17 July:
Arrived at Chobe Park Safari Hotel. A tad more up-market than the Etosha NP lodges. Not quite the number of bus tours but still a diverse mix of nationalities.
Much confusion upon arrival as a) the room wasn't to be ready until 2pm and b) the room key generation machine was broke.
Lunch on the patio overlooking the Chobe river was very pleasant. First scheduled activity was the 3pm 3-hour game drive. The NP itself is just 10 minutes down the (paved!) road from the lodge.
Large numbers of elephants on the islands along with hippo floatillas. Yer regular girrafes and impalas
a rare sable antelope (even the Kruger NP family was impressed. All fairly vanilla until our driver picked up word of a leopard sighting many km west of the entrance. We all voted on a gamble and Shauna, honeymooning Canadian, said she felt very lucky about this. Boy was she right. Leopard, female, up close and personal. Made the day.
The light was fast disappearing
Held appetites at bay until 8pm and did the "buffet". Very complicated, its entirely an african, everything is complicated. I'd like to buy a bottle of white wine, no problem sir. Here is the (impossible to read in zero light) wine list. I'd like this one please. I'm sorry we don't have that one - how about this one - sorry sir, not that one either. OK i'll have the expensive one. Pause while complicated paper work order is filled out. Sommelier disappears for a long time - like two courses long - returns to say he's looked every where aand can't find that particular wine. OK, I say, can I coose another one? Yes sir, let me go and get the wine list..... Another long pause. 4th choise arrives in time for dessert.
Very comfortable room and shower. Much classier than Etosha.
I wonder if in the great scheme of things that this might well have been a better first stop after a 36 hour journey rather than Gunn's Camp and its mid-afternoon only for a short time shower. Logistically challenging to go Maun, Kasane and then Gunn's Camp.
18th July:
5:20am wake call - its still and hour to dawn - to be ready for the 6am departure of the morning game drive. We are talking seriously cold in the open viewing vehicle. Blankets and hoods. Where is the puffy down jacket when you need it? Basically traversing the same route as the previous evening with the driver (Ooh-Bee, the very well informed) explaining
that there are no animals because it is cold and dark.
Suspicious and wise canadians posit that the morning game drive has to be early so that the vehicles get back in time
to take out the 10am Victoria Falls day trippers. Fairly convinced that the morning was to be a bust when we came across a leopard cub hanging out waiting for its mother to come home.
Two days and two leopards - amazing.
Hippos still on land - so still not hot by definition
Back in time for the buffet breakfast. Custom made omelletes work for me. We have until 3pm, our next "game drive" but this time water-borne on the river.
The new "larry recommended" binoculars are spectacular - so to speak.
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Location:Kasane, Botswana
