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Published: March 19th 2006
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Driving from Victoria Falls in Zambabwe to Chobe National Park in Botswana involved 3 different van changes and 3 different drivers. It was the typical African border crossing. First, we were required to wipe our feet on a disenfectent covered mat to guard against the spread of Foot and Mouth disease. Then we stood in the two required lines on the Zimbabweian side. One line was to get our passport checked and to receive a slip of paper stamped with an entry permit. The other line was to have the stamped paper checked by the customs officer. Then once we walked acoss the border, Botswana did the exact same thing. We were the only passengers in the van and this gave us the opportunity to get 3 different perspectives of Africa, the political situations, and the points of pride from our 3 drivers. It was an enjoyable and memorable ride.
Muchenje Lodge, near Chobe National Park, was a great place. A Belgium/French couple just purchased it 6 weeks ago. Eddie, his wife Manu, and the staff did everything possible to make our stay enjoyable. The accomodations were great, the service was excellent, the food was fantastic, and their hospitality was
amazing. They even provided FREE laundry service - what a treat that was! Eddie, Manu, and the guides would have drinks with us before dinner and discuss the day's events. They also ate all meals with us and made us feel like part of their family.
The other guests at the Lodge comprised a very international group. There was a couple from England, an extended family from Belgium, and 2 couples from Germany. Luckily, everyone spoke some English which made for interesting dinner conversations and cultural jokes .
In addition to the game drives, we were taken to the town of Marbele. The Lodge sponsors one of the local villages and the school. We were able to see how a family group lives and also meet the teachers and students at the school.
The village had about 5 small huts with a 68 year old matriarch, named Esther. The other people living there were her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. They had no running water or electricity. The houses were built out of concrete block or wood and were very basic.
The school was quite nice and had received support from several game lodges and the
government. The children loved having their picture taken and would swarm around me to see themselves in the preview screen. Our guide was concerned that they would knock me down, but I told him that wasn't likely to happen when I invoked my teacher voice.
During our time there, we were able to go on 3 game drives plus a 3 hour boat cruise. The main animal in Chobe is the elephant and we saw plenty of them. The park estimates that the herd fluctuates between 40,000 and 100,000 depending on the time of the year. We saw approximately 200 on our full day of drives and boat cruise. The most common sighting are the breeding herds which consist of the related females and their babies and adolescents. The males are more solitary and are not sighted as frequently.
The boat trip had a bit of a shaky start with a motor that didn't want to start. We drifted down the river while the guides repeatedly attempted to start the engine. Meanwhile, the storm clouds were getting larger and the wind was picking up considerably. Finally, after numerous tries the engine started and we were able to do
most of the trip before the rain began. Since there was so much water in the river the animal sightings were not as great as they would have been if it had been in the dry season.
When we retured to shore, afternoon tea was set up for us and we managed to have tea, get cleaned up and loaded before the skies opened up. But, this was no drama in our open land rover because we were provided with blanket lined jumbo size rain ponchos. They kept us toasty and dry as we proceded on our afternoon game drive.
As we got ready to head for dinner that night we noticed A LOT of noise in the bush outside our hut. We were in one of the huts farthest from the lodge, down a path that went through open bush. Manu had told us that the elephants frequently foraged in this area of bush. She stated that we should be cautious walking to the lodge and blow the warning whistle if we heard them.
Guess who had come to dinner right outside our door?! Every time we ventured out they sounded like they were getting closer
and closer. After several attempts to go down the path, Eddie showed up to escort us to the lodge. Apparently, one of the German couples had heard the elephants when they left for dinner and got concerned for our safety. It probably wasn't a close call but it was a cool thing to have happen.
That's it for Africa! It was an amazing experience and great trip. Next blog we will return to Australia and have a close encounter with the dolphins of Monkey Mia.
Happy Trails, RPM
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Jody
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OMG...
Pam, those sunset pictures were just stunning...I loved them all though...the giraffes are my favorite :) It was sooooooo good to chat on the phone..looking forward to the next time..Hugs &Love Jody