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  Tuesday 18th of November 2014 and they called me at 5 thirty in the morning. Darn! I was tired, but I was looking forward to the safari and it didn't take me long to get out of the bed. Breakfast at 6 and we were departing for the safari at 6 thirty. I started the day with a diet  drink and then I had a shower. One more diet drink and a few words on my web page and I was in the restaurant 20 minutes past 6.
A quick cuppa and some toast before dashing off to the jeep where I met my new friends, a couple form UK and 2 ladies from France. We took off and it was a beautiful morning. But the road was bumpy and I was sitting in the last row of seats on the Land Rover. I had booked private safari but all cars were occupied so I had to go in a group. And I was sitting in the back bouncing up and down. The roads were  terrible around here.
We came into the forest and there was a terrible noise and I thought it was wild dogs. But it turned out to be baboons running away from something. We never saw anything chasing them so maybe they were just playing around making noise for the fun of it. We watched them for a while and when we grew tired of them we left. When I came to Africa we saw one impala baby per day, maximum. Now the landscape have turned in to a Kindergarten.  Baboons come running
 Baboons come running
 Early morning onslaught of adorableness
Yes, the impala have gone from being one of the most boring things to see to be an adorableness. And the young males have turned in to a real attraction when they are practicing butting for the  mating season next year. And I think the hell breaks loose in April. And if you have ever heard these deer’s or antelopes butting you know it sounds like gun shots. But now in the beginning of the rainy season it is an onslaught of adorableness coming out on the safari with the babies all over the place.
OK, noting to do with the onslaught of adorableness, but I wish to see a baby hippo. I have seen many of them, but only in the water. So I wish to see one ashore before leaving for the Kalahari desert as the chance to see a hippo in  Kalahari is less than slim. But as I use to say, safari and everything can happen.
We continued to explore Moremi Game Reserve and we drove on roads that was worse than anything I had experienced in Botswana so far and my ass was really trash after bouncing up and down in the back of the jeep. But it was also fun and the other was looking back when I was moaning and groaning in the back of the car. Well, we have to suffer in order to experience good things on a safari and we continued   towards new discoveries.
The rainy season had just started and we have had heavy rain yesterday. Yeah, like that was foocking impossible to notice on the boat yesterday evening. There were water in all the holes on the road and some of them was very deep. Easy to imagine how it will be here during the rainy season. We drove on and there was nothing very exciting to see, except all the impala babies. And we saw an owl in a tree. They called us on the radio and they had seen a Leopard and we decided to go there in extra HIGH speed not to miss the leopard. For the rest of the people in the jeep it was easy, but in the back there was nothing reminding me of comfort. But they wanted to see the leopard and I was in a group so it was just to hang on.  The leopard is about to climb down when we arrive
 The leopard is about to climb down when we arrive
 We were disappointed when the leopard left, we thought that we would never see her again
 We were very surprised, it looked like she is coming our way
 As expected, she leaves in the other direction
 Where is she going now?
 SHE IS COMING OUR WAY!
 She is coming closer
 The leopard is a very beautiful animal
 I’ll be darned, looks like she have decided to cross the road behind our jeep.
Suddenly I was in the best seat  By now I could sense how the other passengers regretted that they didn't choose to sit in the back
 This is a cat, not a lard ass lion sleeping all day long
 Everyone was very surprised, no one had expected the leopard to come towards us.
A leopards way of saying PISS OFF? The leopard disappeared on the other side of the road. We were very happy for this sight, this was a very rare occurrence to get so close to a leopard. We got the jeep started and suddenly we had a second sighting. We put the jeep in to gear and we took off. This leopard was in the tree and he stayed there. We could see him but my sight was covered by some bushes so it took some time for me to see him. We stayed for a few minutes before we took off again.  This leopard is having a good time in the tree
 This leopard is having a good time in the tree
 A zebra having a good time
 Impala excitements - Getting ready for the mating season 2015
 Impala excitements - Getting ready for the mating season 2015
 Impala excitements - Getting ready for the mating season 2015
 Impala excitements - Getting ready for the mating season 2015
 Looks like an ordinary Saturday night down at the local pub
 Looks like an ordinary Saturday night down at the local pub
   Woodland Kingfisher hides in a bush
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 On safari in Moremi Game reserve and we run in to yet another onslaught of adorableness
 The Rolla, my favourite bird
 She takes off - Was I lucky with this shoot or what?
