+208.jpg)
Elephants From Cruise+206.jpg)
Me With Elephants In Background+170.jpg)
Giraffe+261.jpg)
Me with Zebra+246.jpg)
Vic Falls (only pictures I could get since it was so wet)+234.jpg)
Springbok (2 Females and 1 Male- notice birds on back)+231.jpg)
Elephants+218.jpg)
Hippos+190.jpg)
Elephant Family+153.jpg)
Elephants On Game Walk+089.jpg)
Elephant on Game Walk (not zoomed)+072.jpg)
In Mocoro+025.jpg)
Plane Into Delta (Dad: It was a 6 seater)Week 1: Okavango Delta (South Africa, Botswana and Zambia)
My trip started off with a very successful flight to Joburg. My luggage arrived, I was on time and I easily met up with Gail, Trilby’s (who I work with in Prep) stepmum who generously allowed me to stay with her and her family during my stay over in Johannesburg. I had a fantastic day and night in Joburg with Gail and Jeremy. I met some of their family (including a very new grandson!) and was able to Skype mum and dad (including webcam) which was very exciting given it is the first time they have been able to “see” me since I have been away. That night we went out to a traditional African restaurant where we ate from the buffet- my favourite being some of the shrimp starters, the ribs and the shrimp chicken curry. I also got my face painted and had Melva pudding for dessert, a very traditional cape Malay dish. Overall a very good visit to Joburg- Gail showed me tons of pictures of where I was going and got me very excited to go although the nice big bed, bathtub and amazing hospitality made it very difficult to leave. Luckily I am able to stay in touch with Gail as she is Tilby’s stepmum- tomorrow I am joining them for lunch!
Day one we met up at a backpackers in Joburg and headed for Palapye in Botswana. The first day was pretty uneventful (thank god for my ipod!!). As we drove it did get increasingly hotter and more barren. We crossed the boarder without any problem and arrived at our campsite by dark where we pitched tents had spaghetti for dinner, a quick pre-trip chat and then off to bed due to a very early departure the next day.
The next day we woke up early (for a shot period of time- I think everyone was asleep in the truck within 10 min of leaving). We drove all the way to the Maun airport where we had lunch in the parking lot and then hopped on 5-seater planes that flew us into the delta. The flight lasted about 20 min and really was amazing. We saw some game from the plane (hippos, elephants and giraffes) and it was especially incredible to see the delta stretching out under us and watching as the scenery below changed. The flight was over way too soon and we landed on a sandy landing strip seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Then we took a boat ride along the delta to our campsite. It was very cool being on the water of the delta but since it has rained so much the grass is really high so you can’t see too much. We arrived at our “home” for the next 2 days called Gunns Camp. We spent more of the afternoon sitting on the front porch looking over the delta and had an absolutely amazing dinner of ribs (the best I have ever had… better than baton rouge.)
Another early wake up on Day 3 in order to go on our morning Game walk. We were poled in macoros by our guides to another island where we started out walk. At first we didn’t see too much, a few springbok and a kadoo but then we started tracking this elephant (by its footprints and many droppings) and eventually came upon it. We were able to get really close and take tons of pictures. It even turned towards us because it could smell us but luckily didn’t feel threatened and eventually wandered off. That was pretty much the highlight of the game walk. We also saw a black mamba which I did not consider a highlight. After the 3 hour walk we headed back to camp for showers and reading. At 4 we headed back out in the macoros to look for hippos and eventually found some but they were pretty far off. Many people don’t know but hippos are actually the most dangerous and aggressive animals in the Okavango so we weren’t able to get too close. The afternoon was followed by another great dinner and some star gazing on the porch.
