African camping tales

[Marc Lurie]

Hi all,

As a result of a succesful hijacking of a totally unrelated thread elsewhere on the forum, I decided to carry on the thread where it is actually supposed to be. :)

Gonewalkabout from Australia mentioned that he would like to hear of some experiences that some of us might have had while camping in South Africa.

In spite of the fact that Australia is home to:
9 of the 10 most deadly spiders,
17 of the 20 most venomous snakes,
the deadly box jellyfish which is responsible for more deaths than snakes and crocodiles put together,
the blue-ringed octupus (the size of a golfball, it can kill in minutes with a venom that has no known cure),
lionfish,
stonefish,
165 types of sharks
sal****er crocodiles,
ticks that carry a variety of diseases
famous platypus, an egg-laying mammal with venomous spurs that can cause extreme pain,
bulldog ants and particularly the jack jumper ant can cause anaphylactic shock in a small percentage of the population,
he voiced his concern about the wildlife in Africa :rolleyes:

I'm sure that the Africans on the forum have many stories to tell about encounters with wildlife. So why not put some into writing on this thread. It should make for good reading.

[Marc Lurie]

I'll start the ball rolling:

About 1998, Brigid and I were camping in the municipal campsite in the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. We didn't have a rooftop tent at the time, only a small two-man nylon tent on the ground under a beautiful camelthorn tree.

About 3am, Brigid (who is quite a light sleeper) wakes me (not such a light sleeper ;) ) with an urgent shake and a whisper: "Marc, wake up, there's an elephant..."

I groggily wake up, take a peer out of the tent towards the camp fence about 100m away, see something greyish, and go back to sleep.

10 seconds later, Brigid whispers with more urgency: "Marc, put your f**king glasses on, there's a f**king elephant..." (I used to wear spectacles before I had laser surgery)

I put on my specs and I looked out of the tent.

Less than 6 feet away there was a huge bull elephant, happily munching away at the camelthorn tree. He heard the noise in the tent, and stared directly at us. You could see the thought process in his mind. He was alert at first, and a bit suspicious. Then he figured that the tent was probably harmless, and he continued to eat. About ten minutes later he wandered off, and all we could do was wait silently in the tent, looking at this marvelous beast. If we'd made a sudden noise he almost certainly would have killed us.

The most amazing thing is that this huge animal made absolutely no sound as he walked away over twigs and leaves. The experience was one that I will NEVER forget. I've never been closer to an ellie before or since.

Cheers,
Marc

[K&S]

Where to start? But one story at a time. Mine also involves elephants but fortunatley not while sleeping.

My wife, Shirley, and I love walking in the bush and always try get in a long walk before breakfast. On this occasion we were at Kariba in Zimababwe and we, and our three children, went out of the camp site which had electrified fencing to keep the elephants out. Also walking in the area were the local population coming from the village to their work on Kariba. In the distance we spotted elephants and moved away from them and cntinued on. Before long we suddenly noticed there were no longer any locals walking and before we knew it the elephants were all around us. As Marc says they have this ability to move completely silently but also pretty quickly. Then we spotted a group of about fifteen local people who were in the same prediciment as us and were also looking for an escape route.

Then with much shouting from their friends on one of the nearby hills they headed right and made a dash for the road. What we didn't know was that they were told a vehicle was coming.

Anyway we decided local knowledge was the prudent one to follow and we headed right too. And just in time to clamber on to the side of a swb series landy that was now overflowing with people. There was no room in the landy and we, like quite a few others, were hanging on for dear life to the hood sticks on the back of the landy trying to find any foot hold for our feet. The driver, a bearded white farmer, then stopped about a kilometre away, allowing everyone to off-load and then roared off in a cloud of dust not even waiting for thank yous.

Then two days later while fishing on the edge of the Kariba lake we spotted elephants heading our way and decided to exit stage left before they got too close. Unfortunatley when we got to the car and in our haste to get going Shirley locked the keys in the boot. Now there were panic stations in leterally ripping our the back seat out to get into the boot to retireve the keys. (This was pre-our-landy-days.) This was done just in the nick of time with the herd not more than about thirty metres away. While all of this was going on a local resident was totally unconcerned about our emergency but was occupied with his emergency! And this was covering up his garden with canvas and hessian to try and prevent the elephants eating his garden flowers! Afterwards we found his actions hilarious but at the time he was getting a few choice observations from us.

And then the following day our children decided to head from the camping area to the hotel swimming pool about 500 metres away and when they returned about 15 minutes later we were really surprised to see them back so soon, only to discover they could not get there due to a herd of 300+ buffaloe thet were migrating through. (For those who don't know buffaloe, they are one of the most aggressive and intolerant animals in the bush).

