THE HAPPY CAMPER

I confess that I generally believe camping is for the birds….and the screeching cicadas. 

We were invited by wonderful friends to join them at Bhanga Nek. 

A place so remote and iSimangaliso WetlandsPark’s best kept secret, 

which I promised to keep. 

So, please eat this note as soon as you have read it.

First trick is to get detailed directions, otherwise you will never get to point B. 

There are no helpful signs and the best thing is to follow the track most traveled.

The camp site belongs to the community. We were there 10 years ago and I fear not a bit of maintenance has been done since then. However, we will forgive it, as the position is absolutely idyllic. The exquisite beaches, devoid of any other life form except the tracks of turtles, were declared by adventurer Kingsley Holgate to be the best in the world.

The sea is beautiful, but one needs to be careful. The strong rip can wash you out with the turtles and the incoming tide delivers waves powerful enough to clean out your sinuses and other orifices.

Our mess tent area was kept tidy by Msimango, a well-spoken gent who doubled up as our turtle guide. 

Under the glow of the almost full moon we headed north along the beach in search of egg-laying turtles. Hoping to trip over them close to home we eventually trekked 8kms – there and back. The company was great, the moon brilliant, the sea inviting and the turtles eventually appeared. 

We watched mama loggerhead lay her 100+ eggs, then, seemingly exhausted she caught the next wave home. In the light of day we saw that many turtles had been ashore to lay. Just think of all those babies slowly developing under the hot sand, soon to scamper into the ocean to their destiny, either as dinner or as a survivor.

It never ceases to amaze me why campers spend their year working hard to earn whacks of money to come to a place so primitive, not even Eskom could make us miserable.
There is no electricity.

After a couple of days in Bhanga Nek I realised why.

We did beach things like henna our hands, make sushi and play bananas. Bliss.

Other blogs by Lois Kuhle:

SMOKE RINGS IN CUBA. A TWO WEEK JOURNEY FILLED WITH SALSA, SUNSHINE AND SILLY PEOPLE: http://smokeringsincuba.blogspot.com/2013/10/smoke-rings-in-cuba-journey-filled-with.html

'LIFE'S COOL'. MY NEAREST AND DEAREST BECAME THOSE THAT GRUNTED, BARKED OR BIT.

http://milimanilifescool.blogspot.com/2013/12/i-n-2002-i-was-lucky-enough-to-be-given.html

COOL THOUGHTS – LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE: http://loiscoolthoughts.tumblr.com/

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/loiskuhlescribbler