OkaVango Delta Blues

1. While spending time in Zimbabwe, we have been following the path of our passports which were sent off to the Ethiopian Embassy in Toronto to obtain our visas. To get there they had to go through South Africa, Germany, Holland and Britain. They are a whole lot better travelled then we are!
   We finally got them back the other day along with a very large bill. This whole thing was caused because in Canada you cannot get a visa to Ethiopa more than three months before you enter the country. The passports have now returned, looking none the worse for wear.
   
   
   We had four nights at a lion rehab establishment called Antelope Park. It was quite a nice resort type place. A couple of our activities that stand out were a lion feeding which is designed to help determine the dominant males. So what happens is you stand behind a wire fence with some slabs of raw meat lying on just the other side of the fence. A hundred metres away a signal releases 7 male lions who set off in a dead sprint for the meat. We both had trouble keeping our cameras focused as 6 inches away they fought for the best piece of meat. 
   
   
   
   
   
   The other favourite was spending a little over two hours with a pride of lions stalking a herd of elands. It was fascinating to watch their strategies as they moved through the scrub grass. One even circled the elands to flush the herd toward the rest of the pride.
   It all ended up with lions going hungry and the elands going home ( this time). That would be Lions 0, Elands 1.
   
   
   In Matapos, our next stop, we were treated to great examples of Zimbabwe's balancing rocks. You see these all over the country. 
   
   
   
   
   
   We did a rhino walk in Matapos National Park, but it was a miserable rainy day and there are very few animals in this park as it has been ravaged by poachers.
   The camp ground was highlighted by enormous sculptured boulders and colourful lizards. They were able to incorporate the boulders into their buildings..which was pretty neat. We are at the beginning of the rainy season and we have had heavy short downpours and all night steady rainfalls mixed in with gorgeous sunny days and beautiful skies.
   
   
   From Matapos we picked up the wandering passports and crossed into Botswana, whch looks to be a happy country. No no visas!
   
   
   We are now in the Okavango Delta and are told the Okavango River rises in Angola and flows south and east into the desert. There it creates a vast delta and turns the desert into grasslands, reed filled swamps and forests.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Our group travelled by mokoros ( dug out canoe) for a night and day exploring the delta. It is a paradise for animals and on our return we heard. the sound of hippos in the high reeds near our boats. Coming onto an open area we found 5 large ones snorting and breaking the surface. They were very aware of us and the guides were on high alert. As two came closer to our boats we hastily carried on our way. The Okavango has given us our very best sunsets so far. These are also the hottest temperatures...our guides showed us a swimming hole that was guaranteed to not have crocodiles It was delightful to just loll about.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   We expect to be on the move from now until Christmas, our next stop being Chobe National Park.