So it begins

Lazy day

Published Date : February 1, 2005

Today the thermostat topped out at 42C.  Ugh!  Most of the group headed off to the Okavango Delta for an overnight boat trip, but eight of us stayed behind.  Originally I had really wanted to go on this excursion, but with limited funds it came down to a coin toss between the camping trip or the scenic flight over the delta tomorrow.  The scenic flight won!

Those of us who stayed behind spent almost the entire day in the pool.  Our campground, Sitatunga Campsite, is quite nice.  It has good amenities and most importantly, plenty of shade!

I finished off the night in the bar.  I drank way too much, but a couple of the guys kept throwing free shots my way.  It would have been impolite to refuse them ��

Okavango Delta

Published Date : February 3, 2005

Yesterday was a lazy day in camp.  I slept in (thankfully no more hallucinations) and spent most of the morning in the pool or hanging around the bar, chatting.

The rest of our group was back surprisingly early this morning from their camping excursion.  It seems they had nothing but rain where they were and had a miserable couple of days out in the bush.  Too bad for them, but it definitely made me feel a lot better about my choice!

This afternoon it was scenic flights for most of the group.  US$60 bought me a spot on a Cessna with Rene, Ant, Frodo and Ruth.  The plane was claustrophobic, loud and incredibly hot.  I loved every minute of it!  I really enjoy flying and this was the smallest plane I had ever been in.  We could feel every bump and shift in air pressure.  Ruth and Ant struggled with motion sickness the entire flight, but the rest of us just enjoyed the ride.

Bordering the Kalahari, the Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world.  Each year it transforms from a barren wasteland into a lush green river land full of life.  We could see game trails through the marshes and flew over several herds of elephants and giraffe.  With nothing but wilderness stretching as far as the eye could see, I found it incredibly satisfying to know that there were still places of such pristine wilderness out there.

All too soon, the 1-hour flight was over and we were back on solid ground.

Baobob

Published Date : February 5, 2005

Yesterday we left Botswana behind and crossed into the desert country of Namibia.  We stopped in Ngepi for the night and I did some serious damage to my bank account talking shit late into the night with some random guy at the bar.

Today was a long day of driving through some very sparsely populated countryside.  Thanks to my shot extravaganza last night, I felt like crap for most of day.  I was severely dehydrated to the point of having shakes and feeling generally nauseous.

We stopped briefly in Grootfontein to stock up on supplies.  I’ve been back on truck cleaning duty since Victoria Falls, so no more cooking for me!  While the others were shopping for groceries, I took the opportunity to change some money and replenish my fluids.  After a bottle of Sprite and 2L of water I was feeling greatly improved for the rest of the drive.

Tonight was a bush camp, something we haven’t done in a quite a while.  It’s actually illegal to bush camp in Namibia, but the country is quite expensive by African standards so it was necessary if we were to make out kitty last until Cape Town.

We pitched our tents at the Ombalantu baobob tree.   This particular tree is a national monument.  It is believed to be about 800 years old and has a staggering diameter of approximately 90ft.  There is actually a door in the trunk and over the years the tree has served as a chapel, post office and private home.  Now it’s simply a tourist attraction

Etosha

Published Date : February 7, 2005

Yesterday, we arrived in Etosha National Park seeing plenty of giraffes, antelope and gemsbok along the way.  Our destination was Namutoni, an old German fortification.  Boasting a floodlit watering hole, it is a mecca for wildlife in the area.  Last night we went on an evening game drive.  We were treated to a cornucopia of animal life – lions, bat-eared foxes, gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest and giraffe.

Settled back in camp, we could hear hyenas and lions laughing and growling on the other side of the high walls all night long.  Although I had to confirm that this was real when I woke up this morning.  I was hallucinating again last night, although not as vivid as the first time, I wasn’t entirely sure what had been real.

Today we took a leisurely drive across the park to Okaukeujo.  We stopped for lunch at Halali Camp to see the Muringo water hole.  While we were there we saw plenty of giraffe and zebra.  Giraffe are the most awkward animals I’ve ever seen.  It was very entertaining watching them try to lower themselves down for a drink!

I slept through most of the afternoon game drive.  After setting up camp at Okaukeujo, I was feeling pretty out of it, so called it an early night.

Cheetah Park

Published Date : February 8, 2005

We had a relatively short drive today to Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park near Kamanjab.  The park is home to both tame and wild cheetah.  Many of the wild animals were brought to the park after making nuisances of themselves at nearby farms.  Otjitotongwe has provided an option other than a bullet for these cats.

Unlike the other big cats in Africa, cheetahs don’t growl.  Like a domestic cat, they meow and purr.  Also like domestic cats, they drive people with allergies nuts. Ask me how I know.  Sigh.

In camp we were introduced to one of the tame cats and were allowed to pose for photos and even pet it.  Then we were taken out to see the wild cats during feeding.  We were standing in the back of pickup trucks as our guides tossed meat out to the animals.  We had been lucky enough to see a wild cheetah hunting in the Serengeti.  Seeing this many of them in one place was staggering though.  Their speed and explosive acceleration is just phenomenal.  According to one of our guides they can accelerate from 0-100km/hr in just 4 seconds!!!

Driving back to camp after the feeding, we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow at sunset.  Great end to the day.