h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The trip was all right apart from some incidents. First there was a literal trip. An old lady fell down in the church's parking lot! She hurt her chin and lip but apart from that seemed fine but it was still unpleasant ... she decided to tough it out and continue with the excursion.

Then there was a problem with the transportation: we were supposed to go in a single, big bus, but then there were problems and we ended going in a smaller bus plus a car. Another man was there who also was to be a guide, he knew more about soils, rocks and grasses, so his knowledge complemented mine. Incidentally I already met him, at the Blouberg Nature Reserve! We got on well. But because of the set-up we drove in front and then when there was something we wanted to tell the folks about, we had to stop, the other car and bus had to stop, and then we had to go in the bus, by turns, to tell the old folks the stuff we wanted to tell them.

The old folks also couldn't easily get out of the bus and walk around so I had to point things out to them through the windows, and take leaves from trees and shrubs to show them inside the bus and compare and so teach them a bit about tree identification. There wasn't lots of time so I only had to do a few of the most common and characteristic trees. The other man and I also spoke about ecological factors determining what grows where, and also what animals and birds are associated with what plants.

We saw a lot of game as well: giraffes, zebras, blue wildebeests, red hartebeests, tsessebes, a gemsbok, a blesbok, a kudu, an entire nyala family, lots of impalas ... also lots of birds. We couldn't stop for small birds but I'm sure everyone saw the ostriches, and as for small birds I did see many I was happy to spot, such as groundscraper and kurrichane thrushes (close-up and very pretty at the reserve's entrance), fiscal flycatcher, yellowbilled and grey hornbills, go-away birds, a chinspot batis, a titbabbler, hoopoes, blue waxbills, a crimsonbreasted shrike, swainson's and crested francolins (partridges), guineafowl, crowned plovers, a longtailed shrike, forktailed drongos ... quite all right!

Because of the set-up I couldn't really take photos while we were driving, so here are only two. Here's the picnic site with the old folks in a circle on chairs:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/PicnicSite_zpsa67f9e35.jpg

And here are the Bakoni Malapa hills, where the Northern Sotho Museum is ... I still have to go there and give a photo report, it's also quite fascinating:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/BakoniMalapaHills1_zpsa3695a54.jpg

You can see here that the grass is now turning brown, but there's still a bit of green on the trees.

Sounds like you are getting out and about and meeting people, it's the only way.


Websailor

Hi Websailor, thanks for the comment! I will try and get out more ... I'll report as well!