We loved Chobe

It was another early start to the day ( it's getting to the point that anything after 5.30am is a sleep in).  We arrived in Chobe in time for a 9.30 game drive,  then time to put our tents up, and off to our sunset cruise.  Everything was amazing.

Our morning driver was such a contrast from the one at Nata.  He respected the animals,  drove slowly around them, turned off the engine when we stopped, and had lots of useful information.

Our sunset cruise was our group and four others (poor them). A small hiccup at the start with the boat stuck on the ground was fixed by one if the blokes pushing off, and we were on our way circumnavigating Sedudu island with our well-stocked chilli bins full of drinks. We didn't bring glasses so our G&Ts were a case of take a few sips from the can and add gin.  Classy. 

Whereas before we'd been impressed with three or four elephants together, Chobe has them in groups of 20 or more.  Big ones, baby ones, swimming in the river, spraying themselves in mud, rolling in the mud, huddled together in shady spots.  Standing on the edge of one of the islands picking the grass with its truck, washing it in the water, and then delicately chewing. Lining up in the water and showing us their butts (from land) or their fronts (from the cruise).  They were simply fabulous.

Right next to the elephants having their mud baths was a large group of hippos with a mud bath of their own.  A group of elephants encroached on their area and I think they're the only animal big enough to get away with this.  There were some hippos out eating grass on our sunset cruise (apparently the weaker ones do this to avoid the competition at night).  We saw the perfect hippo yawn that I missed with my camera but one of our group got a great shot so hopefully she'll share.

We got our first look at a lion.  He was lying on his back in the shade under a tree occasionally moving a paw or his tail.  We got pretty close but he really wasn't interested in us.

I think the most special thing we saw was an albino kudu - something our guide said he's never seen before.  She was just beautiful.

We also saw: large herds of Cape Buffalo, water buck, impala, a female sable antelope (our guide said that she's not supposed to be alone so we decided that she's a feminist), some baboons from a distance, lots of maribou storks, warthogs, a crocodile lazing on the bank, giraffes, bunches of birds I can't remember the name of, a lizard of some kind, and kudus.

Chobe was fabulous.  A highlight of the trip.

Stuck on the salt pans

You go to Nata for the salt plains but we didn't see them.  Our accommodation was in a lovely spot.  Just tents again but there was a nice cold swimming pool next to a bar that was at least 10 degrees cooler inside than the rest of the camp.  I think it's something to do with the thatched roof.  Mum and I got their early enough to get loungers and that's where we spent most of the day.

Our safari trucks arrived in the late afternoon to take us on our game drive and sunset on the salt pans.  Three separate groups again.  We saw lots of animals but the guides approach seemed to be to drive as fast as he could at the animals so we could get close.  This, of course, meant that they ran away. There were several plants that mum made me take photos of.  One was a type of aloe that women use to put on their nipples when they're weaning babies.   The second was a prickly cucumber which will apparently keep you alive if you're wandering the desert for weeks on end.  I'll skip that thanks.

We got very excited when we saw a group of hippos in the mud.  This excitement didn't last long.   The water level is dropping and there's no where else they can go - all of the water is too far away.   So they're basically dying.  There were 15 a few weeks ago and there's about 7-8 there now.  I think the trucks all got way too close and further stressed them out.  It was pretty sobering. 

On our way to the salt pans we crossed a river bed.  A very sandy river bed.  Which we did not make our way across.  In an attempt to free us our driver reversed and then went forward, reversed and went forward.  The result was predictable.  Even more stuck.  The jack didn't work properly so lifting it to put logs underneath was not easy.  Eventually another truck full of Germans brought out their better jack.  But no one had ropes to pull it out or anything particularly useful.  My suggestions to get a spade to dig us out and to let some air out of the tyres were ignored (but later taken up when one of the chaps from a different truck suggested it). 

