TOUR 5: NAMIBIA, CAPRIVI, BOTSWANA & ZAMBIA

25 Sept to 28 Sept Travel to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

25 Sept  Lichtenburg Vakansie oord.

Our plan was to leave home by 10h00 but at 09h45 we departed for Lichtenburg.  After stopping off for some money the trip was uneventful and we arrived in the pretty little dorp of Lichtenburg just after 13h00 and headed straight to the Lichtenburg Resort. Not a bad resort with a hot water pool which we will be enjoying later on.

We needed some ice and yet another magazine and on our way out we saw a Camel. We watched him with his weird way of chewing and then also spotted a second Camel as you don't always see a Camel in the middle of no-where.  One of the little guests (about 7 years old) came past our tent and advised us that there was a big wind and big hail on the way.  We smiled and thanked him. We went for a swim in the so called heated pool which was cool.  We went up a lookout tower overlooking the game breeding farm next door.  We were able to see Rhino, Eland, Ostrich and what looked like Zebra (a bit too far to see).  On the lookout tower we met Marius Pretorius, his son Marno and a friend also looking at the game.  Marius came across to have a look at our homemade trailer and was proud to show us his handy work building his own trailer.  By the way he is the owner of an Engineering Works in Potch.    We sat chatting to him for a while about cricket and the politics of cricket as his son is a gifted player and stands little chance of progress due to politics.  Marius mentioned to us that Potch Boys had degenerated and was now almost totally black.  We were sad to hear that but in the same breath he mentioned that Mrs Meyer (the Headmistress) of Girls High seems to have better control of the admissions on the girls side.  We had supper afterwards and went to bed.

During the night we both woke up with the wind howling round the corners of the tent.  One of the tent guide poles came loose and we had a flap flapping throughout the night.  The wind had made it quite chilly so we cuddled extra special and remembered the little boy's advice to us. 

Morning could not come fast enough and we waited for the sun to rise. However, that did not happed because it was overcast. 

26 September Vryburg (Kameeldoring Lodge)

After a refreshing shower, breakfast and packing was done we greeted Marius and set off for Vryburg.  The wind was behind us which allowed us to travel comfortably and not use up too much diesel.  We hadn't travelled more that 10 km when we heard over the radio that there were big sand storms between Lichtenburg and Coligny.  We looked at each other with that knowing look that that was where we were heading.  Needless to say the sand storms were quite vicious but fortunately only lasted for about 100 km with only the wind to contend with. About 50 km from Vryburg we estimated that we should be in the camp by 13h00.  With 25 km to go disaster struck.  There was a sudden jar and the trailer veered off to the left.  Steph did a prayer while Reuben quickly steered  the vehicle off the road.  On inspection we found that the A-frame of the trailer has snapped on the one side and was badly bent on the other side but fortunately did not break off otherwise the trailer would have dug into the ground and all sorts of things could have happened.  Steph and I walked around the trailer a couple of time in total amazement at the Lord's protection over us. 

 The nerves settled and we could phone for assistance and within 20 minutes the tow-in services were there and the insurance company advised of the pending claim.  The trailer was on the flat bed trailer much sooner than we thought and we headed for Vryburg. Johan Meintjies was the guy who came to tow us and took us straight to Strubel Engineering where Nico (the owner) was extremely helpful and made a new A-frame from sturdier material.  We had to get an Auto Electrician out to rewire the trailer and we also had to report the accident to the police and only left the engineering works at 18h00.  If this was Jo'burg we would have been told to come back tomorrow as the work was not finished, yet these folk were willing to work until we were ready to leave. Tired but relieved that our trailer was once again in one piece we stopped off at Steers, bought some burgers and headed for Kameeldoring just outside Vryburg.  Steph was so hungry that she chomped her burger while we were going through Vryburg.  When we got to Kameeldoring, Reuben went in to book a camp site and came out and parked next to chalet No C1.  Steph was so surprised and kept saying to Reuben to continue along the little path but with a grin on his face he got out of the car and opened the chalet.  We are therefore able to have a comfortable warm night and a TV  to watch Namibia against Georgia.  What a luxury!

