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Well we managed to get to Cambridge from Moscow uneventfully although the last leg from Dusseldorf to Stansted was in an Air Berlin propellar plane which the pilot threw on the runway at Stanstead. Cambridge was fantastic. We visited James' 97 yr old mum who was just like him - independent obsessive kind and tuned in to everything happening. James organized for us to visit Newmarket Equine Hospital - a £10m facility with Arab sponsorship with every kind of machine money can buy including Catscans and MRI. We could not take pictures.
I will try and load current pictures when I get to Ireland in 2 weeks.The flight to Joburg was uneventful. We got two seats each so slept a little on the 10hr flight. It was flying Air Botswana to Maun on the Okavango Delta where we are currently based.
38% of Botswana is National Parks. It is a peaceful and friendly place. Big wide smiles and waves everywhere. We have done 70 surgeries in the first week with no fatalities despite trying conditions and some v pregnant dogs. We have just returned from 3 days out in the bush where we camped in the National Park and crossed the
river in a punt every day to Spey dogs in a tiny village. We operated out in the open with no running water. Some of the dogs got up after surgery and straggled home. These are tough dogs. The kids gather round the surgery tables all day and giggle away. The little ones are so shy and cute. They all have perfect teeth.
The last two nights we had lions in the campsite and we were the only ones in tents! I asked the Ranger if this was ok after
the first sleepless night and he said don't go to the toilet during the night. When they roared the shook the tent poles! At reception there was the carcass of a horse that had teeth marks on it's neck. I asked what happened. They said the lions ate it on May 5th just like it happens all the time.
The game park was on the river and it was like paradise lost. There was a Safari Lodge in the park that charges $750 a night. We got within 50 meters of 5 giraffes drinking at the river yesterday. The elephants go down to drink at 5 every night and take it from me they are wild African elephants. One night they surrounded us in the vehicle and I thought we were dead as they were bull elephants with tusks like a forklift. James got out one evening and headed towards a bull elephant for a close up. Everyone here will tell you that is mad. One of the African assistants with us said they pick you up in a flash on the end of a tusk and flick you. Sometimes all they find are the sneakers! I tell you wild Africa focuses your attention like you would not believe. One evening we encountered a herd with hundreds of zebra. The photos are amazing. There were vultures everywhere in the dead trees. We saw Jackals, warthogs with their piglets, lots of birds with little chicks running behind them, huge storks - I thought they were ostriches!
Water is horrible you can't drink it. Mosquitoes are not too bad but we still take doxycycline every day. People here long term don't bother and just take the chance they can avoid them!
We are off to Victoria Falls on Tues and then down the Zambesi. We have been told to read Cry of the Kalahari which describes our experiences best. Next week we go out to villages in the Ottavanga Delta to Spey dogs. I am told we will see everything out there including crocs and Hippos. There is a lot of water in the courses here as there have been unusual floods in Angola and the water is coming through.
Food is great and the locals have been feeding us as we are volunteers. They are so happy with our surgery speed and lack of fatalities. It was so good to get back from the bush today and get hot showers and be able to sleep tonight without lions around the camp. Thanks for all your comments.
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hugh
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hope you're filling in the S8 book! was the suture material any good? Sounds fantastic fun Brian.