Shark Chronicles 066 - Road trip

Last weekend, April 10th and 11th, the four interns got their first weekend off of the month. Jethro, Leisbeth, Rodney and I, Renae, decided to go for a road trip to Cango and the surrounding towns. The road trip was a meshed of ascents and incomprehensible phrases. The dive only took about an hour to get to our first destination, Cango Caves. The caves were a labyrinth of stalactites and stalagmites with curvases that the guide reassured the group that we could squeeze through. It was a team effort of pushing and pulling to get through the small, sweaty cracks of the caves to emerge into the nice breeze. Back on the road the four of us went to an ostrich farm. Since we were only an hour out from home we decided to head back home and continue our journey the next day. The drive home was so beautiful. The sun was setting over the mountains and streaked nice hues of orange, pink, red and purple over the land.

Day two of the journey started with us driving down the highway when Rodney, who was the driver, swerves to avoid an object in the road. We had all seen the signs that warn drivers of the desert tortoises but here it was actually walking down the highway at an incredible slow rate. Car stopped and we got out and rescued the tortoise from certain road kill obliteration. I am sure there were heads turning from passing cars watching four people run down the highway after a tortoise. After we did our good dead for the day we actually headed to the Cango Wildlife Ranch. Our guide Kevin took us through the park explaining the particular animals, their habitats and their plight in the wild with poaching and loss of land. Kevin seemed to take a liking to us interns. He was interested in our studies and how diverse the group was, in nationalities and interests. I think also Kevin enjoyed the fact that he had a group that also appreciated animals and understood how important conservation is.

After the Wildlife Ranch we headed home, taking in the beautiful landscape with our eyes and our cameras. That was our weekend adventure: Caves, Ostriches, Coffee, Wildlife and fun. This was a great opportunity to get closer to the other interns that I have been working with.

Renae Logston - Mossel Bay OCEANS Research intern