Day 22 Botswana , Namibia & Zambia

Today was my last early morning wake up, other than the plane home, that is. We were on the road by 7 AM and headed north. It was a combination of paved as well as gravel.

By 8 AM we were at the Namibian border crossing. Each time you come to a border between countries, you must get your passport stamped at the office of the country you are leaving. Then you get back in the vehicle, drive a few hundred yards, get out again and visit the immigration office of the country you are arriving at. We did this 6 times today!

Namibia has a long narrow section extending into the north end of Botswana and this is where we drove for much of the day. The countryside seemed similar to Botswana, but we noticed that the huts were built in a square style rather than Botswana’s round shape.

I read and slept and read and slept. Perhaps I missed villages and towns, but Namibia seemed to be more sparsely populated. We stopped at service stations a couple of times to use the toilets and buy some snacks, but we didn’t feel like our business was wanted. For lunch we had sandwiches which had been prepared for us on the houseboat, and we ate in transit.

We went through a few national parks, stopped to wet our feet at hoof and mouth disease control centers, and drove and drove. The day was a long, tedious one.

We got to the boat crossing into Zambia in good time but were delayed there a bit while we changed vehicles.

By the time we got to our hotel in Livingstone it was 5 PM – a 10 hour day. The whole group met for supper one last time and we shared our favorite experience for each of the days.

We ended the evening with a shot of amarula, a traditional drink made in South Africa from the fruit of the marula tree.

It’s been an amazing three weeks!

Day 21 Botswana - Tsodilo Hills & Bird Watching

You would think that being on holiday on a houseboat on the Okavango Delta, one would be able to sleep in but no. Our guides like getting up early. The generator started at 6 AM and that was our wake-up call. There was hot water for a morning shower too! Breakfast was at 6:30 and we were on the 15 seater speed boat by 7 AM.

Our destination was the Tsodilo Hills. After a 10 minute boat ride, we had 30 k’s of pavement, then 40 k’s on rough gravel. When we reached the gates of Tsodilo, there was another 5 kilometers of even rougher roads after which I reached for my Ibuprophen.

Tsodilo Hills is a World Heritage Site (since 2001) with the richest concentration of San Rock Paintings in the world. It has been inhabited for about 30,000 years and home to more than 4,000 San Bushman paintings.  A guide took us on a walking trail around what is known as the female mountain.

We saw about 25-30 of the paintings as well as some caves where the San people slept and used as living quarters. The rocks were quite beautiful, even the ones without paintings because of their natural coloring.

The paintings were red and done with a combination of blood, animal fat and urine. Yikes! Who concocted that recipe?! Remarkably they have lasted for 3,000 years. Newer, white paintings have been done over top of some of the older ones.

After our hour and a half walk we went thru their museum, then headed to a place in the village where women sell crafts. Anton, our guide, suggested we patronize them because selling crafts is their primary source of income. We drove through the village and down a road to a fenced group of traditional buildings. Very soon, several women were there with some blankets and proceeded to display their crafts.

There were lots of beautiful necklaces and I purchased 2 of them as well as a keychain. It is made from coconut and an elephant, giraffe, acacia tree and an aboriginal hunter carved into it.

Soon more women came and many children gathered around. Someone asked for permission to take a photo and when it was granted, I followed suit. One little girl in particular, was not camera shy at all and managed to be in every one of my photos! I always show the photo to my subjects after shooting and they were tickled pink! I would have liked to stay longer but it we had to go.

We stopped in Shakawe at a grocery store for some snacks then went back to our houseboat via speedboat for lunch. After lunch, the houseboat headed back to where we first started from. At 4PM we got on board the speedboat once again for a bird watching excursion.

We saw a good variety of birds as well as crocodiles and hippos in the water.

With a moving boat and flighty birds, it was difficult to get good clear photos.

Oh well. I enjoyed the warm breeze, the peace and quiet, and the beautiful blue of the water and sky.

Although our guides said it was guinea fowl, supper was chicken I think. It is a warm evening but I expect it will cool off during the night again.

Day 20 - Shakawe Houseboat

We left Maun at 8:30 AM and headed north along black top. Today we have a nice van instead of our open safari vehicle. What comfort compared to other days. There were plenty of potholes but at least there was no wind blowing in my face and I was able to read my Kindle and snooze.

It was a long drive – about 5.5 hours. We had to stop to clean our shoes at a ‘Hoof and Mouth’ checkpoint again. And we had to stop and/or slow down at least a dozen times for animals crossing the road. They weren’t exciting sightings like giraffe or elephants, but cattle, mules, goats and horses. I thought we were going to hit some on occasion but we didn’t of course.

We arrived at our destination, Shakawe, at 2 PM and boarded our accommodation for the next 2 nights. We are travelling by houseboat down the Okavango Delta. The water where we flew over yesterday would have been impossible to navigate with a large craft. Further north, the channels are much wider and deeper. Our group of 9 plus 2 guides are only guests on this houseboat, which goes by the name of ‘Kabbo’.

After we put our stuff in our cabins we were served a nice lunch of spaghetti, meat sauce and salad. Another gal and I went for walk nearby before the boat took off but there really wasn’t much to see. On shore, there was a wooden canoe which I was hoping we were going to use but they have a larger craft for excursions. I sat in the canoe anyway, just for the experience.

Around 3:30 we left where we were moored and headed out at an easy pace. The grass along the banks is incredibly tall, perhaps 10-12 feet. There are quite a few birds in and around the water of course. We also saw crocodiles and even elephants.

I was in the middle of a great story on my Kindle and anxious to continue, so I found a quiet spot at the rear of the boat. It was most enjoyable sitting in the shade with a glass of wine. However when the sun came around, the heat in combination with the wine, made me quite sleepy so I lay down for a nap.

