Animals, makoro's and bush camping
Trip Start
Aug 16, 2007
1
9
52
Trip End
Jul 16, 2008
Chobe national park and The Okavango Delta,
Botswana
Friday, October 5, 2007
So, on with the travels. After a very wierd yet wonderful time in Zimbabwe (where I stubbed my big toe by the way whilst in a bar watching rugby and completely dislodged my toe nail and which has now come off completely! Not very pleasant but more on that later), we left some of our current party behind, picked up some new travellers and proceeded into the much unknown Botswana
Chobe
. First call was Chobe national park. We did, at frst a morning game drive which as pretty cool and we saw Lions on the hunt in a pack, playful cubs n all and they even caught an Impala and scranned the poor bastard in front of our eyes. All in all though it was early and both me and Vik were, by then, over the whole game drive thing having done a few and after the Lion incident I fell asleep while we drove round (you've seen one daft wildebeast you've seen em all, right?). Not very cultured, I know! We then did a game cruise in the afternoon which was much better as it was our first one and we had yet to see many elephants. Here we saw them in their droves all drinking from the river while the sun set and we supped cold beers! Schweet!
Next up in Botswana was the 3 day trip to the Okavango Delta. The Okavango river is one of only 2 rivers in the world that doesn't run into the sea and just stops in land, thus forming the delta, a haven for Africa's wildlife and it's fuckin huge. We started the trip by going into the delta on boats called Makoro's (not sure if that's the right spelling), which are hollowed out tree trunks converted into cheap and very unsturdy gondola type things that you get poled along in by the locals. They were well chilled out and it took us 2 hours to get to camp in them, saling through the reeds with nothing to do but relax in the morning sun. We camped in the delta for 2 nights, completely facility free
Chobe 2
. We shat in the bush, ate off and round fires, washed in the delta and pissed around on the boats trying to pole them ourselves where we managed to sink one trying to get 5 of us in it. At this point in our trip however my bad toe was killing me and I could hardly walk but luckily we had a doctor and a paramedic on our trip. The paramedic had been nursing it initially and he seemed to think it was fine but while in the middle of the delta (with no chance of rescue in sight), the doctor had a look and told me that the nail had to be removed as there was an infection under it. My reaction to this was, yes, you guessed it, 'bollox to that!' So she said the pressure needs to be taken off it then to remove trapped fluid and recommended that we pierce it instead. Seeing this as a better option to compete removal I agreed and they held me down and heated a safety pin till it glowed red and stuck the dam thing in my foot. It absolutely murdered but after that my toe got loads better and the nail is now off and I look like a leper!When we came out of the Delta we had one more night in Botswana and some of the group were leaving to go back to vic falls so we had a hat party which was pretty funny. Some people did a flight over the Delta but me and Vik and some of the lads propped up the bar all afternoon and watched rugby and then joined in the party at night when everyone was back.
Botswana was all good and a bit of a hidden gem. Next stop, Namibia.
Comments
Meditations on the Primeval
Bamber, you useless swine, good to hear from you! It is truly pleasing to see that the both of you are having such an amazing time, and no reports of so much as an argument have emerged from the Rudyard Kipling nightmare that is your current home.
I must say that you look worryingly thin on your profile picture. How will anybody recognize you as Robbie Coltrane when shrouded in such an emaciated guise?
I actually pissed myself laughing about your toenail when I read it. I really should have a shower when I've finished writing this.
I'll ask the rhetorical question: what are you missing at home? Aside from my inspiring company - absolutely nothing mate. As we speak I'm thinking about going for a pint in the Dog - I think that says it all. Been really busy at work and working 16 hour days this week, so I'm bollocksed. Spending my days devising ways to ensnare the female of the species. So far: nul point.
Aside from that, doing my house up and trudging through the normal chores that life throws at you.
Anyway, great to hear from you and Vikki. Keep posting and hope the next destination is even better!
Pete