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Baobab  
   

Baobab

This particular baobab is rumoured to be approximately 4000 years old. To put that into context, at the time this tree was a seedling, workmen had just submitted the final invoice for the completion of Stonehenge. The tree remains leafless for most of the year, giving the impression of having been planted upside down. Even stranger, it does produce flowers - but only at night. They are very difficult to kill and the smooth bark is loved by elephants, who strip it away in order to get at the water inside. The tree simply grows more bark! Interestingly, the tree stores water in its trunk and so apparently grows and shrinks throughout the year.
Day 8: From Baobab to Chobe

April 4th 2008
I slept like a log and, like a log, I was covered in insects. I awoke at 06h15 and could see lots of the tiny critters all over my sheets and pillow. Worse still, my shoulders were covered in mosquito bites and I had bites in places I didn’t realise I had. Of course, like any gentleman, I’d used precautions, but no-one had bothered to tell the mosquitoes that they were supposed to stay outside ... read more
Africa » Botswana » North-West » Chobe National Park

Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) Flag Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the mos... ... read more
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