Day22, Saturday, August 19: Kasane, Chobe river lodge It was difficult to believe that we were leaving the wilderness behind, the time had been flying

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1 Day22, Saturday, August 19: Kasane, Chobe river lodge It was difficult to believe that we were leaving the wilderness behind, the time had been flying so fast. We did our last game drive all along the river, trying to postpone the inevitable as long as possible. We were pleasantly surprised that the Chobe River Lodge was on the edge of Kasane, we were not ready for the hustle of a busy town yet. The lodge was surprisingly beautiful and organized, with breathtaking views. We did some grocery shopping across the street and settled into our camping spot. The camping sites were basically right next to each other, like in most parks back home in SA, but it was something to get used to after being on your own for 3 weeks. We made a reservation at the beauty spa for a massage later the afternoon with our bodies aching for TLC after the bush experience. We did a bit of camp admin, backed up photos, showered and had a beer. We probably sounded like girls going to prom night on the way to the spa, the bush clearly taking its (good) toll on us. The spa was located on the banks of the river, the river supplying the relaxing background music. The therapists knew what they were doing, don t let their skinny arms fool you. At times it felt like my eyes would pop out halfway like the squirrel in the movie Ice Age. Our skins were so dry that they regularly had to add more oil or lotion. I fell asleep halfway through the session, sleeping through the neck and scalp massage, my favourite part! We skidded out the spa like oily seals, after which we enjoyed sundowners at the bar with the view of the setting sun over the river. Day23, Sunday, August 20: Kasane, Chobe river lodge The morning was a slow one. I can't even recall much of what we did. I think my brain was still in massage mode. I remember walking back from the restaurant area, annoyed by a monkey sitting on the handrail of the walkway (they are a bit of a nuisance there). I shooed it away, but instead of running away like any other normal animal should, it took a few steps closer to me and surprised me with an ugly Colgate smile. I decided not to challenge its scissors and excused myself hastily from its business side. The afternoon we went on a sunset boat cruise on the Chobe River. Being on the river was a different experience again, the animals not bothered by the boat at all. The guide entertained us with interesting facts and funny stories while we took pictures of elephant and buffaloes only feet away from us. For example, I didn t know that the animals see the people and boat as one entity, same with a car. Well, that's what the smart people say anyway. And a hippo can't swim, it sinks!(yes, Google it.) We probably saw more birds during the boat trip than we saw the last 3 weeks. The colours of the horizon changed as the sun set over the river, painting an idyllic picture, almost like Botswana saying to us: "Hope you enjoyed your stay, trust to see you again soon".

