Pygmy hippos and presbyterians

Sunday 20th September

Boekenhoutfontein, North West

We worshipped this morning in a small Presbyterian church in Rustenburg, which tipped so far over the 'conservative' end of the scale that the pastor was even praying for pestilence to be wrought down on the city so that people would turn to the church.  Abhorrent theology aside, it had all the little Presbyterian traits one could imagine so much so that I could have been in Rutherglen rather than Rustenburg.

 

Listening to a congregation of Africans drone their way through 'Rock of Ages' at dirge pace makes it clear that the hymn book may not be our best export.  At a time when the church in Scotland is realising the spirituality to be found in African music, it was very disappointing to find it absent in its homeland.

 

Crocodile River

Once our dose of fire-and-brimstone was over, we again found ourselves passing through Hartebeespoortdam (all roads lead to Harties?) as we headed out to the Crocodile River for some white water rafting.  The continuing water shortage meant the river level was low, and not very much of it could be described as 'white', but there were a few rapids and two very large weirs to contend with so there was some excitement to be had.

 

For the rest of the way, it was a leisurely paddle down the river, giving us a chance to get up close to some wildlife from a very different angle.  Grey herons were aplenty, hammerkops flew overhead and a family of whiteface whistling ducks swam alongside us, the ducklings bobbing under the water periodically and popping up beside the raft like a jack-in-the-box.  Most impressive, however, were the two water monitor lizards basking on the banks: the first small and slender and the second as large as I've ever seen.

 

As the sun began to set, we arrived back at the lodge and went in search of Matilda, the pygmy hippo that is kept here as part of a conservation programme.  On the search, we came across two male gemsbok locked horn-in-horn, fighting fiercely.  They were so engrossed in their battle that they failed to notice - or care - about presence and we were able to get within a few feet of them.

 

Matilda then dutifully turned up just as the last light was fading and we headed home for the night.

 

Frogs seem to be a leitmotif here as I ended up sharing a shower with one while getting ready for dinner.  The shower is outdoors in the bush which, while invigorating, does leave it open to visitors with all number of legs!