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Published: December 19th 2007
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Today Morgan, I am now calling him Captain, woke us up to take us into the bush. We had a 7 hour journey to Savuti in Chobe National Park. He told us the first part of the journey we would be riding along the River Khwai…about 10 minutes in I asked where the river was…Captain says to the right and I look. All I see is green vegetation…well then that would be the river. Not much water, if any at all. Along the way, Sam and John pass us in their vehicle to make it to Savuti Campsite to set up before our arrival. We also saw another group we have seen a few times in Moremi, a group of 12! And then another car coming the other direction…this, my friends, is morning rush hour in Botswana.
So I am still getting fooled by the Swedes gasping. I think sometimes I want there to be something so amazing they are seeing that I am forcing myself to believe their gasp is for something tremendous…and alas, I am disappointed each time.
We also notice many tracks along the roads…lions, hyenas, elephants…we know the elephants have been there as they have
knocked down the branches of the trees…which I have learned is to test their strength…show-offs. Further down the road Captain spotted wild dogs…apparently this is a rarity and we were very lucky to see them…they were quite ugly and by the smell of it they most definitely made a kill recently…
So, I’ve been sitting on the right side of the 4WD and I can now officially notice that my right arm is much darker than my left arm! Time to switch sides.
Not even a few moments out of camp for our evening drive do we see a lioness. She is just catching her breath from the heat and not doing much of anything but she is still so pretty just to watch! We saw a few new animals today in Chobe National Park including the wildebeests and ostriches. We drove through Savuti and the marsh, which is just so vast and incredibly expansive.
Unfortunately, Sam got sick (something with his kidneys) and John had to drive to the clinic which was 72km away…it took us about 7 hours to go 110km earlier in the day…I cant imagine how long it took them or how uncomfortably
fast and bumpy the ride was cuz when they left a 330 they were back by 930. So Captain filled in as cook for the evening and did alright…it turned out to be a relatively late night…10PM…since we were out until curfew at 7PM and then had to start dinner from scratch. Turns out Sam is doing better…he got some medicine but I’m still not really sure what happened?
Our second day at Savuti was just PERFECT, nearly. We had our typical wakeup call at 5AM and after breakfast headed out on the road around 6AM. Within minutes we came across a female lion and followed her around the Savuti Channel (a channel no more since it dried out in 1982) and found her with two companions…or sisters. Later on we were informed of a leopard nearby so we went chasing after that and found her up in a tree with a half-eaten impala. It’s amazing to watch and be witness to real nature. Although I find I am getting greedy…all I wanted to see were cats when I didn’t see any…now I want to see the cubs…and a lion kill in action, etc… Guess we cant have it
all…
There are plenty of storms here in the Savuti area this time of year…some we have been hit with while others we watch from a distance. Either which way I just love it! The winds as they pick up and run through the trees just brings a smile to my face…as does the night sky lighting up showing off the silhouettes of the trees and the sound of thunder. Along one of our drives there was a spectacular rainbow which just followed us in the park.
Seriously, the dinner was just fantastic. All of the food has been! Sam is an excellent cook, especially considering that we are camping out!
I’ve killed more bugs with my bare hands than I care to share…
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