We’re spending a few days with our pals Liz and Ben van Wyk, before starting off on our final homeward leg to Durban tomorrow morning. As we mentioned before, Pretoria is a very pleasant city. Yesterday we did our culture bit by visiting the Union Buildings and Melrose House. The latter being the scene of the final peace treaty of the Anglo Boer war. It is quite an interesting spot, of particular interest was an exhibition of cartoons from the various European newspapers depicting the sentiments of the time. The French for instance were extremely scathing of the Brits, but, as we recall, they did precious little to assist the Boer. Times haven’t changed it seems.
Pretoria
Our time in Mavuradohna was very pleasant. The park is situated on the Zambezi escarpment just before it drops down into the valley and on a clear day one can look down on Cahora Bassa, just over the Mozambique border. We didn’t have that pleasure because it hosed down for most of the time we were there. There is not a lot of game about, but we saw elephant and some buck. We also heard elephant on our walks as they did their usual trick of livening up the party by pushing over as many trees as possible.
Mavuradohna bashas
There are a lot of bush walks available, and on our first day there we decided to start off with a short (1 km) round trip by visiting the Lower Falls. 4 and a half hours later we staggered back to the Landy. What we thought was the path was in fact an elephant trail and we wandered around in the bush in ever widening circles. Jean managed to get herself separated from Sean and lost, and it took a lot of whistling and hollering before we met up again. Jean of course says that she was not lost, Sean was, and, in any event, she had found the Falls. Sean pointed out that in fact these were the Upper Falls and not the Lower Falls, and the map that we had was not really clear as to where the Upper Falls were. Eventually we found the main road – next problem – the Landy was still somewhere in the bush. Furthermore, the cold beers were in the Landy. This time however we had our directions, and after half an hour cross country trekking, we made it.
Butterflies that Jean was looking at when she said that she was not lost …
Moral to that story is don’t follow elephant trails; they might not be going to the same place that you are.
The rains had well and truly arrived in Zim. We drove back to Chegutu in a very heavy downpour. After a couple of days there, we bade our farewells and headed for Botswana, via Bulawayo and Plumtree. We spent two days in Bulawayo looking around. We stayed at Phillips Caravan Park in the suburbs about 10 km from the city centre. It was very well appointed but, we thought, quite expensive at R 45 per night (just goes to show how acclimatized we were to Zimbabwe’s prices).
We crossed into Botswana just outside Plumtree. The formalities took us about an hour because we were behind a bus load of people on the Botswana side. Otherwise, we had no problems at all (in fact, touch wood, we have never had a problem at borders).
The Botswana Pula equates to about R 1.35. Prices are about the same as S.A. but on a Pula for Rand basis. Fuel, on the other hand is, about 15% cheaper.
Botswana on its Eastern border is very similar to Zimbabwe, low bush with low hills and the odd stone kopje. It was raining heavily, and the rivers were starting to run, but the roads themselves were very good. As we got closer to Maun, so the countryside flattened out. Driving could become boring were it not for the enlivening presence of a multitude of cattle and donkeys. The grass at the side of the road is always the tastiest, and the grass on the other side of the road is even better. You need good brakes in Botswana. In South Africa “road-kill” is usually the odd Kite picking daintily at the squashed carcass of an unfortunate hound. In Botswana you come across whole squadrons of vultures pigging it out on a donkey or cow. In one place we came upon 3 full grown, very dead, cows strewn across the road. The Bull bar comes into its own.
Audie camp, Maun.
We spent our first night at Nata lodge campsite. It was OK but nothing to write home about. The next day we got to Maun, where we spent 2 days at Audi camp, and explored the town. We found Maun quite an experience. Donkey carts and Mercedes, modern houses and wattle and daub huts, TV satellite dishes everywhere (including some of the mud huts), and donkeys and goats all over the place. Everything all mixed up together. A very modern and well stocked Woolworth’s but watch out for the donkey dung on the pavement outside the front entrance.
Jean helping out a friend
and another one.
After Maun we headed for our planned destination – Sepupa, alongside the Okavango, to visit our friend Dup and his family. (a mere 2000 km dogleg on our journey home).
Simon preparing morning coffee at Chateau du Plessis.
We found Dup, Helen, and the kids much as we had left them a year ago. Chateau du Plessis was still spread along the banks of the river with bits of outboards and motor vehicles here and there, but a couple more boats than before. Dup still does not own a pair of shoes. Visitors were still coming from far and wide. The first night there we met a young German couple who were working in the Delta. They were elephant trainers from Munich zoo – what else would they be!
Sepupa, is some 60 km south of Shakawe and the Tsodilo Hills are some 45 kms west of there. The road to the hills can be very hairy, but the rains had settled the sand, so we decided, with Dup and Helen, to go and camp there for a night. The Hills have been well documented, particularly by Laurens van der Post, who travelled there with the Bushmen. (History now tells us that Laurens was telling a few porkies when he wrote “Venture into the Interior”.) Although not very high, they rise dramatically from the flat plains. They are a source of water, and, at one time, plentifully stocked with game, and considered a very special and holy place by the Bushmen, some of whom still live in the vicinity. There are designated campsites here, but no facilities other than fresh water and you do not pay to camp. The female hill has a wealth of rock paintings, said to be in their thousands. The normal figures and animals, but, extraordinarily, also what appear to be whales. We had this very special place all to ourselves, it has a unique atmosphere which is very hard to describe, but unforgettable.
A local family
Tsodilo campsite.
Tsodilo Paintings.
The rest of our time at Chateau du Plessis was spent on the river watching the birds and fishing for (and catching!!) Bream and Tiger Fish. This year the Hippos behaved themselves!
Sean, Helen and Dagny with Tiger Fish and Nembwe Bream.
We took the same route back but avoided Nata Lodge and stayed instead at the Nata Sanctuary, a more basic campsite but infinitely more interesting, situated in Mopani bush alongside the Sua Pan. As we approached our camp, we noticed what we assumed to be a lot of green leaves on the ground. Hold on a bit! they’re moving!! Thousands and thousands of Mopani worms. All over the place, on the ground, in the bushes, up in the trees – from where they would fall with an appreciable thud (or splat). We could hear them munching on the leaves, and they would strip a bush in a couple of hours.
Mopani worms.
For those of you who haven’t met one, a Mopani worm is a thick, virulent green, fat caterpillar, about 3 inches long. They are considered by some to be a delicacy, and we asked the caretaker how to prepare them. It seems that you gently remove the digested Mopani leaves and other goo (presumably you squeeze it out), having done this you boil the worm, then dry it, and finally fry it. Absolutely delicious we’re told. It was a shame that we didn’t have time to do all this, so we decided to leave it as a highlight for our next visit.
Sua Pan
The Sua Pan is an immense flat salt pan that stretches way over the horizon. It is filled by the Nata river which rises in Zimbabwe, and although there had been a lot on rain, was still dry when we were there. Unfortunately, this meant that the birds had not arrived yet. When full Sua Pan is the home to water birds of all kinds and in great numbers. A track runs across the pan and we decided to give it a try, but after a couple of kms the going got very sticky and gooey. Discretion prevailed upon valour, there was no one else in the area so we chickened out.
We left Botswana via Martins Drift and drove here through the hunting country of the Waterberg, via Ellisras and Vaalwater. Spots that we must return to and explore further.
Tomorrow we return home to celebrate Christmas and New Year.