Africa on show in Chobe, Botswana

We were only in Chobe National Park for one day but that day, Africa was definitely on show for us.

On the afternoon we arrived, we went for a river cruise

where we saw several water monitor lizards in trees

and one couple courting on the ground,

white-faced bee-eaters,

crocs,

buffalo walking by the river’s edge,

eles drinking,

hippos snorting water out of their nose and yawning,

birds in flight,

and an incredible sunset.

But the morning game drive the following morning

was perhaps one of the best I’ve ever had (or can remember!) Our guide found some lion tracks and followed them to where they disappeared into the tall grass. We could hear the lions in the bush and soon found out there were actually two groups of them ‘humpfing’, trying to locate each other. Initially, they were very well-camouflaged but after a few minutes they emerged from the bushes and came towards the road.

Many 4x4s had since joined the scene and there was a flurry of activity. All vehicles were madly reversing backwards and speeding forwards as quickly as they could, trying to follow the action. It made for a bumpy yet thrilling ride, and we were in the front row seats of the action. A honey badger darted out of the dense bush, having been flushed out and playfully attacked by one of the juveniles.

Our guide explained the juvenile was simply honing his hunting skills and honey badgers are apparently not their favourite tasting animal in any case. I later read honey badgers are brave little animals and won’t hesitate to take on even an elephant when in danger! (from the Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa by Chris and Tilde Stuart). Luckily the juvenile gave up the game before the honey badger had the chance to turn on him and instead he went back to play fighting with the other juveniles.

Sadly we had to leave the lions in order to see other animals. But Chobe did not disappoint. Soon enough, we came across banded mongoose scuffling in the dirt and jumping mid-air,

tree squirrels,

Chacma baboons,

buffalo,

clouds of dragonflies that filled the air,

and…more lions!

News travel fast along the bush telegraph (even without radios) and our guide was alerted to a lion kill on the river’s edge which we then raced to. The pride killed the buffalo the night before and we could tell that the lioness had already had her fill by the blood-stained saliva that was hanging from her bottom lip. Now the juveniles were tugging at the tough hide of the beast, tearing off bits of its flesh and one was burying its head into the stomach looking for some tasty entrails. Both of their chins were covered in blood and you could hear the crunching of the bones and smell the stench of rotting flesh. Occasionally you’d catch a glimpse of their sharp teeth or tongue whilst they licked their lips.

Again, we reluctantly left the lions but even as we were trying to leave the park, animals just seemed to keep presenting themselves to us, such as a committee of white-backed vultures picking the remaining flesh off the bones of an impala kill and a herd of elephant that came within metres of our vehicle and flapped their ears at us (and even though it wasn’t as ‘hairy’ as our two elephant experiences at Thanda, I was still petrified).

Best US$33 I think I have ever spent.

Newbies – first impressions

It’s been a while since I’ve judged everyone (and had everyone judge me), and whilst I need to update everyone’s descriptions, I thought I’d better introduce you to our truck newbies.

In Cape Town, we exchanged some of our truck people. Sadly we lost Katie and Guber, but will pick them up again in Zanzibar. Aside from Kristy and Nev, who haven’t yet deserted us, we’ve kept Sonny, Dan, Jo, Josh, Shaun, Karen, Andrea, Garrett, Lee, Ron, Bruce, Dom and Amy. And with four young boys and a quirky, travel-loving couple joining, the atmosphere has lifted and you can expect a LOT of shenanigans to come… (though they might not be fit for posting on this blog!)

Oli – currently Imperial Emperor of the militant nation of ‘Olistan’ who has so far been defeated in his attempt to overthrow Domania. Clearly egotistical and mad given he too has delusions of grandeur, this 19-year old is surprisingly well-mannered – his mum has done well in training him. But don’t let his baby face and dimples fool you – he has the looks of an angel but the nature of a mischievous imp. Prefers little spoon and has an affinity with bushes.

Raf – this 18-year-old is actually allowed to have delusions of grandeur as he has had a recent brush with fame. Would be greatly more respected should he bring an A-list celebrity on the truck or even just introduce one to the truck society. Despite leaving the trip briefly, the day he returned, he immediately joined the ranks of the loose canons. Also likes bushes.

Ian – probably knows Africa better than the rest of us as he is the only one to have frequented two shacks. Clearly desperate to have a better story than Tom, who unknowingly always does something even crazier than him. Has his buttons demurely done up to his neck and possibly because of this thinks he’s a nice, quiet chap who can dance, but reality would prove otherwise. Became ‘acquainted’ with a C-list Botswanian gospel singing celebrity but is definitely no chaplain himself.

Tom – 19-year-old Admiral of the Ship of Loose Canons who does crazy things when drunk, has a penchant for taking his clothes off and an affinity for mythology, especially ‘Cyclops’. Nearly became a Cyclops himself after a run-in with Pedro, a bull mastiff, although he’d tell anyone that he ‘fell down the stairs’. Outshines everyone else without even trying with his shenanigans from the night before. Also likes shacks as well as bushes.

