South Africa in 2 Weeks week 1 part 2

 

Then it was onward to Oudshoorn, the world capital of Ostrich rearing.

(Devey trying to keep us entertainment ained while his boys look for the meerkat colony)

Early the next morning we came face to face with a meerkat colony, viewed by 15 or so paying visitors, led by a meerkat tour guide, Devey Glinister, who makes it his life career to find meerkat colonies and then condition them to the presence of people, by encroaching on them over many months to the distance that we now enjoyed. That morning was almost a bust as we were told that a new male had taken control of the family we were supposed to visit and this new male had taken the family to new housing somewhere in the many acres wide fields. His men were scouring for the meerkats and we were in the mean time promised that we owed him nothing if the meerkats were not found.


(But here they are in their full glory, basking in the morning sun light)

Luckily after an hour and a half wait the meerkats were found and we viewed the family while they were warming to the sun rays after a cold night inside before starting their daily foraging routine. We and the new male who was not yet conditioned to our visit, watched the females and deposed male and children from a 20 meter distance for some 15 to 20 minutes snapping pictures. Meerkat life is as follows: all night sleeping underground in a mansion with many entrances/exits. When the sun comes up everybody troops out and stands straight up warming their bellies in the sun. (this is the right time to view meerkats, before they start disappearing in the bushes in search of food for the rest of the day; although always during the day one has 20 minutes or so guard duty in order to warn the family of danger a-coming, like birds of prey and or snakes or four footed killers)

(The Cango Caves were simply amazing, basking in white light, showing of their colors. The above scene at the entrance of the cave is to get across how thousands of years ago they housed early Khoi)

 


 
 

That day we also visited Cango Caves, where Herman and I tried to get stuck in adventure crawling through narrow spaces. I actually got stuck and had to exhale and press my breast bones against the rock wall in such a way that I felt bruised for days in that area.


(Passed all the beauty where we entered is the adventure cave area, where we with about 8 other participants crawled on hand and foot. I especially noticed how out of shape I was when crouch walking a 40-50 foot long, 4 to 5 foot high corridor - for you metric guys about 15 plus meters long, 1.25 meter high tunnel)

 
(The 275 step staircase leading to the adventure area behind the public cave area)

(Reliving the days adventures at dinner in a beautiful lake area restaurant)

 

 

Up to part 2 of week 1

 

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