It is still raining when we wake. We decide not to break camp but to wait and see if the new occupants would mind swapping with us. We go out for a morning drive and are in awe of all the water that is about.
We have to go into 4WD range to get through the river on the road.
We see lion tracks and follow them till they disappear over the ridge. At Kousant we find gemsbok drinking at a much bigger waterhole than yesterday!
There are game about but the animals won’t need to come to the drinking holes now that there is water aplenty lying around. We spot bat-eared foxes and suspect they have a den near Polentswa waterhole. They do not come close enough for good photographs. As we are racing back to Polentswa waterhole I call to Earl to stop – there is an African Jacana on the side of the road. He reverses but it flies off. I play the call on my phone and we see him fly up, over the car and away. No photograph! What is a jacana doing in the desert!
At Polentswa waterhole we find the mother owl and hear the juvenile calling. We trace the call to another on the exit road, take a photo and then return to the waterhole. The mother is at the edge of the pond and we watch her take a bath and a drink. It is the highlight of our day.
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We return to camp and Jim calls me to see a squacco heron in the tree behind the caravan – another strange find in the desert!
Maureen and I wash up last night’s dishes and then she cooks us bacon and eggs for breakfast. We manage to eat our meal under the A-frame but soon the rain returns and we scurry for our caravans. We have a drink of Oxo at midday and then it really comes down in buckets. This is set in for the day or longer. Earl and I are sitting in the car listening to music while he reads the Land Rover Manual and I type up the diary and sort out photographs. We are collecting rain water that drips from the tarpaulin into buckets and basins!
When the rain stops we go and check how the roads look after the storm. There is water everywhere and it is unlikely that we will see animals at the waterholes!
Later we see that some people have taken up occupancy of Site 1. Jim goes to speak to them. They say they are supposed to be on Site 3. But Daan and Jeanette are booked there. So there has been a major mix up as to where people should be. We are safe on Site 2 for now! In any case the Site one occupants have decided to go to the lodge for the night because of the weather. They are a guide and a Swiss couple and the wife wants to dry out and have a decent shower as they have just driven through from Mabua! Who can blame her?
While we are sitting waiting for Daan and Jeanette come for drinks two rabbits make an appearance.
It is cold and Maureen makes gluwine which is delicious.
For supper I cook Camp Risotto which included rice, lentils, butter beans, onion, garlic, canned mushrooms and canned peas!
