The day started off with another wake-up knock at 6:00am and I was already mostly ready for the day. I walked to breakfast with the guide and left my packed bags by the door where they said they would pick them up for us before taking us to the airfield.
We did the morning drive and I finally got to see the lake
where the Hippos were all hanging out. I
could hear them all morning long, making their deep grunting noises that almost
sounded like Jabba the Hut from Star Wars, laughing away. They sounded so close to my cabin, but the
sound must have just travelled really well.
There were at least a dozen hippos in the lake, just kind of soaking
there, and they would pop up from time to time and look at us, before closing
their eyes or slowing sliding back under the water again. What a life that must be. We watched them from a number of angles for a
long while… and it was just relaxing. The morning was nice and cool and felt
great after the heat of yesterday afternoon.
We left the hippos alone and sent to check on the Lions and
see if they might be drinking at the watering hole near the kill, but we weren’t
that lucky, and they were back in the brush where we really couldn’t see
them. Guess my wait for Lions is still
on. The vultures were all still up in
the trees, so we knew the Lions had to be there.
The game drive was short this morning as our flight was
leaving around 10:30am, so we headed to the lodge, made sure our bags had all
been gathered up, had brunch and then headed to the air strip to wait for our
bush plane to arrive. We didn’t have to
wait long before it came in, unloaded some people and we loaded up, and took
off for our next camp. This flight’s
pilot looked at least 5 years older than the last one, so we knew we were in
good hands. LOL
The flight was only 30 minutes and a straight shot from air
strip to air strip. We all enjoyed looking
out the window and seeing what we could spot along the way.
We were picked up by our new guides at the airstrip and they
told us we would do a short game drive on the way to the camp, since they
wouldn’t be ready for us for a while yet.
No sooner did we leave the airstrip area than I could tell this would be
a different kind of experience from the last camp. The landscape here was more open,
and we hadn’t gone a mile before seeing the first Giraffes of the trip, more
Zebra, a pair of Jackals napping next to a small water hole, etc. It was so cool to see the Jackals while they
were resting as it gave us time to photograph them without them running away or
being too far from us. We also ran into
more Impala which as I I said in an earlier post, was going to be the theme of
this trip. They are literally everywhere.
We got to the camp and were warmly welcomed by everyone
there. They gave us a tour of the main areas and then told us which cabins were
ours and we were taken there and given a quick rundown on how everything
worked. This camp has a cool watering
hole just off the main eating area, and when I got to my cabin, I was very
surprised to learn that I also had a great view of it from my deck. The cabin also had both an indoor and outdoor
shower which I knew for sure I would have to try out one night so that I could
shower under the stars. I already love
this cabin more than the last and have been very impressed with how nice
everything is.
We had time for a break until 3, so I sat on my deck and
relaxed, watching animals come down to drink.
There were a bunch of impalas there to start with, but after less than 15
minutes, I saw three Giraffe come out of the trees and wander down too. I took
some photos from my deck, but there was a lot of heat haze at the time, so not
sure how sharp any of those photos will be. I’ll have to look at them closer
when I get back home.
The afternoon game drive was nice, perfect weather even if a
bit on the hot side. We saw more
Jackals, some Wildebeest, more Impalas (see!), and then found a Giraffe at a
watering hole as the sun was setting. I
was surprised how close to the Giraffe we were able to get and sit there and watch
it.
It’s been a long day, and it was nice to get back to the camp
and enjoy a nice dinner before heading to the cabin for a good night’s
sleep. Tomorrow is going to be an early
start. With how nice out it is right
now, and how clear the skies are, it’s time to try that outdoor shower and head
to bed.
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