Beginning of Botswana

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Botswana trip
Saturday morning starts the Acacia trip; we cross the Chobe and Zambezi confluence on a ferry and head to Thebe safari lodge, very comfortable with air con which I'm very glad about as I feel pretty poorly (was sick in the night, and now have the runs). A late afternoon sunset water safari can't be missed and as the boat has a loo, I'm OK. We see elephants, hippos both in and out of the water,crocodiles ditto, warthogs, water buffalo, water buck, monitor lizards, baboons and a fabulous sunset.
I pass on the Sunday morning safari as we have a long drive and the chance of an afternoon safari to see meerkats, and I'm still a bit nervous about not being near a loo.
The other three go and see lions sitting around really close to the truck. Christian says they must have recently eaten as they still had blood round their mouths.
On our drive to the next place we see the trailer of a lorry parked at the side of the road. No sign of the cab or the driver, but baboons were scavenging it. They'd pulled several sacks off the top and were busy eating the contents which looked like grain.
The road is long and straight and has bush on either side. It's a bit like driving through the New Forest but instead of seeing ponies and sheep, it's elephants and baboons. The triangular warning signs show an elephant.‘Keep a look out for a leopard in a tree,’ said Rowan, our guide. ‘It's a bit wet and cold for them to lie on the ground.’ It's not raining now, but there were storms in the night.
We stop at a service station for some diesel and the bus refuses to start again. Rowan calls up our next stop and asks them to send a rescue car and a mechanic. They have to come 90 kms so it takes a while. The mechanic spends a minute on the engine tightens a loose battery connection, and the engine starts. We get to Gweta Lodge about 3pm, have a late lunch and swim in the pool. The planned trip of meerkats is postponed till tomorrow. Gweta Lodge is delightful. The track up to it is flanked by poisonous bushes. Originally bushmen would dip the points of their arrows in the sap from this plant, shoot an animal, and wait for it to die of poisoning.
Each chalet is circular with a thatched roof, and the open air bathroom, consisting of a shower loo and basin, is at the back in a semicircle.
I'm posting this now as I have internet, though I know most of you want to hear about the meerkats. But I may not get access to the internet tomorrow.

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