Fence patrol at Woody Cape Section

I got up early today and was at the office way before anyone else. Hot water at the office toilet meant that I could take a hot shower in the morning before work began and this was something I really looked forward to.  The plan today was to do a fence patrol and I had heard that the views would be stunning. Meeting the section ranger of Woody Cape section for a chat, I learnt that he was planning my few days such that I could make as many trips as possible to the sand dunes. The office had several boards explaining about the flora and fauna found around the park and these kept me busy while everyone gathered. The ride down to the drop off point was scenic by itself and stunning, greenery around and by the sides punctuated with a blue wispy sky which looked like part of a painting. I had definitely made the right choice deciding to spend my last week immersed in the silence that Woody Cape offered.


As we carried on, the rangers pointed out various antelope gazing in herds, scattering as they heard the sound of the approaching vehicle. We would be covering a section of the fence which separated the area from the sand dunes and the starting point emerged soon enough. My companion for the day was an older ranger, friendly and with a gentle smile on him most of the time. As the day went on, we covered much ground, stopping by to take a short break at times.

My companion for the day

My guide seemed to pick the best places to stop, almost always in full view of the dunes of Alexandria. Sometimes he would show me things along the way and explain before carrying on. Though most part of the fencing was good, some parts at the bottom were damaged where animals had dug a hole to get over to the other side and these were deftly patched up with thorny plants and sticks before moving on. As the day went on, the heat of the day rose steadily and the distance covered one step at a time. The trail eventually led us back into the bush and into some shade. I had some hide and seek fun here with a deer that seemed to run just ahead and always wait for me to catch up before bounding off again. This continued for a good 45 minutes before it disappeared.

 My companion told me that the pick up point was ahead and that we were to wait for the vehicle. The entire walk had been somewhat surreal for me, really peaceful with the ocean breeze always caressing us even during the hot midday sun. Both of us had a short nap on a plain overlooking the ocean as we waited for the pick up vehicle and I took a walk of my own, savoring the scene with some cattle moving about below. A quick nap and the ranger decided to walk down the path where the vehicle would arrive. This path was covered with much grasshoppers and I couldn't help snapping pictures of these brilliantly colored insects. Most of them were in pairs and hopping all over.

Delicious home-made dinner 

I had learnt earlier that day that the section ranger had invited the students over for dinner and he had graciously invited me as well. Returning back to the office, I decided to take a quick bath at the Langebos and head back to his place for dinner.

Meeting up with Eleen and Yentl at Guy's place, the home made dinner was an awesome affair with much chatting and interactions after a tiring and fulfilling day. It was time to head back to the Langebos after an hour or so and I had a fitful night's rest, tired after the day's walking.

It would be another tiring day tomorrow.

Moving over to the Langebos, Woody Cape Section once again

I got up early today and watched Phillipe get ready for the morning meet up. I would be leaving later on and was trying to liaise transport down with Salomia. A taxi would bring me down all the way to the park office and would cost me a decent bit but I didn't mind. The miles allocated for the park vehicles were almost up and hence it was impossible to get a ride down.

Walking around the office buildings while waiting for my taxi I came across a box of dung beetles being bred by the park and took the opportunity to take a few shots. Volunteering at the park came with a certificate but since I was heading off to Woody Cape, Salomia would mail this to me. Saying a few quick goodbyes and thanks, it was time to leave.

Dinner time

The journey down was one I had just completed a few days back and I reached the office around lunch time. Getting a lift into the Langebos, I realised I was the only occupant this time round. The surroundings were as quiet as I expected and settling in was a breeze. Tying up my hammock, I rested awhile before heading out to the office to see what could be done. More then half the day had gone by and I joined the rest of the staff clearing the path of weeds for an hour or so before taking a ride down to town in the staff drop off. The hut at the Langebos had a stove and I got some food to heat up for dinner.

Plans were in the pipeline to lay electrical lines for the Langebos but for now it was candlelight and a fire in the evening for me. Spending an entire night by myself was a new experience and definitely an eye opener. I amused myself taking pictures of my drinks collection under candle-light and sitting by the fire outside before calling it a night.