Chris – left Zimbabwe for England when he was 20. He has an incredible knowledge of the bush, how to make the perfect fire, and is always carving something – fishing rods, walking sticks, palm ivory, etc. Strains his coffee through what looks like an old sock and is more than happy to share it with others. Loves photography and is ready to embrace any crazy thing the old truck society can throw at him. Has introduced many of us to the ‘awkward turtle rowing his awkward way awkwardly through the awkward conversation’.

Caroline – Chris’ partner who is Kiwi but has also been living in England. Always knows how to find Chris – on the top of a mountain, climbing a tree or chasing wild animals. Averse to physical contact but has been put under Garrett’s wing in intensive training with daily hugs. Nevertheless, she’s extremely easy-going even when every cook group (including Chris’) forgets she’s gluten-free and she has to eat rice cakes, again. Has also been known to survive on Pringle sandwiches on 4-day hikes. Squeals with delight when she can play a low card in ‘arsehole’ and has an obsession with warthogs that almost rivals my obsession with squirrels.

Bee-you-ti-ful Delta

After an hour’s drive from Maun, we reached the starting point of our Okavango Delta trip. We split up into pairs and a poler approached each pair, introduced themselves, and began to load all our gear into their mokoro (wooden canoe though now most of them are fibreglass).

Poling us and our gear for about 3 hours to an island in the baking hot sun was thirsty work, and the polers would just bend down, scoop out some of the Delta water in their hand and gulp it down. The rest of us tried the Delta water over the next few days but purified it just in case our stomachs reacted to it. It was quite earthy in taste and there were a few small bits of reed floating around in it, but other than that it was perfectly fine.

Our polers took us between and over reeds that would part with the coming of the mokoro. The odd reed would catch you unawares and smack you in the face. Lilies and lily pads covered the surface of the water in some parts, and the lilies would open and close according to the sunlight. Occasionally you’d spot a hippo in one of the larger pools, and hope that it didn’t get any closer. Mosquitos were buzzing around opportunistically and a variety of insects hitched rides on the mekoros or on us.

Helicopters and planes offering scenic flights were flying above us, and we took the opportunity to take a flight at the end of our mokoro trip.

We stayed on the one island for two nights and used it as a base for our game walks and mokoro rides.

The first day we swum in a designated (hippo-free) area in the Delta to cool off

and went on a late afternoon walk. We came across a bull elephant on musth on our own island. From my volunteering experience at Thanda, I know how dangerous bull elephants on musth can be so I was a little apprehensive about being on foot in such close proximity to it (we started out about 80 metres away but ended up about 40 metres away). Luckily he was quite happy just munching on some leaves and bark so he left us alone.

The next day we went for a walk on another island and came across a dazzle of zebras,

hippo, red lechwe, tsessebe, hyena dung, a buffalo skeleton,

elephant footprints, warthogs, an ant lion (one of the Little 5), wildebeest and many birds including storks and rollers.

Coming back from the walk, we had five people in a mokoro and the top of it now came precariously close to the water surface. I began to shake nervously which compounded our problem but to be honest I was more concerned about my camera than about falling out!

A few of us organised for two of the guides to take us fishing and I watched while the others reeled in some small fish on their newly-fashioned fishing lines.

On our last walk, we came across four male elephants browsing

and then watched the sunset at the pool we had fished in. One of the polers was wearing a water lily twined around his head and I couldn’t resist taking some shots which I later sent to him as A4 prints.

By that stage, some hippo had also occupied the area and were popping up and disappearing under the water at different intervals.

 At one point, a hippo surfaced about 15 to 20 metres from us, which sent the polers into a bit of a panic. They all backed away extremely quickly though the mekoros rocked considerably in the process, adding to the drama.

The polers put on a show for us on the last night. There was singing, dancing and lots of games. Some of the men had shoved pillows down their tops and in the back of their pants and danced around the fire. The singing was melodic and reminded me of the incredible singing of the school kids at Thanda. Along with very traditional songs, the polers had made up a song where everything was ‘Bee-you-ti-ful’…  Africa, Delta, hippo, campsite, polers, etc. And that it certainly was. All we could offer them by way of cultural return was some Scottish singing 'The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond' and the 'Boogaloo' but I can definitely say it was much better than performing the ‘hokey pokey’ in Madagascar…

The flight over the Delta in a 7-seater Airvan GA8 really surprised me and I’m glad I also saw it from that perspective. 

I didn’t realise how much land there was and had initially thought it’d mostly be water. We were only about 500 metres above the ground which afforded us spectacular views and the chance to spot wildlife. We saw tonnes of elephant,

two rhino, giraffe, hippo, zebra, red lechwe, tsessebe, and a herd of buffalo. At a few points, the pilot banked more than 45 degrees and Jo and I grabbed onto each other’s wrists, held our breaths and quietly panicked. My heart continued to pound for a minute or two after each bank.

Our drive back from the airport to the campsite was eventful too, as we met a woman who was doing her Masters in Research on donkeys in Botswana. She’d just arrived and was excited by all of the donkeys she saw on the drive back to Maun – to be fair it is the perfect place to study donkeys as there are so many of them. She was upset one was eating out of a rubbish bin and another was getting perilously close to the edge of the road. Whilst donkeys would be interesting, however, I think my interest would lie with one of the wild animals Botswana has to offer – but each to their own.