27 September Upington (Die Eiland)

When we woke up this morning the sky was still very grey with lots of water falling.  Due to the rain we did not have any electricity but could each have a warm shower even though the water flow was very poor.  We decided to set off for Kuruman to have breakfast.  As we walked into the Wimpy one of the little locals promised to look after our rig.  While we were having breakfast he kept coming to the window to assure us of his vigilance.  Needless to say when we appeared outside he was there to receive his reward.  We spent most of the day driving in heavy rain however, when we got to the signpost indicating Upington 100 km the rain and clouds were left behind and we drove into beautiful sunshine.  One of many Slabbert Burger transport trucks flicked up a stone and we had a delightful star shaped chip on our windscreen.  We got to Upington at around 13h30 and went straight to the Eiland Resort on the banks of the Orange River. 

 With trailer parked safe and sound at the Eiland we went into town as we were worried that the crack on the windscreen would run.  Steph did some shopping and walked back to Glasfit to witness the finishing touches of the repair. Our last purchase was a blanket for in case we need it tonight as the max temperature during the day was only 19 deg.  We are looking forward to another good night's rest before we set of for Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park in the morning, where we will be spending about 9 days.  The blanket we bought was too thin to keep out the cold so after packing up we headed to exchange it for much thicker one.  With the new blanket safely in the car we headed for Twee Rivieren.

28 Sept. Twee Rivieren Camp

Most of the road is tarred except for the last 50 km which was bad enough to shake your teeth loose.  They seem to be in the process of preparing to tar it and that should be done in 2009.  We started setting up camp next to the ablutions and a reed roofed carport only to discover that the site had no power.  Off we went to find a nice shady spot with power.  In hind sight it was a better site and in no time we were set up.  The afternoon drive turned out to be special as we firstly saw a Leopard and her cub on the ridge.  Plenty of Springbok, Gemsbok and Ostrich were seen.  On our way back to camp we saw a "Strandjut" (Brown Hyena).  At supper time Steph prepared us a special (found on the Internet) meal of Pork Chops with onion, potato and carrots with some sauce (Sweet Chilli and Sweet and Sour Sauce) wrapped in heavy foil and cooked between the coals.  Our new blanket allowed us to have a warm and restful sleep.  

29 Sept. Mata Mata Camp.

About 3 km outside Twee Rivieren we came across a pride of Lion. Two of the Lioness were lying on the sand dune no more than 10 metres from the road.  Pictures taken, tyres deflated, we were ready for the shake, rattle and roll.  We saw lots of Ostrich, Sprinbok and Gemsbok as well as a few Pale Chanting Goshawks as well as Gymnogenes.  On arrival at Mata Mata we found a nice shady tree overlooking the waterhole. The waterhole gave us sighting of al the locals.  On Sunday morning the 30th we took a drive to the first waterhole and sat and watched as the Gemsbok jostled and butted each other.  Back at the camp we caught up on the washing of our clothes as well the dishes that was left in the basin. We were able the see our first Namaqua Sand Grouse as well as a Sickle Winged Chat. We plan to have a braai tonight and set off for Nossob Camp in the morning.

1 Oct     Nossob Camp

When we reported to Reception to collect our permit we were told that we were booked in at Mata Mata for another night but we decided to head for Nossob as we were packed and ready to go.  The road between Mata Mata and Nossob was particularly shaky however, we survived and got to Nossob in one peace.

Note to Ena : You can thank your stars that you did not do this trip with us because the smoke breaks would have been far and few between, and your bum would have been finished by now.

