So the weekend stalled a bit. I took the toys but they were largely unused. It was hot in Nylsvley, Limpopo - very hot. This was good forcing us to veg out a bit.
Its a smallish reserve but well known for its birdlife. The vlei or marshy area had a lot of water and stretched across the valley. Apparently in the dry months, there can be no water at all. But frogs, birds and leeches (as all the kids discovered to their intense fascination) abounded as well as a gazillion mosquitoes.
The Myth and I went for a ride around the reserve and spotted zebra, kudu and disturbed a herd of Wildebees. I didn't get into the birdlife much but I figured it was ok to be lethargic for the rest of the day. Its helluva confusing in that area because all the town names have changed so you are pretty much guessing where you are in the country. A quick jaunt to the local town for ice and ice creams still didn't enlighten us. Mooph...- what ever its called was either Naboomspruit or Nylstroom in the old life. Even that is not a given. But the stores are all the same and you can still buy the ingredients for ice cold beer shandies.
Sunday (no - there were no Valentine's Day chocolates!) was a great chance to check out the bird life. Even the Myth enjoyed it "more than I thought I would". We found some hides deep in the vlei with long wooden walkways to access them. I spotted some new birds to check off my list and rued the fact that I could find the bigger binoculars before we left. Hornbills and crested Fancolin visited the campsite and wandered among our feet while we sat quietly watching them. Ants removed crumbs that were scattered on any surface. A Monitor Lizards and Golden Orb spiders also topped the list of sightings.
It was a different weekend from the usual head banging riding and running.
But there are only 2,5 weeks to the training camp for this year's MTN Panorama Tour and I realised I need to do some emergency training so I don't suffer too badly. Eek!
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