Before bedtime, chilled from the desert air, we decided to have some hot chocolate and schnapps, but were thwarted when the stove, for no apparent reason, ceased working. I am guessing that the fine dust seeped into the jets. This meant not only no hot chocolate but a cold breakfast too. At least the showers were hot, but the water feels soapy and tastes like Alka-Seltzer.
This morning we bought some muffins and a simple one-burner at the curio shop and headed north for Nossob, 168 kilometers away. The road was bumpy so we were driving slowly when we saw two male lions right on the road. The first had a wound on his shoulder and turned to stare at us as he ambled down the road showing us his swinging testicles. As he approached the gemsbok and wildebeest pandemonium broke out but he seemed oblivious to the stampede he created. Almost immediately the second lion approached. As he passed by not three feet from the truck, he stopped and roared several times. A warning to us or a call to his brother? Either way, he’s the boss.
We set up camp under a big tree and drove north, just rubber-necking. We finally saw a secretary bird which we had searched for in vain at Kruger. We thought we had seen one earlier but it was a Cory bustard, the largest flying bird. It is smaller than an ostrich but still pretty large. Shortly after we identified him, we saw the official secretary bird. They are really impressive. They eat snakes which they kill by stomping on them. There is a weaver bird here too, the sociable weaver, that instead of making small nests, joins forces to make a communal condo the size of a thatched roof. Another interesting bird is s the shaft-tailed whydah with it’s long, three stranded tail and creamy underside.
