Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sevuti Camp, Northern Botswana
We were called to high tea by the drums, lovely. All the other guests are Americans on a group tour. One man called me over to show me an elephant outside the dining hall. I was nice but wanted to say, “I’ve been in the bush eleven days and walked with elephants and been kissed by one “But I refrained.
Goodman took us on a nice tour and we saw a couple of sad things. A small elephant with a very short trunk and a short tall. He said that they have been watching it for 5 yeas and did not know if it was an accident or congenital. Due to the fact that it is not growing normally they decided it was congenital. The good news is that it seems to be adapting and gets down on its knees to eat grass with its mouth instead of using its truck to bring the food to its mouth. Elephants stay with their Mothers for years and are very protected by the herd so maybe this is why it has survived. Later in the afternoon we saw vultures circling and went to check it out-always hoping to see a cat kill or some excitement. As we got closer we could smell a foul smell and Goodman said that it was a giraffe that had died of natural causes as if something had killed it they would have eaten it right away, It was very recognizable as a large giraffe, We stopped and had our sundowner (cocktail)
And Goodman told me he was 35 and had one child, a 7 month old. In a few days he goes home to Kasane and will negotiate the bride’s price to marry here. It will be between 6 and 8 cows paid to the brides family, negotiated by an uncle of the bride.
September 30, 2008
Today is Botswana’s Independence day-42 years ago they negotiated freedom from England. The camp is festooned with flags-sky blue background with a black stripe. Dinner will be some sort of entertainment from the staff. Last night’s dinner we the 14 guests and Terry-the Camp Manager, a typical Girl Scout Camp Director sat at one end of the long table and Goodman at the other. Guides typically eat with the guests as do camp managers. Conversation was lively. A couple from Orange County, both radiologists, is quite friendly and has traveled a lot of interesting places. Amazingly she and her husband and Ron have a mutual friend in Sacramento. She is a pilot and most interested in the fact that we are flying ourselves. We slept well in our luxurious accommodations.
As I write this blog I am sitting at the desk and just beyond our deck is a small body of water and at least 11 elephants are grazing at the edge and wading in the water! All this 100 feet from where I sit. Elephants have to be one of my favorites just because they are so social and take such good care of their babies.
This morning we were awakened by 5:50, had breakfast at 6 and were on the road by 6:30. We say a pride of lions napping under a tree, on either side of the vehicle. They were full from a feast. We saw a downed elephant nearby and Goodman said that it had been dead when the lions came across it. This pride has ten lions but only the 8 females were there. One was tearing at the lung of the elephant, eating large chunks, and the stench was pretty strong-Goodman said that they lions would move on as they did not feed at stinky food and the hyenas and vultures would finish it off.
We saw lots of hippos this morning. Wildebeest and zebras grazing on a large flat plain, herds of elephants everywhere. Luckily the lush brush accommodates the destructive feeding nature of them.
I asked Goodman how they came to win their independence from Britain and he said “we negotiated it.” Earlier I had asked him about how the various tribes got along and he told me that they coexist and today he told me that if there are disagreements they sit down and work it out. It almost makes me feel that he can’t imagine how big nations can’t figure it our. I think the examples of killing and war so close has made them very thankful. Zimbabwe borders them and is a disaster. As a cook from Baines Camp told me-I am blessed to be a Botswanan. Goodman also told me that Botswana had the strongest currency in Africa (the pula) and the number 1 economy. He said that they have diamonds and the money they bring in is helping to build the infrastructure-road, schools and hospitals.
Have I written about termite mounds? When I first saw them near Jo’Berg they looked very much like rocks in the field. They are so individual-some red where the dirt is red, most beige or grey. In the Delta where the water table is high they can be huge constructions. Organized rather like a bee hive they have 3 generations of queens. The termites drag leaves inside and use enzymes that they have to break them down into nutrition. Inside the hives are heating and air-conditioning systems and they are frequently go as much into the ground as the hive that is visible on top of the ground. I will have to do some reading on them as they sound fascinating. I would look them up on the internet but alas-no internet.
This camp has a darling gift shop but I have decided not to buy anything until I get to Cape Town at the end of the trip.
I was thinking today that we did an exceptional job packing for this trip. We have everything we need and not much with us that we have not used. They fact that they do laundry in every camp has made it easy to get along with less. The hot and cold temperature ranges make it necessary to layer up and peel off in the afternoon. The game rides can be chilly but they provide wool lap robes in every vehicle.
