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Published: July 23rd 2010
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“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey”.Fitzburgh Mullon.Well…..we haven’t exactly concerned ourselves about the state of roads for the past two weeks as vehicles have largely been stationery.There has,however,been a tinge of concern and sadness at the fact that our time at Island View Lodge is slowly drawing to an end.The last few evenings reminiscing around the camp fire have touched on the fact that we now only have a few more sleeps and,of course,that big tiger is still out there somewhere.On the subject of fishing,there has been much debate about where these damn tiger have gone temporarily….no answers as yet but to console ourselves we have established that “the best month” to catch the really big buggers is August(funny,never the month that one goes fishing!).So,no surprises here…the trip already in planning for 2011 will be in August.To date the best catches have been a 5.3kg tiger(Charles)and a 2.9kg Humpback bream(Tim).Daily life at IVL has remained tranquil and you can adjust the pace as you wish but one finds that dead slow is about spot on.Whilst the boys have cast a fly line a gazillion times and generally thrashed the water into a froth in search
of the legendary tigers of the Zambezi,the girls have managed to play a record number of card games without any altercations or eye gouging.The reality is that if you lose a game there is a fair chance you will record a win in the numerous contests to be played out during the rest of the day.As with any activity saturation point was reached and the girls pondered their next move…..shopping(not on as Woollies,Edgars et al haven’t found Katimo Mulilo yet),spa’s(hmmm…..no Royal Zambezi Sun down the road).A resourceful trio,they then decided to do an outing to Kasane and duly set off two mornings ago.Quick word about Kasane which is in the north eastern corner of Botswana and the border post into Zambia.It is a booming town on the back of international tourists pouring into Botswana for their “African fix”.A sure giveaway that things are ramping up is the building of a new airport and Kasane’s brand new airport is currently under construction to provide a convenient jump off point into the region.To get to Kasane one drives through a wedge of the Chobe Game Reserve so you have the added bonus of animal spotting and a very good chance of being
held up by elephants crossing the road.At the Waterlily Lodge our intrepid trio found a charter service and then undertook what they claim to be the highlight of their stay thus far….a boat trip down the Chobe River with “Captain” on the bridge during the course of which they saw elephant,hippo,buffalo,lechwe,kudu and some seriously large crocodiles.The bird spotting was outstanding,lunch was superb….so our girls arrived back raving about their experience.The boys meanwhile had caught nothing and quietly pondered as to whether the excursion to Kasane may not have been a better option.The odd trip into Katimo Mulilo has been necessary for a couple of reasons…”mishap” Sue located a physiotherapist there for that troublesome shoulder and wine stocks have had to be replenished.Remarakably the range of Tall Horse wines bought at Pick ‘n Pay are proving to be very quaffable.There is a creeping concern that we could exhaust their stocks.Now Katimo is also going through a mini boom of it’s own.When we first came to IVL some 6-7 years ago it was quite difficult finding this town.No longer…it doesn’t have a new airport under construction but a far more impressive giveaway that things are looking rosy.A brand new waterfront!I kid you
not.So,the next time we are at IVL,I guess an excursion to pencil in will be a visit to the waterfront not forgetting the Atlantic and Indian Oceans are some miles away.Not sure if mooring spots will be provided for the countless number of mokoro’s which ply their way up and down the Zambezi but this would certainly add a unique African waterfront charm.On the subject of mokoro’s….this is a very important form of transportation on the Zambezi.Apart from moving people around,they also provide a means to transport fish and other products for commercial purposes.When out fishing we see a lot of them and remembering that they often move along the river edges in the darkness,we have often theorized as to how many get bumped by hippo with the occupants spilling into the river.The thought of those gigantic crocs lurking in the water close by sends a shiver down one’s spine.With our time at IVL now nearing an end there has been increasing discussion with the Birketts about the upcoming meander through Botswana.This promises to be something very special.To kick off we have a few nights camping in two Namibian game reserves in the Caprivi before turning south heading for the
western fringes of the Okavango delta.So the journey continues…the roads will get increasingly tougher and there will be potholes but it’s the travel mosaic that really counts.
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denise davies
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what a way to go
Hi there all!!!! Sounds absolutely amazing!Sue how are you coping with the elephant..not woken up yet ,with a sneaky trunk investigating your bed on the top of the car!!!??? Just as well I am not there as you would have diminished the towns supply of wine ages ago!! Enjoy.. All the best Denise x