More bush stories later.....

El Stiemo I'm sure you can add some hair-raising bush experiences here too.

[mmgemini]

We were in Chobe on the top road from the river.
Four elephants crossed the road in front of us about 400 metres away.
Margaret my wife started to count them.As more crossed the road I reversed back to give them plenty of space.
Margaret is counting
41
42
43
AH !!!!!
I looked to my right.
There was this huge bull elephant in the middle of the road a couple of metres from the Land Rover towering above us looking directly through my open window - I had to look upwards to the bottom of his tusks

We both looked at each other wondering what to do.

I had luck on more than one side
The engine was switched off.
I didn't have a camera in my hand.

The bull decided we weren't a problem,so much for a grey Defender and wandered off a couple of metres in front of the Defender.


Next morning I spoke to a couple of the game drive drivers and asked them what I should have done.They both asked me what I'd done so I told them.
They laughed and said "all you could do really"

For such huge animals they move so quietly and can hide themselves so easily in the bush.

[BigJim]

Not camping but somewhere in Kenya.
two of us in a tiny renault car, driving along the river bank, got between a hippo and the water. When disturbed they can move very fast, and just make a bee line for the water, passed a couple of feet in front of us.

Another time in a game park, took a ranger with us (same car) for an early morning drive. Been in the country nearly 3 months, just wanted to see leopard, so ranger couldn't take us the usual '7 day safari peeps' route. Ended up in a herd of elephants, really among them, came round a corner in the track, elephants in front of us, and realised there were others coming onto the track behind us. he told us to switch off the engine and just sit quiiet, elephants all around us and only a few feet away. I think the ranger was more scared than we were! Suddenly he said 'go quick' and we scooted out between them. In fact it was nice just sitting among them, but I couldn't help wondering how flat the car would be if one took a dislike to us!
Africa is one of the most marvellous countries for game watching, long may it continue.

[Marc Lurie]

got between a hippo and the water.
Silly, silly, silly :eek: Hippos kill more people than any other animal in Africa (apart from mosquitos and other people that is.)


Africa is one of the most marvellous countries for game watching, long may it continue.
Oy, BigJim, it's 53 totally different countries ;) . Don't go sounding like George Dubya now. He said "Africa is a big country" :confused:

[Marc Lurie]

We were camping on an island in the Zambezi River in Mozambique. That night we shone our torches into the water, and in a small bay about 100m away we saw the eyes of about 20 juvenile crocs. All of them just looking and waiting about 20m from the shore. The juveniles are not too much of a problem, but they act as decoys to distract prey, while the adults sneak along the bottom until they're literally 2 or 3 feet away. That's when the screaming starts... :eek:

Anyway, next morning we crawled out of the tent and saw croc spoor right past the entrance of the tent. A small croc, probably only 6 foot long. walked past us during the night. :eek:

It must have been fairly soon before we woke up because the spoor had no dew in the footprints.

[BigJim]

Silly, silly, silly :eek: Hippos kill more people than any other animal in Africa (apart from mosquitos and other people that is.)



:confused:

Absolutely unintentional, the hippo was out of sight behind some bushes.





Oy, BigJim, it's 53 totally different countries ;) . Don't go sounding like George Dubya now. He said "Africa is a big country" :confused:

Oops, caught with my pants down....
Continent...
And the 53 countries differ very much.

[mmgemini]

Namashushi, Caprivi Strip, Namibia.

Up as usual at six.Start the engine to charge the battery which will be flat after running the fridge.No electric hook-ups here.The lodge is on a generator.

Start to boil the water in the Kelly for tea.
TAP
TAPTAP TAPTAP.

That my engine ??Or is it somebody chopping wood ??

Walk over to Defender it is my engine.
Oh dear we are miles from anywhere.Nearly a day's drive to Rundu!!

Stop engine and open bonnet.
Ah yes there's the problem a shredded serpentine belt.
Cut the shreds off and start up again.No noise good.Look at water pump pully and notice that it's at an angle.Why hasn't it leaked ????
It soon did.

Finish cup of tea and have breakfast.
Now past seven AM and HOT.
A brush down the spare wheel and a tarp over the brush tends to help keep the sun off me as I change the water pump.

Water pump changed and have lunch.
A trip to Mudumu nature park is interesting.Hot 45 deg in the car but plenty of eli.

We return to the lodge both needing a cold drink.
The place is deserted and I have to look for the bar staff who are outside on the veranda.
"Come quick" they shout "seven bull eli in the bush over the river"
We stood and watched for some time.Then I asked."Where can I get some eli droppings.
"Pick one up" was the answer.
"What do I tell the customs person back home" I asked.
"Elephant ****e" said the bonny girl.