We left the leopards behind and we were driving around passing zebras and plenty of impalas. We  spotted a Rollo, my favourite bird and we stopped. He was soon taking off and I shoot a few pictures from the “hip” I checked my camera and I  could not believe my luck.
I managed to get a picture of the bird taking off and I was very happy. Of course, I would have been happier if I would have got a picture from behind. But from forward is better than nothing. I was very happy with the picture and we continued towards a dead hippo. Two male hippos had been fighting a few days back and hippos usually fight until one of them are dead. One of them died and   as hippos are grass eaters the winner left leaving the loser for the lions.
Hippos have huge teeth, but they are only used to fight with. Well, a dead hippo is plenty food and the lions have been there for a few days. Sleeping in the day eating in the evening without having to hunt. This is the lion equivalence of winning millions of dollars on the lottery. But the stank, the dead hippo stank up the place and it was a horrid smell.  Yes, it was almost impossible to stay there. But we wanted pictures and I had spotted some crocodiles on the other side of the pond. 7 or 8 of them and some of them looked to be very big. Well, one of the really big crocodiles turned out to be 3 crocodiles.
First I spotted one crocodile and after I while I saw more and more of them. We were soon off for new adventures.  Crocodiles
 Crocodiles
 Crocodiles
 Impala eating close to the Crocodiles
 Monitor Lizard
 Bended Mongooses
 Bended Mongooses
 Antelope
 Antelope
There is never a dull moment in Moremi Game Reserve. We were passing animals all the time. It starts he same every day, the first 30 minutes nothing is happening and I expect it to be a  boring safari, but suddenly everything explodes and there is no end to the excitement in the jungle.
For example when we spotted a Woodland Kingfisher. Woodland Kingfisher is a very beautiful bird and we stopped to take a few pictures. I discovered a new born impala under the Kingfisher. The one we saw in Savute was very new, less  than an hour. But here we're talking minutes, the baby is still wet and can't walk.
An impala baby can walk after about 10 minutes. And this one could not walk and the baby was still wet. Now the rest of the car forgot about the Woodland Kingfisher and we concentrated on the new impala baby. At least until I suggested that we should leave in order to respect the animals and not to disturb. Everyone agreed and we left the mother and the baby alone. And good luck to the baby, our Guide told us that only about 50% of them make it to adult age. And as it was like  we almost had adopted this baby we wished her all the luck in the world.
- WE LOVE YOU! Yes, this babies are very cute and it is almost like I want to take them all home and protect them. But then a lot of other animals would die. And as they said when I did the MEGA dung ball for the dung beetle at Chobe River: Let nature have its course. And have you ever seen a new born cow? Looks pretty much the same so think about that when you eat your beef next time!  The baby want to follow her mom
 She stands up on wobbly legs for the first time in her life
 She try to walk after her mom
 She try to walk after her mom
 She is standing up and her mom is licking her dry
 A gorgeous African morning - I would not want to miss it for a million
 Desert & Delta Safari - What a day they have given us
 At least I run in to difficulties trying to imagine a better start on the day than this
 What a beautiful sight
 The baby wants milk
 A few minutes have passed, and in a few minutes the baby will be able to run after the mother
 A few minutes have passed, and in a few minutes the baby will be able to run after the mother
  Walking after the mother on wobbly legs
 Already running after the mother - Not many minutes have passed
 Already running after the mother - Not many minutes have passed
 Already running after the mother - Not many minutes have passed
 There they go!
First picture taken @ 14:18 Bangkok time and last picture taken @ 14:24 Bangkok time. Amazing, 6 minutes between the first stand up until running and leaping around. The leopard was amazing,  but the new born impala makes it to the top of the list of good experiences since arriving to Victoria Falls 2 weeks ago.
2 Week??!! Darn, the time have really turned quickly here in Africa. But I have had nothing but a fantastic time here, well, Into Africa - Bush Cuisine and Ghoha Hills Camp is 2 of the things I don't care to experience again. But otherwise, FABULOUS! OK, I'm not looking forward to go back home. I could easily have stayed here for quite some  time. OK, honestly, I'm looking forward (a wee bit) to come to Johannesburg so I can go to a shopping mall to have a soft  ice. Even two maybe, but that’s the only thing.
