For my return from vacation, Suwanne made us another delicious Thai feast! Lee arrived from San Diego the week while I ws on safari also so it was for both of us really. She cooked the best Thai food. We had Whispers of Summer cocktails too! I am lucky I had her for a roomate. Hopefully, I will be able to remember how to cook the things she taught me.
The morning after I arrived bck from my holiday up north I took Lee, Karen and Stephen to Mokolodi. They were going to do the cheetah pet so I drove them around the reserve for awhile before they did it. We did see a lot of animal. Karen saw her 1st giraffe but no rhinos. When we got back to the entrance for the them to go on the cheetah pet the one guide asked if we saw he rhino. I said no nd told him how in the6 months that I have been in Gabs, I had never seen them. When they got back from the pet, he told me where the rhino were so I asked them if they wanted to try and find them. So we went back in to find them. We went to where they were supposed to be bt couldn't find them. We made a loupe and found kudu. One leaped across the road and I got it on film. Then we found another giraffe close to the road. We decided to take ne more pass where they were supposed to be. We when down this little road that I didn't know was there and low and behold we found them. It was the mother baby and father. We were so close to them. The baby got up quick and was just watching us. We were very close to the dad. When we had enough pics I turned the truck around to leave. The truck was pointing toward the big male and he popped up quick. We got out of there very fast, hoping he wouldn't charge us. It was so exciting to finally see the rhino there.
The laast stop on my holiday as to Savuti. I think that was the place I looked forward to the most. Unfortunately, it really didn't live up to my expectations. How unlucky could I be that the Savuti channel is not dry anymore. Don't get me wrong, I think it is amazing that after so long the channel is no longer dry but it was a downer safari wise. With the channel being dry for so long the camp I was at had 3 water holes in front of the lodge. It was basiclly the only place for the animals to get water. They had a pride of over 30 lions, leopard and wild dogs were seen daily at the water hole too. The dogs would make kills there right in front of the pool and dining area. You really didn't even have to on a drive. With the water returning, the animals hve spred out. 1 of the pride males was killed and the other 2 couldn't handle all the females and they split up. The zebras and buffalo weren't used to the channel having water so they usually head to Linyani and the lions followed. So I saw no lions in Savuti where the lion take down elephants. I saw no dogs but I did see leopards. The lodge was lovely but my guide was not. I have never experienced anthing like it. Luckily it wasn't my 1st safari or I would have been very disappointed. He would drive right by animals. All it was trying to find leopard or cheetah. You had to tell him to stop all the time. I did see a few new birds and the sunsets were amazing along with the food. One of the best things I experienced there was Botswana's Independence Dy. The staff sang and danced for us. It was so much fun. Hopefully the next time I go to Savuti, I go to the camp I really wanted to go to, I see more game and have a better guide!