3.30 AM next morning.
"Wake up" said Margaret "There's eli about"
I couldn't see that well in the dark but I thought I saw a huge shape behind the Land rover[We use a ground tent]
When we got up next morning the eli had walked through both pitches either side of us. !!!!!

At about 8AM the nice girl from the bar arrived with a ball of eli ****e.That now sits in a wooden bowl on my fireplace!!!!

[Marc Lurie]

I was driving back to South Africa from Zambia, and went through the Zim/Zam border post at Chirundu. At the border post there's always a long line of trucks heading south with produce.

One of the trucks was carrying bags of maize, and some ellies got a whiff of the maize and decided they liked it.

One of the males simply pushed the cargo off the truck and started eating. Within twenty minutes there must have been 30 elephants around, all eating the maize. There was absolutely nothing that could be done to stop them. I just watched and laughed with all the truck drivers.

The maize also attracted a troop of baboons who live in the area. They were everywhere, and very aggressive. (For the non-Africans here: Chacma baboons are neither cute NOR cuddly. They are aggressive, highly intelligent, and f**king dangerous if threatened) It started to rain and I took shelter under the eaves of the customs building, the baboons were horseing about on the roof. There was some sort of scuffle and one on the baboons was thrown off the roof by his mate, and thudded to the ground right at my feet. As he hit the ground his first reaction was "I'm gonna kill the next thing that even remotely looks like a baboon", and that was me!!!:eek: There was a split second where I thought he was going to rip me to to bits, but something distracted him and he ran off. That's probably the closest I've been to serious damage from an animal.

Anyway, I crossed the Chirundu bridge to find a herd of about 10 ellies on the other side blocking the road, and a few kilometers later I spotted two cheetah just sitting on a mound by the side of the road. I stopped and watched them for a long time. There used to be game all the way from Chirundu to Karoi, but I think most of it has been killed by now.

Marc

[BigJim]

Marc, you mention baboons..
Nairobi national park
'DO NOT FEED THE BABOONS'
But of course some people think they know better
just feed them something out of the window
Oh dear they are getting a bit of a nuisance, and where did all those come from?
Better shut the window.
Oi, i didn't get anything, I'll get on the bonnet.
Still no food, what's this thing on the windscreen, I'll pull that off and see what happens.
Oh look, there a thing on the door...

Surprising how much damage annoyed baboons can do to wipers, mirrors etc.

We just sat and watched from our car, at a distance. Was a landcruiser that day.

Another day saw a VW camper stuck down by the thorn trees by the 'river', (favourite place to lions)on a mud track, couple and kids out of the van trying to push it out of the mud. What idiot would go down there in the rainy season? We did go and help, (four of us that time, one kept a weather eye out for lions, hoping they would be somewhere drier) we got them out eventually, but black mud is no respecter of persons, or 4x4s.

[mmgemini]

One thing we both knew that we had to do when camping was not to throw any food away.All uneaten food was burnt.

So we are camping at Halali in Etosha National Park 2004 our first trip.

There are honey badgers at Halali and they raid the bins on a night to get at any food left in there.

Opposite us was a South African family with a very nice off road caravan.Really the first one I'd seen.
All their unused food was thrown into the bin.
Each night the man from the caravan would be throwing stones at the honey badgers to try to stop them raiding the bins.

We really enjoyed watching the badger at work.
They lifted the bin at the bottom with their front paws and tipped it on its side then pulling the contents out.

A cute looking animal but can be very dangerous if tormented or cornered.They do like Smarties though!!!!

[mmgemini]

Baboons.
Moremi again 2004.One thing I wouldn't camp in Moremi again from choice.

The parks people made some "baboon proof" bin enclosures.

So people put their rubbish in the bin through the baboon proof cage watched by the baboons at a distance.
The baboon approached the bin.Unlocked the baboon proof lock and emptied the contents of the bin.

The baboons removed my driver's side Clime Air wind deflector overnight.

One tour operator told me that they put a large metal trunk on the ground in Moremi.Two baboons appeared one taking a handle each and ran off with the trunk.

[Marc Lurie]

Opposite us was a South African family with a very nice off road caravan.

OMG :eek: . If I see those things, I'm outa there. Can you imagine the strain you put on your chassis when towing a caravan through the corrugations and soft sand of Botswana? :eek:

It's people with far too much money, not enough sense, and usually with noisy kids on quad bikes to boot!!!

BigJim, if I'm not mistaken, you don't get Chacma baboons in Kenya, only the olive and yellow baboons. Chacma's are far more aggressive and much bigger (up to 45kg) and have been known to kill people, and even leopards in self defence.