  We saw a lot of Pale Chanting Goshawk and the usual animals.  On arrival at Reception they had already adjusted our bookings so our explaining was in vain.  We found a beautiful shady thorn tree near the ablutions and camp was set up in no time.  A little bit of lunch and we went horizontal for a while.  When we got up we noticed some dark clouds on the western horizon but decided to go for a short drive to "Marie se Gat".  Thinking that the rainy season for  this part of the world was much, later we set off.  The further we drove from the camp the more we saw the clouds build up over the camp area. When we turned around to head back to the camp we realised that the clouds meant business.  There was a lot of lightning and we saw 'smoke' on the horizon and thought it was a veld fire started by the lightning. HOWEVER, as we got closer we realised we were driving into a huge sandstorm.  What a storm!!!! followed shortly by a lovely thunder storm in the Kalahari.  Our car got a free instant wash which it needed badly.  We stopped to enjoy the rain which did not last too long and we saw the most beautiful rainbow.  As the rain cleared we saw a male Lion stand up out of the shrubs not more than 50 mt away from us.  With the windows open we were able to smell the cleanness and saw puddles of water all over the show.  A second male and female duly appeared on the scene and we watched them enjoy the atmosphere after the storm.  Back at camp we saw and heard of the havoc the storm caused in the camp.  We had pegs, basins and plastic bags all over the show.  However, that was the extent of our damage.  We enjoyed watching the reaction of the campers as they arrived to see the damage. Supper was again a treat from the Internet with chicken, veggies wrapped in tinfoil and prepared over the coals, yummy. It was not long and we were curled up in bed only to be woken by a Black Backed Jackal next to our trailer calling to his buddy.

Our early morning drive on the 2nd had us trying to identify a Brown Bird (Falcon) only to realise after a long discussion that it was a juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk.  Juveniles always seem to give one a hard time to peg them, even in the human race. We are up to date with our website and Reuben even had a Kgalagadi haircut. We must do some washing of clothes and then we will be totally up to date.

The morning drive on the 3rd was successful as we were able to see a wild cat close by and a Bat Eared Fox as well as a Cape Jackal.  On our way back to camp we were fortunate to see a Cape Cobra on the side of the road which remained motionless long enough for us to photograph it. What a lovely golden colour however, it gave Steph the creeps.  A little bit of forty winks and we were off on our afternoon drive.  We went to Rooikop's Water Hole where we saw a Lioness resting in the shade.  We set off for "Marie se Gat" where we saw a Lion and Lioness.  We again came a across a Cape Cobra which disappeared down a hole and later on we saw what looked like a Grass Snake after which we headed home to yet another quiet evening.  

 During supper we discussed the possibility of heading back to Twee Rivieren for our last 3 nights in the Kgalagadi.  

A quiet day was spent around the camp except for catching up with washing and a bit of reading. We checked with Reception that they were able to accommodate us at Twee Rivieren from the 5th and we slowly started packing things away.  On our late afternoon drive we saw Lion in the same spot we had seen them the day before.  Plenty of birds and peace and quiet.

Departing on the 5th we headed for Twee Rivieren.  While travelling Reuben noticed that the rooftop tent cover was not secure and had to be retightened in the middle of nowhere.  Steph said no ways, and we decided to travel the 25 km to the first picnic spot, and Reuben was to keep a close watch on the tent.  However, it got worse, and we had a Land Rover convoy pass us hooting and pointing at our tent.  Soon after that we saw that the Land Rovers stopped and offered us a tie down rope but we explained to them that we would travel to the picnic spot and retighten.  We should have actually made use of the opportunity of the help right there as they could have protected us against Lion and all sorts of things.  About 5 km from the picnic spot we realised that the retightening had to be done or we would lose the cover.  No protection with brave faces Steph and I got out of the Pajero and did the tie down, not without being very alert, in record time.  Breakfast was had at the picnic spot and we continued all the way to Twee Rivieren without any further incidents.  Lots of bird life on the way and we were able to find a nice shady tree at the camp as there was only one other couple in camp.  We had to do some shopping at the park shop and then went for a late afternoon drive.  Nothing spectacular was observed, yet we heard that some folk had seen the Leopard at the spot where we were looking for her, shortly after we had left.  Met a couple from Vredenburg who had been travelling for the last 6 years and told us that we were in for a lovely trip.  They gave us some tips on 1 or 2 sites to visit in Botswana, and where not to camp.  We are so looking forward to it that we have decided to leave Twee Rivieren one day earlier.

