Safari: Nxamaseri Day 1
Our last camp, Nxamaseri, along the Okavango River, is not about game drives, but rather about taking a side trip to the Tsodilo Hills site – a site with ancient rock art.
The trip in was…interesting. From the airstrip we took a truck to a small boat. The boat took us to the camp.
After the customary check-in, drink, and safety briefing, we were shown to our cottage.
After lounging for a bit, we took a sunset cruise on the Okavango River with our guide, Fish. We saw hippos, crocodiles, and loads of birds.
While we were making our way down the river, Fish spotted some hippos. He stopped the boat, then backed up a bit. He stopped and explained to us what he was about to do. We were going to gun the boat, and go over the hippos. I think we must have looked at him like he was crazy. But he went on to explain that the hippos in the river are used to boats, and they know when one comes by, they should get down low, let the boat pass, and then they can pop back up. It sounded insane, but Fish grew up on the river, so we had to trust him.
At one point, we pulled into a little side stream/alcove in the river, and Fish turned off the boat so we could talk a bit. He went over the plan for our outing the next day. He also talked about how the bushmen use the papyrus plants, among the ways was as a hat. He also talked a bit more about the bushmen, which was his background.
While we were stopped there talking, I suddenly heard a hippo surface near the boat – just a bit of water gurgling and a clearing of nostrils, but it was enough to make me scream! Fish tapped his hand on the side of our boat, to scare the hippo away. Between his tapping and my screaming, the hippo decided he wanted no part of us. Thank goodness!
We stopped on the river for a sundown drink.
Then back to the lodge. During our pre-dinner drinks, we got to talking with the other guests. One couple was on their honeymoon, and suddenly I hear Andrew ask the husband, seemingly out of the blue, “Did you used to work with [some former co-worker of Andrew I can’t now remember]?” I think I looked at him like he was an alien, and even more-so after I heard the answer of “yes”. Andrew explained that his former co-worker had mentioned a that she knew of a couple who would be in Botswana about the same time as us. What are the chances?? We struck up a conversation that continued through dinner.
Then to bed.