It seems strange to have had no news for 8 days-since Jo’Berg. One of the Camp managers said that when the Pope died he read about it 9 days later in an old newspaper. He said it makes you realize how irrelevant what happens in the rest of the world is when you are in the bush.
Ron and Bev
Goodman took us on a nice tour and we saw a couple of sad things. A small elephant with a very short trunk and a short tall. He said that they have been watching it for 5 yeas and did not know if it was an accident or congenital. Due to the fact that it is not growing normally they decided it was congenital. The good news is that it seems to be adapting and gets down on its knees to eat grass with its mouth instead of using its truck to bring the food to its mouth. Elephants stay with their Mothers for years and are very protected by the herd so maybe this is why it has survived. Later in the afternoon we saw vultures circling and went to check it out-always hoping to see a cat kill or some excitement. As we got closer we could smell a foul smell and Goodman said that it was a giraffe that had died of natural causes as if something had killed it they would have eaten it right away, It was very recognizable as a large giraffe, We stopped and had our sundowner (cocktail)
And Goodman told me he was 35 and had one child, a 7 month old. In a few days he goes home to Kasane and will negotiate the bride’s price to marry here. It will be between 6 and 8 cows paid to the brides family, negotiated by an uncle of the bride.
September 30, 2008
Today is Botswana’s Independence day-42 years ago they negotiated freedom from England. The camp is festooned with flags-sky blue background with a black stripe. Dinner will be some sort of entertainment from the staff. Last night’s dinner we the 14 guests and Terry-the Camp Manager, a typical Girl Scout Camp Director sat at one end of the long table and Goodman at the other. Guides typically eat with the guests as do camp managers. Conversation was lively. A couple from Orange County, both radiologists, is quite friendly and has traveled a lot of interesting places. Amazingly she and her husband and Ron have a mutual friend in Sacramento. She is a pilot and most interested in the fact that we are flying ourselves. We slept well in our luxurious accommodations.
As I write this blog I am sitting at the desk and just beyond our deck is a small body of water and at least 11 elephants are grazing at the edge and wading in the water! All this 100 feet from where I sit. Elephants have to be one of my favorites just because they are so social and take such good care of their babies.
This morning we were awakened by 5:50, had breakfast at 6 and were on the road by 6:30. We say a pride of lions napping under a tree, on either side of the vehicle. They were full from a feast. We saw a downed elephant nearby and Goodman said that it had been dead when the lions came across it. This pride has ten lions but only the 8 females were there. One was tearing at the lung of the elephant, eating large chunks, and the stench was pretty strong-Goodman said that they lions would move on as they did not feed at stinky food and the hyenas and vultures would finish it off.
We saw lots of hippos this morning. Wildebeest and zebras grazing on a large flat plain, herds of elephants everywhere. Luckily the lush brush accommodates the destructive feeding nature of them.
I asked Goodman how they came to win their independence from Britain and he said “we negotiated it.” Earlier I had asked him about how the various tribes got along and he told me that they coexist and today he told me that if there are disagreements they sit down and work it out. It almost makes me feel that he can’t imagine how big nations can’t figure it our. I think the examples of killing and war so close has made them very thankful. Zimbabwe borders them and is a disaster. As a cook from Baines Camp told me-I am blessed to be a Botswanan. Goodman also told me that Botswana had the strongest currency in Africa (the pula) and the number 1 economy. He said that they have diamonds and the money they bring in is helping to build the infrastructure-road, schools and hospitals.
Have I written about termite mounds? When I first saw them near Jo’Berg they looked very much like rocks in the field. They are so individual-some red where the dirt is red, most beige or grey. In the Delta where the water table is high they can be huge constructions. Organized rather like a bee hive they have 3 generations of queens. The termites drag leaves inside and use enzymes that they have to break them down into nutrition. Inside the hives are heating and air-conditioning systems and they are frequently go as much into the ground as the hive that is visible on top of the ground. I will have to do some reading on them as they sound fascinating. I would look them up on the internet but alas-no internet.
This camp has a darling gift shop but I have decided not to buy anything until I get to Cape Town at the end of the trip.
I was thinking today that we did an exceptional job packing for this trip. We have everything we need and not much with us that we have not used. They fact that they do laundry in every camp has made it easy to get along with less. The hot and cold temperature ranges make it necessary to layer up and peel off in the afternoon. The game rides can be chilly but they provide wool lap robes in every vehicle.
