On Lock-Down inside Kruger National Park – Day 22

17th Apr 202015th Nov 2020 Linda 17 Comments

Leopard Paranoia on Laundry Day!!

Day 22 of the lock-down. Today would have been the first day after if the lock-down had not been extended for another two weeks. It is for the best, I know that. But Alex and Jack are getting a bit gatvol. We try to keep them busy with fun and interesting things and they can keep themselves busy quite well too. But they are suffering from major cabin fever and are at each other’s throats a lot. Sounds familiar, parents out there? Sigh.

Steven and I decided this week that ‘not having any time’ no longer was a valid excuse to put off finishing a few DIY projects around the house and the garden. So I have been busy painting a bookcase that Steven built and we have been doing some major tidying up in the garden.

Of course, the laundry also needed doing… A lot of people have commented on my previous laundry days that they would love to go to the Laundromat too. So today, I wanted to take you all with me on laundry day! I made a time-lapse of my drive there and back. I truly hope you enjoy! (Never in history has it only taken 21 seconds to drive from Malalane Gate to Berg en Dal, haha!)

Berg en Dal itself was like a ghost town. I don’t think I will ever get used to the fact that the camp is so empty and quiet. It is a bit spooky, to be honest. And I can’t help but keep on thinking about the leopard that got into camp in December last year. (Read: A Typical Conversation in a Ranger’s House) What if he got into camp again? With no one here, he could easily sneak in unseen… Or maybe not and I am just imagining things. But the thought about leopards is always in the back of my head when I sit down on my bench at the dam.

Which made me a bit on edge I have to admit. I could not help but look left of me, to my right and behind me now and then, occasionally silently reprimanding myself for being such a ‘bangbroek’ or scaredy-cat;-) It was nice and cool this morning by the dam. No hippo or crocodile in sight and even the waterbuck I saw on most of my previous laundry days we not there.

There was a lot of bird activity though. Two Marabu Storks circled overhead and then swooped in for landing. The flight attendant in me softly said: Marabu 1 cleared for landing… Flaps 5… Gear Down… Touchdown! You can only truly appreciate how big those birds are when you see them in flight and you are not in your vehicle.

A Purple-crested turaco flew from one Fig Tree to the other and behind me, a family of Natal Francolin was scratching in the dirt. Then a sudden crash through the undergrowth almost gave me a heart attack! Leopard in the back of my head and all… I spun around and saw… a bushbuck!! The dainty antelope quickly disappeared from view. And left me to wonder… what was she running from…??

That thought freaked me out even more and made me lose my nerve. My heart still beating in my throat, I got up to go and check on my washing. At the bottom of the steps, a movement on my right caught my eye. I froze and slowly turned my head. A civet!! The usually nocturnal animal had also seen me and stopped dead in its tracks. For some reason, I always feel like I have to greet animals when we involuntarily bump into each other, so I gave the civet a hesitant: “Hello….?”

The civet could not care less about human pleasantries and carried on along the Rhino Trail. I guess he is not scared of my imaginary leopard….;-)

COMPETITION TIME!!

Before I go, I have something exciting to share with you. I have teamed up with Charlotte and Danny from the KrugerExplorer App. Charlotte and Danny have developed this phenomenal app, which is like having a Kruger Encyclopedia on your phone. It not only has everything you want to know about Kruger’s animals, birds and reptiles but also has lots of self-drive suggestions, routes, maps and information about Kruger National Park’s history and lots more. It even has an animal tick-list for you to log your sightings.

The photography on this app is beyond stunning! This app and all of its features have blown me away!! Charlotte and Danny are allowing me to give away their stunning KrugerExplorer App to three lucky winners! So if you would like to enter this giveaway, please head over to my Facebook Page and follow the instructions. You could be one of the three lucky people to win this app!

Xxx, Linda

Linda

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