safarhis

It was our last morning in Xaoo. Our transfer to our next camp was at 9:25am, too early to allow us to go on an early morning game drive with Tom, Siân, Brody and Nicole. They had headed off with Joe at 6am as usual. We, on the other hand, had a ‘lie in’ until 7am which was luxury. It was light when we woke up and made our way to the dining area for a cooked breakfast. Ma brought me tea and Rhiannon hot chocolate (it was too early for a welcome drink).

After breakfast, we collected our bags and worked out the tips. We pooled our Botswana pula and US dollars and calculated the recommended amount for each lodge and each tracker. On top of this, we gave a good tip to Ma and a very good tip to Joe who had set the highest bar by which all other guides would be measured. Despite having no previous safari experience, we knew that his combination of skill, perseverance and good humour would be difficult to match.

TH drove us to the spot we had visited the night before to photograph the stars. Instead of the Milky Way, we saw a helicopter. It was piloted by Liam, an Aussie who provided the ‘dos and dont’s’: do wear your seatbelts and your headset. Do NOT walk under the blade.

It was an exhilarating experience. We soared upwards and cut rapidly through the skies above the Okavango Delta. We could see elephants gathering at watering holes and giraffes loping along. A ‘journey’ of giraffes, I thought, as opposed to a ‘tower’ of giraffes when they stand still. We had enjoyed a discussion about collective nouns of animals with the group. We had seen parades of elephants, dazzles of zebra, troops of monkeys, bloats of hippos and a pack of wild dogs. How we hoped to see a cackle of hyena and a coalition of cheetahs around the Moremi Game Reserve.

As the helicopter slowly descended, we could see the change in the landscape: the vast deltas surrounding Xaoo had been like a bath overflowing and streams of water spilling around the countless trees. Below us now were large open plains, expanses of green and wooded areas, all liberally spotted with watering holes. We had been told to expect more animals here and it made perfect sense. Had I been a cheetah, I’d be setting up camp here too.

Our new Land Cruiser and new guide were waiting for us. His name was Onks. He was, we later found out, 35 years old and from Maun. My first impression was that he was serious and that we would have to work hard to make conversation. Rhiannon’s first impression was that he wasn’t Joe. We were both right.

He drove us to Mochechelo (“Moch-uh-chello”) Camp where the staff were outside performing a welcome song for us before handing us our welcome drinks. “Ooh, lemonade …” I said happily to Rhiannon, my voice trailing off when I remembered that she does not like fizzy drinks. She would not be requesting seven of these particular drinks.

Flo, one of the assistant managers, took us through the induction. Unlike in Xaoo, we were not permitted to walk alone to our room in the dark but would need Onks to escort us with a torch. The reason for this is that the camp is open and has its own watering hole which attracts game of all sorts. There is a fence but it does not always stop elephants from breaking through.

Our tent was at the end of the camp and offered the best view over the watering hole. By our first ‘high tea’, we had seen elephants, warthogs and zebra and Rhiannon had spent ten minutes holding her camera poised to take a photograph of an lilac breasted roller who perched stubbornly on a stick, refusing to fly off and give her the ‘money shot’. In the end, the camera became too hot so we left it to cool down and went over to meet our fellow guests who had just moved in to the tent next door.

I had seen the backs of our neighbours’ heads as they ‘moved in’ next door and thought, optimistically, that the backs of their heads looked friendly. The couple was from Toulon and retired. The woman was Claudine. I am ashamed to say that I do not know the man’s name because, after asking him three times, it just sounded as though he was repeating my name back to me. I quietly asked Rhiannon what his name was. Her response: “I think it’s Claudette.” We will name him Claude for our purposes.

Claudine’s first words to us, other than to speak her name, were, “I do not speak English.” Buoyed by my French Duolingo streak of 950 days, I thought I would attempt some French. She laughed, literally, in my face. Claude had “un peu” of English but they were clearly not looking for amis.

Our first game drive began at 4pm which was later than we were used to. Rhiannon and I walked to the truck discussing where to sit when, in a pincer like movement, Claudine attacked from the right and took the front seat whilst Claude clambered up into the second seat. Looking at each other in amazement, Rhiannon and I took our customary seats in the back, being careful not to let any of our belongings fall from our pockets. As the French couple spoke in their native tongue, we started to speak Welsh. My spoken Welsh would continue to improve during my time at Mogogelo.

Our surroundings, however, did wonders for our moods. The grass was lush, the skies big and the game copious. We saw so many zebra and impala that we stopped pointing them out. We also saw the kori bustard, Botswana’s national bird.

Onks stopped regularly to tell us interesting facts:

* Impala often travel with zebra for safety because zebra are taller and can see over the tall grass.

* An African spoonbill has a beak like a soup spoon.

*Purple panweed is natural pot pourri

* Sparrow weaver males make their nests for females to inspect. If the female is happy, they mate and raise chicks there together. If she does not approve, he has one more chance. If the second attempt fails to meet her exacting standards, the ‘woman’ goes elsewhere.

“Cool,” said Rhiannon and I approvingly.

“Qu’est-ce que c’est?” asked Claudine.

“Oiseau,” answered her husband.

“Ah, bon.” She replied.

Having apparently decided that no one should speak English, she regularly spoke over Onks. We had the most picturesque yet awkward sundowner before heading back for dinner. Rhiannon and I would have liked to stay out longer but were very excited at the prospect of spending the following two days in this wonderful place. Who knew what we would see.

As we returned to the camp, little did we know what lay in store …