Yes, my companions in the jeep agreed with me. The impala baby had been the best thing. And the couple form UK in front of me are experienced Africa people. The French ladies didn't  spoke much English. They were in the front row of seat taking pictures with a phone. They were giggling and laughing and every now and then there was a “voila” and “hoppla”
They had the time of their life, around 60 to 70 and not much English. But they had taken off to Africa with a  camera in the phone. They had a very good time.
But the made me think about the age when you're going to stop taking pictures, I mean, when you’re 70 is there much future left for looking at pictures from “BACK IN THE DAYS” Well, I don't know, and I will not waste much time pondering the problem, I don't expect to hit 70. Anyway, we continued and we ended up in a glade and there was a huge termite nest with a  monkey and a baby on top of it.
This was monkeys and not baboons, something they were very particular with at Chobe River. Every time we saw baboons I pointed at them. - Look, monkeys! - It is baboons and not monkeys 
We drove down to a pond and we drove up to a crocodile. It was tea time and our  Guide brought out the pick-nick basked and the crocodile escaped down the pond. A cup of tea, just what I needed after all the excitements.
 Tea time with Desert & Delta Safaris
 Tea time with Desert & Delta Safaris
 A fish eagle watching us
 A crocodile drop by to join us
 Bee eaters
 Bee eaters
You have to be lucky taking pictures of birds. I learnt a lot by sneak peaking at the couple from UK. They were in to birds.
Bring plenty batteries and memory cards for the camera. Have the camera in speed mode and just let go when you see the birds. Impossible to aim with the zoom lens and if you take 100 pictures you might be lucky and get one good picture. We finished our tea and we were soon on our way again. We should be back at Camp Xakanaxa at  11 o'clock for brunch, but we already knew that we would be late. But better to be late for brunch than to miss anything exciting on the game drive.
We were soon to reach yet another pond that we had to cross with our car. We had some birds on our left hand side and one of them were busy trying to eat something that looked like a snake. He had a hard time eating the snake, and if he managed he will be full for a while as the snake looked big enough to fill up his stomach. We spotted some Kingfishers in a bush and this is  really nice birds to watch while they are looking for fish. I managed to get a few pictures of the Kingfishers.
No price winners, but I'm a wee bit happy for the pictures. But all the fishing extravaganza pictures went to the trash bin as they were out of focus. But there is one that I like when one of the Kingfishers are coming back to the branch they are sitting on.  Kingfishers
 Kingfishers
 Kingfishers
 Kingfishers
 An elephant muffin as they call it around here
 Yet another waterhole we have to cross
 Yet another waterhole we have to cross
 Yet another waterhole we have to cross
 Yet another waterhole we have to cross
 Now it is our turn
 Now it is our turn
   We were running late and we were heading back home, just a few water holes to pass. We stopped  to take pictures of some beautiful birds on the way.
We have had an incredibly morning, and it had started all dull and slow, but after an hour it had been non-stop action. We were cruising along the dust road approaching Camp Xakanaxa when I shouted out. We had a black snake on our left side. And he was jumping up on the road.  What the  is going on? Are we under attack? This snake was standing up 2 meter at least before leaping out on the road and he crossed just in front of us.
- An attack snake? - A Black Mamba, our Guide said. There was no end on the snake, he must have had been at least 3 meters long. Of course, when I got my camera ready he was already in a tree on the other side of the road.  Two more waterholes before we reach Camp Xakanaxa
 Two more waterholes before we reach Camp Xakanaxa
 Two more waterholes before we reach Camp Xakanaxa
 Last waterhole before we reach Camp Xakanaxa
 Last waterhole before we reach Camp Xakanaxa
 Last waterhole before we reach Camp Xakanaxa
 Last waterhole before we reach Camp Xakanaxa
We were back at Camp Xakanaxa around 11 thirty, next activity, the boat is at 16:00. So I will have a quick brunch before going to my cabin to check my pictures. We will spend the afternoon in the Xakanaxa Lagoon on the Khwai River. So just click HERE and you won't miss the 16:00 departure for the Xakanaxa Lagoon cruise. This might be fun, remember the elephants from yesterday? 
    
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To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
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