Bushways Safari and the beauty of Botswana

Sorry again for the long wait! I have been meaning to post again but the holidays and a cold, and admittedly Bloons Tower Defense 5, made the past few weeks fly by.

The next stage of my trip was the camping safari with Bushways in Botswana. Five of us were picked up at Island Safari Lodge and taken to another camp to meet up with the rest of the group. They had already been travelling for about a week through Botswana and Namibia on the 'elephant safari' route. We were on the 'buffalo safari' which is camping for 3 nights in Moremi Game Reserve, 3 nights in Chobe National Park, and 1 night at a lodge in Livingstone, Zambia:
http://www.bushways.com/buf_safari.html

The majority of the group was German and there were some language barriers but there were also some Canadians and a dutch couple and the majority of the group could speak English. Joe was our guide, Daniel was the translator for the German group, and Gabriel was our cook.

The burbs of Maun.

We stopped just outside of Maun to fill up the truck's water tank which would be for cooking, dishes, and hand-washing and then we were off to Moremi.

Entrance to Moremi.

Botswana has a fence between cattle country and the reserve to prevent the African buffalo from getting in contact with the cattle to avoid the spread of disease. After we passed the fence we started to see game (wild animals) and I could not stop smiling. I was so excited! We saw impala and baboons first. Everyone was very excited with the first impala we saw, though by the end of the day it felt as common as seeing a squirrel here in Canada so we lost the initial excitement for them. Then I saw my first wild elephants and got a bit choked up. It was a dream come true.

Elephants sheltering in the shade of a large tree.

 The first day of the safari was absolutely amazing. We saw so much that day. We drove to camp, stopping whenever an animal was spotted, and set up camp and had lunch before heading out again later that afternoon for the evening drive. Each camper or couple was assigned a tent and a mattress so you had to remember the number for each (printed on the canvas) and you were responsible for setting up your own tent.

My home for 6 nights, quite roomy, and a comfy mattress.

The camp, the vehicle had a canvas roof that could be rolled up so we could stand up for a better view and the trailer doubled as the kitchen.

Everyone helped setting up the camp table and chairs. Joe and his team set up the camp toilets and shower. The toilet was a pit dug into the ground with a comfortable toilet seat chair placed over the hole surrounded by a tent wall that you could zip up for privacy. I was very thankful for the seat since I had this vision of squatting all week from what I had heard about bush toilets from other travelers.

The best part of the experience was the food. We would stop for fruit mid-morning - apples, oranges, etc., and then lunch was at noonish. Our first lunch was salad, meat and cheese slices. Our first dinner, after the game drive, was chicken stir fry with dried fruit and cookies for dessert. It was delicious, and I was excited to have such good food out in the middle of the African bush!

The highlight of the day was a sighting of wild dogs chasing an impala. It was amazing! They are very endangered and sightings are rare so Joe and Daniel were both really excited that we had a chance to see them.

This is how close we were. They were running FAST!

Back to the beginning

My apologies for the delay but it's been really busy since I got back home so I kept putting this off. I do however have most of the photos organized and I wanted to get into a bit more detail for you, right from the beginning of the trip.

I was able to book a room in Johannesburg ("Joburg") just before I left. I found the most reasonably priced guest house I could that was close to the airport through http://www.joburg.org.za/visitors. It was the Airport Lodge Guesthouse, http://www.airportlodge.co.za/contact.html. I sent an e-mail and they e-mailed me right back, though I never did get a chance to check it before I landed. Luckily the driver was already there because there was another couple that just flew in. After you get your baggage and go through the passport area (note: don't use the "African Passports" line - that is for Africans. It made sense once I figured it out but I was confused at first because I thought "I am visiting Africa so I need an African passport?" duh!). I got one of their more basic rooms for R400, R100 for the late road transfer (after regular pick up time), and R70 for breakfast which is ~$70 Canadian. The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. There was room to settle in if you are there for a while like a cupboard for clothes, etc.. There was a T.V. with only a few stations (which is the norm from my experiences) - soccer of course, soap operas, news, not much else. The flight was so long that I desperately needed a good rest. I was of course unable to sleep properly and was awake after a few hours of sleep.  Once I finally got out of bed, I was introduced for the first time to the local instant coffee "Ricoffy" (chicory and coffee mix). The breakfast included yummy juice (some kind of orange mix the waitress said), bacon, tomatoes, toast, eggs, and roasted wieners. There was also cereal available. It was a good choice though if I was staying longer I would need to rent a car or figure out public transit because it was not in walking distance of much, or at least I didn't notice anything when we drove back to the airport the next morning.

When I got to the airport I eventually found the Air Botswana check-in and went through. The lady was a bit rude, or at least that's how I saw it. She didn't look at me at all and kept turning her head to see what her co-worker was doing...But, the airport itself is quite nice. Lots of shopping to do, for good or bad, and places to eat. It is really a huge place. I found where the gate was and thought I completely screwed up my booking because there were all buses lined up. However, I figured out that the buses just took the passengers to the planes so that they did not have to have as many planes come up to the terminal I guess. Most of the people lined up to go on my flight to Maun really LOOKED like they were going on a safari - khaki pants and/or shirt, a suitable safari hat, hiking shoes, some even had khaki vests. You could buy the gear at the airport even, though I did not bother to look how much that would cost.