Day 4 we had another morning game walk. The biggest part of this walk was coming upon a mother elephant and her baby. They were quite far away (which was good!) and we were able to get some nice pictures. Then, all of a sudden, our guides start freaking out and grabbing us and running since they just realized the father elephant was less than 2 m behind us and starting to get very aggressive. Unfortunately I have no pictures of that elephant since I was running. After getting safely away we realized we had come upon the herd of elephants and were pretty much surrounded. It was cool though we saw lots of families and little baby elephants with their trunks in the air. We watched them for a bit and followed for awhile before heading back to camp for some relaxing, a cooked breakfast and our flight out. The rest of the day wasn’t too exciting. Another beautiful flight with lots of hippos and then a fairly short drive to Gweta where we stayed at a really nice campsite with a huge pool.
After a bit of a rough night which included my lovely roommate drinking too much, being sick on my bag and forgetting to pay her bar tab we left bright and early for Chobe National Park. Mid-Afternoon we went on a game drive through the park. It was pretty amazing- we saw literally about 200 elephants, a couple giraffe, lots of springbok/kudoo, buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys and hippos. It was awesome to see the animals that close- especially the baby elephants. No lions, leopards or rhinos though- will have to save those for Mum and Dad’s visit. After our drive we got on a big barge for our sunset cruise. We saw possibly even more animals on this. It was really nice because all the elephants we by the water at this point (happy hour?) so we got to see them swimming and splashing. We also got really close to groups of hippos which was cool but they are quite aggressive so a big scary. As the cruise ended we needed to sign out at the National Park Office (small building by the water). We pulled up at the dock and found the office being completely trashed by a group of monkeys as everyone else had already gone home for the day. When we got back to the campsite we all rugged up and had dinner and went to bed fairly early (luckily a more low-keyed night).
Day 6 we woke up and drove to the ferry crossing from Botswana to Zambia. Boarder crossing was pretty uneventful although expensive! (more so for Americans- 130$ US) The day was incredibly hot (maybe because we were getting more northern) and after a very sandy drive we arrived at our final campsite- a pretty fancy place in fact with many pools and a really nice restaurant overlooking the Zambezi river. In the afternoon we gathered out plastic bags and headed to Vic Falls. It was actually one of the most amazing and beautiful things I have ever seen. The falls are massive and the spray is so huge that you aren’t even able to see the falls at times let alone the bottom or the river. We had a great time running around although a little perilous at times when we were out very unsubstantial bridges that were covered in water and very slippery. We spent some time watching people bungee jump off the Zambian-Zimbabwe bridge and eventually headed back to the craft market completely soaked. Our guides were meant to pick us up at 4:30 but didn’t arrive until 5:30 in taxis since the truck had gotten stuck between the Zam and Zim boarders and could not be moved. (Including ALL our stuff). So we got back to camp with nothing, completely soaked. What else is there to do but sit at the bar? Eventually the bar turned into a yummy dinner and by the end they had delivered all our stuff in a pick up. Some people had wallets and purses stolen so it was a bit of a subdued night.
The next morning- as we still had no truck and therefore no food- Nomad bought as breakfast at the restaurant which everyone was quite psyched about. We had a chilled out morning and then headed to town and to the airport. I was originally a bit sad I had no time to do the extra activities but the water was too high for white water rafting so in the end it worked out well. I arrived at the airport a good 2 hours before my flight and managed to check in without any problems. About half an hour before my flight is due to leave I can see that there still is no airplane. They announce about 15 min before my departure time that my flight is an hour and a half late. This seriously jeopardizes my connecting flight from Joburg to Cape Town. When we finally do take off from Livingston we are running 2 hours late. The flight was very nice though- since I had checked in so early I got the exit and therefore had tons of leg room. We landed in Joburg with exactly 1 hour until my next flight. Joburg airport is so massive we had to bus from where we landed to the baggage pick up, wait for baggage, go through customs, and RUN all the way to domestic departures with my huge bag on my back and my small bag on my front. It was quite embarrassing really since a bunch of people (who wanted a tip) started running with me and clearing the way. I really didn’t know where I was going plus it was really far and 3 floors up so when I arrived at the check in it was only 25 min till my departure. I cried valiantly but he wouldn’t let me on so then I had to go on standby for the next flight which put me into major stress mode. Basically there was a 50/50 chance of me getting on the 6pm flight and if it was full I would have to wait till the 7:15 flight the next morning (my trip started the next day at 8). There were many panicked phone calls to marina in the GAP wing and Mum and Dad at home and much pacing. I waited at the gate so I would be first in line and was actually very aggressive about the whole matter. Luckily I got on and had a pretty uneventful flight (although I was so happy I was super friendly and made best friends with the lady beside me). Marina and Jaqui came to pick meet me at the airport- a silver lining to being on standby, your luggage comes out first! And I returned home for some serious fast laundry and catch up with marina.