It seems strange to have had no news for 8 days-since Jo’Berg. One of the Camp managers said that when the Pope died he read about it 9 days later in an old newspaper. He said it makes you realize how irrelevant what happens in the rest of the world is when you are in the bush.
Ron and Bev
Flying in Southern Africa
You have to divide up this topic into South Africa and the rest. SA has a modern Air Traffic Control system similar to that of Europe. English is spoken, albeit with strong accents, and ICAO standard terminology is used. Lanseria Airport, where I took my qualification checkrides, is a modern facility with excellent maintenance, include heavy aircraft overhauls. All of the players were represented, Pratt and Whitney, Cirrus, Cessna, the major avionics manufacturers, etc. Tower visits are encouraged. Aviation is, however, very bureaucratic. Flight plans must be filed for all flights, landing fees, ATC fees, and other user fees are also charged. One person in the tower is essentially a billing clerk who notes charges as you operate. There is radar coverage in parts of the country, but you mostly do position reports like we did in France in the 70's.
Much more information is requested by ATC. The proper call for taxi clearance in the US would be "N2629R is ready for taxi with information India" In SA the call was "Good morning Lanceria ground, ZS-WAT is ready to taxi. We are two crew, no passengers, destination Thorneybush estimating 2 hours enroute with 5 hours 30 minutes endurance."
Once airborne the transmissions are similar with ATC asking for your time estimates to various points along the route. Everyone is very courteous, but the radio load is high.
The bush fields are rough and require that you "buzz" then before landing to ensure no animals are on them. Hyenas tend to eat tires, so some have a fenced in area for parking while others require that thorn bushes be cut and stacked over the tires to discourage their consumption. You are met at these fields, some of which are 45 minutes from camp, but a ranger who was radioed your ETA.
Leaving SA for Botswana you are struck by the vast distances and lack of any sign of man on the ground. You might fly for an hour with out seeing a road. There are very few places to purchase avgas in the country, so fuel management is very important. Theoretically there are remote transmitters which allow you to report your position to ATC. In flights which covered the country from S to N, and E to W, I was never able to contact anyone. As previously indicated, Limpopo Valley International Airport-one runway, a thatched "terminal"-has a tower. My calls went unanswered and the ranger who met us said they could hear me calling but the tower controller was on holiday and there was no one to answer me.
Fuel, when available, is very paperwork intensive. A full page form is completed including details about the purchaser address etc, the routing of the aircraft, certification that the pilot has inspected the fuel etc. No fuel is self service, and the operators were all cheerful and helpful. Costs were similar to what we pay in the US.
While I would overlook the refueling Bev would complete the paperwork vis a vis landing feels, ATC fees etc. Again, everyone was very helpful and polite. One of the things which struck us about dealing with SA, Botswanans, and Zambians is the degree of courtesy extended and expected. Everyone shook hands, inquired about you and how your day was going, etc. Once we got the hang of it the interactions were always pleasant.
Security at the small airports was nonexistent. At the larger ones it was laughable. As an example, at Polokwane, an airport in Northern SA we had to process through customs and immigration as we were leaving for Botswana. After the fuel and user fees dance we were directed to take our bags to security screening. I parked the aircraft out on the ramp, and Bev and I took one bag each into the terminal- we left the rest in the airplane. We put our bags on the x-ray machine, collected them at the other end and walked back out to our airplane. The female customs agent and a male policeman walked out with us, holding hands. The policeman glanced into our heavily loaded airplane, said "ok" and they strolled off.
Navigation is by dead reckoning and GPS. Winds aloft were available in SA, but no where else. Airfields are few and far between, and the charts are old-1980's vintage, and pretty unreliable. You need to pay attention.
This time of the year the bush is being burned as many of the tribes still do slash and burn farming. We would fly for as long as an hour with no visible horizon due to smoke. The poor visibility in the air was a disappointment.
Flying was fun, challenging, and exciting.
Ron
Much more information is requested by ATC. The proper call for taxi clearance in the US would be "N2629R is ready for taxi with information India" In SA the call was "Good morning Lanceria ground, ZS-WAT is ready to taxi. We are two crew, no passengers, destination Thorneybush estimating 2 hours enroute with 5 hours 30 minutes endurance."
Once airborne the transmissions are similar with ATC asking for your time estimates to various points along the route. Everyone is very courteous, but the radio load is high.
