I am writing this day 9/10 entry today as I sit in lockdown. As I was going through my notes from last year I realised that I had opened note pages but had not made any entries...but that's okay. Because I remember the events as clearly as today....at least the once I am about to write.
So Tabo was to be our guide during our stay at Savuti. He was older, thinner but seems kinder. Had a weather-beaten look on him but has the best smile. Tabo apparently meant 'lion' according to him. I didn't doubt him.
The Lodge at Savuti was one of a kind, luxurious one. We wanted to stay here...just because we could. It was limited accommodation. We got to know a family from the US with three of their grown children and their spouses (well except one)...then there was a couple from UK who had travelled in Africa extensively. They loved telling their stories at night around the campfire just before dinner and drinking lots of wine....I don't think they were really interested in listening. After the first time, I kind of stayed away from them....I simply wanted to absorb the African nights, its sounds and sights. I did't want to listen to second hand narrative.
After the first night, a newly married couple from California joined. They were young. Then there was a man and a woman traveling together but not together...if you know what I mean. They were older. These four were assigned to our vehicle for day 2 & 3. They were very talkative. But what's interesting is that you cannot have your mouth opened for too long without the dessert sand getting in your nose, throat and wherever open. I think they got quite a bit of it in the first day that they were all having bad cough by the second. Ranil and I had a good laugh....it was funny.
Our days were scheduled. We get up early morning at 5.30am. Get down for a quick bite by 6.15. Then off at 7 am looking for wildlife. It's freezing at night in Botswana. So you need to cover up life for winter with the early morning wind and sand. Need to over ears, nose and mouth as well. We get blankets and hot water bottles to keep ourselves warm for the first couple of ours of the day. Then the day warms up by about 9am. We get back by 11am for brunch. It's a sumptuous meal followed by exchanging stories of the morning outing. Then off to our cabins for much needed showers and rest. You literally don't have time for showers in the morning. Then we sometimes napped until 3.00pm when we get high tea and off we went on the evening game drive which lasted till about 6.30/7, depending on who you were chasing and who you encountered on the way. Once home, we are escorted to our cabins for cleaning before dinner. Even though Savuti lodge was secured by an electric fence, the guides still take us to our rooms at night and come for a pick up in the morning. The lodge is deep in the Chobe national park home to the Big 5 and all other wildlife. We are simply in their territory and no-one takes a chance. I get that. Then we have drinks by the campfire and exchange stories and also watch animals that come to the waterhole. The night sky is so clear that you can see the stars so clearly. Then some entertainment from the staff, followed by a delicious meal and off to bed soon after.
This is a typical safari day. We loved it, except for the sand. But that's a small price to pay for the beauty that surrounds you. It literally is so vast and quiet that you really don't need to talk much, except for the fact that most humans aren't capable of keeping their mouths shut. The first night we were at Savuti, we woke up in the middle the night to the sounds of lions roaring. It was like thunder. Distant but distinct. The guides said the lions could have been a few miles away. Well they are loud and ferocious. It is also bloody freezing at night. There is no heating only blankets and the draft from the roof gave me a cold after the second day. It was nasty. Coupled with sand and dust it became a bad sore throat which lasted until I got back to the States. But I lived to tell te stories so it seems unimportant looking back.
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