WILD RIDE ON THE SAVANNA

Our last night in Botswana, we decided to do one more game drive and a "proper wine time" out on the savanna. We piled into our open jeep in temps over 100 degrees. Lots of animals seeking the little shade on this treeless expanse. After a very hot and very bumpy ride, we found a little shade and Chis, our great driver started dragging out the wine and beer. Well, as when one is having a good time, we overstayed our welcome. This close to the equator, the sun sets fast! The drivers have to be out of the park by dark or they get heavy fines, and can lose their guide privileges. Botswana also has a very stringent and tough "anti poaching" law and units dedicated to going after these brainless idiots, that poach at night. We were going pretty fast to get to the gate by sundown, when Steve spotted a huge female lion stalking a herd of impalas. Of course, we had to side track and observe this sight, which put us even later. That is when Chris showed us he could rival any Indy car driver out there, except we were in 4 wheel drive in deep sand and rutted roads. I have never held on so tight as were were literally raised from our seats over and over. We came across a jeep stuck in the sand, but there were others helping to maneuver it out. We didn't want to be late, so Chis cranked the jeep in low gear and we climbed a big sandy scrub hill. It was like a sand dune ride at the OR coast! I tried to take pictures, but could not let go of the grab bar, or I would have tumbled out. We were bumpy flying! We made it with ONE minute to spare, reported the stuck jeep, and hit the showers to get rid of all the dust and dirt. It was a workout to balance and hold on.
This morning we are leaving Botswana and "Precious Ramotswe" land(Ladies Detective Agency).
We drive to Kazangula border, then take a ferry to Zambia. We then drive again to Livingston Airport and catch a small flight to the airstrip by our new lodge, THE ROYAL ZAMBEZI, where we will be sleeping in tents. We should be floating down the Zambezi River by "wine time".