Maun to Makgadikgadi Pans (Botswana)
What a night. Think we stayed at party central for Friday night in Muan (or should that be "moan" - heard a bit of that through the walls in the early hours.) There was running up and down the hallways, fights and arguments, screaming, dance parties, banging on random doors, crying and even ladies of the night knocking on doors offering their services. And of course, the accompanying cigarette smoke and loud music. Might explain the wall of prophylactics in the ladies' loo and the convenient addition to the bedside drawers.
But it is Africa - just need to keep smiling and enjoy breakfast. Headed out a little early to clean the shoes and settle last night's bill and joined the group for 8:30. I was filled to overflowing with over a litre of water to start the day so was more interested in the queue for the toilet than the custom-made omelettes on offer. A gentleman who must have been partying all night (probably outside @Del and @Steve's room) arrived "fresh" to breakfast with a cider bottle in hand.
TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:
Somehow managed to squeeze into the 8 seater #BueBox that was our allocated mode of transport driven by @IT (#Magogo nowhere in sight still - may have been permanently retired), hit the service station for petrol and Spar for lunch supplies.
Although we had been loaded in the bus at 9:15 by the time we finished all the morning pickups it was 9:45 before we were heading further into the desert.
The Makgadikgadi Pans which translates to "vast lifeless land" was our destination today. A collection of three pans make up this area of 4 900 square kms (which is visible from space) and has been a national park since 1992.
As a contrast, in October-November this dry salt pan would look very different - a mass of water - and the second largest breeding ground for flamingos. Big herds of zebra and wildebeest, followed by lions would cover the pans. It is also home to the very shy aardvark and the baobab succulents which reach up to 58 m in diameter and were used as signposts for early explorers.
The road was bitumen this morning and relatively pothole free but the continuity of the journey was broken by regular crossings of large herds of goats and cows. Remember, if you hit a domestic animal here, you are responsible for making repatriations to the owners - seems as if the animals 'know this' and rule the road.
Progressed from a covering of low trees and shrubs to a vast landscape of nothing but the protected baobab.
Approached the Veterinary Checkpoint and had our two pairs of shoes ready for dipping and had to make sure that only cooked meat or cryovac-ed meat was on board - otherwise uncooked was confiscated. We had cryovac-ed but as a precaution moved it to an unlikely check spot just in case the inspection crew wanted extras for themselves. You just never know.
Had a bushie bushie stop (don't go too far there are elephants) that was combined with an oil top up for the vehicle - we could smell something but were reassured by driver @IT and @Louis that everything was "fine" - mind you overheard that the wire on top needed a "twitch." We are all on edge still after #Magogo and we regularly spot broken down vehicles on the side of the road as a commonplace occurrence. Not sure many of the vehicles we see would pass an Uber test.
It was a bushie bushie not without drama - @Margie stepped in cow poo and @Gill was covered in prickles.
Entered the designated national park area around 11 and the signage changed to warnings for elephants.
The water pipes running adjacent to the highway are protected by a large concrete surround and sealed with a concrete slab top. The elephants are relentless on their attack on the water pipeline. They push the block off the top and help themselves and subsequently provides water for other animals. This is happening right on the main highway. Every cement block seems to be tumbled at an angle and grateful animals are helping themselves to the contraband supplies.
This pipeline is an infrastructure initiative of the Chinese government to supply water to their mining interests. Go the elephants I say - they're protecting the Pans and Bots.
The pans are under threat from all fronts - mining, farming and tourism.
Music festivals and dirt bike festivals, quad bikes and farmers encroaching on the edges of the national park are destroying the delicate blue green algae that holds the sand surface in place.
We were asked to keep our eyes peeled for the predators that follow the zebras. No luck- but a constant haze of dust on the horizon signalled that the herds were on the move.
Cars were pulled over with bonnets raised and tyres littered the side of the road. A harsh environment and we were constantly offering silent prayers that this vehicle would make the distance.
Long tall palm (mokolwane) trees dotted the distance and are important resource sources for basket weaving and have sweet nuts that sell out within minutes when in season. They stood tall in the distance at irregular intervals. The elephants shake the palms to dislodge the fruit and the locals follow the elephants to collect the leftovers.
@Steve got @Louis a beauty in the car today - replayed his "lions" gotcha. @Louis was on full alert, thought he was going to be spotting a big black maned Kalahari lion. In fact, @IT was pulling over and everyone was fooled. Good one @Steve.
Need to read about Thomas Bain, the Man with Theodolite Eyes - who had the uncanny ability to visualise the perfect routing for a mountain pass with the naked eye. He was responsible for creating passes using convict labour from Italy and France - hauling team in ox wagons and used locals to travel with them; took three weeks to traverse area and explorers carved initials on the trees (sounds a bit Burke and Wills.)
Passed through Gweto built on the underground river. Noted the increased mopane trees here as they too tapped into the underground water supply. About 3 000 in this village and it is stop over town that now offers the quad biking experience for tourists.
With 40 kms to go to Nata, stopped in @IT's village along the way to pick up another bottle of oil to keep the vehicle going. Almost at the stage where nothing surprises me. Then had a slow drive along a road that was destroyed by a cyclone 5 years ago and no attempt has been made to repair it. We drove beside the road in the corrugated and rutted sandy verge as a smoother option than the highway surface.
Arrived in Nata just after 2 pm. It is a major crossroads to the Congo and there were plenty of transport vehicles on the road and lined up on the roadside. Alarmingly, still today, 35% of people here have aides - a major problem, with only one clinic in the town.
