Islands

A bit of a surprise to us in getting internet again so whilst we have it and a hour to spare relaxing I might as well do a quick update.

Whilst at Planet Baobab we had booked a night under the stars in Makgadikgadi Pans and the trip out was at least partly by quad bike. After a 90 min drive trough the sand in a safari truck we came to a small cattle outpose in the middle of nowhere. Lots of cattle around some in Bomas but in one were a whole load of Quad Bikes. Choose one, these took two people and they wouldnt let us have one each so Jan hops on back and away we go following the safari truck. Slowly at first in dust and sand through the cattle station then out onto the pan proper and up the speed to flat out trying to follow the truck. We needed to as we are also going out to a Meerkat area and looking forward to finding them.

The meerkats were found and we spent a good 90 mins with them watching them at very close quarters as the dug everywhere for scorpions. They seemed to sniff them out under the ground then dig for perhaps 5-10 mins going quite deep before coming up with a big juicy scorpion as food.

After the Meerkats it was back on the bikes riding through the sunset until it was nearly dark then on the horizon we saw a camp fire. Riding across the pan to it we found a long table set out with dinner for the 4 of us in the group plus the driver leading us and this one guy in the middle of nowhere, nothing around but salt pans.

Dinner was a BBQ under the stars with beer and wine that we had carefully made sure was going. Bed was quite early, around 9.00pm with a full moon and bed rolls laid out on the salt. It was chilly in the night especially when a dust storm started for a few mins but snuggle deep in the bed rolls we were warm and out of the dust. A great night with just the stars and moon over us.

Bedtime under the stars

Get up lazy, suns coming up!!

Next morning up before sunrise and coffe to a backdrop of a reddening sky then the sun. That was the coldest part but soon warmed up ready for the trip back by Quad then truck to a full breakfast at Planet Baobab.

It was then a drive across more pans, this time with just a GPS system to guide us to a place called Kubu Island. This outcrop of stunted Baobab trees on a rocky outcrop is miles from anywhwere and 500 years ago was an island in the middle of a huge lake. The lake is totally dry now and is just mile upon mile of flat salt. We camped on the island in the trusty Land Cruiser knowing that this was going to be our last night camping, from now on it is in lodges. Again it was a beautiful night with a full moon casting long shadows of the wierd Baobab Trees.

Final Night in the Land Cruiser

Cooking under the moon by a camp fire

Now on the run in home, tonight in a small lodge just outside FrancisTown then a couple of nights in a lodge on Limpopo River just inside Botswana before our last 2 nights back where we started at Thula Meetsa Lodge in South Africa and a couple of hours drive from Johannesburg and the airport