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BUT THE BEST WAS.............
April 2004, the time of the great rains, the 72 kms from the tar to the Park under water and what great fun it was to drive in in my 2x4 Isuzu
Left the Nossob camp as the gates opened ( as always ) drove slowly down to just past Rooikop and spied a Cape Cobra trying hard to get up the bank. Great Photograph I thought, drove up the right hand side of the road and started to take photo's out of the left window. THEN Harry the 4x4 HERO drives past at speed, over the Cobras tail.........and he carries on down the road totally unaware of what he has done, The cobra goes totally Ape S.... and raises its hood, then disapears............................................???????????
Where you may ask? Looked to the front, to both sides, nothing.............OH Sh.. Is he in the car? We sat like idiots for about ten minutes discussing the next move, go back to Nossob and make fools of our selves thinking we had a Cobra in the car or drive on and hope for the best, Well it would be plan B, drive on and drown him in all the pools on the road. So for the next 50 kms we drove like demented fools into every pool, lake, stretch of water we could find, great fun, mud and water all over the car, drown him, or at least dislodge him if he was in the car.......
Dikbaardskolk, pinic area, jump out of the cab, three feet side ways, like an athlete of no mean repute........Look under the car, around the back, under the left side, the spare wheel.....nothing.......BUT as I came around the front of the vehicle there between the bonnet and the engine grid was about three inches of snake sticking out ...........*&^%$ then $#%^%# what the &*^%$ do I do with a Cape Cobra under my bonnet?????
Well not being an International Snake expert decides to go and ask the group of new found friends having a breakfast at one of the tables.......Excuse me, he asks, anybody know anything about getting a Cobra out of an engine????
&*^% .............then *&^&%^%$...........says the new found friend! ^&%$ you talk KAK the one gent says.......NO I says, come look
With that eight newly fed new friends follow me to my vehicle.............lots of four letter words followed, most of the starting with F
There then took place a ten minute discussion on how the ^&%$ to get this ^%$&ing snake out of the car.
Braai tongs were brought to the fore, a gentle pull at the exposed area............snake then disapears completly!!!!
Oh &^%$ what now? Start the engine says one of the new found friends, open the bonnet latch...........Ok in the car he goes, opens said bonnet latch and starts the engine, engine starts then a disinct THUD.......
All new found friends run in all directions as one Cobra is left swinging, caught by its tail in the fan belt, hissing and spitting under the car like there is no tomorrow.
New found friend lunges at the Cobra and pins its head on the ground and shouts reverse reverse.........I did, dust and crap flying all over the place, watch as the sad Cobra is beaten to death...........moral of the story, never ever stop withing ten yards of a Cobra on a road within the park
Your bowels tend to empty pretty soon

At last found the photograph

http://www.pbase.com/mashona/image/68387065[/img]

Thanks to Duques, I have only now come across this report from Mashona and must say also found it extremely comical but not without a bit of deja vu on my part.

We were driving along in KTP recently and as my SO went over what he thought was a stick in the middle of the road, it wriggled and he realized it actually was a snake!! It had gone completely through underneath and then nonchalently remarked that he didn't see it any more in the road.
On arrival at Dikbaardskolk, we decided that we had better exit the car cautiously just in case it was taking refuge somewhere, well, I am no athlete but I am quite sure I bettered Mashona's record in the sideways spring.
We never did find the snake, thank goodness, so it was either not a good hanger on or maybe the cleaners at the rental co. have a story to tell.

Been at Dikbaardskolk in May 2008 and were met by a frantic lady and hubby with video camera. The Cape Cobra is still there and was chased in a bush by the two resident slender mongoose. I joined the action with my camera and could make this one. After a few minutes the cobra just disappeared.
The question was....where

Mwahahaha!!
Oh, my goodness, Mashona!
This must be one of the funniest stories I've ever read!

Oh my goodness
this story deserves another airing..

well told Mashona, I can just imagine the scene with your new found friends.
Poor Corba, but I am sure that it's next potential little mouse would be grateful.

Was wondering why my "hits" on the cobra picture were so high....
Yes quite a morning in the Kalahari

As we all know, no two are ever the same

*&^% in my brooks...........

There is a tail end to the story, excuse the pun

The ghost of the Cobra had his revenge!!!

My vehicle was "borrowed" on a long term basis from my drive way a few months later, never to be seen again

One wonders how many times that Cobra has "spooked" the new owners as it travels through Africa

Smiles and sniggers............

You killed a cobra??

Oh dear Gerrit............I know Port Elizabeth is slightly "slow" ( besides Peter Betts of course ) please read the story and find out WHO KILLED THE COBRA

Got you going ... early in the morning .... Should rather asked who cleaned the driver seat

Mashona, have there been more hits on the cobra pic than there were to the cobra?

One looks back at the whole episode and asks should the Cobra have died?
No if a certain 4x4 driver had had the manners to stop 30 odd metres behind us while we were taking photographs

He would have seen the lens out of the window, but no, he drove past at speed, Over the Cobra

The next question is, how do you get a Cobra out of your engine well?

Very sad ending, but a learning curve as well

Hi Mashona,
Now that is a funny story. I can just picture you driving and looking over your shoulder making sure you didn't have a passenger on the rear seat.

Let's see. You had a snake in the grill of your car. Elsa had a similar experience. Me, nothing. Three trip to Africa and I've yet to see a snake. I feel deprived. In September my mission will be to spot one--from a respectful distance of course.

I think I found your spook snake near Melkvlei during September 2007



Maybe he moved to another picnicsite to get away from all the harassment.....

Greetings
Banna

Could be.............

But I hope MY Cobra spook is spooking the living daylights out of My IZUZU.....new owners, who just happened to long term borrow it.....