Ladies in white robes waiting to go to church (Zionists) and every now and then a local waving at us thinking we are the local bus.
Very dusty and dirty, lots of transport vehicles and two had toppled over and lost their loads. No regulations here for controlling long haul drivers - you can drive nonstop for as long as you can - and need to dodge domestic animal and wild animals on roads in such poor conditions.
Welcomed to Nata Lodge with a cool drink of guava juice and the night's menu. Needed to make our choices early because it was full house at the Lodge tonight. Flicked and ticked, then led to our (now predictably) beautiful, structured tent (complete with outdoor shower ensuite.) Easily made our 4 pm dry season tour of the pans with @Bee (if that is too long for you, just call me @Guava Juice.) He had the group relaxed and smiling straight away and we got a lesson on the pronunciation of the pan as Ma-ka-di-ka (complete with "click" that none of us have mastered) meaning vast dry, land of nothing.
This was a fun drive from Nata Lodge into the bird watching sanctuary. Nata Lodge had received a Tourism Initiative Award for the work undertaken here to establish the bird sanctuary and to protect the pans. We travelled on the Sowa Pan (first described to the world by David Livingstone - there he is again) across a grass covered flat which #Bee explained would be very different in summer - in fact, it would be under water.
We had met a couple of fellow Aussies on our way out of the Lodge and they had said "Bird watching? Don't waste your time - there's nothing out there!" Obviously, they didn't have the benefit of @Bee and @Louis as their guides. We saw plenty and with @Louis able to bring up the birds and their calls on his phone app we got to enjoy a fact filled drive. At one stage, there was lots of laughter as one poor bird was confused by the call emanating from the phone and was eagerly tracking the sound for a mate.
Observed the ever watchful and alert wildebeest at a waterhole. They had posted their two sentries to scan near and far for predators and to signal danger if a threat appeared. In contrast, the nearby domestic cattle herd all munched head down and were easy targets.
With the fast-setting sun at our backs, we skirted by the few waterholes of the Nata at speed and eventually found a wallow for the raft of hippos. What a surprise here in the middle of the salt pans. Apparently, a number of years ago a pair had wandered in and settled in this waterhole and their numbers have steadily increased. Easy pickings for them in summer with the lush green grass right at their doorstep - a little further to forage at this time of the year.
Within the blink of an eye, the low grass gave way to a vastness of nothing. Just an incredible expanse of dry, cracked sand with a thin hint of white salt on the surface.
The two safari vehicles pulled side by side, eskies were opened, and there, following that sinking red ball, it was photos and drinks. @Louis was the master at creative pics and captured the image of the group in his upturned hat, achieved by laying flat on his tummy (numerous times) in the dusty cracked surface of the Sowa Pan.
All aboard and we chased the ribbon of colour that was the African sunset back to the Lodge into the second half of Australia's demoralising performance in the Rugby. Wow, the South African crowd was raucous and jubilant. There were about 8 Aussies in the crowd and we gave a muffled round of applause for the final try.
Dinner in the muted light of the restaurant seemed to be a meat feast for most of our group buoyed by the afternoon's suggestion that Botswana has the "best" steak. Think some of us were a little relieved that we couldn't see what we were eating because most of the meat, regardless of the request, was very rare. Nonetheless, tasty and enjoyable, washed down with cheesecake and Irish coffees.
A great day of such contrasts and the salt pan drive was a unique experience. Found ourselves snug in bed (complete with mosquito nets) and very content with the prospect of a later start to the day tomorrow.
Accommodation:Nata Lodge
Wildlife Spotting:
Motope Tree - Shepherd tree: root used for porridge; if cattle ate fruit their milk contaminated; can make a tea infusion and use for haemorrhoids and also treat eye sores in cattle
Blue green algae: high salt content of soil means this is only survivor
Elephants: testicles situated above tail on their backs
Ostrich: eat everything including rocks, cell phones, glasses; saw male with black waistcoat, eat rough
Ant eating chat
Hippos: a raft - what a surprise, not endemic here, just two wandered in - a spring feeds waterhole -have to walk long distances for food in winter but a feasting ground in summer
Wildebeest: so many - creche - solitary males defending territory
Jackal
Magpie shrite
Dove
Black Northern KoRHAAN
Pied avocet
Yellow billed Storks - feeding - walk through water with beak open and then snap
Zebra: big herds congregating but actually small harems of 1 male and 6 to 8 females; dust on horizon is zebra migration
Giraffe
Termite mounds: larger than ant and looks like worm with head - no separation of head and thorax - mounds hundreds of years old - vegetarian need to grow fungus - 29 and 32 degrees all the time to maintain fungus; bottom royal chamber, queen lives for 20 years lays eggs every 3 seconds; king half size of queen and live for 14 years; nuptial flights of alites and built from scratch; 5 castes - genetically modified to perform different functions; workers; soldiers (ant biggest predator) - when queen is under threat of death releases pheromones to lay a single egg for new queen; locals mix termite mound with dung to build homes; put termite on wound to pinch together; Central chimney and side vents; lots if animals use as home
mokolwane palm trees
Domesticated animals
Horses
Goats
Cattle - more evidence of "herds"
DID NOT SEE - just statue - aardvark- 50 cm sticky tongue, sleeps in day, his house is used by up to 17 other animals at night, a shy 5 member so didn't see one but there was a statue, big ears and nose, name translates to "pig excavator"
300 km
27 - 3 degrees
NATA Lodge - ensuite tents
Think you will really appreciate good roads and a comfortable car when you come home! (no wild animals though!) What a journey you've had!!!....xx
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