Friday 26 July 2013

Day 12: Third Bridge Camp


The day started with a game drive as before. Since we had to drive towards South Gate tomorrow we decided to take a drive in that direction to see if the tracks are drivable or not. In between we tried to take a detour towards the Mboma Island loop that we drove yesterday. Somehow we couldn’t find the connecting route though our maps showed a clear track towards it. Anyway, the drive was not so bad as we came across a small herd of ellie with a baby elephant. It was so small and was trying to drink milk from the cow all the time. I think it is not more than a couple of weeks old. Very cute!
Later on we drove the route leading to Xakanaxa gate. Since we didn’t see any game on the route we took a detour to one of the ‘Boga sites’ (I don’t know what that means!). We came across a herd of ellies again, this time with an youngster lying on the ground and sleeping. That was beautiful.  We spend quite some time there watching the ellies (you never get tired of it) and then drove further. We didn’t have any clear destination in mind. We just drove wherever the track took us. Only problem with such drives is that once you are stuck, you will be stuck there for quite long time. Especially when you are driving alone.

The day was getting hotter. At around noon we stopped at a shade and both of us slept there for almost an hour.  One cannot describe the feeling when you are in the middle of nowhere, close to nature, with a little breeze soothing your skin, listening to the music of the wildlife around you and being with the people you love being with.  I know I am going to miss it for ever!
We drove back to the camp later on. In the morning we decided to go for a boat ride in the delta. The old couple we shared the camp with, Richard and Mary, was also interested in joining us. In one way it was good as the rent we pay is for the boat no matter if it is just one person or 4 persons the price is always the same.  So it reduces the price per person and also they were really nice people. I thought it will at least give the Lady a break from me. Badly needed probably! We decided to do it at 4 pm for 2 hrs when the sun is not so hot.

It’s a pity that there is no Makoro trips from Third Bridge. It was motorised boat. Our guide, Receptor was a good guy, funny to chat with, knowledgeable, and was also keen to share it with others. Though we didn’t see any of the Big 5, we did see a couple of Letchwe and a lot of birds. The zig zag drive through the delta is a different feeling when you had been in a 4x4 for the last 10 days. In the end we both felt that it was a good decision to for the boat ride.
At night, after dinner, we chatted around the campfire that Richard has lit. Again, we had the hyena’s visiting us in the dark. Living with nature, I loved it!

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