Once the airline was ready to take us to the plane we all loaded onto the bus (mostly standing room only but there were a few seats if needed) and walked up the metal staircase to the plane. I got a seat in the first row and the lady at the window kept coughing so I kept trying not to breathe. It was a smaller plane than the international flights of course, just enough room for 3 small seats on either side of the isle and the food cart in the middle. We had a cheese & cucumber sandwich and a muesli bar for lunch and had juice and coffee (or tea). Once we landed and walked off the plane I felt I was really in 'Africa', I just could not stop smiling. It was very hot and the airport in Maun is quite small. They had only a few passport stands and then brought in all the luggage to their pick up area by hand. I did find the Bushways Safari people in the lobby area and met some fellow travellers that were going to the Kalahari first. We headed for the 'bottle shop' first to get our water supply for the time camping. They recommended about 3 litres per day so we bought these larger 5 litre jugs which were easier to store.

This is the bottle shop parking lot. This is where SUVs are actually needed!

We stayed at the Island Safari Lodge, http://islandsafarilodge.com/, so I was there a few extra days before my group left. It was actually a good idea because I had time to really relax and acclimatize as much as possible. But it was about 2 1/2 kilometers from town so I ended up staying at the Lodge the whole time. I could have asked to have a ride or taxi pick me up but I did not want to go by myself yet. Luckily the Lodge had post cards, stamps, and they even mailed them for me.

Here is my room, it was quite comfortable.

 2 twins seemed to be the norm, when there was a double bed it was usually 2 twins pushed together anyways. 

The Lodge is along the Thamalakane River so there was an awesome view and it was quite tropical compared to what I saw right in Maun. There was a cow farm on the other side so I could hear the cow bell ringing as the cows walked along. 

I would highly recommend this place if you do go to Maun. If you have at least 2 or 3 people in your group you can arrange tours with them on the river and elsewhere. There is also a camping area available, pools to swim in, and good food. You can eat there for 40 to 80 Pula (~$5-$10 CAD) and they had burgers, pizza, pasta, steak, etc. My favourites were their zucchini fritters and potato fritters, very delicious and one of the cheaper items. I also discovered the local cranberry juice drink, "Liqui Fruit" brand, which I loved. I even had chocolate mouse and a milkshake at one point. The breakfasts were fairly standard for the area which includes the full cooked breakfast, bacon, usually tomatoes and/or mushrooms, beans, sausages, etc. and then yogurt, muesli, and muffins or cereal. The breakfast was included but the eggs were extra or you could order off the menu. There was such a good spread for the buffet I don't think it's even necessary to have anything else.

Again there were not many T.V. stations and at least 1 was all soccer. I highly recommend bringing your laptop and/or cell phone with you - everyone else did, except me. The Lodge, and most places, offered Wi-Fi services for a small fee. The reception staff let me use their computer a couple of times at no charge which was nice, but there is not much entertainment going on unless you get to go out on some excursions. Relaxing by the water, napping, and reading were my main activities, so if you want to completely get away than it's definitely a good place to do that.

More to come soon...

Home

I am now home, safe and sound. It was a crazy long flight, about 11 hours from Johannesburg to Amsterdam and then about the same from Amsterdam to Vancouver, maybe longer. I dozed a bit, ate, dozed, ate some more, watched Jane Eyre (another version I had not seen before), Crazy Stupid Love, Bridesmaids, Super 8, The Change-up, a Modern Family episode, listened to music, played Sudoku, read a magazine, chatted with my neighbour.  I was lucky enough to get an aisle seat on the first flight so I could stretch my legs a bit but sleeping was impossible. We left at around midnight but it was too uncomfortable to really get a sound sleep. KLM actually served dinner right away, which I refused politely. I just waited for breakfast, but the omelette or at least the sauce on the omelette was a bit unpleasant so I just ate the other items: fruit, yogurt, cheese & crackers, a bun with butter. The pasta for lunch on the next flight was pretty good, a green pasta (assuming spinach?) in a tomato sauce. We got pizza just before we landed which I couldn't finish. It wasn't horrible but not overly tasty either. I seemed to enjoy the food more on the flight to Africa, I think because I knew I was coming home this time and could eat normal food once again. The fruit, dessert, and snacks were really good, it's just the entrees that were hit or miss. I hardly moved from Amsterdam to Vancouver since I was in the middle so I highly recommend reserving an aisle seat and will make sure I do next time. I had a crazy 'charlie horse' in my shin last night and it hurt like hell, but it seems okay now. I think it helps if you also put all your belongings up in the storage compartment, instead of under the seat in front of you so you can stretch your legs out at least.

I will unpack and start posting photos soon. I am currently doing laundry and enjoying wearing p.j.'s and watching T.V. - it's quite nice to just relax and not have to go anywhere (airport, bus station, game drive, rounds, etc.). I am happy to be home!

