Safari Begins, Thursday, April 21

Today, our safari adventure begins.  We rise early, which was not too difficult since neither of us slept much after 1:30 AM -- thanks jet lag!  Breakfast was to be at 7 AM, our bags were to be collected at 7:15 AM, and our transportation to the airport would depart at 8:15 AM.  It was a tight schedule, but all of us were ready and made our morning deadlines.  We also had the pleasure of meeting the two members of our group who had not been at yesterday evening's dinner:  Elke and Mike, mother and son from San Diego, who were also very nice.

We arrived at the airport and received our tickets, crossed through security, and proceeded to the gate.  A&K had apparently ensured that we would be very early for our 11:45 AM flight.  So we had a somewhat lengthy wait.  Nevertheless, there was a certain internal thrill to know that we were in Africa!  Our flight would take us to the town in Botswana called Maun.  Maun is known as the gateway to the Okavango Delta.  The flight was uneventful, except for a little turbulence on take-off.  Conditions in Johannesburg were very cool, and it actually started to rain a little after we had boarded our plane.  Many of us in the group were especially excited to be in Botswana as we shared a love for the #1 Ladies Detective Agency books.  I was reminded of the book as the plane taxied to its parking spot.  I looked out the plane's window and the first person I saw in Botswana was the young lady on the tarmac directing the plane to its parking spot.  I was amused to note that she was "traditionally built."  Fans of the books will understand this reference!

In Maun, the fun really began!  We were met at the airport by our A&K guide, Poniso, who would accompany our group throughout the trip.  Upon landing, we were immediately transferred to a Mack Air flight (small propeller plane), which would take us to our first destination in the delta, a place called Stanley's Camp.  Our pilots were Tabo and Derek, a recent flight school graduate.  On this flight, which did not go higher than 8,000 feet, we were able to really get a feel for the landscape.  We saw small subsistence farms growing maize (corn), some naturally occurring peat fires, and some wild life!  Some people in the group saw elephants (I didn't), but I saw a giraffe and then some zebras shortly before we landed.  The flight was very short, only about 10 to 15 minutes, but really fun!  After the cool weather in Johannesburg, we were greet by a clear and very warm (but not uncomfortably warm) day.

We were met at the airstrip by two land rovers, which will transport us to Stanley's Camp.  The camp is a Sanctuary branded resort, which is also owned by A&K.  After a short distance, the vehicles stop for a little refreshment, including sparkling wine, and a quick briefing.

Immediately we are met by a mother and child -- warthogs -- too cute!

The plan is to drive to the camp, which would take about 25 minutes, but can be longer if we see interesting game.  Obviously there was no hurry and seeing animals is why all of us were there!  We were not disappointed:  we saw plain zebras,

a kudu antelope, a female and pregnant giraffe, some impala, a family of elephants in the distance, and an assortment of birds such as the Blacksmith Lapwing and Guinea Fowl.  Finally, we spotted some time tree squirrels scurrying about as we pulled into the camp/

We are met at the camp by the staff, mostly women, who are singing joyfully to greet us.  I videotaped a portion of this, which ended with each of them shaking our hands.  There are smiles all around.

I think we had arrived at the camp at about 4:30 PM, and our first activity was scheduled for 5:30 PM, an evening game drive.  We were escorted to our room by one of the staff ladies, then we made a quick change of clothes to get ready (swapping pants for shorts!).  The group was divided into two, so that four people would ride in one land rover and three in the other.  Rob and I were paired with mother and son, Elke and Mike.

The drive was fruitful!  Before we even left the parking area, we saw a bushback antelope cross the road,  He was a small fellow (or gal), looked like a small spotted deer.

Shortly after we began the drive, we spotted a family of baboons.  This was a little surprising to Rob and me, since we had thought we wouldn't see primates in this part of Africa, but apparently, there are baboons!  A hooded vulture was identified by our guide, which we were told is the smallest vulture.  As we would come to learn, the guides are experts (to say the least) in bird identification.  We would be amazed at how many different types of birds would be named by the guides in the coming days -- most impressive!  The highlight of our evening drive was when we found a den of spotted or laughing hyenas.  There were adult females with many little brown babies.  The adults paid us no attention, but the babies were a little curious about us.  We remained for quite a while to watch.

After that, the drive was pleasant, but our only sightings were some impala and wildebeasts in the dusk, which made them difficult to see.  There was a beautiful full moon and sunset for everyone to enjoy.

Returning at 7 PM, cocktail time started at 7:30 PM with dinner to follow at 8 PM, but first there would be a surprise!  The staff again took the opportunity to entertain us with song and dance.  I videotaped the second song, but by then the light was too dim to obtain a good image, but the singing could be captured nicely.  I especially enjoyed an English language song which repeated the refrain, "Beautiful Africa."  Subsequent verses repeated the phrase, first substituting "Botswana" for Africa, then "Delta," "Guests," and finally "Staff."  The entertainment took a livelier turn with a song about a bullfrog that featured some pretty impressive "frog" dancing from one young man, whom we would later learn was the chief waiter.

Dinner was a buffet of too much food!  I particularly enjoyed some more traditional dishes of corn meal (like grits) with spinach and shredded beef.  It was recommended to eat with a sauce of tomato and onion, so I did and it was good!  There were also plenty of grilled meats, including beef, chicken, and sausages.  A fish similar to tilapia was cooked in foil on the grill, which was also very good.  By 9 PM, everyone was fading fast after a long and action packed day, so the party broke up fairly quickly.  We were all escorted in the dark to our respective cabins (as a safety precaution -- nothing to stop wild animals from entering our camp if that is what they want to do).