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Because internet access is going to be a little difficult to obtain here in Africa, we will probably do a longer blog more infrequently than expected, so hopefully it won't be too boring. Read on if you dare!
We arrived back into Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon from Kruger and hit the hay pretty soon thereafter as we had an early start the next day, meeting our friends Robert and Janine Donaldson for the day. For those of you reading this who don't know Robert and Janine, please bear with us for a moment as we get Sunday out of the way. We headed off to Janine's favorite coffee shop for an early morning cuppa (no surprises there!), then on to the Zulu-speaking church which they attend in the Katlehong township. Robert managed to find me a brass instrument to play and I very quickly realised that my home practice had been somewhat lacking in recent years. The service itself was what could only be described as spontaneous, that is if spontaneous means dancing, extremely loud drums, sudden outbursts of songs and all mixed together with a bit of fire and brimstone preaching. This was all done in Zulu
which was OK for Steph who had a lady beside her translating, but as for me I am fluent in Zulu and required no such nicety (although did get a proposal of marriage during the service ... long story!!). The service was absolutely fantastic and we could see why Robert & Janene attend here, as the people were amazingly friendly to us and we felt very welcome.
We then spent the remainder of the day just chewing the fat and catching up on lost time, while driving right around Johannesburg, driving by the house where Nelson Mandela had lived as a young lawyer in the township of a "little known" place called Soweto! Never felt unsafe at anytime as I firmly believe the most dangerous thing in South Africa is not the wildlife or locals but the four-wheeled missiles that hurtle along on the motorways and local roads passing themselves off as family cars.
All in all it was a fantastic day spent in great company and really a special time catching up with two awesome people and their dog, Harry (I am not just saying this because you are reading it, Robert/Janine)
Monday we said farewell to South Africa for a couple of weeks and flew north to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. We arrived and headed to our accommodation for the next few days which was the same place which we had stayed with Mike and Sandy in 1997 called Villa Victoria. We got to our room and realized it was the same room...spooky possums!!
and then headed into town to do some grocery shopping for the evening meal.
The next day we were uplifted and headed to a private lodge in Hwange National Park called Sable Sands, here we would not be making our own food or cuppa's as it was very swanky indeed. On the way we were stopped at four separate Police checkpoints, at one a young constable gave our driver a ticket for US$10 for having a car radio without a license?! The Police checkpoints here are a way of revenue collection and if you are a local Zimbabwean carrying tourists in your vehicle then they figure you are a fat source of money.
We did a couple of game drives here but the game was not as plentiful as we expected however we
did see some amazing sights. At one point we watched as an elephant was eating the pods from the acacia tree which we assumed were just lying around on the ground, but after he had eaten his fill he proceeded to head butt the tree until more pods came down. Kind of a takeaway shop with a difference. Sable Sands was very relaxing and we spent a lot of time just sitting in deck chairs and over looking a water hole. I think the sooner we get into a tent the better cause I think Steph is getting used to this too much!
We spent one evening here and then headed back to Vic Falls and only got stopped at three Police checkpoints and didn't get any tickets so things were on the up and up for our driver.
The next day we we picked up and crossed the border into Botswana to start a seven day overland through the game parks of Botswana. We got dropped of at the Chobe Safari Lodge which was a five star place with wall to wall luxury and Steph got very excited until I told her this was just
the meeting place for the start of our safari and we would in fact be camping in the park tonight. We were met shortly thereafter by our driver Ron and cook Morgan and one other tourist a young Englishman called Iain before setting off into Chobe National Park . The next seven days we were to head south traveling trough Chobe into Savute and onto Moremi before arriving into the town of Maun. We then visit the Okavango delta and then turn back to Victoria Falls via the Makgadikgadi salt pans.
As soon as we drove into Chobe NP we were greeted by a herd of Sable Antelope which are extremely rare so we were lucky to see them. We spent about two hours driving through the park and then set up camp for the night in a local campground. Now I use the word campground very loosely as our site was in the middle of the bush all by ourselves, there are no fences anywhere and no ablution blocks etc but hey this is Africa so go with the flow. We set up tents etc and then headed off for a game drive and ended up watching the
most amazing sunset while sitting next to a herd of elephants drinking from the Chobe river. It was a fantastic way to finish the first day and a good omen for the next few days
The next day we broke down camp at 5.30 am (this was to be our regular routine) and continued our journey south. We immediately saw five lion and the day just got better and better as we saw approximately 50 giraffe at different times during the day and stopped to allow a herd of about 200 cape buffalo cross the road. Another magical evening was spent watching yet another herd of elephants coming down to drink at the local watering hole accompanied by a journey (that's the collective name for Giraffes don't you know!) of giraffes who were all doing the splits while drinking their fill. Yet another amazing day came to an end and the only thing that could top it off would be to be camped in amongst a herd of elephants breaking down trees right next to us. Steph wasn't too keen on this but the hyenas and leopard that kept us awake calling outside our tents during the
night just add to the flavour.
The next few days we're similar with great experiences happening over and over again. There are no words to describe the exhilaration of sitting watching wild animals close up knowing that this is not a zoo but the real thing. To sit in amongst a herd of elephants while they communicate with each other through rumbles and squeaks is truly amazing.
We arrived in the town of Maun to spend two days in the same place and this was our launching spot to head into the Okavango delta. The Okavango delta is a flood plain into which the rivers of Angola and surrounding countries drain into seasonally creating a huge area of wetlands which supports a large variety of both plant and animal species. We headed into the delta by way of a traditional canoe called a Mokoro which holds two passengers and was propelled by means a local guide using a pole to push them through the water. We passed through areas of thick papyrus reeds and beautiful water lilly plants passing waterfowl and the occasional hippo at a safe distance. The whole day was spent in
this environment including a two hour bush walk on an island getting to see the local flora and fauna close up. It was a truly unforgettable day.
Maun was the turn around point for us to head back towards Zimbabwe and so on Tuesday we started our journey back via the Makgadikgadi salt pans and visiting the biggest tree that we have ever seen called Chapman's Baobab. Although things on the Botswana leg of our journey were extremely basic we did have the most amazing cook who delighted us every night with fantastic fare (Sandy you will be glad to know that one lunch of tuna and rice salad)
We arrived back into Victoria Falls without any problems and extremely grateful for a shower to wash off seven days of Botswana dust. We have three days in Victoria Falls now to see the sights and will spend our last night here staying at the Victoria Falls Hotel which is the oldest hotel in Africa and has a long interesting history as well as a view of the falls so until next time that was our week.
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Bruce Leaning
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No wild animals here
Hi , sounds like you are having a fabulous time and only 7 days with a shower..life here is just the same at work but we have a new grand-daughter ..un-named as yet but looks fantastic. she was born on the 5th..everyone loves the photos but we are a bit concerned that you have let Steph hold the camera let alone use it..all the best and hope to hear from you again soon..