It would be an early work day tomorrow.

Last day at ADDO Elephant National Park Main camp

Leaving Aardvark Backpackers seemed difficult for me as it was such a peaceful quiet place. It had also been raining through the night and a cold rainy day was not the best to be running about.

It was time to head back to the park and the owner agreed to give us a lift back in. Milou would have to head back to PE and her friends visiting the park would pick her up on the way back. It was a nice chat while getting a lift and we got to find out more about why he had chosen to migrate to South Africa.

The ride back to the park took a short while and after bidding goodbye to Milou I returned back to my hut at the park. Most of the others had gone somewhere for the weekend and I amused myself with watching a tortoise move around the toilet area.

Playing Peek-a-boo

These were quite common around the park and one of them was actually featured in the ADDO national park museum. Domskrag was well known for wedging himself under the wheel of a car and lifting it up. Tipping a competitor over was natural behavior for such animals and after several incidents, Domskrag had a dam named after him.

Watching the beautiful creature hide into his shell at the slightest perceived threat, reminded me of the safety and the cumbersomeness of stability. Having a constant home over his head meant that the tortoise was safe but lugging all that weight around meant movement was slow and difficult. Domskrag himself had died after falling into an aardvark hole and starved to death after being unable to climb out. There was nothing much to do at the park on a rainy day and I returned back to the hut to pack my bags.

I had earlier on requested to the volunteer coordinator, Salomia that I would like to spend my last week at Alexandria at the Woody Cape section and she had replied back to say that it was possible but I had to take my own transport there. It was really nice of the people at the park to arrange for me to stay over at such short notice and I was looking forward to the sand dunes again.

 It would be movement again tomorrow and a quick goodbye to my few friends at the park.

Staying over at Aardvark Backpackers

The day started off rather slow today. Milou had only arrived around 10 pm from Port Elizabeth and we had stayed up late catching up. Her accounts of the stay at the volunteer house were much different from my stories at the park and it was definitely fun hearing them. Unpacking our things around 10 am or so, we decided that we would not stay at Orange Elephants another night. Most of the rooms were booked and we left our packed stuff at the bar before heading out to grab a bite. We learnt of a restaurant just further up about a kilometer from the backpackers and made our way there for meal. It was rather unfortunate that my camera battery had died at this time.

On the way down to finding the restaurant, I saw a signboard for an animal rehabilitation centre just within walking distance and this was exciting since I had never had a chance to visit any just yet. Walking down we walked into the gates of the ADDO raptor and reptile centre and were greeted by the friendly staff and a rottweiler puppy. The centre accepts donations and we paid a small fee to walk around the facility grounds.

The area of the facility was spacious and much work had been done there. The centre accepts animals that were abandoned, injured or needed care and much of the inhabitants had been in much worse conditions before arriving there. The rottweiler was constantly being annoyed by a one armed monkey on the shoulders of the owner and curator and it was fun watching this interaction.

We spotted much animals there, reptiles, birds and much more. Most of the snakes were kept in glass enclosures. Birds in cages spacious enough for them to fly around seemed active and healthy. We went past several enclosures housing owls and raptors as well as even crocodiles. Many of these had been abandoned by prospective pet owners and it seemed that the exotic pet trade was contributing to so much animals being moved out of their original surroundings. We learnt that there were caracals at the site and to access them we had to walk through a cage housing a vulture.

Initially the vulture who we learnt was a juvenile seemed intimidating but apparently he was just a curious bird and posed no harm. After seeing the rest of the centre, we left and watched a procession of geese walking by. This was supposed to be a daily routine and was really loud and sweet to witness.

We had to move out of Orange elephants and decided to move to another backpackers further down where I had stayed with Milou and her friend before. Aardvark backpackers was about a kilometer away and luckily we got a lift from a couple just as we were walking back to Orange elephants. The previous time we had stayed at a dorm but decided to opt for a hut this time round to experience a different setting. Aardvark backpackers is run by a non-local who had moved to South Africa and boasts really beautiful huts set midst a quiet and idyllic site. The hut wasn't too expensive and was clean and cosy.

