Friday 6th April 2007

We arrived at Caprivi Bush Experiences’ camp after dark at the end of a long day of travelling.  Our wildlife encounter began with a chance meeting of a rare Scops Owl, close to camp.  We were shown to our tents and then reconvened around the fire to meet our hosts and share a delicious dinner.  We retired early to get a good night’s sleep.

Saturday 7th April 2007

We had breakfast at 7am and then went back to school to learn the ins and outs of 4*4 driving and maintenance.  After learning our alternators from our engines we performed a safety check on Madala (the camp’s legendary Land Cruiser vehicle).  We each took Madala for a quick spin to get used to the handling then came back to the camp for lunch.  The afternoon was spent negotiating various terrains – including sandy slopes, pot holes and in Dave’s case, trees.  We got to grips with high range, low range and diff-lock before taking on the fearsome 4*4 course with the accompaniment of local children singing.  After a brief respite we helped Bazil fill in the bridge with sand to catch up with the rising Kwando River water level.  Four truck loads of sand and three metres of bridge later, we returned to camp in time for a well deserved beer.  Dinner was followed by several rounds of rummy and an early night.

Easter Sunday 8th April 2007

We had a lie-in and then enjoyed a delicious cooked breakfast.  To celebrate Easter we improvised by melting Bar One chocolate bars and moulding them into individually wrapped ‘Easter Cubes’.  We had a relaxing afternoon around the camp, getting up occasionally to chase cows out of camp and to purchase thatching grass.  We were introduced to the Afrikaans game of Kleilat which involved Bazil pelting us with clay from a stick! A few bruises and a lot of mud later we went for a swim to wash a way the evidence of our defeat!

Monday 9th April 2007

The morning was spent learning the various uses of Namibian flora.  We were shown how to make rope from the Terminalia tree, make dye from the Sausage tree and coffee and alcohol from pretty much every other plant! Our attempts at fire-by-friction failed so fire-by-matches prevailed.  Marietjie demonstrated the use of a torch head to light a cigarette.  In the afternoon we went to Bwabwata National Park.  We encountered Lechwe, Hippos, Impala, Kudu and some interesting birds on our way to sun-downer drinks at The Horseshoe.  After being chased from our vantage spot by an inconsiderate Hippo, we watched the sunset from the safety of the trusted Madala.  On the way back, after an astronomy lesson, we picked up the tracks of a Leopard walking on the road.  We stopped to investigate further but later regretted it after having nervously to push-start the vehicle.

Tuesday 10th April 2007

We left the camp by boat at 7:30am and drifted up to a Hippo-maintained channel to join “the mighty” Kwando River.  After a quick swim on a sand bank, we upgraded our boat to a larger vessel and set off for a few hours of fishing.  At sunset we got back to our other boat with no fish but many great memories.  The day was spent dodging Hippos and Crocodiles and soaking up the sun and the beautiful views.

Wednesday 11th April 2007

We started the day by learning everything there is to know about African mammals, including appearance, habits and spoor.  We put our knowledge to the test by tracking each other through the bush.  Emma and Laura succeeded only in tracking a stray cow while Dave and Charley turned out to be naturals at it.  The plans for the afternoon were put on hold while we attempted to resuscitate Madala, who was suffering from respiratory difficulties (flat battery).  Numerous failed push starts and no output later, we left Bazil to it and went for a hard-earned swim.

Thursday 12th April 2007

Today the spirit of Easter was alive and well at Caprivi Bush Experiences’ camp as we witnessed the remarkable resurrection of the mighty Madala.  On the other side of the camp, we continued our African education by learning about astrology, snakes, first aid and rifle handling.  We were then let loose with a pellet gun which we all found quite addictive as we honed our skills and destroyed several Marula fruit targets.  In the afternoon we went Wildebeest tracking near the local village of Choi.  After searching intently for over an hour in the Caprivi heat, our only reward was a lone bull.  We returned home at sunset for an evening of soulful relaxation.