All in all an amazing trip- but definitely made me extra grateful to be traveling with marina next (and that she is normal!)
Day one we met up at a backpackers in Joburg and headed for Palapye in Botswana. The first day was pretty uneventful (thank god for my ipod!!). As we drove it did get increasingly hotter and more barren. We crossed the boarder without any problem and arrived at our campsite by dark where we pitched tents had spaghetti for dinner, a quick pre-trip chat and then off to bed due to a very early departure the next day.
The next day we woke up early (for a shot period of time- I think everyone was asleep in the truck within 10 min of leaving). We drove all the way to the Maun airport where we had lunch in the parking lot and then hopped on 5-seater planes that flew us into the delta. The flight lasted about 20 min and really was amazing. We saw some game from the plane (hippos, elephants and giraffes) and it was especially incredible to see the delta stretching out under us and watching as the scenery below changed. The flight was over way too soon and we landed on a sandy landing strip seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Then we took a boat ride along the delta to our campsite. It was very cool being on the water of the delta but since it has rained so much the grass is really high so you can’t see too much. We arrived at our “home” for the next 2 days called Gunns Camp. We spent more of the afternoon sitting on the front porch looking over the delta and had an absolutely amazing dinner of ribs (the best I have ever had… better than baton rouge.)
Another early wake up on Day 3 in order to go on our morning Game walk. We were poled in macoros by our guides to another island where we started out walk. At first we didn’t see too much, a few springbok and a kadoo but then we started tracking this elephant (by its footprints and many droppings) and eventually came upon it. We were able to get really close and take tons of pictures. It even turned towards us because it could smell us but luckily didn’t feel threatened and eventually wandered off. That was pretty much the highlight of the game walk. We also saw a black mamba which I did not consider a highlight. After the 3 hour walk we headed back to camp for showers and reading. At 4 we headed back out in the macoros to look for hippos and eventually found some but they were pretty far off. Many people don’t know but hippos are actually the most dangerous and aggressive animals in the Okavango so we weren’t able to get too close. The afternoon was followed by another great dinner and some star gazing on the porch.
Day 4 we had another morning game walk. The biggest part of this walk was coming upon a mother elephant and her baby. They were quite far away (which was good!) and we were able to get some nice pictures. Then, all of a sudden, our guides start freaking out and grabbing us and running since they just realized the father elephant was less than 2 m behind us and starting to get very aggressive. Unfortunately I have no pictures of that elephant since I was running. After getting safely away we realized we had come upon the herd of elephants and were pretty much surrounded. It was cool though we saw lots of families and little baby elephants with their trunks in the air. We watched them for a bit and followed for awhile before heading back to camp for some relaxing, a cooked breakfast and our flight out. The rest of the day wasn’t too exciting. Another beautiful flight with lots of hippos and then a fairly short drive to Gweta where we stayed at a really nice campsite with a huge pool.