On the morning of the 6th we had a sleep in only to wake up to an almost empty camp, Reuben met a guy in the bathroom who is from New Zealand, and comes back every two years.  We discussed "rugby" and agreed that a New Zealand / South African final would be great.  He even said that he would be happy should the Boks win (I am not so sure that this was true). A long afternoon drive with lots to drink as the temperature was 33 deg was planned.  We saw a Pale Chanting Gowhawk catch a rat and eat it next to the road and then fly off to catch a snake not 200 mt. away, which was ripped to pieces. 

Shortly after than we saw more Lion but still no Leopard.  When we got to camp we met up with folk that we had seen on our first night here and again at Mata Mata.  They told us of the plague of worms and scorpions that they had at Mata Mata after we left for Nossob.  We bid them farewell and returned to our site to prepare supper and start the big pack up for our exit to Upington tomorrow.  We hope to get there in time to get to a Big Screen and see the Boks play Fiji.

7 Oct.    We left Twee Rivieren just after 8 and had a good journey to Upington where we booked in and made camp at Die Eiland caravan park. At 13.30 we set off for the Spur in town to watch the GAME. Our nerves were finished early in the second half when Fiji were 20 all with THE BOKS. A few stern words were sent over the waves and they woke up. We could see another upset for the week end. We thought about the Kiwi in the bath room who hoped for a Kiwi/Bok final and wondered what he was saying after their upset result. There is a chilly wind blowing and the temp is only 18 so we are expecting a cold night.

8 Oct We got up to a very cold start (5 deg).  After breakfast we set off for town to do some shopping and send a fax to the insurance company for the claim for trailer repairs at Vryburg. We then set off for the Namibian border. No cell phone cover so we will operate on SMS but will have e-mail so we will keep the site updated twice a week.  So enjoy the reading.  It has been a unpleasantly cold day and the closer we got to Karasburg the colder it got (8 deg max).  We were looking for a place to stay over but could not find anything suitable and were advised to head for Grunau.  Due to the cold we decided to take a little chalet for the night instead of braving the tent which could have been disastrous.  We hope that the weather is going to warm up as renting chalets could become expensive.  We will be heading for Keetmanshoop in the morning where we plan to stay at the Kokerboomwoud and see the Cheetahs being fed.

9 Oct  We had a good sleep and woke up with the wind still blowing heavily and very cold.  After coffee and rusks we set of for Keetmanshoop, 260 km away.  The temperature was 5 deg all the way and the landscape rather boring.  The one stretch of the road was so straight and we measure it to be 13 km.  When we got to Keetmans we had to first go into town to buy Steph a tracksuit as the weather was not warming up. On Reuben's advice only brought summer clothes except for 2 warm jackets.  All she could find was tracksuit pants (2 sizes too big) but took it out of desperation.  We camped at the Quiver Tree Forest Camp Site and had a rude awakening when we had to pay R230.00 for the night.  This included a drive to the Giant's Playground which was a bolder strewn mess.  One had to have a good imagination to visualise the Giant's Playground as we could not make out any toy formation or even children playing marbles.  While we were walking through the boulders a snake sailed between Reuben and Steph.  This needless to say put the cap on it.  Where we camped was next to the Quiver Tree Forest however,  we still had to pay an admission fee.  You must see the owner farmer's equipment to realise that he had a goldmine.  On our way back from the Giant's Playground we bought a bag of wood from him and paid R25.00 a bag.  The only part of the stay that was fun and exciting was when he fed his four semi-tamed Cheetah some raw meet and while they were eating we were able to stroke them.  We also saw his tame Warthog named Bill Clinton and we saw Surrogate (a type of  Meercat) and they allowed us close enough to get some lovely pictures of them. 

Back at camp was again time for Steph to prepare one of her special tinfoil suppers.  Bellies full we decided that it was warmer in bed than outside and we were in bed by 20h00.   The lady at reception asked us where we were off to and Reuben told her Aus and Luderitz and she told us that it was even colder there so we decided to amend our travel plans and rather head north as this cold is not fun. 

