Leroo La Tau Lodge Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

... the policeman was really very pleasant. Just another 21kms to go along yet more sand tracks to Haina. These tracks were even more difficult to negotiate than the others, and this time we were driving alongside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve Fence. We actually saw a giraffe in the middle of the two fences but nothing else, no vehicles or people. At one point the sand was deep but Neil managed to drive through it, the landcruiser had good ...

Another sunset, this time over the Makgadikgadi Pans - these massive salt pans of Botswana cover over 12000 sq-km. <br>Since the wet season these salt-encrusted clay pans have salty water in them and a few water birds, and it was a beautiful setting for yet another wonderful african sunset (they are just so red here!). It was even nicer sitting on top of our truck sipping a Savannah cider as the sun went down!!!

... terrain. We were already a good 2 kms in before it got really bad, so we decided to try our chances and keep going. Not too long afterwards we found ourselves stuck for the first time! We all clammered out of the truck, pants around ankles and shoes off, got out the sandboards, took pictures and got completely soaked as we worked together to get the truck out. It was a great laugh and just what everyone needed!

... to smell a bit odd. To add to this, there is sand everywhere. The sand is in my sleeping bad, my toiletry bag, my backpack, and worst of all my underwear. When I get to Durban, everything is going in the laundry! We continue along to Chobe National park, which is apparently home to 55,000 animals. The town we are staying in is called Kasane, near the park. Later in the afternoon we all ...

... at the boat launch and meet our guides. They are a local family who will transport us to an island, arrange our camping, and live with us for the two days. The only way to the island is by a shallow wooden boat called a Morkoro pushed through the shallow water with a pole, much like in Venice. My poler for the two days is a small boy named "DT" who quickly takes my bags and tent an loads up the boat for the trip. He doesn't speak ...

... hut. The pool was very cold yet inviting because of the heat. Up to this point, it has been cold. This was the first day that we didn't have to wear pants, jackets and wool socks. We tried to get a little sun by the pool, only to be invaded by not one, but two wedding parties wanting to take wedding photos. Apparently this was the place in Gweta for those ...

... victims. Most of the graves also just had little tarp rooves over them because the people couldn't afford to errect tombstones. We arrived at the waters edge at 9ish where the mokoros (dug out canoes which are propelled along by someone standing at the back with a big long pole) were waiting for us. We were poled across the delta for about an hour and a half through the reeds and arrived at the piece of bush which ...

We woke up bright and early, packed up the tents and our bags and headed to our truck which would be our home (second only to our tents) for the entire trip. We departed early morning and didn't arrive at our destination in Botswana until dusk. The sun had all but set and we pitched our tents by headlamps. A quick dinner was made and we eventually sat down to enjoy it by the roaring fire. The flames seemed to dance in the middle ...

... air conditioning. Along the way we passed the overland truck from before and I took a small, but substantial, pleasure in this. Call me petty. Finally I spotted a giant 20 foot tall aardvark along the side of the road. Far from a road induced hallucination, it marked the entrance to a place called Planet Baobab, my destination for the day. After I took a photo of the aardvark, I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder and prepared for the sticky one ...

The last few days of our overland trip were to be spent in Maun, Botswana and the Okavango Delta. Paul had heard from his dad that he was selling his house and he was getting anxious to go home. When we reached Maun, we discovered it would be very easy for Paul to leave early and fly straight to Johannesburg and then home, via London. We arrived on a Tuesday and Paul got his ticket for Wednesday morning. The rest of us were ...