I was woken up by my roommate who came to tell me the sun was setting. It was beautiful and clear. We’ve noticed how perfectly blue the skies are here in Botswana, particularly in the Maun area. We have moored for the night and the mosquitoes and bugs are out in full force.

Supper was some kind of steak, noodles, veggies and a delicious coleslaw. It is very dark out there and much to our surprise we have an early morning tomorrow. It’s not 9 PM yet and many have gone to bed. I’m headed there soon. This is so not me!

Day 19 Botswana - Maun

We didn’t have to leave until 8 AM today so the alarm wasn’t set for 5:30 AM. We left the bush lodge we’ve been at for the past 2 nights and headed into Maun, Botswana. It was about an hour on the rough highway, followed by another hour on black top – hurray!

We arrived at our hotel by 10 and went for a coffee break. Then a group of us went in search of some stores for Botswana souvenirs. We took a taxi because our hotel was quite a ways out of town. Although Maun is the country’s 5th largest city with a population of 60,000, there really isn’t much for shopping. When we got back to the hotel we had lunch in their restaurant.

At 3 PM our guide took us to the Maun Airport where we got checked in for our scenic 45 minute flight over the Okavango Delta. It is one of the world’s largest inland deltas and is considered one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders. They weren’t ready for us until 4:30 PM.

I was excited when got to sit in the front seat again! But it really was of no advantage. Unlike a helicopter, you can’t even see out of the front windshield of a small 6 seater plane because the dash is so high up. Oh well, it was fun sitting beside the cute pilot!

I was amazed at the size and scope of the delta. I am anxious to learn more about it in the days ahead. I was able to spot elephants, giraffe, kudo or impala perhaps, and several other herds of I-don’t-know-what.

The ground and the water make for an interesting patchwork of greens, browns and blues. I can hardly wait to examine my photos in detail. I’ve got some great abstracts!

After the flight we were whisked off to another activity – a Botswana cultural presentation and dinner. We learned about the work the director is trying to do with disadvantaged, unemployed youth, and watched them perform traditional singing, drumming and dancing.

We learned about their clothing, ceremonies and then had a delicious traditional meal.

My favorite was the pounded beef, made by boiling the beef for hours until it is tender, then pounding it as the name suggests. Yum!

Back late; bed late. I hope I can sleep on the long drive tomorrow.

Day 18 Botswana - Leopards, Lions & Elephants

After the alarm went off at 5:30 AM, I was looking forward to a hot shower, but again, it was a cool one. The tap water is very salty and when you get it on your lips, you know it. Breakfast was at 6, and we were off by 6:30.

Our destination today was the Moremi Game Reserve an hour and a half away. Today I sat in the front row of four on the jeep. That made quite a difference to my back, that and some pain killers.

Our road was bumpy, and many times we had to take a short little detour due to trees lying across the road. Elephants are very messy eaters and quite destructive. We saw the odd giraffe enroute, and some elephants (we call them ‘ellies’) quite close to the road. We drove off road so as not to disturb them. When I say ‘road’, I mean a sand trail. I shot a video of the road through the front windshield and it was impossible to keep the camera steady.

When we arrived at the park gate, we used the facilities – much nicer than a rock. We headed off to see what we could see. The guides had a 2 way radio on and suddenly changed course. We headed off in a different direction at break-neck speed. We knew there was something very interesting to see but they wouldn’t tell us what.

Oh my goodness, it was a mother leopard and her cub feeding on a freshly killed red lechwee!

We got so close, then parked and watched in fascination for a good long while. The mother had finished feeding and the cub was digging away. He was having difficulty attacking the flesh. The female leopard got up, and began tugging at the fur. She got several mouthfuls, then dropped the hair on the ground. She did this several times, then went to lie down again.

Again, I could have watched for much longer.

Then, we came across 2 male lions resting in the shade after they had had their fill. They had also killed a red lechwee. We parked extremely close, a little too close for comfort for some of us. Their breathing was quite fast I thought.

When some vultures flew by, they lifted their heads and appeared to be ready to defend. There really was no need. No one argues with the king of the beasts!

We went back to the leopards to see if she had put her kill in the tree, but they were still feeding. We could clearly see the blood and watched the female tearing the guts out of her kill.

What incredible luck we have had on this trip. To see 3 sets of animals feeding on their kills is quite rare. We headed back to the park gate to have our picnic lunch at 1:00 – salad, quiche, buns and coleslaw. Yum!

The afternoon was not as eventful as the morning but we did see various animals – waterbuck, an elephant or two, some birds and a mongoose.

At 2 PM we headed back to the lodge. It took about an hour and 45 minutes to return. When we were almost at our place, we came across a vehicle stuck in the deep sand. It looked like a regular vehicle, perhaps 4x4, but not the sturdy vehicles we have seen for the past 3 days. Our guides pulled them out and helped them turn around. Unless you have a heavy bush vehicle made for this country, it is impossible to navigate the bush roads. Some of the main ones are easy enough to drive but they don’t get you everywhere.

I enjoyed an ice cold Coke back at the camp, followed by a shower, then I lay down to read. While I was reading, I could hear various bird as well as African squirrels rustling around in the grass and leaves. Then I heard a noise that couldn’t just be a squirrel so I got up to investigate. It was an elephant just behind the next tent! I ran inside to grab my camera and began to take photos and video. I was clad in only my nightgown as I had changed into that for comfort’s sake. I was sure no one could see me from the lodge. I was wrong, and was dismayed to find out that not only had I been seen, but photographed as well. Sheesh!

Supper was another wonderful meal with delicious Botswana beef as the main course. After our meal, the whole staff sang for us as we sat around the firepit. It’s been another wonderful day!