After a bit of a rough night which included my lovely roommate drinking too much, being sick on my bag and forgetting to pay her bar tab we left bright and early for Chobe National Park. Mid-Afternoon we went on a game drive through the park. It was pretty amazing- we saw literally about 200 elephants, a couple giraffe, lots of springbok/kudoo, buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys and hippos. It was awesome to see the animals that close- especially the baby elephants. No lions, leopards or rhinos though- will have to save those for Mum and Dad’s visit. After our drive we got on a big barge for our sunset cruise. We saw possibly even more animals on this. It was really nice because all the elephants we by the water at this point (happy hour?) so we got to see them swimming and splashing. We also got really close to groups of hippos which was cool but they are quite aggressive so a big scary. As the cruise ended we needed to sign out at the National Park Office (small building by the water). We pulled up at the dock and found the office being completely trashed by a group of monkeys as everyone else had already gone home for the day. When we got back to the campsite we all rugged up and had dinner and went to bed fairly early (luckily a more low-keyed night).
Day 6 we woke up and drove to the ferry crossing from Botswana to Zambia. Boarder crossing was pretty uneventful although expensive! (more so for Americans- 130$ US) The day was incredibly hot (maybe because we were getting more northern) and after a very sandy drive we arrived at our final campsite- a pretty fancy place in fact with many pools and a really nice restaurant overlooking the Zambezi river. In the afternoon we gathered out plastic bags and headed to Vic Falls. It was actually one of the most amazing and beautiful things I have ever seen. The falls are massive and the spray is so huge that you aren’t even able to see the falls at times let alone the bottom or the river. We had a great time running around although a little perilous at times when we were out very unsubstantial bridges that were covered in water and very slippery. We spent some time watching people bungee jump off the Zambian-Zimbabwe bridge and eventually headed back to the craft market completely soaked. Our guides were meant to pick us up at 4:30 but didn’t arrive until 5:30 in taxis since the truck had gotten stuck between the Zam and Zim boarders and could not be moved. (Including ALL our stuff). So we got back to camp with nothing, completely soaked. What else is there to do but sit at the bar? Eventually the bar turned into a yummy dinner and by the end they had delivered all our stuff in a pick up. Some people had wallets and purses stolen so it was a bit of a subdued night.
The next morning- as we still had no truck and therefore no food- Nomad bought as breakfast at the restaurant which everyone was quite psyched about. We had a chilled out morning and then headed to town and to the airport. I was originally a bit sad I had no time to do the extra activities but the water was too high for white water rafting so in the end it worked out well. I arrived at the airport a good 2 hours before my flight and managed to check in without any problems. About half an hour before my flight is due to leave I can see that there still is no airplane. They announce about 15 min before my departure time that my flight is an hour and a half late. This seriously jeopardizes my connecting flight from Joburg to Cape Town. When we finally do take off from Livingston we are running 2 hours late. The flight was very nice though- since I had checked in so early I got the exit and therefore had tons of leg room. We landed in Joburg with exactly 1 hour until my next flight. Joburg airport is so massive we had to bus from where we landed to the baggage pick up, wait for baggage, go through customs, and RUN all the way to domestic departures with my huge bag on my back and my small bag on my front. It was quite embarrassing really since a bunch of people (who wanted a tip) started running with me and clearing the way. I really didn’t know where I was going plus it was really far and 3 floors up so when I arrived at the check in it was only 25 min till my departure. I cried valiantly but he wouldn’t let me on so then I had to go on standby for the next flight which put me into major stress mode. Basically there was a 50/50 chance of me getting on the 6pm flight and if it was full I would have to wait till the 7:15 flight the next morning (my trip started the next day at 8). There were many panicked phone calls to marina in the GAP wing and Mum and Dad at home and much pacing. I waited at the gate so I would be first in line and was actually very aggressive about the whole matter. Luckily I got on and had a pretty uneventful flight (although I was so happy I was super friendly and made best friends with the lady beside me). Marina and Jaqui came to pick meet me at the airport- a silver lining to being on standby, your luggage comes out first! And I returned home for some serious fast laundry and catch up with marina.
All in all an amazing trip- but definitely made me extra grateful to be traveling with marina next (and that she is normal!)
2 comments:
YES! Pictures! Great distraction from "studying" and really awesome to see. Glad to know you're still alive and exploring.
xoxo
Em
I'm commenting again because there's write up now. Still sounds fantastic, glad that you got back to your more compatable roommate though!
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