2024 POSTCARD FROM AFRICA [BOTSWANA & SOUTH AFRICA] Monday 19 February – Monday 11 March 2024

I had a very poor flight to Johannesburg on Monday 19th. We went over a lot of ‘cobbles’ so was wide awake for many hours, and then the Galley started crashing around, so basically got no sleep. Arrived in Jo’burg about 15 minutes early and then had to spend four hours at the airport. Fortunately found a lounge where I could use wifi and catch up with myself and await my next flight. Eventually arrived in Kasane at 1.30 and my guide Innocent met me. After settling in went on a short evening safari and saw hundreds of elephants, plus a few giraffe, buffalo and hippo and needless to say hundreds of impala! Night one was not very good. After a nice dinner retired to my room and sorted my photos before falling into bed very tired indeed after two days of travel. Sadly I woke up in the middle night feeling ill and was very sick. Then slept on until around 5.30am when I was woken again with a bad stomach and had to rush to the loo many times. Took some Imodium and hopefully that sorted it. It did! Went on a good safari that morning with no problems. In the afternoon I was joined by a very nice lady called Vee, and we had a lovely afternoon on a boat safari on the Chobe River. On Thursday morning Vee and I joined our guide Innocent on a good day out, first a safari drive, and then a boat cruise around the Chobe River with food and wine thrown in!!! [Not that I ate much but I enjoyed some Rosé wine]. Then a quiet dinner and an earlyish night. Friday morning I did a game drive with Vee and a good viewing of a lioness with cubs enjoying their kill of an impala. In the afternoon I went on a boat ride with Innocent on my own and a lovely afternoon seeing elephants, hippos, crocodiles to mention a few and many wonderful birds. Saturday I was on my own all day, so went out on a whole day safari from 8am to 4.45pm. We drove for a couple of hours first thing on a main road [albeit with plenty of animals!], to a different part of Chobe National Park. We then spent the day travelling back to the lodge across the National Park. It will be especially remembered for seeing hundreds of giraffes, many of them unusually sitting down! Also saw plenty of elephants and lions, as well as some beautiful birds. On Sunday I spent the day on a boat on the Chobe River with my guide Innocent. The morning was excellent, the afternoon not so good. My boat was so small there was no loo and we were on board from 9am to 3.30pm. I managed to persuade him to let me leap off and go into the bushes once! We did however have a very good viewing of elephants playing in the water, which made my day, and also some unbelievably large hippos. My guide did not organise things quite as well as usual, but we did manage some hot chocolate with Amarula in the morning and some Rosé wine with a light lunch. On my final day in Botswana, I did a morning and an afternoon game safari by car and saw hundreds of elephants that day in and around the Chobe River, saw a few lions too. In the evening I was the sole guest of the lodge so enjoyed a quiet dinner and an earlyish night! On Tuesday morning, I had a lie-in and late breakfast, and then spent the morning packing up. I left the lodge at 2.30pm for the airport. It was a long afternoon/evening! A flight to Jo’burg, and then a tight connection to Cape Town, getting there at 8pm, but not out of the airport until 8.30pm. My car/shuttle picked me up and I eventually got to the hotel at 9.30. I had a lovely room, although it was a bit sad to have a bare fridge and no welcome note. On Wednesday I spent the morning by the pool, and on my return to my room all had been put right with bottles and a full fridge and some other bits and pieces, all courtesy of the General Manager!!! Enjoyed an evening in my room consuming some of the goodies and had an early night. On Thursday I spent the morning by the pool and then met up with a girlfriend for a lovely evening – sundowners on the waterfront followed by dinner in a nearby restaurant. After that I tended to spend my mornings by the pool and have a wander around the Waterfront in the late afternoon. Sometimes dining in my room and sometimes on the Waterfront. One evening I went on a sunset cruise – not the most exciting event but got some good photos and had a glass or two of fizz. The following evening I had an early drink with the GM of the Table Bay Hotel – it was good to be able to discuss things from my side, and from her side it was interesting to hear about the refurbishment of the hotel in 2025 [from 1/3-1/12]. On my last day but one, my friend Kerry picked me up at 10.45 and took me off into the winelands for the day. We started off in very thick cloud but it soon gave away to sunshine and we had a lovely sunny day. We visited Beau Constantia and Groot Constantia wine estates, had lunch at Bistro 1682 and then she drove me back via Hout Bay and Chapman’s Creek to see some of the wonderful views. My last day and a half were spent by the pool in gorgeous weather, doing nothing very much! Had an easy journey home, landing at 4.30am and was home soon after 6am and went straight to bed! <