We met another Chris, as he was our driver for the day. Chris is a local Zambian full of ambitions, which we learned of throughout our drives. We even had the privilege of seeing where Chris lived in the midst of a very busy neighborhood. His house stands out about the rest with it's sturdy build and attention to detail. He has built it himself over the last 4-5 years...and has plans for further expansion! He hopes to rent out rooms to families as he knows this will secure income for his children and family for years to come. Furthermore, Chris has dreams of running his own taxi business for the mass of tourists. Chris was just a breath of fresh air and it was exciting to hear of his dreams.
Anyway, we sped our way to Botswana, passing beer trucks on our way. We also noticed dozens of country folk standing alongside the road with all shapes and sizes of jugs. Chris explained the beer trucks run along the stretch of highway every day to bring beer to those who live in the country. It made me sad. There were children as young as 10 years old standing alongside that road...waiting for beer. Chris stated it is not legal for children to drink, but they do anyway...especially out in the country. My stomach lurched.
The border to Botswana finally appeared and we exited the vehicle to find a mass of people with all sorts of items to sell. I put my "no thanks" on repeat, as did the rest of our group. The stench of the immigration building once again assaulted us as we stood in line to get our passports approved for entrance to Botswana. (I believe immigration buildings will stink regardless of the country.) Trucks lined the road in every directions. I imagine they have a loooong wait to cross the border. Some of them looked as though they had been waiting for at least a day. (Dad, I bet you are glad you don't have to deal with that whenever you cross a state border in the USA!!)
A little boat (and I mean little!) waited to ferry us across the river to Botswana. My camera secure, I took my seat and away we went. I found myself praying for a safe delivery to the shore on the opposite side...my body was basically even with the water, the boat sunk down so low! Fortunately, neither hippo nor alligator were spotted in this crossing and my feet plodded on solid ground soon enough.
After a quick welcome in the Botswana immigration center, we jumped aboard a safari vehicle...finally! Kelly and I were fierce as we claimed the back seat as our own. We were on a mission to get top quality pictures! Don't worry, Ben held me in check so I didn't get into an argument with any of the other tourists. To our surprise; however, this was not yet the safari...and so our back seat position did us little good. But our dukes came out again as we raced to the river safari boat- front row! I'm telling you, we weren't messing around.
Now I am no expert, but I have been on enough safaris to tell at this point when we have a cautious guide, an excited guide, a bored guide or an educated guide. As our boat set into motion, it was apparent to me....this guide was cautious. Stink. While we were amidst hippos galore, we just didn't get close enough for a good picture. Although I was willing to jump in the water to get a better shot...I knew that wouldn't mesh so well with my camera. So I just watched the big guys from afar. Eventually we came upon an alligator lounging upon the shore. I was surprised our Guide actually grounded our boat next to the alli! But that he did and I snapped away. I was most intrigued by the grasshopper hanging out on the alli's tail...
As we pulled away from the alligator, we spotted elephant in the distance. Hundreds of them! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!! Another boat spotted them too...and they passed us up! Oh goodness, come on now, cautious guide! My entire being was going crazy as I watched the herd from my safe seat....I had to get closer! But our guide simply maneuvered the boat in the slowest fashion possible. We stopped to look at a tree. A bird. A lizard. A wildebeest. PLEASE DUDE! Let's just get to the elephants!!!!
At last. We arrived. And I put my camera to work. So much action, so many elephants, so many behaviors...so much to attempt to catch in the sight of my lens! It was like heaven to me. I was captivated. I watched elephants cross the river, trunk to caboose....others fought gallantly...while others bathed themselves...or dirtied themselves. Some elephants grouped together like families...a mama, a baby, a daddy, a teen. I couldn't get enough of these magnificent creatures. And they just kept on coming....by the hundreds down to the river. Giving us a show. A sense of fear edged into my gut as I spotted an alligator also observing the elephant ritual. I worried for the baby elephants, so small in the water. Thank Jesus the alligator did not make his strike with me present. While some might find that a great photo opp, I would rather not. Much to my dismay, our Guide took our boat away...farther and farther from the elephants. No more stops for that safari. The Gasper's were so amused, they fell asleep. Priceless. We returned at least 15 minutes early.
Lunch was only okay. I was not impressed. They served us each a very large lunch, but while the quantity was great, the quality was not. Not to mention the fact all I could think of was getting back on our safari... this time on land. I believe I was the first to spot our vehicle... and I quickly excused myself from the artificial conversation to claim my backseat.
It seems to be customary when on a safari to stop for the small stuff (impala and such) right away. We even watched some dung beetles do their duty (roll poo) for a moment. Chobe is most known for the elephant; however, and it wasn't long before we came across a herd. Sadly they were not as amused with humans and they hid behind the trees. That's okay....there were likely more near the water...and that's where we went. Only problem....we hit water before we actually reached the water. A downpour rained upon us in such a torrent, we could barely see around us. Ponchos quickly became our friends as we did our best to shield our camera gear and ourselves from the heavy drops. Our guide drove us onward, away from the rising river...so we thought. The rain made quick work to transform the roads into raging rivers of their own. I suppose that was a time to be thankful for the safari vehicle.
Kelly's and my spirits began to sink as we were faced with reality. Cats don't like water (well, most cats anyway, my little gal Molly loves water!). We did see plenty of turtles as we sailed down the "road" rivers. I couldn't believe our poor luck. A downpour on our Chobe safari. But wait! What was that? A LION!??? Lion ahead!? Truly? Truly! Now I thought I was excited, but I quickly learned I was not as I listened to the "clickclickclickclickclickclick" of Kelly's camera! I think she just held her finger over the shutter, she was so enthralled! If only we could get closer.... turns out this Guide was of the cautious range as well. He told us the rule is to stay on the road. I wondered...how can you even tell where the road is right now with all of this rain? You could just say we were washed away....
Luck got better as lion cubs ran across the road, gracing us with their presence, though brief. I feared for Kelly's camera! And finally, a Papa Lion! Woohoo! Molly would be so happy. A pride of lions after her own heart...fellow feline species who love water. Aww, my girl. I miss her. Just as we spotted the lions feasting on a catch, we were informed of the time. The time to go. And off we went. This guy drove faster than the Makweti Guide! No fear, I tucked my camera safely away. No flying lenses this time around.
I felt as though my body was still in motion as we dismounted from the vehicle, ready to make our way through immigration once again. This time I waited outside. I didn't think I would be able to take the "aroma." In my waiting I was overwhelmed by the number of people. People in poverty. A woman breast feeding her child on the steps of the building...a dog nearly trampled by eager sellers. Ben whisked me away from my trance, back to Chris's car...back to the lodge... prepared to return to our blessed reality.
Oh Jesus, thank you for the overwhelming blessings You have bestowed upon us. Please help us to share in our abundance. To be aware of those in need. Help us never to be blind. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment