There's no Hippo in the Bathtub... but...

There was an elephant in the shower.



During our stay at Oddballs, a tented camp in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, we went on daily game walks and mokoro (dugout canoe) trips. Seeing zebras, giraffes, and impala is one thing while driving through the parks; it's another thing entirely to see them at "their" level, without the metal and glass enclosure of the truck. This elephant, a local friend, decided to go looking for an afternoon snack amongst the trees between the shower stalls... while we were in them. We broke records for fastest shower that day!

If you want to see rhinos, you simply must visit the Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe, Botswana. Rhinos were the last of the "Big Five" for us to find, as they're rare and endangered -- you probably know that they've been poached extensively in Africa for their horns, which are highly valued in Asia.



Our morning game drive through the park resulted in no animal sightings, which was more or less par for the course for us. We are simply not morning people; neither are we expert animal trackers! In the afternoon, we decided to try our luck again. Our perseverance was rewarded with several rhino sightings, including one at the end of our drive -- the rhino was so close to the road that he walked up to the truck and tapped our rear bumper, gently, with his great horn. Rhinos are strange; they look like they've been made out of the leftover parts of other animals, with disjointed faces, awkward bodies, and large ears -- to say nothing of those horns, which can be up to a meter long each. They also did a dance that we called the "Rhino Shuffle", as they shift back and forth while kicking up an awful lot of dust.

Spending time with the rhinos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and all of their other friends in Botswana was a great way to end our safari trip. The last few weeks in Africa were definitely tiring, though thrilling in their own special way. Although we enjoyed our time traveling Africa, we can say very positively now that we're happy and proud to have completed our trip safely and successfully.

Intense Dark Brown

My skin has never been this colour.



Five days of driving around Chobe and Moremi National Parks in northern Botswana have left me bronzed like never before, even with sunscreen. We drove for hours and hours in the blazing sun, windows open because we couldn't use the air conditioning in the name of fuel economy (none in the park!) It was hot and sticky and dusty, there was sand on my lips and in my ears and grit in my teeth and my back and legs stuck to the cheap unbreathable canvas upholstery we were sitting on.

We never stopped for lunch because there was nowhere to stop. I'm sick of oranges and peanut butter sandwiches eaten en-route. I hate drinking water that's been warmed by the heat of the day; our little fridge couldn't keep up with our demands as we guzzled up to five litres each every day trying to stay hydrated. There was no point in putting on clean clothes, because they were dusty on the outside and sweaty on the inside as soon as we stepped outside the tent.

One day I burned the soles of my feet because I had chosen to wear Havaianas the day that our truck got stuck in a single-lane sand track 50km long on the way to Savute. How did we get stuck? We stopped to help a truck going in the opposite direction. How did he get stuck? He stopped to tell us that the road ahead of us was really bad.

Thanks, buddy.

We all had to push; we all had to dig; did I mention we weren't using the air conditioning?

One night by the fire, a traveler we were chatting with got stung by a scorpion. We were all, stupidly, wearing sandals. He was wearing long pants, thick socks, and hiking boots -- smart scorpion, stupid tourists. That night I tried desperately to sleep as the lions growled on one side of the tent and the elephants trumpeted on the other side. Branches snapped nearby and in the morning we followed the elephant tracks through our campsite leading towards the water. The next night our neighbours were paid a visit by a hippopotamous sauntering through their site. They took refuge on the picnic table.

We saw herds of zebra grazing, lines of impala heading for water. Hippos lazed in ponds and tried to keep cool. Crocodiles waited for their next meals. Female elephants and their babies crossed the road in front of us, and we had no choice but to wait for all of them to decide to pass. A cheetah paced around a nervous herd of impala, trying to decide which would be her next meal. Giraffes stared at us as we rolled by. A pride of lionesses and their cubs frolicked in the tall grasses next to the road, and a leopard peeked through the trees at us as we tried to get a better glance at him before he crept away. Every photo opportunity was better than the last.

We spent hours and hours driving in circles, looking for animals. We didn't see as many as we would have hoped to, considering the time we spent. But what we saw -- wow.

Wow.

The Adventure Continues

What IS this place anyway?

Five days ago we stayed at a campsite in north-western Namibia and I got to hold a Meerkat (cue "The Lion King", Timon!) The local springbok wandered through the bar and lounge, and I showered that night in the desert under the stars while a local tribe played music nearby. The next morning we visited rock paintings over 2000 years old. To stand in front of these rudimentary yet somehow sophisticated paintings that have literally survived ages was a humbling experience.

The next night we stayed at another site with an elephant watering hole. Also, with about 30 resident elephants. We stood transfixed (and upwind!) while they drank their fill, splashed about, and had dust baths. Babies nursed and the mothers broke branches from nearby trees. That day, we saw different ancient rock engravings which depicted the transformation of shamans and healers into various animals -- giraffes, springbok, cheetahs, lions.

Camping beside the Zambezi River means that we must be on the alert for roaming crocodiles and hippos, which snort and snarl all night like a band of giant, angry, aquatic pigs. Driving through the desert and countryside, we stumble upon bands of elephants foraging for lunch. Kudu and springbok bound across the streets, and warthogs trot alongside the tarmac as we speed by.

The other day we ventured to see the famous Victoria Falls. I can finally say without a doubt that I have finally seen a natural waterfall which dwarfs Niagara -- and yes, I am still a proud Canadian.

It's hot here, impossibly so. We have left Namibia for Botswana. In the last two weeks, we have seen and done more than I can possibly describe. The contrast of natural awesomeness and devastating poverty and desperation is, at times, overwhelming. My mind reels with the complexity of it all; it is impossible to comprehend, even when you find it staring you in the face.

I am seeing Africa as best I can, but I cannot begin to understand it.

Plunging Back In

Catherine and Alan have arrived, and we're getting ready to leave Cape Town in a fully loaded and completely packed Toyota Hilux quad-cab 3.0 litre diesel "bakkie" (pickup truck.) There are a few problems with it, like the fact that one tire AND the spare are completely wrecked, the interior light doesn't work, and we have no GPS. It'll get sorted.

In the meantime, we're enjoying each other's company and getting ready to head into the wilds of Namibia and Botswana. Internet may be sporadic, but I will try to update Love and Chopsticks whenever I can, including photos. Otherwise I've scheduled a few posts to tide you over until we return to civilization.

Peace, people. Peace and love.