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6 Day24, Monday, August 21: Victoria Falls Rest Camp Our last stop in Kasane was at the police station. There was a baobab tree that is seven hundred and sixty nine eight hundred thousand hundred and twenty and seventy years old. In all those years it was respectively used as a jail, post office and recruiting office for military and mining workers. Today it is a declared national monument and quite something to see. I quote from the info board next to the tree: Uses: It is said that draught water in which the seeds have been soaked and stirred about will act as protection against attack by crocodile; on the other hand, sucking or eating the seeds will attract crocodiles. It is believed that a man who drinks an infusion of bark will become strong and elsewhere that a baby boy should be washed in water which the bark has been soaked, but not for too long lest he becomes obese. The plan was to drive to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe this day, but somewhere along our travels we heard about a ferry which could take us across the river instead. Full disclosure, this part of the trip was not planned in any detail so we winged it as we went along. Since we had not been on a ferry before, we thought "Great, ferry it will be!" On the way to the border, we discovered that the ferry was due for Zambia and not Zimbabwe. Close, but totally different. In the end the desire to cross with the ferry and accompanying "bragging rights", authorizing us an official visit to Zambia, won. Going into detail regarding the actual crossing of the ferry, the processes of clearing customs and the very special people we met along the way, would require a publication on its own. They were in the process of building a bridge over the river at the time, so if you still want to take the ferry you need to hurry up. Just bear in mind that it is a pretty expensive exercise that will challenge the boundaries of your patience. It was close to noon when we were finally on the road again, driving through good old Zambia. The traffic police stopped us once and asked us how many red triangles we had. They were happy with the two per vehicle we had and allowed us to proceed on our journey. We reached Livingstone and tried to see the Falls from the Zambian side too. On hearing what it would cost per person made our blood sugar level drop significantly, so we decided to rather head back to Livingstone for an ice cream. But trying a few refreshment points rendered no ice cream. This absence of the sweet coldies seemed like a trend north of South Africa. Eventually, we did find ice cream at a Hungry Lion, which is a South African fast food store outlet. Go figure. We decided we had enough of Zambia for one day and crossed the border to Zimbabwe. On leaving Zambia we had to pay again. FYI, one Zambian Kwacha = R1.50 on that day. Expensive day it was. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the efficiency of the Zimbabwean border control at Victoria Falls. Basically, everything we saw there impressed me. I know it's probably THE tourist destination in Zim, but still, it exceeded my expectations after hearing all the negative stories regarding Zim. For the rest of the day we didn t do much, mostly restoring our patience levels after a typical TIA day. Day25, Tuesday, August 22: Victoria Falls Rest Camp How much fun could you have in one day? THIS much!! We booked in with Wild Horizons for a day of white water rafting, conquering the mighty Zambezi. I was originally a bit skeptic when I heard the water level was low, since I wanted to pump up my adrenalin. But low is far from empty. In fact, the rapids were at their best that time of year, providing an adrenalin feast! Wild Horizons was extremely professional, took us step by step through a crash course, kitted us with the necessary equipment and despatched us in the red livery of a bunch of Minions. We started off with a steep descent down a loooong staircase/ladder, followed by a short hike to the first rapid. Another crash course on rowing followed, after which the real fun commenced. There was a total of 19 rapids, going as high as grade 5. I haven t had that much fun in forever. They offer a multi-day trip where you sleep on the banks of Zambezi for 2 nights, definitely on my bucket list. But what goes down must come up again (in this case), so after rapid 19 one had to ascend a mountain. But after the long slog we were well treated on a sumptuous lunch, consisting of a braaid main course and really yummy salads. You can watch the video of our this link: SwimmingTeam ( It was already past 15:00 when we eventually got back to camp. We quickly grabbed our camera gear and headed for the Falls, the actual reason for being there. We decided to walk the 15min walk from the camp to the Falls since our rooftop tents were still pitched. We forgot our passports in all the haste, so we had to backtrack, or pay the full admission fee in USD. We made it back with an hour to spare at the Falls. Although it was the dry season the Falls were still an impressive sight. The roaring waters with the soaking spray are a worthwhile experience, but do take care of the slippery surface. That last hour gave us beautiful light for taking photos and provided enough time for a walk along the falls. The Falls are really worthwhile the visit should find oneself in the area. Needless to say, that night we slept like babies with the roar of the falls in the background.

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10 Day26, Wednesday, August 23: Francistown, Woodlands Stopover With legs and arms feeling like jelly we rolled out the tent and started the long journey home via Botswana. We were only stopped once by the traffic police in Zim. Luckily we had whatever they asked for at that point and we proceeded unhindered forth. If you follow the rules (albeit it being sometimes over the top), greet them friendly, with your sunglasses off, have all your paperwork in hand, then you should be okay in Zimbabwe. If you roll down your window and start the conversation with an attitude, it will most probably cost you. While driving south we saw more elephants along the road and on the plains. How blessed are the people of Botswana! Woodlands stopover was a neat establishment and we'll stop there again in the future. Day27, Thursday, August 24: Bloemfontein and Day28, Friday, August 25: Port Elizabeth We headed back at the maximum speed allowed and arrived one day earlier than originally planned Afterword: This was by far the most diverse and entertaining trip I had been on in my life. I learned so much in those 4 weeks, not only on a factual basis, but also matters like the culture and dynamics within Botswana. I gained a new found love and respect for nature and even some new insights of myself. Going on a 4 week trip was a blast, but it was also hard work, with each new day a blessing with new challenges. Botswana has so much to offer and I hope they can stay the same special place for many more generations to come. Special thanks to my two travel companions who were key to the success of this tour. Without their help, this would not have been possible. I love them both very much. Most of all thanks to our heavenly Father for keeping His hand over us during all this time. I am so happy that I can say the worst thing that happened to us during this trip was meeting Harry. What a great trip it was! Thank you all for reading this chronicle Our next big planned trip is in Aug 2018, then traveling to Augrabies Falls, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Mabuasehube and Central Kalahari Game Reserve, so watch this space!