"This is Africa"

What a day!

Leaving Maun was the best thing we could've done. Things just got better and better.

After negotiating river crossings, sandy rutted 'roads', and a few unmarked detours, we made it to Savuti Camp just as the sun was gently setting. We even timed it so well we drove the last 50 kms or so during the best time of the day to see game.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see as many animals as we did.

Minutes after hitting the sand/gravel road, the scenery changed from bushy, thorny, shrubby grassland to dense trees and marshy swamps.

Foxy was amazing on these roads and it was like second nature to her. And despite my "Don't be a hero" warnings to Matt, he was an excellent driver, negotiating the tough terrain magnificently.

All of a sudden I spot two huge elephants drinking at the watering hole we just whizzed past.

"STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Lucky Foxy's not a quiet car whatsoever and my sudden outburst wasn't as loud as it could've seemed. I made Matt do a U-turn and we sat quietly beside the watering hole watching the elephants drink and then wade in the water. I was mesmerized.

Little did i know we would be spotting elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, guinea fowl, and dozens of species of birds all throughout the day. This was just the beginning.

The highlight for both of us was when off in the distance, we saw a creature stroll casually across the sandy road. As we approached we saw that it was a cheetah, and he was now sitting in the bushes just a few car lengths away! We paused to take a few pictures, careful not to make any sudden movements. Feeling incredibly fortunate to have spotted him, we drove away slowly. Wow. Unbelievable.

The other exciting, but slightly annoying, event was about 15 kms from our destination, when we had to stop for about 30 minutes and wait for an elephant to get off the road. He was eating the grass from both sides without a care in the world, and when we tried to approach him to inch past, he turned towards us and flared his ears and trunk at us. We bid a hasty retreat to gave him some space, and waited (somewhat) patiently.

We arrived at Savuti Campsite and after assessing Foxy and all that was inside, the only thing that didn't survive our bumpy trek was a few yogurt containers which had busted en route and leaked all over the inside of the fridge. No big deal.

While cleaning up the spilled yogurt, two long-legged, elegant creatures (not sure, it could've been kudu or something else, haven't mastered recognizing our antelope yet) sprinted past us, just metres away. It seemed they were running away from some potential danger. Incredible!

After cleaning up and a quick shower in the dark (no electricity in the ablutions, although there was a massive solar panel), we gathered some firewood nearby and got busy building our campfire and cooking our standard curry meal.

Camping tonight was the true essence of "bush camping". With no electricity, no garbage cans (all visitors must burn their rubbish) and open plains and nearby forests, we heard a symphony of animal sounds all night. Fantastic. This beats any loud bass-thumping music like a couple of nights ago.

We left all our windows open on the tent (except for the mesh of course) just in case we could spot some game. However, one must be AWAKE in order to see any animals. That was our only downfall.

Stars, full moon, campfire, laughing hyenas (?) in the distance.... Matt summed it up in three words: "This is Africa."

On a closing note, I have now proudly joined the official "Beer Guzzling" club. I cannot even describe how my throat was just simply parched when we pulled into Savuti Campsite. We both pulled out a Windhoek beer from the fridge (i don't know what we would have done without it) and without thinking, I chugged mine back in mere seconds. For those who aren't aware, I'm not usually a beer drinker and certainly not a guzzler. But this was an exception. Of course, this was followed by our synchronized chorus of burps and satisfied sighs.

Start: Maun, BOT. 11:51
End: Savuti, BOT. 18:15
Distance Traveled: 206 km
Road Conditions: sandy, sometimes deep, sometimes not. A bit like being in a boat, rocking side to side while staying in the grooves.
Temperature: HOT day, perhaps a little self-induced with all the worrying and butt clenching due to the road conditions (see above)