110/137 Days; 27 days remaining
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (Formerly Rhodesia)
Chobe National Park, Botswana
This morning, we are off to Chobe National Park in Botswana for a Safari this morning. Having been on safaris before there is a little concern about leaving at seven. The normal routine in a safari is to be out in the bush by sunrise. This is when the animals are still about. Once the sun is up the animals tend to hide, not only from each other but from the sun. The van is due to leave at seven.
It is just us piling into the van. We are off when the driver tells us we will be stopping in Victoria Falls to change vehicles and pickup other people. He also informs us that we will be drive to the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe which is about eighty kilometers away. At this rate it could be lunch time by the time we get to the park.
We pull off to the side of the road in Victoria Falls where we are told to wait for the vehicle which will take us to the boarder. It isn’t long before the transfer vehicle picks us up. After about an hour we finally have arrived at the border between the two countries. The border is about what you would expect to find. A military looking complex consisting of chain leak fence topped with barbed wire, a small nondescript white building, a shed for pulling trucks into to be inspected, there is a notable lack of men with guns. It is actually fairly clean and, although at first appearance may seem a little chaotic, it is well organized.
Up the stair and into the small white building. Here there is an open room split into two parts. One half is just a large room with a tile floor. Down the middle is row of windows through a plexiglass wall. You walk up to the window, present your passport. The look for the visa which should be present. They would love nothing more than to collect an additional visa fee. We were told however to get a multiple entry visa which we did. Looks like everyone else had been equally well informed. It takes but a few minutes to process all twelve of us through Zimbabwean Immigration.
Out of Zimbabwe and into Botswana. We walk towards a checkpoint. A small hut with a couple of guards. The roadway is blocked by a red and white painted pole stretching across the roadway. It reminded me of Checkpoint Charlie in the 1960’s in Berlin. We simple walk around the barrier.
We are treated by a large sign that says Zimbabwe has incidents of “hoof & mouth” disease and we need to be disinfected. The image of people being disinfected in the concentration camps during WWII with “lice powder” being pumped all over them immediately comes to mind. This is quickly replaced with images of the delousing stations in Viet Nam. Neither presenting an option a tourist would be willing to go through.
We are instructed to walk over a pad of disinfectant. That’s it for us. The vehicle goes though a bath of it. It is a big dip in the road which the vehicle drives though. Like crossing a stream. It washes the undercarriage and wheels. Then up to the Botswanan Immigration Station and get our passports checked. Then pile into the vehicle and head for our game drive.
Well not exactly. We are driven to the Chobe Marina Lodge Marina were we board a river boat to explore the Chobe River Flood Plain. Being on the river, basically at water level it is a magnificent slight to behold. The lush grasses and reeds seems to stretch from one horizon to another. It has been a dry year the guide tells us so there is more visible land this year. However, when the water is high it is almost like one large shallow lake.
It is also a very unique place. It is the only place in the world where four different countries share a single point. The boarders of Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe all touch at one point on the river. Kazungula Bridge crossing the Zambezi River, well again sort of. Each country seems to have a different name for the river. Chobe, Zambezi, or whatever, the name changes probably as much as the channel or flood plain.
It is an interesting safari. There are several pods of hippopotamus, a couple monitor lizards, African water buffalo, an African fish eagle, antelope and a good-sized herd of elephants. The African fish eagle is a beautiful bird. Quite a large bird sitting majestically a top a dead tree. Similar to the American Eagle in size, shape and color. It has a white head, like the American Eagle, but the white continues down the upper third of the body. The body itself is covered in the same brown-black feathers. Quite a sight to see.
It has just gone noon as we return to the Chobe Marina Lodge for a buffet lunch. The Chobe Marina Lodge is built to resemble a treehouse. They have a beautiful wooden deck which seems to wrap around the river side of the lodge. Here they have all types of flora and fauna. They have even put water misters in the trees to give the impression of a rain forest. This is kind of funny given that it is 35 plus degrees (95 F) outside and there is little humidity.
Lunch is quite nice. A number of different dishes to choose from. They even had a nice salad bar. They are also very clearly in the business of catering to tourists. Tourism is big business in the region and clearly they are competing for the business. There also appears to be a conference of some type going on as well.
After lunch we load back into the safari vehicles and head out for a game drive. Again, it is very early afternoon and the expectation of seeing much is very low. The animals are smart enough to know to stay in the shade and conserve energy. They will be hunting for their next meal tonight and need to rest. Heck it is simple too hot to be out there.
Where do they take us? Back to the shore of the flood plain. Oh we see a lot of elephants who have come down for a cool swim or a mud bath. These are the same ones we saw from the boat. There were a few antelope hiding the shade of the bushes along the way. There was even a giraffe going down for some water. If it sounds a little like disappointment, it is. The goal is always the same – show me the big five. The big cats know it is too hot to hunt or even be out in the sun. So they aren’t.
We drive back to the border. Go through the check points, reboard the van headed to Victoria Falls. We stop in Victoria Falls and let one couple out to change vans for their hotel and then we head back to the Elephant Camp.
Maria wants a shower. I want a cigar. I head to the main lodge, order a piña colada and light up my cigar. I message Maria about joining me and she does. We head down to the fire pit to sit by the fire and watch the moon rise. It had been a full day. Perhaps a little disappointing it terms of seeing the big five, but interesting to see the country side, and visit four countries all at once.
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria
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