyable and certainly something we won't easily forget.

Leaving early the next morning, we returned back over the 91 sand dunes to our truck where we again got stuck and had to push and dig ourselves out.

The drive took us through a quiver tree forest, members of the aloe family and one small area of irrigated land where grapes and citrus trees grew. Most of the rest of the drive was dry and very dusty.

                                                   Now that is a "ribbon of road"!

                                               The quiver tree forest, quite unique.

                                                                Tourists!!!

                       91 sand dunes at fifty to sixty km/hr. What a ride!

                            Overlooking the salt pan and waterhole from our balcony. 

       These were our lodges, overlooking the salt pan as we walked back from an outing.

                                      San people as they make their crafts.

Burning the designs onto bone, eggshell etc for jewelry.

                                         Only 18 months old and adorable.

                                                        Digging out again.

                                                        Such strength! How impressive!