Then we realised our driver was crap....mainly because he didn't seem to notice any game so if we spotted anything half the truck would start to shriek "Stop, stop, giraffe, giraffe" & by the time he stopped the giraffe had either been frightened away or we were so far past it we couldn't see it anyway! Then just to add insult to injury he got us bogged in the sand. Not a problem you are probably thinking, surely the truck is 4WD?? Well, it was BUT the 4WD was broken.....so 35 minutes of him digging us out & we were back on our way. Only problem is we were now half an hour late so he became even less interested in stopping for animals & more interested in sticking to his schedule.
Photo: Sooooo cute!!
At one point we passed another truck which was heading in the direction of a leopard. Now, as explained in an earlier blog, managing to see a leopard is almost impossible but no, our driver decided to turn around & drive back to where the leopard was last seen. By the time we got there we were one of about 12 trucks waiting for this leopard...as if it was just going wander out infront of us & pose for a few happy snaps. Not likely!! So after about 15 mintutes he wisely gave up & drove like a bat out of hell back to where we should have been. Needless to say we didn't have much luck with game spotting on that drive but we did see some lovely ellies, lots of pumbas & quite a few giraffes. Oh, & Billy-Bob, Facebook girl & about 12 others went to sleep before we had even left the park......
Later that night we headed back to Chobe....this time to the Chobe River for a sunset cruise. This, I'm happy to report, was spectacular! We piled into the boat with our esky & snacks & sat back to enjoy the show. The water was teaming with fish, crocodiles & hippos & the riverbank was packed with elephants, zebras, giraffes & various antelope. We even got to see some ellies cross the river in front of us & all of this in the soft light of dusk. The highlight for me was a giant herd of elephants with the tiniest baby ellie I have ever seen. We felt like the ones in the zoo as we were surrounded by wild animals on mass....what a feeling!
Photo: Happy families!!
It was coming to the end of our overland tour in Africa but before it was time for more sad goodbyes, we headed out of Botswana & into Zimbabwe. Our gorgeous tour leader & truck driver are natives of Zimbabwe & were so proud to be showing us into their country. Infact, at the border, Peter ran into his neice who was working at the immigration office. After settling into our camp at Victoria Falls, we walked into town for some shopping. We remembered how much we loved the markets last year so were very excited to get back there. It was while admiring some gorgeous carved masks that I met my new friend "Respect". Same as the boys in Botswana, these boys also have random words as their "English" name but Respect's actual name means respect in English. He explained to me that he had carved the masks himself, then pulled up a chair for me so that he could show me how he did it. It was really lovely to see him carve something right infront of me because you get quite used to the usual answer when you ask if they make their own wares - "Oh, my brother make this lady!". Respect proudly showed me his skills & then shared with me how his grandfather had taught him before he died & how important it was to him to keep the tradition alive for his Grandpa. He was such a sweetheart, maybe 17 years old, & we chatted for about 30 minutes about random stuff. He asked me if I would visit him later on my way back from the falls. The real reason for this, I know, is that he was desperate for Andrew's hat but Andrew didn't want a burnt head so he wouldn't give it up! Unfortunately I never managed to talk Andrew into giving up the hat (even though Respect said he'd give me a bowl for it) but I really enjoyed the banter & I learnt a little bit about his culture....even if I never did get a bowl & Andrew ended up chucking out his hat less than a week later!
We left Respect & headed to the falls.....toting 2 masks weighing 5kgs. At the entrance gate one of the guards saw me struggling with my parcel in the heat & offered to watch them for me. Some would say naive but I still have confidence in the human race so I took the chance. Plus the guy's name was Philip & his colleague's name was....ummmmmm....Ngotibe.....I couldn't pronounce it so Philip told me to call him Elephant!! Nice! Their beaming smiles gave me even more confidence so without a care in the world we started off on the walk around the falls. It was beautiful. Most of the walk is along shaded paths & every now & then you would get a light shower from the spray of the falls themselves...a welcome event in the plus 40 degree heat.
After a couple of hours we had taken enough happy snaps & had enough exercise so we headed back to the camp....plus we had a hot date. Oh, & by the way, at the gate Philip & Elephant saw me straight away & brought my masks out to me! What good boys!
Our hot date was with Bernie. During the trip both the boys had talked non-stop about their families & they had both impressed us all so much with how devoted they both are. During one quiet chat I was having with Bernie I asked him how close to Vic Falls his house was & he said quite close. I asked him If he thought we might be able to meet his family & so the seed was planted. So at 5pm on our final night on tour we all met up to go to Bernie's house. It was literally 5 minutes walk from the campsite. When we arrived he showed us into his home & introduced us to his wife & son. You could see the pride written all over his face. After a few minutes his son disappeared & came back with a bag full of cans of drink & some chips. We all felt terrible that Bernie had spent his hard earned money on us so we all quietly agreed to share 1 can between 2. Bernie cottoned on straight away & demanded that we each have a can because "you are a guest in my home & I will provide you with refreshments!!". We did as we were told! We spent over an hour asking questions about the kid's school (his daughter is away at boarding school) & chatted to his wife...who looked completely bewildered as to why we were there! Soon it was time to leave though. On the way back I quietly asked Bernie how many other groups he had taken to his house over the years. He responded in a surprised way with "None!". WOW, what a priviledge to be allowed into his home & be able to share in his culture even just for a short time. It is something I will never forget. On the way back to the campsite every car that drove past stopped & chatted to Bernie. When we asked him what they said he replied "They all want to know who the white people are & I tell them them that they are my friends & they have been at my house!". What a sweetheart :)
As I said, before long it was time to say goodbye. The best part of this trip are the amazing & diverse people you get to meet & spend time with & the worst part is having to say goodbye. There was definitely lots of tears....not just for the people but for the countries we were saying goodbye to & the experiences we had shared. Africa gets under your skin & provokes an emotional reaction in a way that I can't describe......but it's ok cos we still have a few more days left to spend in Johanessburg with Pieter & Hester :)
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