The bush fields are rough and require that you "buzz" then before landing to ensure no animals are on them. Hyenas tend to eat tires, so some have a fenced in area for parking while others require that thorn bushes be cut and stacked over the tires to discourage their consumption. You are met at these fields, some of which are 45 minutes from camp, but a ranger who was radioed your ETA.
Leaving SA for Botswana you are struck by the vast distances and lack of any sign of man on the ground. You might fly for an hour with out seeing a road. There are very few places to purchase avgas in the country, so fuel management is very important. Theoretically there are remote transmitters which allow you to report your position to ATC. In flights which covered the country from S to N, and E to W, I was never able to contact anyone. As previously indicated, Limpopo Valley International Airport-one runway, a thatched "terminal"-has a tower. My calls went unanswered and the ranger who met us said they could hear me calling but the tower controller was on holiday and there was no one to answer me.
Fuel, when available, is very paperwork intensive. A full page form is completed including details about the purchaser address etc, the routing of the aircraft, certification that the pilot has inspected the fuel etc. No fuel is self service, and the operators were all cheerful and helpful. Costs were similar to what we pay in the US.
While I would overlook the refueling Bev would complete the paperwork vis a vis landing feels, ATC fees etc. Again, everyone was very helpful and polite. One of the things which struck us about dealing with SA, Botswanans, and Zambians is the degree of courtesy extended and expected. Everyone shook hands, inquired about you and how your day was going, etc. Once we got the hang of it the interactions were always pleasant.
Security at the small airports was nonexistent. At the larger ones it was laughable. As an example, at Polokwane, an airport in Northern SA we had to process through customs and immigration as we were leaving for Botswana. After the fuel and user fees dance we were directed to take our bags to security screening. I parked the aircraft out on the ramp, and Bev and I took one bag each into the terminal- we left the rest in the airplane. We put our bags on the x-ray machine, collected them at the other end and walked back out to our airplane. The female customs agent and a male policeman walked out with us, holding hands. The policeman glanced into our heavily loaded airplane, said "ok" and they strolled off.
Navigation is by dead reckoning and GPS. Winds aloft were available in SA, but no where else. Airfields are few and far between, and the charts are old-1980's vintage, and pretty unreliable. You need to pay attention.
This time of the year the bush is being burned as many of the tribes still do slash and burn farming. We would fly for as long as an hour with no visible horizon due to smoke. The poor visibility in the air was a disappointment.
Flying was fun, challenging, and exciting.
Ron
Baines Camp, Okvango Delta, Botswana
Saturday, Baines Camp in the Okavango Delta
After a long flight (4.4 hours total, two hops) we arrived in a beautiful, wet part of Botswana, We landed at Francistown for av gas and to pay landing fees. The currency is Pula. The forms used carbon paper. We had a lunch packed for us at Chupunga and ate in route, We landed at Stanley’s on a dirt strip and a Toyota land cruiser and our driver and guide Martin helped push the aircraft to a suitable spot and we headed for Baines Camp-45 minutes of bouncing, fording water that was so high it went over the hood of the vehicle and into the floor of the vehicle. Baines Camp is beautiful; buildings build on stilts and connected by raised walkways. The construction is amazing-the people collected aluminum cans, sealed in wire mesh and Hessian panels and finished with an elephant dung plaster. Only 5 rooms and 9 guests! The place is run by a young Irish woman who has been here for 10 years and 4 months ago married Charles, whose family owns a winery in Cape Town. Our room is darling, a king size bed, covered in mosquito netting that they roll out on our deck so we sleep under the stars. Water and wet lands surround is and the hippos are in the camp. An elephant hangs out in the camp. Like other camps we are free to walk around but after dark we are escorted around. The game drive last night was great, we saw all the usual and two spotted hyena puppies (? They are in the cat family) and they were so friendly I thought they would get in the vehicle! I think the mother was off hunting as we had seen a female adult earlier in the evening. We returned to camp around 8, took quick showers and gathered for cocktails on the deck with the other guests around a firepit. Very lively group, the Duff family from Michigan/London and his 3 adult children and one of their spouses. A nurse from Orange County rounded out the guests and Chas and Semma joined us. We ate at one large table and the wine and food was the best yet.
