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I must be getting used to this wilderness lark..... Ike tells me that there were jackals and hyenas wandering around our camp and howling last night but I didn't hear them...just slept blissfully through it all. He also thinks that the lions were within 100 metres of our tents so I'm rather pleased I didn't hear them. In the light of day we see that this is a lovely camp site in a big clearing under large shady acacia trees. There are other campers in the vicinity, but they are at least 100 metres away. We set out on safari early and almost immediately come upon a large lion sleeping contentedly under a tree. We can see he has had a good meal, his stomach is distended. We watch him for a while and then move on. The scenery here is quite different from Namibia, it is greener and more gentle and because we are right beside the river Khwai the bird life is prolific and varied. We spot a number of vultures hanging around in the top of the trees. Ike says they would have fed on the remains of the lion's kill. A honey badger sprints across the road in front of our truck. They are very small but very violent. Men are particularly scared of them because they have a habit of attacking a man's manhood. Ronney, our guide in Namibia was terrified of them, having been chased by one once. We come to a waterhole where a large troop of baboons is grooming and courting. The baboon is another on the list of the Ugly 5 of Africa and I think they deserve that spot however they do entertain us for quite some time with their antics. Next a herd of 25 elephants of all ages arrives at the water hole with a tiny adorable baby. Still not sure how to use it's trunk it slaps and slurps at the water. It gets into the water hole but can't get out slipping and sliding in the mud until the older females nudge it gently and ease it out. Three large males get into a competitive tussle, challenging and threatening each other. Eventually two realise this is a fight they won't win and wander off leaving the most dominant male with the herd, and very proud of himself too. This is an amazing thing to see from such a close vantage point.
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Back at camp late in the morning I enjoy a chat with Mfana. He tells me that his grandmother taught him to cook, something he enjoyed very much, so he took a chef's course. His ambition is to become a senior safari guide which should enable him to save enough to become a farmer, a common ambition in Africa. He is 29, has a girlfriend and two children but needs to save for a bride price before they can marry. He told me it was normal to have children before you marry in Botswana, and, I suspect, in all of Africa, because every man wants to be sure his future wife can bear children. While we are chatting the tempting smell of his fresh baked bread rolls wafts through the camp from the cast iron pot in the fire. After lunch we watch fascinated as Mfana repairs a plastic Jerry can which has sprung a leak. He gets a used plastic water bottle and melts it on the end of a stick in the fire. He plugs the hole with a small twig and then seals the stick into the hole with the melted plastic. The ingenuity of repairing things and wasting nothing in Africa both amazes and inspires us. While Mfana is repairing the can Ike has gone to the river to get water so we can wash some clothes. We get about an ice cream container of water each but it's better than nothing. The owner of Lewis Safari Company, the company we are travelling with, arrives with food supplies and makes some repairs to the trailer. He also brings a couple of bottles of Amarula for us to share to thank us for our patience during our long wait in the game reserve yesterday.
We are as excited as children at a birthday party when Ike tells us he is going to get water and rig up a shower for us. It will be our first shower in three days and we will be allowed only 50 seconds each under the big canvas bucket suspended from a tree and surrounded by canvas screens. Raewyn hits on the idea of drawing cards to see who goes first. This is done with a lot of laughter and good humour. I suggest we line up naked to save time but nobody else thinks that's a good idea. I tip some of my drinking water on my head and lather up before going under the shower to make the most of my shower time. It is only 50 seconds but it is bliss! We all feel like new people and relax for a while before going on safari again. Ike bushwhacks the Land Rover through the trees and it is pretty scary as branches come in the sides from all directions. We cruise around for a while stopping to watch a blood red sun sink below the horizon.
Ike is a complex character. he doesn't keep us informed of what our programme will be and has a superior air about him but his knowledge of the animals and his stories are wonderful and I have learnt so much from him.
As darkness falls he removes the windscreen from the truck and we cruise around for an hour or so searching the bush with a spotlight looking for animals. We have limited success seeing only some elephants so eventually stop by a large pond where we sit in complete darkness listening to the sounds of the bush...frogs, insects, crickets. I love this, It is so peaceful and calming. We sit there for so long some of our group think Ike has gone to sleep but I don't mind, I am enjoying it. On our way back to camp we pass a large hippo on the pond bank calmly munching weeds. Mfana has prepared us a welcome meal of rice, chicken, honeyed carrots and custard apple pie. After dinner we sit around the camp fire chatting until Ike tells us all to be quiet because we could be disturbing the other campers near by and suggests we go to bed. We are a bit upset by this because the nearest campers are a long way away and it is only 9pm!
Feeling chastened we trundle off to bed at 9.30 and Hils and I chat for a while, gossip more like, and laugh a lot, feeling like naughty children sent to bed. We note that Ike and Mfana proceed to have a loud and long conversation around the camp fire for an hour or two. We think Ike just wanted a break from us.
Photos: (1) Jackal, they are regular camp visitors, (2) Mfana baking bread, (3) Toilet tent to the left, shower tent to the right. Note the shower bucket in the tree (photo Raewyn Empson), (4) Wildebeest, or Gnu,
(5) Dusk at the water hole, (6) Elephants in the twilight
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