On to Botswana

September 24

Brendan is an English descent South African, and Aurelia, our tracker, is a native. The tracker is amazing. He scans the bush as we drive on little dirt tracks or cross country. He is constantly sighting game, or tracks on the surface which we follow to game. He will occasionally jump off the Landrover to go into the bush to look for sign of game.

The animals are used to the Landrovers and ignore them. So long as you stay in the vehicle you can get right up to the game. We saw all kinds of antelope, Gnu or Wildebeest, Eagles, Giraffe, Zebra, Crocodiles, and monkeys. After dark, using a spotlight, we came on 4 adult female lions getting ready to hunt. We were parked in the midst of them, with them no more then 10 feet away. At one point one of them walked right next to the open Landrover to join the other three. They are like very large cats in their grooming behavior, licking themselves and the other members of the pride.

After the game ride we returned to the lodge for an outdoor dinner, again in a group. We went to bed early as the wake up call is at 5:00 am for the morning ride. It was cold and were all bundled up until the sun came up. The terrain reminds us of Arizona-high desert landscape with dramatic mountains in the background. This morning we saw more of the same, and added two male lions, siblings, from the pride the females belonged to. The guide explained that the two males were probably about to challenged their father, the dominant male in the pride, to take over. We later saw the dominant male lion who look pretty healthy. We added hippos to our sightings as well as an entire herd of elephants-perhaps 30 or 40. The herd was a breeding herd which means no adult males, just females and juveniles of various ages. The “teenagers” learn to care for the young by observing and interacting with the adult females. Again, the herd grazed past us close enough to touch.

The group is very compatible, One older American couple has departed and been replaced with a couple around our age from Atlanta-she is an artist and he is an attorney in finance. A young Australian couple is very interesting and the dinner conversation lively-economics, the Presidential election in the states and politics elsewhere. The young French couple excuse themselves early. Earlier in the evening they shared a bottle of champagne given them by the staff as they were honeymooners.

We get up at five for the morning game drive, shower and set off for the airstrip five minutes away. We love Chapungu Lodge and Thorney Bush and give it high recommendations. The plane is safe behind an electric fence from Baboons. We are dressed in pilot clothes and are both wearing epaulets-Ron with four strips and me with 3. This was recommended by the Hanks as it is easier in customs and immigration with 2 crew and no passengers. Boy, did I get a lot of attention. We land at Polokwane in South Africa. They scanned our baggage but left a load of equipment and more baggage in the back seat, which seemed to be of no interest to customs. Had our passports stamped and climbed the tower to file a flight plan and on to Limpopo Valley Airport. Another hour, hot and bumpy. Ron was unable to communicate with the tower and when we landed they said that they had heard us but that the controller was on holiday! Cutest airport ever! Only other airplane was a South African DC 3-shiny and just for show! Our driver collected our bags and we went to the thatched terminal and filed out a form, stamped our passports. Only about 3 Botswana men in the airport, we were off to Mashatu Lodge, a long, hot 45 minute ride in an open Toyota land cruiser. The tent cabins, 8 of them, are full. Some of these people are on their 6th-8th Safari and have been everywhere and some of them are in their 80’s and very impressive. The Lodge has a beautiful open thatched eating area, pool, watering hole for animals and an eclectic fence against elephants. We are warned to leave nothing in the open bathrooms off the tents and keep the tents zipped at all times. It seems that the monkeys are very fond of human cosmetics, shampoo and just about anything. I ask Daniel our guide why those monkeys have not figured out how to unzip the tents and he says if they were ever around and heard the zip noise they would figure it out. The tents are not quite like any you have seen-nice furniture, electricity, great beds and linens-even electricity. We are constantly charging the computer, cell phone OR Camera batteries. We have not posted on the blog as there has not been wireless. Phone works fine in Africa, we have not called US.

The game rides here at this camp are different. The tracker sits in the back of the Land cruiser and does not do much. In South Africa they wake you at 5, have a quick coffee, and hit the trail by 5:30 and the guide very much involved the 4 guests-identifying tracks, dung AND finding the animals. The tracker (Aurelia) and Brendan worked as a real team. Lots of good natured bantering back and forth. South Africans, black and white seem very good natured and relaxed In Botswana the camps are more informal, not as well run and the guides find the animals and point them out. In South Africa, it was more like-AND TONIGHT WE are looking for a leopard! Too many animals to name but we have seen the “big five” and so much more! My favorite was a white rhino mother and her 2-3 day old baby, male lions, a huge porcupine, large termite mounds (worthy of A PBS series). The amazing part is how close you get to most animals and how unafraid they are of the vehicles. You are cautioned never to stand up and to be very quiet when they are close by.

When we were at Chpungu Ron was in the shower, open to the outside and yelled at me to get the camera. A young female GIRAFFE was right outside the tent watching him shower. I could just imagine that she had a story to tell about this male human.

Time to Nap and shower for the Afternoon game drive and late dinner. We saw a pack of wild African dogs, a very rare sighting, here. The adult dogs were re-introduced, and have been very successful with about a dozen puppies. The males feed the puppies by regurgitating chunks of meat which the puppy pack swarms over. They are renowned hunters as a pack with a 90 % success rate. Beautiful to watch. Tomorrow have a long flight to the Baines Camp in Botswana, where we will be for three nights.