September 11
The water was still not fixed so we got ready for our pickup for the morning mokoro & game drive. KB yelled from down the path from our tent for us to stay in the tent. He couldn’t get to our door to get us as Big Kwara was back. (I think it’s his tent and he sleeps in it when people aren’t there…lol) This time KB wasn’t successful at chasing him away. Big Kwara wasn’t being aggressive like on our arrival day, but he didn’t want us to walk down the steps. KB had us come out onto the side deck and we climbed under the rail on the deck and jumped down to the ground and walked behind the tent to the trail to get to the main trail to camp. Big Kwara was now walking down the path in front of us...slowly. We were late to breakfast, but each vehicle goes when it’s ready.
On the drive to the mokoro we saw quite a few animals and birds. The baboons were also running around like crazy. KB got a call that 2 male lions had made a zebra kill the night before and we should all go there first before the mokoro. (plus, time was needed for the mokoros to be ready)
To get to the lions we needed to cross some fairly deep water that creeped into the jeep around our feet. We watched the lions for quite a while and then left to go back through the water to get to the mokoro site.
Each guide or tracker took out 2 people per mokoro. Our guy seemed new at it as ours was wobbling more than the others. The water isn’t deep and they use long poles much like the gondolas in Venice. He eventually got into the rhythm of it. He kept reassuring us but I think he was reassuring himself. It was peaceful and lovely scenery on the ride. When we first got there the water was filled with Red Lechwe but suddenly something seemed to spook them and they went to the other side and only 1 remained. The traditional mokoro were made of wood, but for the sake of conservation of the trees, they are now made of fiberglass, but they do look quite realistic.
After the mokoro we went back to check out the lions. We then continued with the game drive to see zebra, giraffe & wildebeest. We stopped for the morning snack break near a hippo pool and some zebras and wildebeest. KB was telling us how great it was working for the Kwando safari company, which is citizen owned. He said they had great retirement and health benefits. He asked us a lot of questions about those types of things in the States. He said Botswana was trying to copy the States in a lot of the things that benefit the employee.
Back at camp, we caught up with Tom & Cathy, and we were told that the other side of the camp had water and we had to move tents on that side. So, after lunch we spent our break time packing up and moving to the other side of the camp. We left the duffels and we brought the backpacks. Instead of taking us to the tent first, they went to get the duffels, and we waited at the main camp until they came back. (we could have been starting to unpack a few things) The tent pretty much was identical to the old one. (minus Big Kwara) However, when we turned on the faucets, we had brown water for a few minutes and then it stopped. Looks like another day without a shower. It sounded like the tents closest to the main camp got showers and we were the furthest away. Cathy said Tom got half a shower. (stopped with shampoo in his hair) Greg did see an Olive Grass snake on one of his trips to the main camp for cold drinks.
By that time, it was pretty much time for the afternoon tea and a map of the area presentation with KB. (maybe that was yesterday at teatime) It didn’t help that the staff just kept asking how everything was. Other than having no water everything was great. I was also dealing with three bites on my neck from a day or two ago. I felt something like a quick pain 3 times from something that seemed to be trapped under my gaiter. (buff) They swelled and turned red and itched quite a bit. This photo is from a couple of days later.
We went on the afternoon game drive and stopped back at the lions since Tom & Cathy didn’t get to see them this morning. KB said that none of the other guides reported seeing anything special, so it made sense to go back and spend some time with them. The only thing we hadn’t seen was Wild Dogs and no one had seen them in weeks. So, sorry just more lion photos. It was too brothers and the flies were relentless and driving them crazy. I have video of them fending them off and one where one gets up and walks straight at my door. (Like he did this morning only this time I had the presence of mind to shoot a video) The lion eventually had walked close to everyone in the jeep. They are so used to seeing them that they are just part of their landscape. (like a tree) KB said as long as you don't stand up or get out of the vehicle you are safe. (plus, they had just feasted on a zebra...lol)
After the sundowner on the drive back over the bridge returning to camp a hippo swam under us. Of course, KB just yelled “hippo”, and we didn’t know where to look. Was it on land, was it in the water, or was it far or close? We finally saw it but of course getting a photo was impossible.
At dinner, two people were celebrating birthdays, and they brought out a huge cake and sang. (video online) A cute Porcupine was spotted close to the dining table.
Since pressure kept blowing out the pipes, they had what they hoped would be a temporary fix for everyone to get a shower. We were all to turn the water on at the same time and we could shower. We all agreed to do that at 10:00 and the water would stay on for 20 minutes.
Back in the tent we stood there waiting to turn on the water. 10:00 came and went and no water. I told Greg that I could picture everyone all at the same time standing naked waiting for the water to start. No one came to update us, so we went to bed. At 11:30 we could hear a voice saying, “knock-knock”. The manager came to give us a hot water bottle. Not the thermos of hot water, but the kind used on the morning game drives to keep you warm. I asked, “what do we do with this?” and he said, “maybe to wash your face in the morning”. We already had the thermos of hot water as we grabbed one just in case after dinner and used that to take a sponge bath. Earlier, they told us they’d bring a large container of water to flush toilets. They hadn’t left one and I asked if they could bring it and just leave it outside our door.
The staff left a gift of beaded hippos on the bed. (at Labala we got beaded elephants) We had already told the guide we would skip the morning game drive as we had a 9:00 flight to San Camp and we had hoped to get a shower in the morning. Greg said we paid to “glamp” not camp. That pretty much summed it up.
Tomorrow, after breakfast we will go
to the airstrip for the flight to San Camp in the salt pans of the Kalahari
Desert.
Online photos and videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qBcmDa2KkWRKnzS16
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