Last night I took two fernergan at Jon's insistence (I have a nasty looking rash at the top of my chest like I did in Greece only it is worse – quite repulsive really). Consequently I feel doped today and can barely stay awake sleeping through most of the morning boat cruise. Once again Jon keeps over medicating me. You think a nurse would get it right. I did wake up to see a pod of hippos. I also got a good view of a lion drinking from the river. Pretty cool if you ignore the five other boats and three jeeps worth of tourists snapping away.
You could hear elephants trumpeting for most of the night. In fact I didn't sleep too well as the animals were making a racket. We even heard a lion that sounded way too close for comfort (saw the paw print on the dirt road nearby in the morning). Michelle got to sleep by convincing herself it was the noise of elephants snoring! It sounded more like evil purring.
On our last full day in Botswana we went for a morning drive but didn't see much. I think all the animals were asleep. However we did get really close to some hippos wallowing in the shallows – cameras were flashing. Still no sign of zebras (it is not dry enough yet). I have seen elephants standing, sleeping, playing, in the water, crossing the water, by the road, charging, dead and putrifying, in the daytime and in the night time... but no sign of a zebra. I can't believe I will leave Africa without seeing one. I guess there is always Melbourne Zoo. We also haven't seen a rhino but apparently according to our guide Dan the only chance of seeing one of them is if they are a refugee rhino fleeing Mugabe!
We left for the Zambian border at 9am Wednesday morning. Everything went smoothly this time round. We drove along the Zimbabwe border without a hiccup. There was even a bus waiting for us on the Zambian side of the river. We read in the Zambian newspaper that the nurse ratio here is 50 to 1 – crazy! marketing jobs also pay a great sum of $1000 Aus a year. Can't see Jon and me moving to Zambia somehow.
Tonight we stay at the Monte Casino in J'burg where all the restaurants and shops have been constructed to look like they are in Italy. Pretty cool even if gimmicky. Much better than Crown in my opinion.
We have been in four countries in one day (if you count Jon's arm hanging out the car as being in Zimbabwe).
Update: the closet I have now been to a Zebra is the ottoman variety available at the casino. They come complete with mane and tail in tact and look pretty cool if you are not into animal rights. Jon isn't - he wants one.
Elephant Drama (Final Day)
The highlight of the day was the impromptu elephant theater performed for us over dinner between main course and desert. The stage was the bore-fed water hole adjacent to and not more than 20 meters from our open air sandy floor restaurant around a fire (brie) with our cheerful Botswan waiter Oscar. Act one was rather par say and consisted of merely elephants drinking from and playing in the Water-hole , flicking up mud and blowing water on themselves - barely entertaining enough to distract us from our speculation re “what was for desert tonight?” and “which red-wine should we drink next?” Act one finished with an attention grabbing hook that saw us asking Oscar to stop pouring our wine and step out of the way so we didn't miss a second of the titillating show – a baby elephant had fallen into the water-hole, was effectively bogged in the mud and couldn't get out.
Act two. Rapidly the elephants realized the gravity of the situation. Panic spread through their ranks evidenced by trumpeting and general disorder with various of the larger animals pushing each other out of the way individually trying to drag the youngster from the bog using their trunks. However they seemed to quickly recall their “water-safe” training. No more than 60 seconds after the initial incident the elephants composed themselves, lined up together (the mother and aunts) and collectively used their trunks to rescue the babe – eventually dragging him from the bog and rescuing him from certain death. There was trumpeting again as the group celebrated the liberation of their child, their brother and their nephew.
Act three started quietly allowing us time again for Oscar to fill our wine glasses, critique the elephant drama and again speculate about desert. Oscar apologized that the four male lions that had stalked our camp last night had not returned to the water hole. He said that despite the numerous emailed invitations he had sent them, they would not return while the elephants were drinking, “for all the animals fear none more than the elephant”. As Oscar said “elephant” there came over the hole a eerie silence followed by the panic-stricken warning call of the baboon. This was followed by reciprocal baboon calls warning of the pending danger. The elephants, understanding both the nature and the direction of the danger, lined up in parallel with tusks directed to the danger and smaller animals cowering under in the shadow of the larger beasts. Surly the baboons call was not in vain for several large adolescent male lions were scouting for water and approached from the far side of the drinking hole. Fearing the elephants they passed at a good distance presumably preferring to sleep thirsty than risk a confrontation with elephants.