The attempts to get us out were quite dodgy.  They put bits of wood under the tyres to get better traction and then had people standing behind to push.  I told them several times that this was too dangerous as people could get hit with flying debris but was ignored.   The German tourists helping us also ignored me, and one of them yelled at us for not helping push (we were to run into that group on many occasions over the next few days and she ignored my cheerful 'good mornings' every time.  We eventually got moving after dark and went back to camp with a great story to tell, but no visit to the salt pans.

Mum's birthday flight

I'm sitting in the Shearwater Cafe in Victoria Falls drinking am excellent flat white  (yes, they have flat whites here). It's put last day in Vic Falls and our first tour is over.  It was sad saying good bye to our tour group last night.  They were really good value. 

I'm way behind on the posts.  I think I finished at the end of the Delta, but didn't cover the flight.   Mum's siblings paid for it as a birthday present for her, and just about everyone in the group came.  They split us into three groups and off we went into six seater planes (plus one up front with the pilot).  I'd taken my cardy cos it gets cold in planes right?  Wrong.  It was sweltering hot.  And a windy day so a bit of a bumpy ride.  Mum was fine, I was just a touch queasy but people on  the other planes had to make use of the bags provided. 

It was great to see the Delta from  the air.  Ooo look elephants.  There's some hippos.  More elephants.   Water buffaloes.   It was difficult to get pictures and we've been much closer to the animals.  For me the highlight was seeing the land.  The random fenced off squares of people's homesteads - not grand ones, more like settler shacks.  The cracked land where the water used to be.  The oases of palm trees in the dry land or surrounded by reedy water.  The rivulets of water snaking through the reeds or the dusty plain, occasionally joining forces to become a small lake (apparently one looks like a map of Africa but I couldn’t see it).  For mum, it was the vastness of the Delta, the sporadic bursts of green, and all the elephants.

Roughing it

The Delta is unlike anything I've seen before.   It was dusty, it was hot and sticky, it was a long drop and no shower, the truck ride there was bouncy, dusty and uncomfortable  (the bank robber scarf was an excellent purchase). I cannot overstate how dusty it was.  I was wearing trousers but still managed to be caked in dirt up to the top of my thighs. There was the ever present possibility of the mokoro  (canoe) tipping and getting us and our gear all wet - assuming there weren't any hippos or crocodiles looking for a snack.  But it was still fantastic.  Animals are everywhere. There's a group of elephants practically right beside the safari truck on the way in. 

Our transport is mokoro - traditionally made from wood but ours are fibre glass.  Very thin fibre glass.  I can see the sun shining through parts of it.  Our polers stand at the back while we sit on bucket seats lined with our mattresses.  We have three trips in these.  An hour and a half on the way there and on the way back and a "sunset cruise" on our second evening.  Mum and I both had a go at poling in the shallow waters of our swimming hole and were quite good.  Until mum fell in.  As a dutiful daughter,  I ensured I got pictures before checking she was okay.  We use them for crossing a narrow passage way for a good photo shot, and the mokoro that I was in t-bone another and nearly sent the poler for a swim.  Whoops. (Just to clarify, I was a passenger not driving.)

The camp ground is awkwardly nestled into a group of trees.  The circle of shade under one of the bigger trees becomes a cluster as it nears noon and we all move our chairs into whatever shade we can find. There's a swimming hole a short walk from camp but we need to be escorted as the surrounding area is the home ground of the animals.  The deepest point is to the knees of a short person, but we all gratefully sink into the cool water and wash, lounge and put our drink bottles on the edges to try and cool our water.  We're cleaner after each swim but by no means clean.  The bathroom (or bushy bushy) is a hole dug in the ground with a toilet seat chair and a tent around it. 

We have a short hour and a half walk in the late afternoon of the day we arrive, a longer three hour walk early the next morning, and a short walk to see the sunrise on our last morning.  It was nice to get some exercise. We saw lots of hippos including one that was about 50 metres away and staring at us.  That was as close as I'd like to be.  Giraffes, zebras, and impala are everywhere.   Elephants and water buffalo are a bit rarer but we still see plenty.  Baboons were the surprise of the trip.  At one point we were standing on a small mound surrounded by wildebeest, baboons, impala, zebras, and warthogs in the distance. We came across an elephant soon after. There's great bird life. I'm not sure of all of their names but Open Listo is what Ram, our poler, calls one large bird, some kind of white and black heron like birds, some eagles with fantastic wing span, and some small bird the follows us while twittering.

