I woke at 6:30 and it was still dark. The sun came up around 7. Gray boiled the kettle and found the water too brackish to drink. Kettle reboiled with Sandton Valpre (only joking) we sat outside sipping coffee (he had coffee, Kirst has talked me into starting the day with lemon and honey water – more healthy she said, good for your skin and constitution… within two days of our new health regime I had my first zit in 30 years and my first cold of the year, but I am persevering).
Looking up at the desert mountains with the suns rays creeping over them, we have every shade of cream, brown, pink and grey.. The only movement was a little cape bunting hopping around our feet. This is so one of my happy places.
After 2 days of travel, today was to be a rest day.
After morning drinks I headed in for a shower – and we had hot water, often a luxury on our Africa travels. I opened my mouth in the shower, having forgotten Grays warning about the brack water and visions from a scene from the ‘Sex in the City’ movie hit me.
So much for a rest day…..
Al and I started off with a hike to the top of a koppie near our chalets. We each added a rock to the cairn, like others before us that had scaled the top of the hill.
We then set off on a drive to the Orange River. The route in was fairly easy through Sand and rocky river beds. The mountains are devoid of all vegetation here. In some areas they are so dark, they are almost black, it looks like an atom bomb has exploded, leaving just desolate rock and mountains.
Literally, like an oasis in the desert, the Orange River runs through, with green shrub along the banks. We picnicked on the banks of the river. The heat of the midday sun sent us seeking shelter under a nearby tree. We added Grey and Goliath herons, a pied kingfisher and a few other water birds to our bird list.
The route home was along a serious 4x4 off-road, ‘don't think we should have been on’, route. I know why Gray loves his Discovery so much – this is what she was built for – not town and highway driving. We eventually arrived back 4 hours later. This is not a place to come to for the ‘Big 5’ or any animals – we were so excited to see a squirrel, the only natural fauna we have ever seen in the park. There are a few goat herds, tended to by nomadic herders but they they are few and far between. This is a place of stark beauty and exciting flora. Numerous succulents and plants are endemic to this area.
The relaxing part of day then started with a G & T around the fire.
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