Arriving at the edge of the pan my heart sank. The mud pools were void of any wildlife. I decided to wait, but to be honest, I was out of ideas and tired from seven hours of driving. I opened all the 4x4 windows; warm air filled my nostrils with the smell of baked earth and the pungent calcrete. The wind was eerily quiet, a sense of loneliness swept over me - I felt vulnerable in this vast empty landscape.