Our second night our polers put on a bit of show with some songs (they have fabulous voices), some dancing that they occasionally pick some of our group to join in, and some riddles (which animal is number 17?).  We attempt to ululate  (women) and roar like lions (men) as this is apparently an expression of appreciation.

Roughing it

The Delta is unlike anything I've seen before.   It was dusty, it was hot and sticky, it was a long drop and no shower, the truck ride there was bouncy, dusty and uncomfortable  (the bank robber scarf was an excellent purchase). I cannot overstate how dusty it was.  I was wearing trousers but still managed to be caked in dirt up to the top of my thighs. There was the ever present possibility of the mokoro  (canoe) tipping and getting us and our gear all wet - assuming there weren't any hippos or crocodiles looking for a snack.  But it was still fantastic.  Animals are everywhere. There's a group of elephants practically right beside the safari truck on the way in. 

Our transport is mokoro - traditionally made from wood but ours are fibre glass.  Very thin fibre glass.  I can see the sun shining through parts of it.  Our polers stand at the back while we sit on bucket seats lined with our mattresses.  We have three trips in these.  An hour and a half on the way there and on the way back and a "sunset cruise" on our second evening.  Mum and I both had a go at poling in the shallow waters of our swimming hole and were quite good.  Until mum fell in.  As a dutiful daughter,  I ensured I got pictures before checking she was okay.  We use them for crossing a narrow passage way for a good photo shot, and the mokoro that I was in t-bone another and nearly sent the poler for a swim.  Whoops. (Just to clarify, I was a passenger not driving.)

The camp ground is awkwardly nestled into a group of trees.  The circle of shade under one of the bigger trees becomes a cluster as it nears noon and we all move our chairs into whatever shade we can find. There's a swimming hole a short walk from camp but we need to be escorted as the surrounding area is the home ground of the animals.  The deepest point is to the knees of a short person, but we all gratefully sink into the cool water and wash, lounge and put our drink bottles on the edges to try and cool our water.  We're cleaner after each swim but by no means clean.  The bathroom (or bushy bushy) is a hole dug in the ground with a toilet seat chair and a tent around it. 

We have a short hour and a half walk in the late afternoon of the day we arrive, a longer three hour walk early the next morning, and a short walk to see the sunrise on our last morning.  It was nice to get some exercise. We saw lots of hippos including one that was about 50 metres away and staring at us.  That was as close as I'd like to be.  Giraffes, zebras, and impala are everywhere.   Elephants and water buffalo are a bit rarer but we still see plenty.  Baboons were the surprise of the trip.  At one point we were standing on a small mound surrounded by wildebeest, baboons, impala, zebras, and warthogs in the distance. We came across an elephant soon after. There's great bird life. I'm not sure of all of their names but Open Listo is what Ram, our poler, calls one large bird, some kind of white and black heron like birds, some eagles with fantastic wing span, and some small bird the follows us while twittering.

Our second night our polers put on a bit of show with some songs (they have fabulous voices), some dancing that they occasionally pick some of our group to join in, and some riddles (which animal is number 17?).  We attempt to ululate  (women) and roar like lions (men) as this is apparently an expression of appreciation.

Botswana the bootiful

Day 2 was another long day in the bus to Maun  (pronounced ma oon).  The scenery is all the same and always different.  Rocky, dusty ground and scrubby trees; sandy dusty ground and scrubby trees.  Theres a reedy grass and scrubby trees where we are niw on the way to Nata.  Some of the trees are in full blossom with flowers of dusty pink or white. Occasionally a taller tree stands above the rest. The leaves are more autumnal with their shades of yellow, orange and green. Every now and then there's a tree with weaver nests all clustered together on one side. There's been no rain since May and they're not expecting any till mid November.  Cattle, donkey, goats and dogs wander around the place with no regard for fences (there aren't many) or roads.  Some are resting in whatever shade they can find and watching the world go by.  We make a u-turn to look at the dead wild dogs on the road.  They're endangered and this may be the only time we seem them.  I'm not that keen on seeing dead animals so I try not to look.