10 Oct  The morning was not too bad so after a hot shower and breakfast we set off for Mariental.  The weather was a lot warmer and we found a very nice campsite with our own private bathroom and kitchen and lovely grass lawn.  The only problem is it cost us R140.00 for the night.  These Namibians certainly know how to charge.  We took a drive to Hardap Dam which was quite nice to see and all the greenery around it.

Tried to book accommodation at Sesriem but were only able to get place on Friday night.  Tomorrow we need to go and find a place to stay close to Sesriem.  We will update again once we reach Walvisbaai as we will have no reception after today.  

We asked one of the locals where was the best place to camp and advised us to go to Hammerstein about 50 km from Sesriem.  We asked for a camp site for the night and were told there were no power or ablutions for campers however, they have set aside Chalet No 39 as our ablutions. As we were the first campers we took the liberty of parking right in front of the chalet and connected our power to the plug in the chalet.  We were also told that we were not allowed to use the beds as we only paid for camping.  Mid-afternoon our next door neighbours questioned our logic of sleeping in a tent outside the chalet door.  Went for a walk and met up with their tame Zebra who was reported to be the most dangerous animal at Hammerstein because it bit. There were Cheetah and Caracal in the camp next door to us and we were able to watch them patrolling.  We find that by treating the Zebra kindly we were able to touch him quite freely. 

12 Oct  After breakfast we set off for Sesriem where a campsite cost us R200 per night without electricity and R130 for entrance to Sossusvlei.  Just as well we only had one night.  The guy at reception was kind enough to put us into camp site no 9 next to the ablutions where he advised that there was one single plug and that we could use it seeing that we were the first to arrive in the camp. On our afternoon drive we went to the Sesriem Canyon and walked a section of it.  It was very hot (37 deg).  Thereafter we set off for Dune 45 and then for Sossusvlei.  On the way we saw how someone got stuck in the soft sand and fortunately there was someone there to help them out.  We got to Sossusvlei and Reuben climbed up one of dunes after which we headed back. With the light just right we were able to take nice pictures of the dunes with the shadows for effect. 

13 Oct  We had a lovely breakfast and set off on the dusty road towards Walvisbay.  A couple of kilometres from Walvis we saw clouds building up and there was a sudden drop in temperature (from 37 deg to 17 deg).  We needed to do shopping and found the local Pick 'n Pay after which we drove through town, passed the harbour and Pelican Point (with no Pelicans as the wind was pumping).  Having taken photos we decided to rather head for Swakopmund as it was only 33km further.  We drove into the Alte Bruecke camp site which has private bathroom for each site and very close to the sea.  However, the wind was still blowing and it was still very cold.  We paid for 2 nights.  While we were driving to Swakop we listened to the first half of the Sharks / Lions game and of course Reuben was not very happy about the outcome of the match.  The Sharks lost!!! During the setting up of camp we listened to the Bulls / Cheetahs game which the Cheetahs won.  Our next door neighbours are from Klerksdorp and we stood chatting to them about the weather conditions and our trip to the Etosha and the Caprivi.

14 Oct Steph treated us to Bacon & Eggs with fried banana and the toot before setting off for Henties Bay.  Henties is a very pretty fishers village with plenty of holiday homes that were closed.  We saw their fancy golf course that is in the river bed.  On our way back home we drove along the beach for a while and after getting bored headed for the main road back to Swakop.  The wind was still pumping.  We are planning to go and find the Spur and see if we can see the Boks play Argentina as we heard that England are through to the final. Our neighbours were going to Rafters as he wanted the noise and atmosphere, where as we wanted something to eat as well.  The food was good, the people friendly and what a game!  We had to say something about the third ref who awarded a try for what looked like a definite knock-on.  It does not matter as we are through to the finals. 

15 Oct Our regular morning ritual was completed in record time.   We even had time to hose down the car and trailer to get rid of the salt. We were now off to Gross Barmen close to Okahanja.  At reception we were met by the usual friendly faces and after paying our dues we asked whether they could help us to book for Etosha.  We got a booking for 20, 21 and 22nd not in the exact camps that we wanted so will make do.  We went for an afternoon swim as the temperature was double that of Swakopmund.  Had a nice braai and off to bed.

