Riding at Ant's Nest in the Waterberg, South Africa

What is it about Ant'sNest?  Why would you want to go there? Well...

If you are a rider they have horses. Lovely horses. 

Those that don't ride can have a lot of fun game viewing,

indeed, a very exciting time going out with the game vet.

Whilst they the game scouts are mounted,

the vet flies over the game reserve using a dart gun,

to anesthetize, later tending any injured or sick animals.

Led by knowledgeable game rangers,

the riding can be enjoyed by 

both experienced riders and novices.

We loved the lodge,

ate well, enjoyed the pool

and gathering for afternoon tea.

But what enchanted me most of all were the mongooses.

They have tame ones.

To read more please click here

A reader writes ~

A reader wrote today saying ~

Your 'Swallows and Amazons' life in Africa does sound wonderful. What I don't sense in the book is that you were ever worried about your future security even in the short term. Was it not something you thought of or does it just not show?  Or have you mastered being fully reliant on God?

Dear Chris,

I suppose my sense of security at the time was pretty much the same as the Swallows'. We were quite careful about our equipment and stores, but once organised we just went forth, enjoying the adventure of it all. As my letters suggest, I had the security of my friends and my family at home but had to trust God every step of the way. 

Sometimes, when things kept going wrong, I had no option but to up the trust and plough on regardless. Perhaps this is something I learnt off the South Africans. Whilst putting 'Ride the Wings of Morning' together made detailed plans for a trip only to have my (fully equipped) 4WD vehicle stolen in Johannesburg on the first night. Charles Baber advised me to 'always stick to the plan', so I hired a car and kept driving. It was rather a relief to only travel with my overnight bag, although I was jolly cross about the theft.

I did have good travel insurance but didn't get the chance to put much into my pension during the years spent in southern Africa. I'm trying to be sensible about that now, which is a bit dull. Perhaps I should have been more adventurous!

Yours,

Sophie

Have you ever been to Kosi Bay?

If you are planning a trip to South Africa, see if you can visit Kosi Bay in Natal.

The unique system of costal lakes support a huge number of bird species and is famous for the traditional fishtraps used by the local people.

We were able to watch both Samango monkeys in the costal rain forest and went snorkeling in the estuary.

Being guests of the Warden we were able to stay in one of the researcher's huts for a few days.

I remember listening to Zulu drums beating as the sun went down.

You can now stay at Memela Bush Lodge,  Kosi Bay Lodge or in other accommodation nearby, but ask about camp sites or if they still have hiking trail huts available, as they are right down by the lakes.

Aardvark

The aardvark (/ˈɑːrd.vɑːrk/ ard-vark, Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata. Read more

Fred always says that an ardvaark can move more earth in one night than a man with a shovel. The holes they make, whilst in their endless search for termites, are dangerous when riding. You don't exactly want to trot down one. But the animals themselves are fascinating. I would ride for miles, in the hope that one would emerge from underground one evening, but have only ever seen them in the headlights of a car when they scuttle away, terrified of the lights.

Sarah-Jane found an ardvaark when riding at about 4.00pm one winter afternoon. It was not at all shy of the horses, perhaps because it lived in their paddock and had always known cattle. The group were able to follow it for forty-five minutes as it went about it's business. She said it smelt like a smelly old man.

I was interested to find this Nudu painting added to a frieze of early bushmen paintings at Massebe on the edge of the Waterberg Escarpment in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

My friend Clive Walker says that the meat has always been prized by tribal Africans and that ardvaak holes, abandoned after only one night, become colonised by a huge assortment of other animals from porcupine to python. You can read more in his book Signs of the Wild.

Typical ardvaak country

Are you planning to go to Cape Town?

Sketches made travelling through the winelands ~

Visiting a friend at Roggelands, near Paarl ~

In the old Botantical Gardens looking at the South African Library ~

A map I sketched of the Cape Town area ~

One of many bird lists I have kept ~

and some visual notes

on ground nesting birds

and those keeping an eye on them

filming

keeping out of the way

or or just looking

The Waterberg ~ South Africa

The Palala River, flowing north towards the Limpopo.

Bonsmara cattle.

Old red sandstone cliffs.

Horses.

Iron age sites and wildlife ~

Sketches of Victoria Falls

When I first reached Victoria Falls there was so much water that we couldn't see a thing - just a cloud of mist that soaked us to the skin.

These quick sketches were executed on the Zimbabwean side in the Victoria Falls National Park.

I'd reached the town by train and was enchanted by the railway station.

This is of the bridge that spans the Zambezi Gorge.

Perhaps the most exciting thing was canoeing down the Zambezi towards the great waterfall. We pulled up our green canoes on one of the islands in the middle of the river and walked across the rocks to peer over the very lip of the falls. Despite the roar of the water, which was so loud we could hardly hear each other's voices, we set up camp under palm trees, building a fire to cook an evening meal.

We were guests of Ben Parker who was running Tongabezi Lodge. They have a panoramic shot of Livingstone Island and a number of fabulous photographs on their website, which gives you the feeling of being there.