We spy an elephant beside the road and stop for photos but they're shy so I only get their backside.  This is a bit of a theme - I have lots of shots of elephant bums. Another stop for the sign to the Central Kalahari  (we're not going there but hey, a photo by the sign is just like being there right?)  We spot some flat topped hills in the distance and marvel at how nature could make them so flat.  As we pass them, Gibson (our guide) tells us that this is a diamond mine. We consider a heist (I have the outfit after all) but our getaway vehicle lacks a certain something (new movie idea:  The Slow and the Ponderous).

Finally,  we arrive at Maun for money exchange and buying  water for the Delta.  Lots of women in fabulous bright coloured outfits (I want to buy all of it) and booty that would put a Kardashian to shame.  These women are stunning.  Most of the men are dressed more sedately but I do spot a chap in a bright red suit.

Sedia, our accommodation for the night, is just an urban camp ground/hotel so we upgrade for the night.  They *only* have chalets so we make do with the two bedroom house.  It was great to have space, our own bathroom, and a bedroom each.  It was still quite hot and the mosquito nets over the bed are a necessity but also a pain in the arse.

It had been another early morning so mum and I were in bed by 8.30pm. 

We're on a bus

We're into day 2 of our tour and so far we have spent a lot of time on the bus.  It's a full tour but a pretty good group.  England, Ireland and Scotland are well represented,  as are the Australians and Americans.  There's a Spanish women who lives in the Netherlands, a German who lives in Scotland, an Italian, and some Swiss Germans.  We're the only kiwis.

The man on the plane recommended Wimpy coffee so after setting off a 5am ish I was pretty happy to see one at our first stop several hours later.  It was very average - a two sugar coffee.  The trip was mostly plains with trees that haven't yet got their spring growth. We have regular stops to stretch our legs and use the facilities. Toilet inequity is an issue.  We also stopped on the side of the road for our first view of giraffes, and arrived at Khama Rhino Sanctuary a bit after 2pm. 

It's put up your own tents but they're pretty easy.  No pegs or fly required. 

About 4pm we all piled into a large jeep/open bus for our game tour.  Everything is fascinating.  We stop for Springbok (I make the obligatory 'terrible rugby players' comment and the Irish and the Australians both assured me that their teams can beat the all blacks), warthog (or Pumbas as LB out guide calls them), zebra (LB makes his zebra crossing joke), wildebeest  (it and the warthog are part of the ugly five), ostrich (someone on the tour: ooooo I think I see a black rhino! LB: that's an ostrich), a bustard  ( cue laughter), steenbuck  (tiny), eland, oblex (one of Asterisk's friends).

And of course the star of the show,  the white rhino who were gathered in a group which was not conducive to photos.  I asked LB to have a word with them and he must have some pretty good animal telepathy going on as they soon spread apart and posed for photos.  Some interesting facts: the white rhino are at the watering hole during the day and black rhinos at night.  This is because they fight if they're together.  White rhino like to hang out with their mates, but black rhinos are loners.  White rhino will generally leave you alone, black rhino will attack.

There were a bunch of other animals around the watering hole.  Both zebra and ostrich taking a sand bath.  Guinea fowl running around madly.  Eland.  Some other deer like animals. 

Then it was on to see a family of giraffes, a stop to watch the sunset, and then back to camp.  It had been stinking hot all day, but it cooled quite considerably on the trip home and I was very happy to have my hoodie and the bottom half of my zip off pants.

We were all pretty tired so after a dinner of BBQ chicken and veges (cooked by the fabulous Ivan), and a well needed shower, we hit the sack. I got lost on the way to the bathroom at night and nearly wandered into someone's chalet.  It looked quite nice, so we're doing that tonight.