Bushman rock painting
Today was spent en route to and at the campground called Ihaha on the Chobe River. We started out watching the squirrels at the campsite and then drove over to the rocks near Savute where there is a Bushman rock painting that’s been dated back 3000-4000 years. It’s a small climb up to where you can see it and I find that I am still very over-protective of my ankle where I broke it more than 10 years ago. You’d think that after all this time I’d start to relax, but the exact opposite is true: I get MORE afraid as time goes by. Sigh… if I ever do anything like this again, I’m going to get professionally made hiking boots with ankle protectors.
Fishing on Chobe River
The area here in Chobe is vastly different from what we’ve seen so far… there are baobab trees everywhere (there was just one that we saw near Savute), umbrella acacias, palms along the river. It’s very green right along the river, instead of being so dry as it is everywhere else (even just back from the river). Long drive en route but got into the park by lunchtime and had sandwiches beneath a huge tree (I’ll have to remember to ask Grant what type of tree — he told us but I’ve forgotten!) where vervet monkeys kept watch from above.
The campsite is right on the river and the afternoon game drive was fabulous. We saw buffalo and monitor lizards mating (she eventually developed a headache and rolled out from under him into the water and swam away), more eagles…
 monitor lizards mating |
 monitor lizards mating |
 African fish eagle |
 Martial eagle |
… And then a giraffe spooked over to our right. We all looked and Fred gasped: “Four feet!” Sure enough, the cause was another lioness, wearing a transponder collar, who eventually strolled out right into the road… followed by three nearly-grown cubs perhaps a little less than two years old. All females, all gorgeous.
 Lionesses playing |
 Stretching |
 Backlit |
 Mother and daughters |
They weren’t hunting or anything, just strolling along, playing, pouncing, flopping down and getting back up. We kept following and watching for over an hour and it ended up with them getting into a staring contest with another giraffe. Stupid giraffe kept coming closer, as if it didn’t believe what it was seeing.
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Moon over Chobe River
Good thing for the giraffe that the lionesses weren’t hungry. They angled off back into the bush and we had to make a mad dash back to the campsite before the gates closed. Fortunately we made it (but not until well after moonrise)!
(I should add that lots of people would drive up, spend a few minutes looking at the lions, and then drive off, as if to say, “Okay, lions checked off on our checklist. Now go find us something else.” There was even one totally bored teenager with headset on and book on her lap. Fred and I, on the other hand, would have been perfectly happy to sit there all night… well, okay, until dark, that is. Being out after dark in a park without fences is a little intimidating…)
Lots of buffalo on the riverfront right in front of the campsite. Grant told us we are NOT to even THINK about leaving our tents and walking to the ablution block after dark. If we absolutely have to go, we’re to yell out and he will drive us there — even though we are only a short walk away — we can even see it from the campsite. That’s how dangerous buffalo can be. And, he says, we’re close to the border where four countries come together, so there could be bandits as well… Ulp…