Friends of mine used to live in Skukuza, inside the Kruger Nat. Park, and one day they must have left a window open. The baboons climbed in and completely trashed the house.

They tore every piece of cloth in the house, broke cupboards apart, smashed bottles, ripped the fridge up etc.

Every now and then, the rangers have to lure an alpha male baboon into the camp at Skukuza and shoot it where the rest of the troop see the body. This is because idiots insist on feeding the baboons.

There's a piece of folklore about a ranger who saw some tourist feeding a baboon so he walked over to the tourist, handed him his rifle and told the man to shoot the baboon, because he'd already sentenced the animal to death by feeding it.

[BigJim]

OMG :eek: .
BigJim, if I'm not mistaken, you don't get Chacma baboons in Kenya, only the olive and yellow baboons. Chacma's are far more aggressive and much bigger (up to 45kg) and have been known to kill people, and even leopards in self defence.

.

Marc, sad to say with my memory, and knowledge (or lack of it) of baboons,.....

they were just baboons to me!

Though we did a lot of wildlife watching in Nairobi NP, went there whenever we could, even just drove through when coming back from elsewhere, often evening and a good time to see things. We had a system of who watched where (left near, left far, right near etc), and weren't frightened to say stop if we thought we saw somethng, nor critical if it turned out to be a rock. One rock we all watched for a few minutes and agreed was a rock, then moved, rhino, whcih were rare in NNP.

One time spotted a family of cheetah (I think, Marc!!), we watched them for ages, by which time there was quite a crowd joined us, and had completely encircled the family! When they decided to move, they just went, staright over the bonnet of one of the vehicles, no problem to them but of course the occupants had got out to get a better view!! Great fun when the cheetah started running full pelt towards them!

Happy days.

[Marc Lurie]

One time spotted a family of cheetah (I think, Marc!!), we watched them for ages, by which time there was quite a crowd joined us, and had completely encircled the family! When they decided to move, they just went, staright over the bonnet of one of the vehicles, no problem to them but of course the occupants had got out to get a better view!! Great fun when the cheetah started running full pelt towards them!


Spotted.. Cheetah :) Did you see your own pun BigJim? There are only two commonly seen spotted cats, cheetah and leopard, and you'l almost never see more than one adult leopard at a time, so they must have been cheetah.

Are people allowed to get out of their cars in NNP? I don't think most people fully appreciate how dangerous that is. I saw a lioness SHRED a car tyre with one swipe of her claws :eek: In retrospect it's quite funny, but when it happened it was awe-inspiring. We were in Kruger, and a small pride of females was lazing around alongside a road. A whole bunch of vehicles arrived to gawk, and one of the cars tried to get REAL close and accidentally drove over the end of one of the lionesses tails. She snarled and swiped out and absolutely shredded the tyre. Gave the occupants a hell of a shock too. :eek: If the tyre had been a living thing, it would have been very dead after the swipe.

As you say, you never know when a rock will turn out to be an animal. Elephants can literally sneak up on you in thick bush, and the cats... you could walk within a foot from a leopard and never know he was there.

Marc

[BigJim]

Spotted.. Cheetah :) Did you see your own pun BigJim?
Marc

No:( :(


Are people allowed to get out of their cars in NNP?
Marc

No, but they do, (or did in those days), but I think there are one or two places you can.

BJ

[bvudzichena]

I saw a medium sized elephant trash a very nice, shiney, new Isuzu pickup in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe in 1999 to get to a pocket of oranges that some very silly South Africans had left in the truck.

[El Stiemo]

Hi guys,

I'm just back in the office for a couple of days and saw this thread...

Where to start...

One of the "nicest" experiences was lying in my sleeping bag a couple of years ago in north western Namibia, Kaokoland, in a narrow river canyon. The canyon was about fourty meters wide, but maybe ten meters wide covered in thick reeds. The rest of the area is sand. No tent, sleeping under the stars. During the night, I wake up to a rustling sound at the campfire, which was almost out. I look up and see a Jackal going after some bones, etc. So no problem thinks I and just as I was lying back down and wanting to go back to sleep, I hear Oumpf - Oumpf - Oooumpf. Wide awake as I realise there are lions about and close. The .357 Mag under my pillow feels like a BB gun all of a sudden. Lie very still, eyes wide open. No more sleep, no more sounds. At first light, discover tracks from a pride of lions that had passed the camp in the night between us and the reeds, only some meters away.

Nice.

