I've tried people. More than once. More than five times. I just can't do it. Every time I try and write, it all sounds so ridiculous that I end up erasing everything. Then I stare at the blank screen and the blinking cursor.
I have no idea what to write about Botswana. It was amazing. Stellar. Spectacular. Fabulous. Even my entries from my notebook sound impossible. Here are a few blurbs. It's all I manage. No frills. No sweeping generalizations of beauty. Just the facts. This writing business is hard.
Highlights:
Seeing a pride of three male cheetahs for three days in a row. Watching them attempt to kill three different prey, but unsuccessful on all occasions. Finally, on my last day at my second camp, Kwara, we tracked them all morning until they were able to stalk and take down a young tsessebee. It was nerve wracking and awe inspiring to watch.
Finding a female leopard sitting contently on a dormant termite mound. We watched her for quite some time, and as we were getting ready to leave, she decided to move too, so we followed her, but not for long. Less than 50 feet way, she had hidden a full grown male antelope, easily bigger than her. It was a fresh kill, and perhaps her first as she had difficulty getting into the meat. We watched until it was too dark to see; we came back to the spot in the morning, and she had taken the carcass up a tree for safe keeping.
In the middle of one of my last days, during the down time for napping, reading, swimming, relaxing, I decided to read in the open air library overlooking the Okavango Delta. Wanting to cool off, I decided to dip my feet in the pool. I thought I was lucky to see two elephants playing in the delta off in the distance, but when I headed back to my "tent" ten minutes later, a breeding herd of elephants (about 15-20) were snacking and impeding my path. I slowly sat down on the step and just watched. The animals were about five feet from me and could have cared less that I was there.
Just a list that could each be an entire entry on its own:
On the last day of my safari, finding the wild pack of dogs
The puddle jumpers from camp to camp
Getting to sit in the co-pilot's seat
Getting called to dinner via song -- almost every night
Being the only guest at Lagoon Camp and enjoying the evening with the staff and choir singing and dancing
The smell of the water lilies on the delta
Mokoro ride to a private island
Several boat rides on the delta
Ginger ale almost every day.(I can't find ginger ale in Turkey) Delicious food six times a day!
Learning to identify the different tracks in the sand
Gaining an appreciation for birds -- especially the lilac-breasted roller and the carmine bee-eater.
Star gazing in the southern hemisphere: Orion
Myths about why the hippos are vegetarians
Gin, tonic, limes, and sunsets in Botswana