16 Oct  Washing day again and the rest of the day was spent relaxing.  We spotted an African Cuckoo, he was being harassed by the Fork Tailed Drongo.  The female Cuckoo will go to the Drongo's nest while the female Drongo is out and will kick one of the Drongo's eggs out of the nest and lay her own egg in it's place.  The unsuspecting Drongo will rear the two chicks which de certainly not look alike.  No wonder Drongos don't like Cuckoos.  Met some Germans who flew in from Frankfurt this morning, picked up their hired bakkies and are heading up North in the morning.  They are doing a very similar trip to us. Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe, Vic Falls on the Zambian Side. However, they then head back to Windhoek and then to Germany.  There are a lot of German travellers who enjoy coming to Namibia.

17 Oct Set off for Windhoek to replenish our stocks before moving on to Daan Viljoen Game Park  if you can call it a game park.  We must mention that the Namibian towns are extremely clean and neat and the people very friendly and helpful with the odd exception.

18 Oct After packing up we drove the 20 kms to Windhoek to stop on the side of the road where we will have a good signal that will enable to send our journal to Johann who so kindly will update it on to the website as it is cheaper if done from the RSA.  We will do one more update when we get to Rundu in five days time.  That however, will be the last as we do not have connectivity in Botswana at all. We were happy to leave Daan Viljoen as there is not an awful lot to do or see.  We called in at Windhoek to get e-mail connectivity and send off our update.  We had a small repair to do to the trailer jockey wheel and called in at Diesel Electric where the workshop foreman kindly did the repair at no charge.  The long trek of about 300 kms to Waterberg Plateau, where we will spend 2 days, went without a hitch.  Reception was chaos as the (computer) was down because of the receptionist who was just back from leave and  locked herself out of the computer and had to phone Head Office to enable her password again, this seems to be a bit of a problem as she will have to do some explaining.  "Come pay later" which we did and even then it was still chaos.  It was so nice to see a green campsite with lush grass and ablutions that were for the first time up to the standards of our (RSA) national parks.

After setting up camp we realised that there was a Yellow Tailed Woodpecker's nest in the tree next to where our tent was. It was so special to hear the two little ones calling for food and being fed by the mommy.

Steph has been homesick for a couple of days now and is begging Reuben to send her home from Windhoek before continuing into Botswana and Zambia.  He seems to be deaf so we will have his hearing tested when we get back home.

We bought some ice cream and went for a short walk.  Back at camp we were fortunate enough to see a Ruppels Parrot in the tree above our tent and later on we were visited by 3 Blue Duikers who were obviously after the grass.  After supper we were visited by Mr Scrub Hare.

19 Oct We were woken by the sun streaming into our tent and the little birds calling for food.

Reuben is now looking for excuses to stay out of the Etosha one day longer so that he can watch the Boks versus England in the final.  He is using the long trek into Etosha as an excuse.  So we will most probably be in Etosha for 2 instead of 3 nights. 

Reuben went for a walk along the trails to the base of the mountain and back to camp.  It was nice as it was a bit of exercise. We also visited the German War Graves of the war in 1904.  The rest of the day was spent lazing around as it was so hot that there was very little else we could do.  Reuben has finally decided to go into Etosha and try his luck to watch the final.

20 Oct The journey was uneventful and we booked in to Okaukeujo, after Reuben enquired about a TV so that we can watch the rugby we were told that we do not stand a chance as it was only staff members who would have the facility, we arrived at our camp site only to  find one of the trucking brigade (these are tourists mostly from Germany who travel in a modified truck with no aircon and pitching about 10 tents at the site where they stop for the night; we soon realised that these were not nice people and eventually became very anti-truckers) was still camping on the site. Reuben went to the office to complain however, one of the locals went and warned him and he came with a very arrogant attitude to take his stuff away after suggesting we put our camp up and he will move his stuff later. After the camp was nicely set up we headed for the swimming pool as is was about 42 deg by then.  The late afternoon drive was very pleasant and we saw Lion, Giraffe, Springbok, Rooi Hartebees as well as Black Backed Jackal.

