Collected Moments of Survival

We roll through the gates of Thebe River Lodge and there in what appears to be a carpark are our tents. While the car is being unpacked I head out to find the ablution block. Obviously this ablution block has caused consternation before and I am told that two rooms in the Lodge have been reserved for us to use the bathrooms. I hotfoot it to the sanity of a hot shower. The water is instantly piping hot and there is a plug for a hairdryer. I look longingly at the two beds in the room and as I exit my compass guides me I straight to the reception area to find out if they have any vacancies. I head back to camp and much to my dearest husband’s dismay I insist we pack up and head for the hotel room. His resistance to my suggestion is met with steely determination and I inform him that if he wants to sleep in the tent he can, I am sleeping in the Lodge. Golden light turns any subject into a magical image We organise ourselves and the following morning promptly at 5.30 we are in the Ru...

The warthogs in the riverbed were actually quite relaxed The drive into Ngepi Camp is an interesting exercise. There is an owner with a warped sense of humour. At first it is amusing reading rude little signs, but then, it isn’t really that interesting anymore. The campsite is a treat however, with some soft grass underfoot. However, that is only until you discover that the loos on this property are amongst the most bizarre in the world. Suffice it to say that doing number two becomes a challenge because your neighbour can look at you through the reeds separating the two cubicles. The showers are even more interesting. Hot water is a challenge and the donkey (that provides the hot water) has to be stoked (yes it is a fire thing) by guests to ensure that they get hot water. No such thing as ensuring this by the camp owner and the chaps from Bhejane have a thousand other things to do. Once you have hot water you can proceed to the showers. But, be warned they are “quaintly” rustic. ...

The second day of packing up the tent in the morning and the realisation that this will be something we have to do almost every day sinks in. So, besides paying quite a high daily rate I have to make my own bed, pack it up and pack the car. For someone used to spending most of the day behind a lens this is certainly a bit of an eye opener. Okay, you can all stop laughing now! We head out at about midday as the rest of the group does a quick flip over the Okavango Delta. These flips (which I have done in a helicopter on a previous occasion) are highly overrated and it is very amusing to sit and listen to the stories around the campfire that night. Nausea seems to be the main topic of discussion with a large contingent not even looking out of the windows at the view below. We spend the morning trying to find a blanket as the sleeping bag I bought from Outdoor Warehouse must be rated for the tropics. With blanket underarm we head out for Sepupa Swamp Stop. This is about as inspir...

South Africans have become whingers. This is a new trend in the travel industry. I am in the travel industry so I know and the worst whingers (apologies to those who are not) are the citizens of the Republic of Cape Town. Yes guys, you are. This is therefore why I have not written a single blog about my trip to Botswana. I don’t want to be categorized as a whinger from Zululand. I will however, proceed with caution and try not to go off on too many rants during the telling of the story. I promise! It is our first road trip to Botswana, so the decision is made to go on a 4 x 4 adventure as an exploratory trip to see if we can join in and get some photography done at the same time. Two enquiries and the decision is that the better trip of the two looks like Bhejane 4 x 4 Adventures. Dates are set for July (school holidays - big mistake no 1). I will add here that my other half and I are seasoned African travellers who our whole lives have not shied away from the remote or faraw...

The wilderness of Africa is a shrinking concept in the face of an exponentially burgeoning human populace that is encroaching more and more into areas that for millennia have belonged only to the savagely wild and wonderful beasts that roam its plains. Reaching these now isolated pockets of wilderness means travel of thousands of kilometers for those wishing to share in its magic. And so it is that after two days of travel I find myself sitting at the gates of Etosha National Park in Namibia. It is day five of a seven day sojourn that we decide the day will be well spent next to a waterhole for the whole day. We’re there just as soon after sunrise as we can muster and we settle down for the day. The first very curious visitor to our vehicle is a Pied Crow who spends the day hopping from car to car looking for something to eat. Bets are on that he is regularly fed titbits from disobedient tourists! The first visitors to the waterhole in large numbers are some ...