In Pangane, northern Mozambique, there is a campsite with a reed enclosure for toilet and shower. One of my friends goes to the loo, only to find a strange blck pipe sticking out on the bottom of the reed enclosure. It was darkish and he didn't have torch with him. When he stops to get a closer look, the "pipe" slithers away from him into the enclosure... So, nice little Mfezi (Mozambiquan spitting cobra) inside toilet. He calls for help and we arrive to very carefully peer inside the enclosure. No snake. Yet closer scruitiny reveals spoor going in, however, none coming out. Where is it? Only plausible soultion... inside the toilet. But seeing as this is the longdrop varierty, nothing can be seen from the surface except what you would expect to be there. None of us used the toilet for the remainder of our stay.

BTW I know the Badgers in Halali, beware of them.

I'll think of some other stories and post them up.

There's never a dull moment.

[BigJim]

Should this thread be locked on the grounds of cruelty to those of us stuck in UK?;) ;) :D :D :) :)

[mmgemini]

We stayed at Droskys Cabins in Botswana 2004.

There was a notice in reception which said simply..

"We have monkeys"

We'd pitched and I put a lock on the zip !!! Met two people that we'd met at Etosha.
Margaret went to take some pics of sundown.A sundowner as well. Kat and Dave turned up.
"Anybody here from campsite No 4" he asked.

He was told that they'd gone on the sundowner river trip.

"Oh well the monkeys have raided their camp site"

Yep I was told.The people had arrived.Emptied the vehicle.Left Wolf boxes about.The monkeys found the deserted camp site and played.They opened every Wolf box.Ate what they fancied.Mixed food and clothing and whatever else they could find.****e all over as well.

Could be Jim.
We're planning six months next year from the beginning of August !!!

[BigJim]

Could be Jim.
We're planning six months next year from the beginning of August !!!
That is cruel:( :(

But I hope you have a great time, and look forward to hearing all about it.

[BigJim]

Not camping, but one of the graetest train journeys!
Nairobi to Mombasa, overnight.
First sitting for dinner, then went back later to see if we could get a drink.
Dinner finished, staff having their own meal, but produced soem beers for us and we sat chatting with them.

Next day walked round Mombasa, dinner by candlelight outside overlooking the harbour, feeling a bit whacked (too much sun ?) so top off salt, tipped some in a glass, added water, and gulped it down, but horror, something other than salt in my mouth!!! Held glass up to the candle and....

rice! Put in there to keep the salt dry!

Next day went to the little park where the rare gazelles are, saw them, then train back again.

[K&S]

Must have been a great trip. The last time I took a long train trip must have been as a youngster in the early '70s. Was still with a steam engine rather than the electric or diesels. Was from what was then Salisbury Rhodesia (Harare, Zimbabwe now) to Cape Town and back. Trip took 3 days each way.

Then again when playing rugby against other schools in Rhodesia we used to travel by train and that was just overnight trips.

Memories.... must be getting old!:o

[K&S]

Getting back to camping tales I must admit my biggest fear in the bush is not the game but spiders. I can't stand the things. And it always seems the hotter the climate the bigger the spider. Hailing originally from Rhodesia we used to get some monsters there, especially around Kariba where the daily temperatures are usually in excess of 40 degrees celsius.

When we were camping at Kariba I recall my daughter calling us to look at, as she put it, "a spider as big as a mouse". We thought quite some exageration (or at least I was hoping as much), but this spider was literally the size of a mouse. We could actually hear it walking over the leaves under trees. That left me stone cold. Every night thereafter I made sure my mosquito net was as tight as possble; not for mosquito protection but spider protection. Nothing was going to get into that net!

We also used to get these insects at Kariba we named jaguars because they were so fast. They never seemed to stand still but would come racing into your bungalow, charge around the walls creating all sorts of havoc within for about five minutes then disappear as quick as they came. To this day I wouldn't know what they look like except about four inches long and the fastest thing on the ground I've ever seen.

I treat every spider as lethal; if it lands on me I'll die of fright!

I once slept out in the bush and put up a bivvy (loose cover suspended above you in place of a full size tent, for those who don't know the expression) and then decided to sleep away from it instead, directly under the stars. When it came to taking it down in the morning, biggest and most colourful spider I've ever seen was on the under side of it. The thing was the size of my hand. If I had slept under it I would have died. I would have woken to stare straight at it about one foot away from where my face would have been.

Even snakes are less frightening than African spiders. But more about snakes another time.

[bvudzichena]

The thing is, you can handle a snake. If you pick it up by it's tail and you have some sort of a stick you can keep the "business end" away from you. You can then either bag the snake, or you can relocate it far away from your camp. As long as the distance between the end of the stick and the snake's head is shorter than the length of your stick, the snake can't double back and invenomate you.

