BootsnAll Travel Blogs

update 26th June Well, as I now get the keys to the Landie, I can drive folks around (well kind of: I get to drive the students up to meeting points with Stuart) its kind of entertaining as theres quite a few ellies around again now…we got charged the other day: firstly we got ambushed – an ellie had pushed a tree down over the road, we got out to try and move the tree but then the ellie appeared so we had to jump back in the landie and wait for it to disappear again. Then after driving another couple of hundred metres, I spotted a small ellie at the side of the road, eating a tree…it was too young to be on its own, so we hung about and waited. soon the Matriarch came thru the bush and was cutting off my escape route along the road, so as it approached I quickly drove off along the road, past it – at which point it trumpetted (so loudly that Stuart who was a good 1/4 mile away heard it) and gave chase. As we escaped we drove past teh rest of the herd which was hiding in the bushes where the young ‘un had been!!

lots of fun eh?

Ive been asked to help out at Tuli, so I’m back in Botswana again!!!

basically Charlie the co-ordinator has visa problems so in the short term, I’m working as student co-ordiantor in the camp

its nice to be back and see Stuart and Anna-lein again – nice group of students here too it seems (apart from the fact that theyre mostly giggly girls) Its interesting to see how much its changed here: much drier and less leaves etc on the bushes, but same old Tuli non the less. The ellies are just returning and theres loads of leopard prints (again) though nowts been seen (again!)

more info laterz

well my 6 weeks at GC is up – sad really

its been incredible: being so close to the animals – and is some cases grappling with them is incredible and summat I never thoughtI would do!

we spent most of our time on the outskirts and then deeper into the Kalahari – beautiful farms with sand instead of soil. catching the animals I already mentioned plus Gemsbok (Oryx) both normal and Arabian types, plus HArtebeest, Blesbok, Bontebok, Eland etc.

the guys who work for Aitjie are a lot of fun too – though a little mad (Tokman looks and talks like the russian boxer from Rocky, Lap looks like a slimmer version of one of the current Sprinbok props – and is like hyperactive, Jan is fairly normal – apart from his collection of 700 knives and Johan is just plain nuts)

Its been good for me too as I drove the bakkie around a lot of the time, helping the boys to move Boma parts a round

on my last day I managed to get a flight with Aitjie over the Kalahari Rangers safari farm (where we were catching)- he took me over a herd (?) of giraffe for photos, which was nice

I WILL post my pics soon honest, no really…well some of them – Ive managed to lose 3 CD’s of photos from Tuli and GC…..I’m just hoping that after they finish the renovations on the Church, they’ll find them again and I can collect them. Heres hoping