Our alarm went off at 5:45. It was dark, so we lit candles to get dressed. We finally had laundry services available again, so we gathered our laundry and set it out. I walked down to the breakfast area and was first to arrive. A ranger was there and made me some coffee. They have a large kettle over an open fire with a cupboard filled with instant coffee, teas, and French press. He fixed me a French press which was good. Breakfast consisted of cereal, yogurt, toast, coffee, and tea.
At 7 we set off on our morning drive. We all had great fun when the first thing we saw were guinea fowl. Someone started exclaiming that we were seeing the endangered but vicious guinea fowl. This had become our group joke. A group of tourists came by and stopped to see what we were fussing and pointing over. Some guy in the other truck put up his camera and started searching for some amazing animal which sent us all into peals of laughter. We drove by a 2 year old elephant skull. We watched some impala for a while as a male chased a female all over. We smelled wild sage which had been placed on our pillows and around our tent when we checked in. Beautiful Kalahari apple leaf trees were in bloom with wonderful purple blooms. They were everywhere and the only color we saw.
We followed a 9 year old male lion as he strolled around scent marking every few feet. We spotted a giraffe bone and saw an arnot chat, a tawny eagle, slender mongoose, francolin, elephants, kudu with their wonderfully large ears, Egyptian geese. Then we got really lucky and came upon two black egrets. When they hunt, they spread their wings like an umbrella [called canopy fishing] to create a shadow so fish will come to the shade.
We also saw some wattled crane that are a threatened species.
Continuing our drive we saw water buck and a hippo who came out of the water on the other side of a small pond. He got back into the pond and headed for us, so we all got back in the truck from our sundowners and headed out. We spotted a darter, wildebeest, gray lourie [go-away bird], a strangler tree, kudu, and a bee-eater. What a great morning drive.
Back at camp, baboons were wandering around. On our porch was a Wahlburg’s skink. Walking to lunch I got a shot of a neat flower called a knobbly bushwillow. At the lounge area, I got a great shot of a beautiful bird called a black-collared barbet. Lunch was at 11 and there was an omelet bar, fruit salad (pears, apple, papaya, passion fruit), pineapple pancakes, butternut pasta (which was wonderful!), cottage pie, regular tossed salad, 3 bean salad, cheese and crackers.
After lunch, the gift shop was open, so we all went to look. I got a t-shirt and some books. The clerk had a name tag that said Owner. That was actually her name!
We relaxed in the tent from 12:30-3:15 which was our first real break in days, and everyone took advantage of it! At 2:45 I walked to the bar and chatted with an Israeli couple on vacation. I found that Ollie our guide had gone to the store to get two bottles of Amarula for me. Bill Branch must have said something to management, but I was really appreciative.
From 3:15-3:45 Bill Branch gave a talk on global conservation. He is an interesting speaker. After the talk, we wandered around and saw more bushbucks, a monitor lizard, and a stone oven that the camp uses to make bread.
At 3:45 we headed out in two boats for a ride around our part of the Okavango Delta. It was a lovely ride, but the best part was going to a rookery on an island. It had spoonbills, and many marabou storks and yellow-billed storks nesting. We also saw marsh harrier, darter, and anhinga. We stopped at another island where they had three fiberglass mokoro boats. These are replicas of the wood boats used by the locals for many years and are propelled by a person with a pole – sort of an African gondola. Jerome and Giselle, Barbara and Mark, and Linda and Lindsay all went for a short ride. The rest of us explored the island. There were really neat elephant tracks in the muddy grass.
Then we all took off in the boats, meeting up in a sheltered spot where we hooked together and had sundowners. It was Giselle’s birthday, so we had champagne with chips and pineapple/meatball skewers. It was great fun. As we speeded back, Linda’s hat flew off, but we managed to whip around and save it.
Back at camp at 7:30 the staff sang and danced for us before dinner. Dinner was a mashed potato/clam appetizer served in a clam shell. The buffet was sliced filet, great garlic sauce, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, peas with corn, roll, and birthday cake.
Two of our travelers, Linda and Kathy, have been sick since we arrived at Xakanaxa. Bill had a touch of the stomach bug, and Bill Branch was not feeling well tonight. Luckily the rest of us avoided it.
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