I've been doing this since I was a small boy in Nyazura (Kevin, you should now where that is). I'll never forget my mom's reaction when I came into the house with my first small python that I'd caught...

Spiders on the other hand are really nasty, evil creatures. Most snakes will spot you long before you spot it and head off. Spiders don't do this. I've had two nasty spider bites in the past ten years and ended up in hospital both times. One was from a button spider, just above my ankle. The necrosis (rotting of your own flesh) from that was much worse than the puff adder bite I received years before. I ended up having to go for reconstructive surgery. The second time it was a black widow bite near my right elbow. That was also pretty nasty and I also ended up in hospital.

I don't like killing things that I can't eat, but spiders are designed to be stomped on.

Kevin and Marc, I've found a late 60's IIA in a farmer's shed that needs to be rebuilt. Most of the bits are there, but I'm going to be needing quite a few little things to finish it. Where do I go to start looking for parts?

[mmgemini]

K&S I know what you mean.I was told that flat spides don't harm you.Well maybe not phisically but certainly mentally.
I just freeze when I see the things.

At home in my garage I find two pounds of malleable iron on the end of eighteen inches of hickory makes an effective way of dealing with spiders.

The spray DOOM does kill them althought I generally spray with my eyes shut LOL.

So far the only scorpian [a spider of sorts I'm told] was small enough to fit in a matchbox.

[Marc Lurie]

Kevin and Marc, I've found a late 60's IIA in a farmer's shed that needs to be rebuilt. Most of the bits are there, but I'm going to be needing quite a few little things to finish it. Where do I go to start looking for parts?

Rob Leimers?

[Marc Lurie]

I don't have a problem with snakes or spiders, I just stay away from them.

I have a problem with scorpions. I got nailed on the hand by one at Sodwana Bay in 1987 and I'll never forget that pain.

My main bush fear is the crocodile. They're cunning and remarkably intelligent for a reptile. I was talking to some giudes in North Luangwa who told me that the villagers have to continually change the place where they wash clothes or get into their boats because the crocs learn where the people are entering the water, and they wait there.

At least there is a good chance of survival if you get bitten by a snake or spider. :eek:

Marc

[K&S]

I've been doing this since I was a small boy in Nyazura (Kevin, you should now where that is).

Kevin and Marc, I've found a late 60's IIA in a farmer's shed that needs to be rebuilt. Most of the bits are there, but I'm going to be needing quite a few little things to finish it. Where do I go to start looking for parts?

I know of Nyazura but haven't had the pleasure of stopping there. Only went through en route to Umtali. Probably missed it a few times by blinking at the wrong moment :D .

Congrats on getting the series. For interest is it a lwb or a shortie? Please don't say shortie or I'll be as jealous as anything :p . Saw one for sale the other day at an excellent price but funds or a problem at the moment.

As Marc says there is Rob Leimers in Northriding in Randburg. Got lots of parts and good advice but can sometimes be expensive so know your prices. Specialises in series vehicles. (011) 795-2507.

Dover parts in Central Jhb (011) 493-6717.

Have used both the above successfully.

The others below I've not used before:

In your neck of the woods there is:
Wayne's 4X4 (012) 653-0309 Don't know if they do series vehicles.

There's also www.landroverparts.co.za (http://www.landroverparts.co.za)

Also try Eric on the East Rand 083-433-8658 or (011) 918-2538. He's a member of the Land Rover Owners Club (LROC) and very knowledgable and does repairs etc. Excellent guy and will give you excellent advice. Probably has a few things lying around he might want to get rid of.

If you're not a member of the LROC you should think about it. We have great outings. There is also a technical forum. Lots of the members are from Pretoria too.

Hope that helps. Post a pic or two of the new landy.

[bvudzichena]

Rob Leimers?

I'll pop down there this week to see what he's got. Is there anyone else. Also need to start keeping an eye open for a half decent roofrack for the D2.

I've never been on the receiving end of a scorpion and I hope that I never will.

Seven years ago, I had to go and remove a man eating croc up in the Ume in Zimbabwe. I used a 375 H&H magnum elephant gun with nozzler partition rounds, put the first round behind the end of his "smile" - i.e. a brain shot. He jerked up and I assumed that his little brain has turned to mash, so I gave him a heart shot just in case. We started walking toward him only so see this old guy calmly stand up and start walking to the water. Next thing we've got three guys from National Parks let loose with their FN's while I'm doing the same thing with a 375. It was like "gunfight at the OK coral". Never in my life have I had to put so many rounds into an animal to kill it.

[bvudzichena]

Congrats on getting the series. For interest is it a lwb or a shortie? Please don't say shortie or I'll be as jealous as anything :p .