Appetiser with humus

Spending the afternoon at Aardvark was relaxing and lying on the hammocks tied between trees gazing at the sky lent perspective to the word peace. Evening came soon enough and we decided to have dinner at the restaurant located within the premises.

The first thing that struck us was that the restaurant had no menu but the waiter recited the entire menu by mouth. He was even accurate enough to tell us the exact ingredients used and stressed that all the spices and herbs used were mostly organically grown.

Milou was recommended to try Bes bock meat which was easy to chew on. Apparently this was a favorite with ladies and mine was impala. The food was slightly higher priced then most of the restaurants we visited but it was amazingly good. It had been a good choice to head here for dinner. It was a truly filling dinner and we went back to an early night at the hut.

A day I would remember for a long time to come and reminding me of something the owner of Aardvark told me about how the world over has watches but the Africans have time.

Life wasn't about accumulating things but about the beautiful moments spent.

Spending a night at Orange Elephant Backpackers

It had been an easy 2 days at the park with the days being spent doing fence patrolling. This was becoming routine and I found out that this was the norm on days when there were no "events' like game capture or collaring efforts. The ride back from Woody cape on the 21st had been uneventful and I spent time sitting by the hut watching the sunset.

The next day was spent fixing a pipe which had broken and watching some work being done on Hapoor watering hole, the watering hole where the most elephants congregated daily. I learnt that the watering hole had initially been very small but by the efforts of the elephants had expanded considerably. The sides hence had to be re-done periodically as the watering hole could become a potential death trap for young elephants who slid in and could not get out. Since the watering holes were man-made to a large extent, piping and even pumps had to be checked often and even repaired due to animal damage.

 It was common for hyenas to chew on the rubber belt used in motor pumps and render the pump useless. I also had a chance to see the 3 single male cape buffalo, older males that wandered around the park themselves.

The day was rather easy to get by with not much to do. It was also the beginning of a weekend and I was to stay over at Orange elephant backpackers for tonight.

Having made plans to meet Milou, whom I had met over at wilderness, I made my way down to Orange elephant backpackers and set up camp. Most backpackers allow camping space, where it is possible to pay for a spot at the camping grounds, yet have access to a clean shower and toilet facilities.

I had carried my tent all the way down to experience this and it was totally fun setting up my Marmot tent and fixing things up. Orange elephant has pretty interesting showers that piqued my interest.

Termed as eco showers, the shower works by means of a mixture of kerosene and other fuels in a small container which is lighted up. This mixture works for about 10 minutes to provide hot water. It was definitely an interesting experience but didn't make sense to get my hands all oily before a 10 minute shower. Thankfully the backpackers has the usual showers as well and these were a relief.

The day ended off waiting for Milou as she headed down from from her volunteer home at Port Elizabeth, listening to the sounds around Orange elephant backpackers. I had wanted a quiet evening and the cozy patch of green where I had set up my tent provided just that.

It was to be a weekend exploring the region around the park.

Taking a 4 wheel drive through the coastal dunes of Alexandria

A line of mist in the morning

I got up early to shower today and walked out to the main office while the rest were asleep. The lack of power at the Langebos meant that there was no hot water and it was rather chilly to take a shower otherwise. The students however had been kind enough to tell us that the office had a heater and electricity. The bathroom there was always open and this would be my shower point for the few days we were there.

I particularly like silent mornings without anyone around and the office and the surroundings were just the way I liked it. Showering and sitting there watching the morning mist over the green vegetation past the office is an image etched in my memory. The others arrived soon after and after a morning meeting, we were set to go to the coastal dunes. The Woody Cape section of ADDO elephant national park is responsible for the coastal dune section and also does maintenance of the trails there. We were heading there to check the sign posts set up, some of which fall or were buried in the ever changing sand dunes.

The trail to the dunes was beautiful in its own way and we went past signs leading the way to Woody Cape backpackers. The clear sky and cool sunny morning only served to amplify the scenery that the place offered. Stopping by a short while, the rangers deflated the tires just before entering the dunes, a process crucial in preventing the land-rover from constantly getting stuck in the soft sand. Then we were off onto the path leading to through the dunes.

