July 30, 2024

I found out where all the tree frogs had gone. We have previously visited the Delta in April and apparently, they are not around in winter. This was quite a disappointment, but also a sign that we need to come back one April!

We examined the hippo path close to our tent, and our guides were correct. There was no evidence that we had been visited by hippos last night. They had been a very noisy bunch, and it sounded like they were very close by, but they had avoided our little bit of the island.

For the last time we placed our duffel bags on the tarpaulin in preparation for them to be loaded onto the boats, said goodbye to the wonderful staff who had taken such good care of us during the week. They were all amazing but Junior, the chef, and Frog really went out of their way to make everything extra special for us. Greg is so lucky to have them working with him.

We said goodbye to the dying embers of the campfire

and climbed on board the boats for the last time for our ride to the Saronga airstrip, stopping to look at birds on the way.

Finally, we arrived at the dock for the airstrip.

It was interesting to see that the Saronga ambulance boat was also docked there. This did not seem to be a particularly seaworthy vessel. Luckily, we didn’t need to make use of it.

This was the end of our river cruise. Not quite the Danube or the Rhine, but certainly a unique experience. We had survived all manner of dangerous scenarios that I had imagined would befall us. In fact it had all been very calm and safe in the end. But not boring.

We said goodbye to the boats which have served us very well this week. I know that our own little speed boat would have died early in the expedition – one spring we barely glanced a sand bank, and we wrecked the propellor. These boats are made of stronger stuff. Yay for Suzuki outboard engines.

It was about a 10-minute walk from the dock to the airstrip.

We passed the inevitable cows on the way.

The airstrip doesn’t have much in the way of facilities. There is a terminal building and a bathroom but we chose to avoid both, and stood with our luggage in the sun awaiting the arrival of our plane.

Sometime after the expected arrival of our plane we cheered as a plane landed and taxied towards where we were waiting. We collected up our bags and prepared to climb onboard, but the pilot stopped us. He was here to pick up 2 people, not 10. Wrong plane. We would have to wait a bit longer for ours.

Finally another plane landed, and this was the correct one. We loaded our belongings onto the plane and said goodbye to Greg and Clinton. They have been amazing guides; I am so glad that Tropical Ice chose them to take care of us in the Delta. They are both such professional men, although I am still concerned about how accident-prone Clinton is – the way he tells it, he is a disaster about to happen. Luckily nothing happened on this trip.

Greg on the other hand did not discuss his escapades or near-death experiences. However, he did surprise us one evening.

We had been discussing our picks for the next James Bond, and the name of Idris Elba came up. Greg mentioned that he had seen him once. Where was this, one may ask? He was the MC at a wedding he attended. Interesting, do tell us more……

It turns out that when Prince Harry is in Botswana he chooses to go on safari with Greg. Well, the prince clearly has good judgement in some things. So anyway, Gregg and his wife were guests at the royal wedding and the reception at Frogmore House. We loved his description of what it was like going from the bush to the wedding, and mingling with the celebrities and royals. There is even a photo of Greg and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) from Suits out there on social media.

It was a short flight over the Delta to Hyena Pan, our home for the next 3 days.

We saw several safari vehicles waiting at the airstrip when we landed, so after we grabbed our luggage we made our way over to them.

They were not there for us. Hyena Pan wasn’t expecting us for another 2 hours, so they had not sent anyone to meet us. The lodge is about an hour’s drive away, and they said they would send transport to collect us.

This did not sit well with James. We were hot and thirsty, and not looking forward to waiting an hour for our transport to arrive. James made some quick phone calls and was able to arrange for the vehicles that were at the airstrip to take us to the lodge right now. Well done, James!

I made the attempt to climb onboard the safari vehicle and managed to graze my leg in the process, and needed a push from the driver to get me in. This did not bode well for the next 3 days when I would be getting in and out of the safari vehicles on a regular basis. Somethings just don’t go as well as you get older.

Still, here I was in a safari vehicle in the middle of a game reserve. Life is good.