Around 5:30 we were awakened from our outdoor bed by a gentle voice. We found tea and rusks waiting on a table inside. We washed our faces and brushed our teeth and layered up, ate a quick breakfast in the dining area and headed out in two large vehicles to meet up with Doug and Sandi Groves (for more information and a look at the elephants go to Living with Elephants on the internet.) and their family of three elephants
Botswana is home to more elephants than anywhere else on the planet-25%. For the next 6 hours we learned more about these wonderful animals and grew to love them. Doug and Sandy’s mission is to educate people about them and to raise these three as healthy elephants that are truly ambassadors for their wild counterparts. The three consist of a bull, about 5 tons, and two cows. The bull and one of the cows have lived with Doug for 20 years after he rescued them from a cull. The second cow has been with them about 12 years, and he rescued her from being put down. Elephants are the longest living land mammals other then man. They require years of training by their parents and the herd. Deprived of this training by a cull, she turned to bad behaviour. With a 3 ton animal "bad behavior" includes killing rhinos and overturning cars. Doug said that for months she tried to kill him every chance she got. Thanks to his patience and the assistance of the other two elephants she has come around to the point that, like the other elephants, we were able to touch and examine her. The bull is so large that I could just wrap my arms around his foreleg. It was amazing to watch Sandy, Doug's wife, stroll around and under the bull. She was about 5 foot 1, and could walk under him without ducking. At round noon we found ourselves under some trees enjoying a wonderful lunch. The elephants ate nearby, a variety of elephant treats that had been trucked in.
After a short nap I am attempting to catch up on this blog that will be posted one of these days.
The Okavango Delta seems suited to be an elephant habitat, lush and green and with enough foliage to provide these huge animals the food they need without leaving a scarred landscape of trees ripped out of the group and bark eaten trunks. The down side of this beautiful area is the biting flies and humid heat. Mornings and evening are very pleasant but midday is hot.
Baines Camp has a free laundry service and we needed it after this morning. We hugged elephants, played with their trunks, walked with them with their trucks on our shoulders, were kissed by them, and heard a chorus of their vocalizations (which sound very much like a didgeridoo.
I have not detailed the animals lately because they are so common. Who would imagine that we could get rather blasé about seeing a giraffe or a troop of baboons, wonderful birds. They are everywhere and watching them is so enlightening. The guides are very knowledgeable and Martin has a great sense of humor and a great driver. The vehicle HAS a snorkel like thing that allows it to go into deep water.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Another great night of sleep on the deck under the mosquito net covered beds. We hear hippos in the nearby waterhole. Someone at breakfast reports hearing lions roar. Breakfast is a lovely buffet. Food at Baines has been the best. One of the guests suggests the cooks make a cookbook and we all agree we’d buy it. We bid the Duff family goodbye as they head out for a charter flight to another camp. We set out with Martin for our game drive around 6:30. It is cool this morning. I am wearing my jacket, long sleeve shirt, capris, hat and my Wolky boots. Sun is coming up and it feels fresh and exhilarating. We see a lovely group of zebras, giraffes and wildebeest grazing together, then head for a spot where a leopard tracks lead us. An impala hangs from a tree where it has been hoisted by a leopard. No sign of the leopard. The Impala is very common and easily seen and preyed on by lions and leopards. We see a very large troop of baboons and coming home a large group of elephants. A young cow charges the vehicle several times making a threatening roar. I must say it was a little frightening. Botswana has lovely smells, sort of herbal and fresh. Martin tells us that it has only 1.7 million people. They are really talking advantage of the natural resources to support themselves.
We are back in the room, reading and blogging and looking forward to tea and a boat ride to see hippos and crocodiles. Have I mentioned the laundry service? It is included in the cost and comes back everyday spotless and ironed and is left in a basket in our room and tied up in tissue paper with raffia. Have I mentioned that each game ride the guide stops and set us a table with tablecloth and serves us tea or coffee in the morning and a mixed drink in the afternoon, complete with appetizers? And South African wines are served with dinner and that they are great. Baines Camp may be the nicest yet. All the African crafts are made by the staff or families of the staff. I am tempted but would like to wait until the end of the trip to avoid hauling it for the next ten days.
September 29, Monday
Last night was quiet at Baines Camp as the other guests had departed. Instead of our usual game drive Martin took us on the delta in a small, open aluminum boat. We saw several hippos, lots of birds. African birds are spectacular in color and call. We drank a glass of wine by the firepit, joined by Semma and Chas, then a quiet meal-Springbok. It was superb, the best game I have ever eaten. Went to sleep on our mosquito net covered bed that had been rolled out on the deck under the stars.