You could hear elephants trumpeting for most of the night. In fact I didn't sleep too well as the animals were making a racket. We even heard a lion that sounded way too close for comfort (saw the paw print on the dirt road nearby in the morning). Michelle got to sleep by convincing herself it was the noise of elephants snoring! It sounded more like evil purring.
On our last full day in Botswana we went for a morning drive but didn't see much. I think all the animals were asleep. However we did get really close to some hippos wallowing in the shallows – cameras were flashing. Still no sign of zebras (it is not dry enough yet). I have seen elephants standing, sleeping, playing, in the water, crossing the water, by the road, charging, dead and putrifying, in the daytime and in the night time... but no sign of a zebra. I can't believe I will leave Africa without seeing one. I guess there is always Melbourne Zoo. We also haven't seen a rhino but apparently according to our guide Dan the only chance of seeing one of them is if they are a refugee rhino fleeing Mugabe!
We left for the Zambian border at 9am Wednesday morning. Everything went smoothly this time round. We drove along the Zimbabwe border without a hiccup. There was even a bus waiting for us on the Zambian side of the river. We read in the Zambian newspaper that the nurse ratio here is 50 to 1 – crazy! marketing jobs also pay a great sum of $1000 Aus a year. Can't see Jon and me moving to Zambia somehow.
Tonight we stay at the Monte Casino in J'burg where all the restaurants and shops have been constructed to look like they are in Italy. Pretty cool even if gimmicky. Much better than Crown in my opinion.
We have been in four countries in one day (if you count Jon's arm hanging out the car as being in Zimbabwe).
Update: the closet I have now been to a Zebra is the ottoman variety available at the casino. They come complete with mane and tail in tact and look pretty cool if you are not into animal rights. Jon isn't - he wants one.
Elephant Drama (Final Day)
The highlight of the day was the impromptu elephant theater performed for us over dinner between main course and desert. The stage was the bore-fed water hole adjacent to and not more than 20 meters from our open air sandy floor restaurant around a fire (brie) with our cheerful Botswan waiter Oscar. Act one was rather par say and consisted of merely elephants drinking from and playing in the Water-hole , flicking up mud and blowing water on themselves - barely entertaining enough to distract us from our speculation re “what was for desert tonight?” and “which red-wine should we drink next?” Act one finished with an attention grabbing hook that saw us asking Oscar to stop pouring our wine and step out of the way so we didn't miss a second of the titillating show – a baby elephant had fallen into the water-hole, was effectively bogged in the mud and couldn't get out.
Act two. Rapidly the elephants realized the gravity of the situation. Panic spread through their ranks evidenced by trumpeting and general disorder with various of the larger animals pushing each other out of the way individually trying to drag the youngster from the bog using their trunks. However they seemed to quickly recall their “water-safe” training. No more than 60 seconds after the initial incident the elephants composed themselves, lined up together (the mother and aunts) and collectively used their trunks to rescue the babe – eventually dragging him from the bog and rescuing him from certain death. There was trumpeting again as the group celebrated the liberation of their child, their brother and their nephew.
Act three started quietly allowing us time again for Oscar to fill our wine glasses, critique the elephant drama and again speculate about desert. Oscar apologized that the four male lions that had stalked our camp last night had not returned to the water hole. He said that despite the numerous emailed invitations he had sent them, they would not return while the elephants were drinking, “for all the animals fear none more than the elephant”. As Oscar said “elephant” there came over the hole a eerie silence followed by the panic-stricken warning call of the baboon. This was followed by reciprocal baboon calls warning of the pending danger. The elephants, understanding both the nature and the direction of the danger, lined up in parallel with tusks directed to the danger and smaller animals cowering under in the shadow of the larger beasts. Surly the baboons call was not in vain for several large adolescent male lions were scouting for water and approached from the far side of the drinking hole. Fearing the elephants they passed at a good distance presumably preferring to sleep thirsty than risk a confrontation with elephants.
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