It was a cold night. We only had
one thin comforter and we couldn’t close one of the window flaps. But when the
alarm rang at 6 AM, what a gorgeous view!
During the night a barking type of
noise woke me up. I thought it was one of the dogs but apparently it was
baboons. The first time I heard it, I listened intently to see what the ruckus
was and I’m sure I felt an elephant going by. I couldn’ fall back to sleep
easily so I looked at my iphone and I was still connected to the lodge’s wifi!
I sent a friend an email telling her what had just happened and where I was. It
was so surreal to be connected to the internet while in a tent on the Chobe
River after being awakened by baboons!
Breakfast was French toast and
bacon, then we were off in our open vehicle before 7:30 AM. Our first stop of
the day was Chobe National Park. We drove on some pretty tricky, sandy roads
for a good 20 minutes or more. We spotted a few animals along the way – giraffe
and kudo.
But when we reached the Chobe
River there was an abundant supply of all kinds of wildlife! The treed, brush
type of terrain turned into a flat, wide open plain.
It was green and there was
lots of beautiful clear water
. We saw many, many zebra, maybe hundreds.
There
were different types of birds feeding and swimming. We also saw a jackal, some
baboons, and some cattle grazing on the Namibia side of the border. I could
have stayed there for hours, but I wasn’t driving, haha!
We headed on out of the park and
continued for about an hour on a beautiful piece of pavement. We passed by
villages and small farms. The people of Botswana seem to be more prosperous
than those in Zambia. After that, the highway ended and we continued on, and
on, and on. The ‘road’ was basically a sand trail. It was a bit winding,
potholey and rough. We drove on it for hours. Somehow I managed to close my
eyes and get some rest. I didn’t get that much sleep last night with the animal
calls, the cold, and the early alarm clock.
I’m sure we were on that road for
3 hours. No Alberta gravel road is that bad! The driver really had to put it in
low gear a few times and really gun it. At long last, we arrived at a beautiful
lodge called the Ghoha Hills in the Savuti Park area of Botswana. It is a
‘green lodge’, meaning they use solar power and conserve water and energy
wherever they can.
We had a lovely lunch when we
arrived, then we retired to our tent. And what a tent it is! There is a large
veranda with 2 chairs and a table overlooking the valley. I watched birds and
squirrels as I typed my diary.
The inside has a spacious living room with
chairs and the biggest ‘picture window’ I’ve ever seen in a tent – about 12
feet by 10 feet! The toilet and shower are in 2 separate rooms and the bathroom
has 2 sinks. The beds look luxurious and they even provide housecoats and
slippers. Now that’s what I call luxury camping!
At 4 PM high tea was served –
refreshments and yummy baked goods. Then we went on a late afternoon game
drive. We didn’t see a lot compared to other game drives we have been on. Oh
well!
Supper was served at 7:30 PM but
before supper, the staff sang and danced for us. There was about 12 of them and
their voices were beautiful! I recorded some of the songs they sang. I hope the
recording turns out OK. Supper was exceptional This truly is a 5 star lodge.
The service was superb and the meal was wonderful: beef, lamb, a traditional African
stew, potatoes, a chow mein type of dish and salad.
We need to be escorted to our
tents as this camp is not fenced and we are not to walk about when it is dark
out. I wonder what sounds we will hear tonight?!
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