Brief greetings from Maun, Botswana

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Brief greetings from Maun, Botswana - another Africa, the Africa of birds and beasts and bush fires.

We met our truck, crew and companions at a lodge in the middle of nowhere. The bright orange truck is nearly a double decker, with all our gear – and that includes tents and a camp kitchen – underneath and us in seated splendour on top. The truck seats 26 and we are just 8 plus 3 crew and the space this gives us is really great. We are a mix of older Brits (3) and younger Aussies (5) and Zimbabweans (the crew).

Our first stop was Khara Rhino Sancturay, on the edge of the Kalahari desert. A long, slow game drive showed us our first real African game. Rhino, of course, and lots of them close to the jeep, plus all manner of antelope, buck and gazelle. Here and there an ostrich or a wildebeest, and everywhere birds Black ones, red ones, big ones and little brown ones.

We have now driven north to Maun, our gateway to the Okavango delta. Tomorrow we are off into the delta in little mokoto canoes for two days of wild camping. More of that in the next postcard.

Love, Gill and Alistair

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