Driving through the dunes is a skill by itself and the driver today was under learning from the much more experienced sergeant co-driving with him. The sands offered much fun as well as danger with chances of the land rover toppling when negotiating certain slopes. The first ten minutes or so was about moving down to the coast itself and a glimpse of the seemingly never ending coast-line.

Cruiser View

The ever changing dunes

There was already an established driving route though it seemed invisible for the rest of us, save the two rangers in front. As the cruiser moved through the soft sand by the sea, the landscape gradually unfolded in front of us and it was truly stunning, with really high sand dunes surrounding us, all in beautiful shapes n heights. The winds weren't strong just yet so we were not sand blasted and it was an enjoyable ride standing at the back of the cruiser, feeling the ocean breeze on our faces. The rangers were heading to check on certain signposts and we stopped occasionally to fix one or two that had been semi buried or disappeared altogether.

Eleen with the cruiser in the background

Never ending winds meant that entire dunes could disappear within a very short while leading to a constantly changing landscape. For me, it was love at first sight, not only with the dunes but the silence that pervaded the entire place, punctuated only by the wind whistling and the crash of the waves below.

Fixing up the fallen post, the cruiser got stuck at a point and we had to alight while the new driver was schooled on getting past such problems. In such soft sand conditions, revving while stuck only seemed to sink the tires even further so it was interesting to watch how the cruiser would come free. Such stoppages were also time for the rest of us to take pictures, walk a little and lie on the sand while the cruiser was freed. It was time for lunch at a spot away from the dunes as as we left, I had a wish to return back to this place once again sometime soon.

The plan for the second half of the day was for us to go hiking and eventually reach a point where the cruiser would pick us up. It was fascinating how the students had planned for us to complete some work along the way while allowing us to see so much in the two days we had there. After a quick lunch of sandwiches, the hike began and we followed a hiking trail that many visitors to the national park frequented, leading eventually to the woody cape hut.

The trail was an easy one, allowing us views of the coast line and not too long. We reached the woody cape hut shortly and helped to clean up the hut a little as there were visitors coming by the next day. Cleaning involved sweeping up the hut since sand was always everywhere and clearing up the overgrown bush impeding the entrance to the toilet outside.

Stopping by the hut also gave us time for a breather especially since some of the volunteers were not used to much walking. Setting off from the hut, it was time to head to our rendezvous point and this time we would move away from the clear trail and take a walk through some sections of the dunes. This was definitely exciting as it was quite an experience walking on the soft sand. The wind had also picked up since morning and at some points we could feel the sting of the sand grains as the wind blew them on our faces.

The sand definitely made walking way more arduous as compared especially when with every step forward we slid back half a step.

Walking up slopes was like moving on a stairclimber machine and it was a good workout for us after a few weeks of just walking around the park. We stopped by at patches where there were lots of sea shells on the ground and learnt that the ocean had been at these levels before, leaving the seashells stranded. Shining in the sun, these sea shells were well weathered n beautiful, a work of art by nature.
Moving on, we went down a steep stairway set in the sand to the coast itself and carried on walking to the rendezvous point. The sand and wind movement had created beautiful patterns on the rocks around and we also came across a dead seal. Anything dead would be washed onto the coastline here and it was common to find penguin and garnet carcasses as well according to the rangers.

A shot with Yentl and Eleen

We had some time to rest before the cruiser would come by and we had a short nap on the sand. Lying down on the fine sand blowing over us meant that it would get in almost anywhere and when the cruiser did arrive, we spent a good 5 minutes or so dusting sand off. It was a quick ride back to the Langebos and the students had told us that they would be with us tonight. Yentl had promised to make pancakes and we were to have a braai as well.

After a quick wash-up, Yentl arrived and the evening began, starting off before sun down as she prepared the pancake mix. I was truly touched by the effort put in as we got the fire burning and the evening went by. We had bought some drinks from the liquor store at town and today was a great evening to have them around the crackling fire.

The night ended amid much laughter and conversation and it was a fitting end to an awesome day. It would be a journey back to main camp tomorrow but somehow I wanted to spend more time by the coastal dunes and the silence where I was.

Perhaps another day.