It's a LWB and needs a LOT of work. Like you I'm also looking for a shortie. Rob Leimer had one he was selling on commission a while ago, but the seller wanted silly money for it and it had been badly bodged.

Thanks for the info regarding the other places. I'll start with Wayne. He should be just over the mountains from me, then I'll move onto the rest down in your part of the world.

The IIA is going to be my hunting bakkie, so it will get a 200TDi, with Range Rover diffs and fat tackies. Once it's fixed and working nicely, I'll be able to sell the Land Cruiser, but I need to hurry as I'm starting to like that other truck :eek:

[bvudzichena]

As Marc says there is Rob Leimers in Northriding in Randburg. Got lots of parts and good advice but can sometimes be expensive so know your prices. Specialises in series vehicles. (011) 795-2507.

Kevin,

I'm getting all the bits together to do a chassis up rebuild on my Defender 110 station wagon some time in 2007 when I get my new workshop.

The last time I did any business with Rob, I bought two ex Botswana Defence Force under seat fuel tanks for the Defender rebuild from him. The way to deal with those two guys is to only take cash when you go there. They have a "cash cash" price and then there's the price if you want an invoice. I've also found that the young guy (I forget his name) is much more open to doing "deals" than Rob...

[K&S]

Kevin,

I've also found that the young guy (I forget his name) is much more open to doing "deals" than Rob...

Warren ...... I've found the same, prefer dealing with him.

[seekingserenity]

If you're looking for a shorty - have you checked www.landyonline.co.za (http://www.landyonline.co.za) ? I seem to recall quite a few for sale at decent prices, across the country. Heck - there was even one going FREE! :)

Almost forgot - here's my camping tale:
A bunch of us were headed of to Mana Pools for the long weekend. We didn't quite make it in time, and had to spend the night at the Rangers (?) building a few km's from the gate. Easy enough, we chucked down a huge tarp and all slept under the stars. Until about 3 in the morning, when I woke up for some reason - and spotted moving shadows around us. Grabbed the torch - hyenas! I woke up 2 friends and we spent the rest of the night shining our torches in eyes, every time they got a bit close. (Don't ask me why we didn't wake the adults..!)

Next morning, they were gone. We went for a bit of a walk before heading into Mana - and as we crested the hill we found where they'd got to - a semi-circle of the beasts, HUGE guy in the middle just sitting there looking at us! We backed off, and disappeared as fast as our legs could carry us once out of sight.

That wasn't the end to the exciting weekend either. I managed to get chased through duiweltjie thorns by buffalo - barefoot. We sat a bit close to a clump of grass that turned out to contain a rather large croc, and someone managed to get the spikey fins of a local fish stuck in their hands.

Nothing like the African bush! Love it!

[bvudzichena]

I managed to get chased through duiweltjie thorns by buffalo - barefoot.

Eina :yikes:

[K&S]

There's something very scary about those hyena eyes at night. I know I'm colour blind but they seem to have a very strange colour to them, like something from a horror movie :eek: . When we were travelling through Botswana late at night, near to Pandametenga, we drove through a pack of hyenas. Those eyes and the smell!!!! In fact that road had everything one could wish for when game viewing. Elephants ambling across the road, sable on the road, hyenas, giraffes, snakes, owls, and just about anything that moved. They all seemed to congregate on the road at regular intervals. A good reminder that night driving in the bush is slow driving. On the way back we saw a vehicle that had hit something fairly large. The vehicle was a complete wreck.

[mmgemini]

There's something very scary about those hyena eyes at night. I know I'm colour blind but they seem to have a very strange colour to them, like something from a horror movie :eek: . When we were travelling through Botswana late at night, near to Pandametenga, we drove through a pack of hyenas. Those eyes and the smell!!!! In fact that road had everything one could wish for when game viewing. Elephants ambling across the road, sable on the road, hyenas, giraffes, snakes, owls, and just about anything that moved. They all seemed to congregate on the road at regular intervals. A good reminder that night driving in the bush is slow driving. On the way back we saw a vehicle that had hit something fairly large. The vehicle was a complete wreck.

I agree night driving is NOT recomended.

In 2004 about 12 Km south of Kasane was the wreck of a BP tanker.
For those in the UK these tankers are a double trailered artic.
This vehicle had the rear trailer still upright and the paint hadn't burnt completly off at the back.
The front trailer was on its side,burnt out.
The tractor unit was also on its side detached from the trailer no panels left just a twisted wreck.

We were informed that the driver had hit an eli.

This information was supposededly given by an eye witness.
The truck driver was killed.
The eli









Walked away aparently.

[Jode]

Firstly - great initiative, Hakuna!