An Afrikaans couple greeted us at camp and whilst we stood talking to them he mentioned that a lady about 500 metres away would allow us to watch the game from her little chalet. After supper we took some drinks and chairs to go and watch rugby and upon arrival we were told that she could not pick up the signal but she made arrangements with Jafta, she explained where Jafta lived and off we went to find Jafta.  When we got to Jafta we were told he could not get the rugby on his TV either and he will go and ask one of his neighbours whether we could watch the rugby with him.  Finally, we walked into Jafta's neighbour's house with the game 2 min into the first half.  Other spectators pour in as well and eventually the little lounge was packed and we would guess that the supporters were 50/50 with a lot of Germans as well as Brits but try and imagine the atmosphere.  Fifty percent of the supporters got very excited when they thought that one of the Rose's scored a try but it became quieter and quieter right up to the end.  We were at least had the privilege to see the BOKS became the CHAMPS of 2007 World Cup.  A hat was passed around for a donation for the host and made quite a couple of Namibian Dollars.  Hyped up we tried to sleep but the Truckers kept us awake.  

21 Oct We woke up to yet a very hot day.  Reuben went for an early morning drive and saw plenty of Lion covered in blood from the feast of kill that they must have enjoyed during the night. 

We spent the rest of the day at the pool where we met a young lady by the name of Tanya who told us about her and her husbands work.  He has his own logistics company and often work with the BBC on documentaries of wild animals and most of the filming was done in Etosha.  This time they were filming Ostriches, their habits and especially the hatching of their eggs.  She was the Chef although she is a qualified Physio Therapist.  She was often separated from her husband for 8 months of the year when she had her own practice.  She learned a lot about cooking for vegetarians and their relationship improved drastically when se started working with Paul.

The late afternoon drive was pleasant as we saw Lion once again but also Rhino, and Elephant. We spent some time at one of the waterholes and saw Paul's vehicle filming Ostriches. We saw two crows pecking a Ludwig Bustard's tail feathers out and about 10 other crows encircled him.  We waited as long we could to see how it all ends but it was time to go back to camp as we had to be in the camp by 18h50 and it was now 18h35.  We saw more Lion and Elephant as we were racing for the gate.  Back at camp we saw that we had a missed call and a message that we could not retrieve.

22 Oct After breakfast we packed up and headed towards Halali where we were going the spend our last night in Etosha.  Steph was still trying to find who the missed call was from and we eventually worked out that the message was from Steph's niece.   We sent an sms to her asking what's up.  We received a message from Steph's nephew advising us about the sudden death of her brother on the 21st.  We immediately headed back to the nearest gate to try and get home as soon as possible as we did not have any accurate details about the Memorial Service and at one stage we heard that it was going to be on the 23rd.  We were 1900 kms away from home at that stage and told the GPS to take us home.  We travelled 323 km on a dirt road and must add that the dirt roads in Namibia is better than some of our national roads but as the sun was setting we realised that it was dangerous travelling at night as there were a lot of game next to the road. We drove the whole day,  we were told that the Service was only on Friday 26th.  We had supper in Gobabis at about 21h30 that evening and stayed over at Die Dam. 

23 Oct We were up and on the go by 05h30 and back on the road by 07h00.  We went through the Buitepos Border and just on the other side Reuben got a 120 Pula speeding fine.  (There is also a story behind the fine; it was deliberately planned as the speed was 120 km just after the border and suddenly down to 80 and there they were waiting for us). GPS told us that we would be home by about 21h00 but that was without fuel stops, border control or anything to eat.  We stopped in Zeerust for a Nando's and Reuben had a look at where he used to be in boarding school, there was little left of it but he was able to refresh his memories.  We went through the Lobatse Border Post at about 17h40 and still had a while to go.  We got home at 22h03.

We will continue with our tour of Botswana in 2008.

We are now looking forward to our Christmas Holiday in the Strand, Cape Town which will start on 9th December 2007 until 8th January 2008.