This morning after breakfast we went on a mokoro (dug out canoe) one of the staff stood in the back and pooled us through the reeds and lily pads. The lily flowers are white to a dark shade of purple and every shade between. We saw the evidence of herds of elephants that cross from island to island. When the water is deep the babies ride on their mother’s backs. We saw tiny frogs that were difficult to spot as they blended with the brown and green reeds. The air was full of fresh grassy smells-Botswana smells so good. How can warm, wet delta smell so fresh?
I asked Charles if most Botswana’s were as happy with the government as Martin and the others were. He said yes, it was a very democratic government with good leadership and a process of involving the people in decisions. They have heath care, good schools and the government is successfully using the nature resources to employ the people and keep them in the rural areas.
After the mokoro ride we left for the airstrip. Martin has surrounded the tires with thorny bush to keep the hyenas from eating the tires. The cleared the runway with the Toyota and off we went. The flight to Sauvuti was to be 35 minutes but a strong head wind made it closer to an hour. Lots of small airstrips visible from the air as we left the lush Delta and headed north to a dryer region. Our guide, Goodman picked us up in a land rover and we headed to Savuti. Savuti has 5 large accommodations and 1 family tent that sleeps 4. More later as it is time for a nap in the huge bed, its 1:30 and the heat of the day.
After a long flight (4.4 hours total, two hops) we arrived in a beautiful, wet part of Botswana, We landed at Francistown for av gas and to pay landing fees. The currency is Pula. The forms used carbon paper. We had a lunch packed for us at Chupunga and ate in route, We landed at Stanley’s on a dirt strip and a Toyota land cruiser and our driver and guide Martin helped push the aircraft to a suitable spot and we headed for Baines Camp-45 minutes of bouncing, fording water that was so high it went over the hood of the vehicle and into the floor of the vehicle. Baines Camp is beautiful; buildings build on stilts and connected by raised walkways. The construction is amazing-the people collected aluminum cans, sealed in wire mesh and Hessian panels and finished with an elephant dung plaster. Only 5 rooms and 9 guests! The place is run by a young Irish woman who has been here for 10 years and 4 months ago married Charles, whose family owns a winery in Cape Town. Our room is darling, a king size bed, covered in mosquito netting that they roll out on our deck so we sleep under the stars. Water and wet lands surround is and the hippos are in the camp. An elephant hangs out in the camp. Like other camps we are free to walk around but after dark we are escorted around. The game drive last night was great, we saw all the usual and two spotted hyena puppies (? They are in the cat family) and they were so friendly I thought they would get in the vehicle! I think the mother was off hunting as we had seen a female adult earlier in the evening. We returned to camp around 8, took quick showers and gathered for cocktails on the deck with the other guests around a firepit. Very lively group, the Duff family from Michigan/London and his 3 adult children and one of their spouses. A nurse from Orange County rounded out the guests and Chas and Semma joined us. We ate at one large table and the wine and food was the best yet.
Around 5:30 we were awakened from our outdoor bed by a gentle voice. We found tea and rusks waiting on a table inside. We washed our faces and brushed our teeth and layered up, ate a quick breakfast in the dining area and headed out in two large vehicles to meet up with Doug and Sandi Groves (for more information and a look at the elephants go to Living with Elephants on the internet.) and their family of three elephants
Botswana is home to more elephants than anywhere else on the planet-25%. For the next 6 hours we learned more about these wonderful animals and grew to love them. Doug and Sandy’s mission is to educate people about them and to raise these three as healthy elephants that are truly ambassadors for their wild counterparts. The three consist of a bull, about 5 tons, and two cows. The bull and one of the cows have lived with Doug for 20 years after he rescued them from a cull. The second cow has been with them about 12 years, and he rescued her from being put down. Elephants are the longest living land mammals other then man. They require years of training by their parents and the herd. Deprived of this training by a cull, she turned to bad behaviour. With a 3 ton animal "bad behavior" includes killing rhinos and overturning cars. Doug said that for months she tried to kill him every chance she got. Thanks to his patience and the assistance of the other two elephants she has come around to the point that, like the other elephants, we were able to touch and examine her. The bull is so large that I could just wrap my arms around his foreleg. It was amazing to watch Sandy, Doug's wife, stroll around and under the bull. She was about 5 foot 1, and could walk under him without ducking. At round noon we found ourselves under some trees enjoying a wonderful lunch. The elephants ate nearby, a variety of elephant treats that had been trucked in.
