'The Old Bridge' backpackers at Maun was a top spot to use as a base. Popular as a stopover for many overland adventurers, we had the chance to swap stories with loads of like minded wanderers, with fantastic stories and lots of tips. We left there with new friends and even more inspiration. Makgadikgadi Pans was our next destination. The Boteti river marks the western boundary of this National Park, but early in the dry season and it was almost empty already. This meant animals were congregating at the puddles of remaining water. Rather than driving around the place, we parked ourselves beside a muddy pool, pointed the camera lens in that direction and watched as mother nature put on a show. It began with a huge herd of zebra, picking their way northwards along the river bed, grazing, playing or stopping to use a dead tree as a scratching post. They were followed along by a few smaller herds of blue wildebeest and the occasional impala doing much the same. On the bank opposite a massive croc waited all day in the sun and didn't move a muscle. Some storks and cranes kept a wary distance from him and flocks of tiny finches wheeled about. But the best entertainment was in the water.
A pod of hippos wallowed below. Initially we got only glimpses of the usual nostrils and eyebrows, but as the day wore on they became used to the Landy up on the bank. Eventually they began to relax and go about their hippo business as if we weren't there. For the first time we had a chance to see hippos play, fight, eat and sun-bake without a care in the world. It was surprising how much they interacted with one another. Pushing, chasing and fighting; jaws wide open and playing like puppies! Some even waddled about on land; until one gurgled warnings and they all galloped back to the safety of the puddle. Late afternoon we dragged ourselves away. We had a few hours drive through the park to get to our campsite. Traveling further from the river, scenery changed from bush to low shrubbery and eventually to wide open plains. Korhaan's squawked their frustrations at being disturbed. We saw the odd gemsbok and ostrich out there, as well as steenbok and a pair of jackals, before we climbed a rise, parked up and unpacked at our next home.
In the car we had loads of spinach. It'd become a bit of a project to do some reconnaissance of the street stalls, see what the ladies had available, then use their local produce to make dinner for the next few nights (supplemented by some well stocked supermarkets and even a deli!). One lady had black bags overflowing with spinach, so we'd bought a bunch. When we pulled over later at a "foot and mouth control point" to clean the tyres and our shoes, another stall had eggs. Bingo! Quiche for dinner. The plans were laid. Having unpacked and set up, spinach and onion were fried, the fire was lit and the pot was lined with some flat bread to serve as a base. Add in the eggs, mix with cheese and bake. Or not. Turns out that our roadside eggs were hard-boiled, not fresh!! No wonder we got a strange look when we'd picked them up and added the 4 new eggs to the carton we already had! Quiche was a distant dream. We had pasta instead.
From Makgadikgadi we were headed to the famous Kalahari. We rose early, left the tree island in the plains, then turned south with dreams of spotting Kalahari lions and cheetahs and meerkats. The drive in yielded lots of small delights - ground squirrels, small grey mongoose, a deceased polecat, the quivers of a porcupine, more jackals, bat-eared foxes, springbok, oryx, giraffe and steenbok. But no big cats. Or meerkats. We stayed out hunting until the last possible minute of daylight without success. Once dusk fell and we were sitting by the fire, a leopard decided to do some reconnaissance of his own around the campsite. We didn't lay eyes on him, but his very near rumblings meant we were up the steps and into bed quick smart!
The next day's game drive was much the same. Loads of things to see, but nothing that we hadn't already ticked off. By lunch time we were feeling flat, though it was fun trying to capture the ground squirrels on film. Late afternoon we were pushing for time again, but headed to one distant waterhole before the impending darkness fell. There were only springbok around. Dejected at being here without having seen a big cat, we turned and headed for home. Not 1km back, in the spot we'd just been, sat a cheetah. Words can't describe what it's like to be up close to big cats in the wild. Cheetahs are especially graceful. Watching him filled in almost an hour and every minute of our days in the car was forgotten once we'd laid eyes on him.
Leaving the sunsets, pastel palette and stunning landscape of the Central Kalahari behind was tinged with sadness. It's a place in which weeks could disappear (especially because it's as big as Denmark!) but we'd only had days. From there we weren't headed far, though it could have been to another world. Lekubu juts out from a salt pan. An island rising gently from the flat landscape, scattered with giant pebbles, boabab trees and equally unique African Star Apple trees. It's a sight to behold and attractive at every angle. We were stoked to have arrived at another stunning place. We scrambled over and around the rocks, spotting snakes, hares and tortoises on the little oasis. At the top, views of the stark white pan stretched out forever. The place was unforgettable.
Luckily, the drive out through the pans meant we took so much fine grey dust with us that we'll be reminded of it for quite a while.
Up next: A last ditch meerkat hunt before we bye-bye Botswana