Kalahari Plaas Visits

One of my favorite features of Namibia is the Kalahari desert which
is not exactly what we think of when we think desert.











It's not just
sand, but trees, shrubs, grasses, and all sorts of animals. Maybe it
is more of a savannah, but whatever it is, it is beautiful! I think
that I have previously written about visiting farms in the Kalahari
before. Even when my mom and sister were here we went to a lodge in
the Kalahari for one night and they were able to experience the
beauty of the Kalahari themselves.

Last November I visited a farm near Leonardville in the Kalahari. It
is Jaco's uncle's farm and the visit brought a few new adventures for
me. First was fighting veld fires (field fires) in the night. The
farmers in the area have radios in their houses and vehicles, so when
one's farm is burning the others jump in the land roovers and
bakkies, fill their water tanks, and drive to whichever farm is in
trouble. Fortunately, the time that I went along to see this
process, the fire was only that size of a campfire by the time that
we arrived. Oom Kobus (Jaco's uncle) hosed down what was left of the
fire and we were on our way back in no time. Well, between the veld
fire adventure, sleeping outside in the Kalahari, and the upcoming
kudu hunt in the morning, I really didn't sleep that night.

Yes, kudu hunt. I went along on the kudu hunt. This involved
driving around the Kalahari farm until you find the bull kudus and
then shooting one. However, it is not really that easy...there is a
hunt, a chase, a lot of risk as the vehicle is flying over dunes and
across open velds of tall grass where there may be huge holes or down
trees. Oh yeah, all of this as the hunter is standing in the back of
the bakkie with the rifle trying to get a shot! This kudu met his
end while running full speed across a veld with a land roover right
alongside of him! Not all of the hunts turn out like this, but this
one left my shaking with so much adrenaline that I could barely climb
out of the back of the bakkie where I had been holding on for dear
life as we chased down the kudu. This was definitely an experience
that I will never forget.

Then there is the Aranos Kalahari farm of Oom Bucks (another of
Jaco's uncles, but on the other side of the family). I visited this
farm for the first time nearly a year ago. It was my introduction to
the Kalahari and I absolutely loved it! This time I had the
opportunity to feed some of the orphaned sheep, find ground water
with a stick, and again sleep under the night sky of the Kalahari, in
the yard of course safe from leopards and snakes with two guard
dogs :-) Each time I visit the Kalahari I appreciate the beauty, the
adventures, and the peaceful feeling of being on the farm.

How could I forget? The food is also one of the enjoyable, memorable
aspects of visiting a kalahari farm. Wether it is a steak braai on
top of a red dune or a potjiekos in the backyard of the farm house or
a dinner of sheep intestines and other interesting parts that have
been well clean, cooked, and prepared in a delicious sauce or a pig's
neck braaied and served with salad...it is all delicious food and a
nice time of sitting around a fire enjoying good company and
conversation (well the parts that are in English or the Afrikaans
that I understand). Hopefully there will be some more of these plaas
visits to come.