Secondly, ditlou! One of the more charming episodes that we experienced (actually my wife, Lene - I saw bits of it only at a distance) was when camping (for the first time) at Savuti Campsite in the Chobe Park in Botswana.

You all know that elephants need lots of water. Unfortunately Botswana's really a pretty silly country for elephants as there isn't all that much water. And in the early 1990s we were at the end of several years of drought (the late 80s were especially bad). Fortunately for the elephants at Savuti, the government had built ablution blocks there (toilets and showers for you non-Africans), and toilets and showers generally use piped water. Brilliant! In no time, all of the piping was stuffed up and the toilets wouldn't flush (however you had a great view of the trees through the destroyed roof....).

So we arrive rite knackered in the camp this particulay afternoon, having driven from Kasane that morning in a rather poor excuse for a Landie (a dead old R6 - in-line Rover 6 cyl in a Series III), and Lene needed a tinkle, as one does. But there's a big group of elephants by the loos - in fact there were elephants scattered all around. Never mind, off she sets for the ablutions... where a young elephant is having a nibble off some tree. And sees her. And starts to follow her.

Well, Lene quickly discovers that the loos don't work and are indescribably disgusting, so she heads back for our campsite (say 50 metres away). And the elephant follows her. She stops and looks at it - and it stops. So she sets off again...and so does the ellie. Now elephants belong in the veld, and people belong in campsites; so Lene stops (and the ellie stops - now about 3 metres away from her) and tries to explain this patiently to Jumbo (or rather Dumbo). Dumbo listens politely, Lene sets off again...with Dumbo following.

Now Lene's getting a bit cross. So she gives him (her? couldn't tell the difference then) a good dressing down, again motioning that he/she should go back to the other elephants whilst she heads off to the people zoo. This time the penny drops, and Dumbo heads back to be with the family.

Perhaps needless to note, this was the first time we had ever camped in an elephant area!

Cheers.


PS - for one of the most interesting elephant stories around (at least, that I've heard or read), get a copy of Joyce Poole's "Coming of Age with Elephants". She spent several years at Ambroseli Park in Kenya, studying elephants, and - like other researchers (e.g. Ian Douglas-Hamilton) gained amazing insigt into their behaviour. Her reunion with her "study group" after she ended her research was incredibly moving!

[Jode]

Another elephant story.

Marc mentioned earlier how quiet elephants are. Well, we were sleeping in our roof tent some 6 years back in the new campsite at Savuti. The EU gave the Botswana govt a bunch of cash to upgrade the national parks; and fortunately someone realised that they needed to build elephant-proof loos, which they have done very successfully by enclosing the ablution blocks in a very high and very steep inclined wall. The campsites themselves remain in the open (ahh, there's no comparing Kruger with Chobe, hey?).

So we're asleep - and it's a full-moon. So something wakes me up in the middle of the night. I hear a very soft sort of swishing thud, so I peer through the mosquito netting of the tent window and find myself staring at the flank of an ellie walking past the Landie not 2 metres away! Marvelous.

Cheers.

[Jode]

We also used to get these insects at Kariba we named jaguars because they were so fast. They never seemed to stand still but would come racing into your bungalow, charge around the walls creating all sorts of havoc within for about five minutes then disappear as quick as they came. To this day I wouldn't know what they look like except about four inches long and the fastest thing on the ground I've ever seen.
Might have been a solifuge (think it's called) - related to spiders, put their front two legs (pedipalps) are very long and used for grabbing prey. They have very high metabolism and must eat constantly, hence the frantic pace. Absolutely harmless to people, 'though.

Cheers.

[Jode]

I don't have a problem with snakes or spiders, I just stay away from them.

I have a problem with scorpions. I got nailed on the hand by one at Sodwana Bay in 1987 and I'll never forget that pain.

My main bush fear is the crocodile. They're cunning and remarkably intelligent for a reptile. I was talking to some giudes in North Luangwa who told me that the villagers have to continually change the place where they wash clothes or get into their boats because the crocs learn where the people are entering the water, and they wait there.

At least there is a good chance of survival if you get bitten by a snake or spider. :eek:

Marc
Fortunately scorpion stings are rarely dangerous for an adult. Unfortunately, we regularly get them in the house - we live in a very rocky area, and as luck would have it our area is infested with parabuthus scorpions - the most venomous in Africa. But they're dead easy to kil - just stomp on it!

Cheers.

[K&S]

Fortunately scorpion stings are rarely dangerous for an adult.

That is so but the really venomous ones are really venomous. Friend of my wife has written a book about them; pretty interesting stuff.

I enjoyed the story of your wife being followed by the baby ellie. :)