Monkey baby

Today was my last full day at Moholoholo and I got the best treat ever. This is a baby vervet monkey, Neo, that the centre is taking care of until it can be transferred to a vervet monkey sanctuary near by. I got to monkey-sit for a about an hour or so and it was awesome. Admittedly it's not easy to watch a monkey but I did my best to be a comfortable climbing structure and made sure it didn't get trampled by Dela the rhino or jump into the wild dogs camp. I used a sling to keep him in what I called the 'taco' but it was much easier when he finally went for a nap. Tomorrow I head to Hoedspruit and then back home...

Suncatcher's Hot Air Balloon Safari - me on a hot air balloon!!!

Today at 4:10 a.m. a group of us Moholoholo students departed for a balloon ride with Suncatchers Hot Air Balloon Safaris. I have wanted to go hot air ballooning for most of my life so this was a dream come true. To do it in Africa just made it a bit more special. I tried to take pictures of the staff inflating the balloon but it was too dark. But it was exciting to watch, and luckily a pretty colourful balloon (not a REMAX balloon like I see back home, no offence to REMAX I just don't want my first balloon ride to be advertising). We got in, I got to ride in the middle with the pilot, and there were 2 people in each corner. We had the option of tea, coffee, or juice before the ride (I had tea). The balloon took off probably around 5:00 and we were in the air for maybe an hour or hour and a half. The pilot was struggling to find enough wind so we went up & down to the tree tops and back up again. The balloon did not cover much distance but we did have a nice view despite the cloud cover and saw a giraffe and wildebeest in a private game reserve. We also had the rare opportunity to go between the bottom & top cloud layers and see the mountain ridge in the distance and it was absolutely stunning. Apparently one of the younger pilots in training has been working there for a few years and still has not had the chance so we were quite lucky. We ended up landing in a grapefruit orchard and then had some juice, champagne, and dried mango and mixed nuts as a quick snack. The driver that picked us up drove us to the Otter's Den for breakfast, with the rest of the champagne in our glasses for the ride (we couldn't do that in Canada!). The Otter's Den was amazing. You have to walk over this suspension bridge to get there and we were greeted by Shadow the black lab. I couldn't have been any happier. The breakfast was delicious (the standard local fare of eggs, bacon, tomato, fried mushrooms, and toast) and we also got to meet a cat. I of course played with the cat as much as I could, she was a purrer and enjoyed playing just like my cat Hal. Shadow enjoyed fetching sticks, even if they went in the pool, so he got soaked and of course those of us who played with him did too. We drove back, listening to David Guetta, in time for our 9:30 meeting at the clinic. It already felt like a full day, but back to work.

The view of the mountain tops! AWESOME!

Blyde River Canyon

We did an hourish boat tour today at Blyde River Canyon. There was a storm last night and it was very windy until mid-morning and then it started to rain. It's still raining. Despite that the boat tour was really quite amazing. The mountain tops were covered in clouds and mist and it was quite cool but it's just absolutely gorgeous scenery, no matter the weather. Apparently it's the 3rd largest canyon in the world, the Grand Canyon being one of the larger ones, but it's quite lush. It is however their dry season, the rains only just starting to come, so the grass the animals need (Hippos in particular) is far away so they will go to nearby farms to feed until the grass grows back after more rain. There is a waterfall that we saw that goes over a cliff with impressions that look like a face - eyes, nose, and big mouth. There are also some caves and indentations from water lapping against the rocks when the river is at a higher level. It was only $130 Rand so completely worth it.

At Moholoholo

I am having a really good time here. Some of the animals have been hand reared so enjoy being pet or scratched including Mr. Chicken a Bataleur Eagle, Luma the Hyena, Delilah the Leopard, Della the Black Rhino, and Bullet the Cheetah. I have to say that it's pretty awesome being able to get close to these animals, though I did enjoy seeing them in the wild as well of course. The daily rounds here are done in groups though I have been on my own 1 1/2 of the 4 days here so far. It's been good though and I don't mind being on my own, though it's very tiring. Della-sitting duty is the best part of the day. There are 3 1 hour shifts in the afternoon and the students sit with her so she's not lonely. The rest of the day she's pretty much running around as she pleases in the main yard by our lodges.

There are also a lot of bugs, including preying mantis, around and so I have been leaving the lights off at night as much as possible. It's hard to sleep soundly when moths and beetles are flying into your nose and mouth. We walk up to Forrest Camp for breakfast after the morning rounds, lunch is at 12:30, and then dinner is at about 7:00. So far we've had Shepherd's pie, mac & cheese, stew, salad...and the breakfasts are huge. The best thing is that they seem to like avocado but the students don't so I have been eating quite a bit with breakfast. Forrest Camp also serves brewed coffee (not instant like I've had for the past few weeks) and that is such a wonderful indulgence. I walk really quickly to breakfast, quickly for me anyways. The way back to camp is a bit slower and includes a lot of huffing and puffing up the hill. Hopefully I'll get slightly more fit by the end of the 2 weeks.