Anyway, due to lack of sleep I had three cups of tea this morning which was needed as our first part of the day was spent in the office with Liam, learning about tracking skills, and the different types of animal track markings. For example, cloven and uncloven hoof tracks. Uncloven being cow or horse, cloven being warthog or impala. Then we got in the Hilux, which we have all said we will miss when we ghet home. I love standing up in the back, holding on to the cage bars for balance, no seatbelts. It's just great! Anyway we went to the other part of the reserve. I thought this side was pretty enough, but this side was stunning. The pictures do not do it justice. I need to work out how to do a video on my camera, or at least a panaromic view. It is a lot more green and lush. We found a few tracks like Kudu, Impala, Mongoose, Warthog, and Porcupine, even Cow and Horse (apparently they have a rogue horse on the reserve). We found some dens that were occupied. Aardvarks dig these and then mamals like Warthog and Porcupine take over and adapt them. They also time share, so the Warthog sleep in them at night and the Porcupine sleep in there in the day. Warthog back into these dens to fend off possible preditors, were as Porcupine back out of them as their spikes are their weapons.
Liam then showed us how to make rope using the bark from a sweet thorn acacia which was amazing. It's really strong. You can also eat it. We did taste it but eating it was another story. He also showed us berries and other plants that we could eat like bull rush and prickly pear cactus which he cooked by making a fire. We had to peel the skin off and eat the insides of the leaf. It was okay, a cross between melon and cucumber. It was a bit slimy. We also tried a leaf called black jack, which apparently makes good tea.
We went to the place where Liam and his family went on Christmas Day to have champagne and open their presents. It was a beautiful donga with lots of weaver bird nests dotted about on the banks branches. We then wadded through three meter grass before stopping to have lunch. This was the fun part as we got taught some first aide on how to treat snake bites. Both me and Leanne had to act out being bitten. Luckily I escaped the girls putting me in the recovery position, however, Leanne didn't. Poor girl. Nicole and Christina had their first bush wee whilst Liam went looking for more strange leaves to eat. We also tried to do chin ups on a fallen tree. Nic was the only one who could do it. Note to self, must get fitter!
We then went off to Leopards Gorge. It was amazing and I can believe how pretty it was, and what we trekked through. We set up a camera trap to see if we can capture the leopard that roams that side of the reserve. Fingers crossed!
On the way back we saw one of the rhino mothers with her calf. A great finish to another great day on the reserve.
Dinner tonight was chicken curry which me and Leanne made up as we went along. Not sure I'd do the same thing again but Leanne's attempt at naan bread was good.
Porcupine print.
The rope Liam made out of bark.
The donga we stopped at.
Liam getting us to eat bull rush.
Cooking the Prickly Pear.
Yeah, we had to get up that!
Half way through Leopards George.
Leanne, Nic, Christina and me in the gorge.
No introduction needed.
Finally a request from Mum: This a picture of Fernando the rain spider that lives in the other shower. He is the size of my hand!
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