went howling...
four were going, only two went, resulting in a somewhat disjointed planning and preparation phase. from two vehicles we were down to one plus a rented trailer and waaaay too much food. after finally finishing the packing at around eleven pm we grabbed a quick snooze and woke up to leave in the freezing dark around three thirty am (ok, about 9°C – freezing for an african).
around nine hours later, and way across the limpopo river which marks the border into botswana, we ran out of tar and put all our faith in the gps as the road became one of many sandy tracks.
slowly the bush receeded as we entered a vast ocean of golden grass and an overwhelming sense of space. the dried remains of hundreds of deep and messy tracks in and off the road were a not so subtle reminder that the dry surface we were on was a vast muddy swamp when wet – definitely somewhere you don't want to be after rain, no matter what the supposed capabilities of your vehicle!
almost 13 hours after we set off from johannesburg we arrived at lekhubu as the sun began to set - the strange, almost prehistoric silhouette clearly different from the surrounding bush.
nothing like a good breakfast to kick off the first day exploring the island. despite the assurances of a camp guard that there were no "dainjarus uneemulls" and that snakes are rarely seen, i nearly walked smack into the biggest cobra i have ever seen in my life. thank god it made a lot of noise! the next night we saw two large shapes trundling towards us off the pan: two elephants which disappeared into the bush next to us. and this is not even a game park.
the island is home to an incredible collection of some of the most trippy and distorted baobabs i have ever seen. crushing granite boulders in their roots, these giant old creatures seem to stand as eternal sentinels watching over the vast sea of sand before them. and while most baobabs are just unbelievably huge, some are not!
when filled by the summer rains the pans become host to the breeding needs of thousands of flamingoes. you've probably seen footage of it on tv, but not even imax can capture all this space...
our trusty little cherokee travel pod rests out on the pan as we stumble around photographing rocks and trees...its not the most rugged of off-road vehicles but it sure is comfortable! and its never given me so much as a single mechanical hiccup in four years.
but back to the mission:
sunset and fullmoonrise in one grand 360° view. sunday 11 june 2006. with cold beers, cameras, spl*f, munchies and a blue-led lit frisbee in hand we traipsed out into the pan for the grandstand view.
in the west we have...
while in the east...
mission accomplished! its miller time...
five days after we set out we are back home again – tanked full of awe and wonder – and back to the freezing cold, wishing we were still out there: sitting around the campfire under the full moon, sipping ice cold beers and not even wearing a shirt – in the middle of winter...just another shit day in africa ;-)
thanx jono!
mre
x
around nine hours later, and way across the limpopo river which marks the border into botswana, we ran out of tar and put all our faith in the gps as the road became one of many sandy tracks.
slowly the bush receeded as we entered a vast ocean of golden grass and an overwhelming sense of space. the dried remains of hundreds of deep and messy tracks in and off the road were a not so subtle reminder that the dry surface we were on was a vast muddy swamp when wet – definitely somewhere you don't want to be after rain, no matter what the supposed capabilities of your vehicle!
almost 13 hours after we set off from johannesburg we arrived at lekhubu as the sun began to set - the strange, almost prehistoric silhouette clearly different from the surrounding bush.
nothing like a good breakfast to kick off the first day exploring the island. despite the assurances of a camp guard that there were no "dainjarus uneemulls" and that snakes are rarely seen, i nearly walked smack into the biggest cobra i have ever seen in my life. thank god it made a lot of noise! the next night we saw two large shapes trundling towards us off the pan: two elephants which disappeared into the bush next to us. and this is not even a game park.
the island is home to an incredible collection of some of the most trippy and distorted baobabs i have ever seen. crushing granite boulders in their roots, these giant old creatures seem to stand as eternal sentinels watching over the vast sea of sand before them. and while most baobabs are just unbelievably huge, some are not!
when filled by the summer rains the pans become host to the breeding needs of thousands of flamingoes. you've probably seen footage of it on tv, but not even imax can capture all this space...
our trusty little cherokee travel pod rests out on the pan as we stumble around photographing rocks and trees...its not the most rugged of off-road vehicles but it sure is comfortable! and its never given me so much as a single mechanical hiccup in four years.
but back to the mission: 
sunset and fullmoonrise in one grand 360° view. sunday 11 june 2006. with cold beers, cameras, spl*f, munchies and a blue-led lit frisbee in hand we traipsed out into the pan for the grandstand view. in the west we have...
while in the east...
mission accomplished! its miller time...
five days after we set out we are back home again – tanked full of awe and wonder – and back to the freezing cold, wishing we were still out there: sitting around the campfire under the full moon, sipping ice cold beers and not even wearing a shirt – in the middle of winter...just another shit day in africa ;-)thanx jono!
mre
x
posted by mre at 06:52
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