We set off for the camp on the sandy and very bumpy road. Even though the camp wasn’t that far away, the state of the road made progress very slow, and I had to hang on, so I didn’t get bounced out of the vehicle.

Finally, we arrived, and the staff greeted us with some wonderful singing. Their harmonies were such a pleasure. I think we do a good job when I sing in the choir on Queen Mary 2, but the sound the choir makes is nothing compared to the beautiful harmonies from the staff. It was such a great welcome.

We were shown to our rooms. Large tents on a platform, looking more spacious than our little pop-up tents in the Delta.

The inside was beautiful, and I especially liked the elephant towel creatures. I must learn how to do that when we have guests, although our nearest elephants would be in the zoo.

The ensuite bathroom with a shower and flush toilet were very exciting. No more risking death by elephant dung if I need to use the facilities at night. This is good news.

I went out onto the deck Infront of our room, and there in the distance were 2 elephants. Yes, I do like this place.

We went back to the main lodge to see what was happening about lunch. We were in for a treat. Guess what? They have a pizza oven.

We placed our orders for our individual pizzas and sat back relaxing watching the elephants drink from the pan Infront of the lodge.

There was time for a nap between lunch and our game drive at 4:00, but I chose to have a shower instead. A nice hot shower with good water pressure felt so good after a week of bush showers, but I did miss seeing the sky above me. Looking at a roof just isn’t the same.

As I washed my hair, I realized that there was something wrong with the water. Somehow, I ended up tasting it. Salty? Yes, it almost seemed like sea water. Oh well, you can’t have everything, but fresh water would have been nice. I expect that the ground water here is very salty, but at least there is good water pressure and an ample supply of water, so I shouldn’t complain.

After tea and cake, we met our guides, KK and Obert, and we all piled into the waiting safari vehicles. This time I was going to make sure I was able to climb in unscathed and unaided. It would just be too depressing if I could no longer do this by myself.

I held on tight and swung my legs up and was able to make a relatively graceful assent into the middle row of seats. Yes!!!! I can still do it with a bit of effort. I’m not as feeble as I had feared.

Off we set along the sandy and dusty road. The animal sightings were few and far between, but we did see a mongoose

Elephants

A steenbok, a small very cute antelope,

And some giraffes.

So I was happy. The wildlife wasn’t that abundant, but it was out there.

We had heard talk of lions, and sure enough, we turned a corner and there were the 2 most beautiful male lions right in front of us.

Obert said they were brothers, although later discussions seem to identify them as cousins. Anyway, they were both good looking guys and we enjoyed just sitting and looking at them.

One was totally disinterested in us and soon fell asleep sleep.

The other did watch us for a while, but we must have been extremely boring as he gave a loud sigh and settled down to have a good sleep.

I love seeing adult lions, but they only seem to do 3 things when I am watching them; eat, sleep, and have sex. Young lions are very playful and much more fun.

It was getting dark, and we were over an hour and a half from the lodge so we said goodbye to the lions and bounced on our way back to the lodge for dinner.

After dinner we could hear hyenas nearby. I suppose this is called Hyena Pan for a reason. The interesting thing is that as well as the usual whooping, we could also hear more of a barking/groaning sound. It was weird. We looked, but we couldn’t see any other animals out there except for the hyenas. What we were hearing remains a mystery.

It had been yet another exciting day in Botswana. I miss the Delta and our sense of isolation, but I was looking forward to getting undressed standing up and not sleeping on the ground. A proper mattress is always a good thing.

My only challenge will be fighting my way through the mosquito net to find my way to the sheets. There is always an easy way to get in, but I still manage to miss it.

Finally I am through the netting and into bed. I am not alone. Well Brian is there too, but there is also a warm fluffy hot water bottle. This is what I call luxury. I wish I had brought one with me on the camping part of our safari! Yay, to sleep in a proper bed, prewarmed with a hot water bottle but even though this is a tent, I just can’t hear the night sounds as well. I miss those.