We spent 4 nights at the Rust & Verde campground and much seemed familiar. Kameel is in the middle of big sky cropping country, and a string of silos signaled our arrival. Trucks came and went carrying grain and trains trundled through to fill up before rolling on down the track. If I closed my eyes the toots and air brakes could have been anywhere. Yet there were unfamiliar sounds and sights: the hadeda ibis (Africa’s loudest bird) screeched its presence as it crossed the sky; the distant babble of human voices at dusk was sufficiently discernable for you to be aware it was a different tongue; and the camel thorn tree, that gave Kameel its name, had thorns that would make Australia’s kangaroo thorn bush hang its thorns in shame. Even though the nights were still cold, Spring sprung in our 4 day stay and the buds and foliage of the camel thorn trees that surrounded our camp burst forth in response to the warm days. Birds with exotic names (Kalahari scrub wren and Namaqua dove) lingered long enough for fledgling southern African birdos to make a confident identification, while the occasional rusty coloured mongoose kept its identity a secret as it slunk around the dry stalks of long grass at the edge of the camp. A pleasant campground en route to Botswana, which was made all the more pleasant through the gift of fresh bread appealingly wrapped and delivered by Patrick our host: a pull apart bread with ham, tomato and spinach for Greg, and the same for me but with the addition of cheese. The bread did not last long. 🙂