November 13, 2013

Orpen

1515. Sleep interrupted by numerous visits last night by the camp honey badger.  Very aggressive little guy who tried to open every cabinet, even climbing to the top of the iron cage that separates him from the refrigerator on our deck, while leaving muddy footprints over everything.  Gina was a little freaked but it’s routine occurrence here and the camp staff simply refer to the honey badger as ‘cheeky’ or ‘naughty’.  Daytime visitors include the Little Bastards (A.K.A., the camp vervet monkeys), who tore into a bag of biltong that Gina left out while taking a nap. Obviously they were interrupted before they could do more damage.  Just a reminder of the vigilance required when confronted with foes as clever and as well practiced as these guys. They’ve also been trying to solve the mystery of little deadbolts on every cabinet and on the cage surrounding the refrigerator.  They keep us on our toes.

Morning started out cool and overcast.  Headed out at 0450.  Very little traffic around Orpen at that time. Not too far down the main road, we encountered a group of zebra standing in the road.  And then saw a group of wild dogs, sleeping alongside the road, just starting to stir for their daytime activities.  Gina and I had a bit of time alone with the dogs, so precious here, before any other tourists arrived, watching them shake off sleep and greet one another in the wild dog way.  Too dark for good photography, but nice to have those moments with these amazing animals.

It’s really what you live for here.  This is a place that fuels my basic misanthropy.  I don’t like tourists at all.  Yes, never mind – I get it.  Somehow, though, in my mind I belong here and they don’t.  Then I get a handle on it (often with a gentle reminder from Gina) and try to appreciate that the tourists are here because they care and they all want to have their special little moment with the animals.  I just wish they’d stay out of the way of my shots and I damned sure wish they’d shut off their damned vehicles when the park next to me.  Nothing like sitting in the middle of nowhere, enjoying some amazing animal interaction the bush, with a diesel engine idling right next to your ear.  I guess it’s the pervasive lack of awareness of the impact that they have on the people around them that leaves me hating tourists so.

About the time other tourists started arriving, the dogs took off heading east, sticking to the main road.  When they hit the detour for a road wash-out, they went straight and we were forced to leave them and the what was by now considerable number of vehicles and head south from the Orpen-Satara road.  Saw relatively few animals, but had nice sightings along the way.  Saw a beautiful male sable antelope, resting in a field.  Distance was too great for with too much heat haze for useful photography.  Later found a group of four bull elephants playing in a reservoir, trying to escape the heat that was building as the clouds burned away.

And now, back to camp.  Washed clothes.  Gina’s sleeping and I’m charging batteries before heading back out for the afternoon drive.