I had the home scent so it was on the road at 05h20. In time to witness the sun rise behind me, another glorious sight. The kms passed quickly and soon I was back in familiar territory at home.
The first solo trip was complete. I can say that everything worked out well. The pre-cooked food was very easy and saved loads of time at night. The ease at which I have got my set-up to work makes things a breeze. Even a quick overnight camping stop would be a cinch.
How is it on your own? First prize is to have Chantal with me as it is always nice to have company and the second pair of eyes helps hugely for spotting animals and birds. The company would also be useful in sharing camp chores. Having said that, at no stage did it feel like too much work for one person. I often thought how much different it would be in a place with no facilities whatsoever such as in Central Kalahari or in some of the wild game parks in Tanzania for example. The answer is not much. A small amount of extra kit would be packed to cater for non-existent bathroom facilities.
In summary it was a success and I gained a huge degree of confidence for future trips.
Wow Piet a great record. Didn't know you were such a good photographer. From the 20 odd years of experience, the Nossob section produces best variety and sightings when grazing is available but during drought years Mata Mata has proven to be the best for amazing sightings - both bird and animal and reptile. Your record is really valuable as we are off to the park for two weeks in March. I think SANParks is adopting a Covid policy of a 50% occupancy maybe that's why camps appear to have availability. Elley and I remember with hilarity and joy our days in the park with Bokkie and Sunshine. Thanks for the memory and the update.