After a short nap I am attempting to catch up on this blog that will be posted one of these days.
The Okavango Delta seems suited to be an elephant habitat, lush and green and with enough foliage to provide these huge animals the food they need without leaving a scarred landscape of trees ripped out of the group and bark eaten trunks. The down side of this beautiful area is the biting flies and humid heat. Mornings and evening are very pleasant but midday is hot.
Baines Camp has a free laundry service and we needed it after this morning. We hugged elephants, played with their trunks, walked with them with their trucks on our shoulders, were kissed by them, and heard a chorus of their vocalizations (which sound very much like a didgeridoo.
I have not detailed the animals lately because they are so common. Who would imagine that we could get rather blasé about seeing a giraffe or a troop of baboons, wonderful birds. They are everywhere and watching them is so enlightening. The guides are very knowledgeable and Martin has a great sense of humor and a great driver. The vehicle HAS a snorkel like thing that allows it to go into deep water.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Another great night of sleep on the deck under the mosquito net covered beds. We hear hippos in the nearby waterhole. Someone at breakfast reports hearing lions roar. Breakfast is a lovely buffet. Food at Baines has been the best. One of the guests suggests the cooks make a cookbook and we all agree we’d buy it. We bid the Duff family goodbye as they head out for a charter flight to another camp. We set out with Martin for our game drive around 6:30. It is cool this morning. I am wearing my jacket, long sleeve shirt, capris, hat and my Wolky boots. Sun is coming up and it feels fresh and exhilarating. We see a lovely group of zebras, giraffes and wildebeest grazing together, then head for a spot where a leopard tracks lead us. An impala hangs from a tree where it has been hoisted by a leopard. No sign of the leopard. The Impala is very common and easily seen and preyed on by lions and leopards. We see a very large troop of baboons and coming home a large group of elephants. A young cow charges the vehicle several times making a threatening roar. I must say it was a little frightening. Botswana has lovely smells, sort of herbal and fresh. Martin tells us that it has only 1.7 million people. They are really talking advantage of the natural resources to support themselves.
We are back in the room, reading and blogging and looking forward to tea and a boat ride to see hippos and crocodiles. Have I mentioned the laundry service? It is included in the cost and comes back everyday spotless and ironed and is left in a basket in our room and tied up in tissue paper with raffia. Have I mentioned that each game ride the guide stops and set us a table with tablecloth and serves us tea or coffee in the morning and a mixed drink in the afternoon, complete with appetizers? And South African wines are served with dinner and that they are great. Baines Camp may be the nicest yet. All the African crafts are made by the staff or families of the staff. I am tempted but would like to wait until the end of the trip to avoid hauling it for the next ten days.
September 29, Monday
Last night was quiet at Baines Camp as the other guests had departed. Instead of our usual game drive Martin took us on the delta in a small, open aluminum boat. We saw several hippos, lots of birds. African birds are spectacular in color and call. We drank a glass of wine by the firepit, joined by Semma and Chas, then a quiet meal-Springbok. It was superb, the best game I have ever eaten. Went to sleep on our mosquito net covered bed that had been rolled out on the deck under the stars.
This morning after breakfast we went on a mokoro (dug out canoe) one of the staff stood in the back and pooled us through the reeds and lily pads. The lily flowers are white to a dark shade of purple and every shade between. We saw the evidence of herds of elephants that cross from island to island. When the water is deep the babies ride on their mother’s backs. We saw tiny frogs that were difficult to spot as they blended with the brown and green reeds. The air was full of fresh grassy smells-Botswana smells so good. How can warm, wet delta smell so fresh?
I asked Charles if most Botswana’s were as happy with the government as Martin and the others were. He said yes, it was a very democratic government with good leadership and a process of involving the people in decisions. They have heath care, good schools and the government is successfully using the nature resources to employ the people and keep them in the rural areas.
After the mokoro ride we left for the airstrip. Martin has surrounded the tires with thorny bush to keep the hyenas from eating the tires. The cleared the runway with the Toyota and off we went. The flight to Sauvuti was to be 35 minutes but a strong head wind made it closer to an hour. Lots of small airstrips visible from the air as we left the lush Delta and headed north to a dryer region. Our guide, Goodman picked us up in a land rover and we headed to Savuti. Savuti has 5 large accommodations and 1 family tent that sleeps 4. More later as it is time for a nap in the huge bed, its 1:30 and the heat of the day.
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