In search of Father Jack.

As I got out of town and hit the open road I noticed the wind, not that strong, but a headwind. It was coming from the North East. I was travelling North East, not good. Again, a wind like this on a big bike would not be an issue but on the 125 it had the effect of limiting my top speed to less than 80km/h. This was going to be an even longer day.

My first stop was on entering the reserve, where I had to ride through the disinfectant pool and also get off and put my feet on a disinfected mat to prevent spread of desease, all very correct. This was in contrast to the check on entering from the other side. There the guy told me just to ride across the mat and sent me on my way, with just a small part of each wheel disinfected and my boots as they were. I rode off shaking my head.

So by the time I pulled over for breakfast, I knew it would be a tough day but I'd have the hope of seeing some lovely elephants. Hold on to that thought!
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The road I was going along was the A33 but when the GPS mentioned it there was another word afterwards. I struggled to make out the word, or in fact believe what I was hearing but the word was "potholed". This wasn't an unwarranted description but overall seemed a bit harsh.

I'd earlier mentioned the dilemma of watching out for ellies and avoiding potholes and this was true again. So it was a delight to see my first elephant, 30 meters from the roadside, feeding on the long grass. He noticed me, continued eating for a bit while I took photos, then moved into the bushes. As I passed he had turned and looked out. It was a truly warm ellie meeting experience.
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While I'd seen ellies on this road before I was not prepared for what I saw next, giraffes. There were 2, a little back from the road and very shy. I finally got this long distance shot of a curious but shy giraffe. Then further on I spotted 2 more, about 100 metres away, feeding together. What a pleasure it was to see these elegant creatures from the roadside.
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Riding a long straight road it's good to have things catch your eye and distract you. Ideally interesting animals but they are not always available and other things have to suffice.

Here the bus stop sign amused me and the sign writer clearly has a bright future. In contrast this elegantly attired lady was standing for a lift. I wondered where she was going in all her finery? Lastly, there were a lot of horses, on and close to the road. This one got spooked by the sound of the bike and for moment I wondered if we would collide as he was closer than this looks.
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Later on, nearing the half way stage of the ride, it began to get hot and I had to stop and take off a layer. In one of the pools I noticed some other elegant creatures, as these flamingos filter fed in the shallows. They shared the space with, as I sure you know, blacksmith lapwings.

Stopping at Nata I filled up and got a cold drink. As these petrol stations are hot and dusty I rode on to find a lay-by. Now a lay-by on this road is different to most, as it displays this warning below. So the park authorities are happy for you to stop but if you get eaten by a lion they don't want you complaining about it.

So you eat your food a bit like a wild animal, looking around after each bite. Answering a call of nature equally has to be done with some care. The most scary thing for me at one of these places, was removing my glasses to clean them, and having limited vision in the meantime, to spot something creeping up through the long grass. Anyway, stopping does add some spice to life.
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Later in the ride, when I'd been on the go for over 8 hours and was beginning to flag, I was stopping every now and then to douse myself with water to freshen up and cool down. Soon afterwards, I got a surprising release of adrenalin which kept me alert for the rest of the ride.

I spotted this elephant(note the formal address) as you see, close to the wide road. A year ago on a narrower road, I rode up to an elephant like this and stopped opposite to him, but since then, have been warned that was dangerous. So I stopped 150 meters away and took the first picture. The elephant continued to feed. I advanced to 75 metres and he noticed me and after a while stopped feeding and walked away as in the 3rd photo. I still had to pass by and to keep a bit of distance, I slowly rode over to the opposite side of the road, to slip by but maybe get another photo. The elephant however had other plans and there are no photos of what happened next. Instead of walking away, he turned and charged. Had I continued forward, he would have cut me off before I got past, on this slow bike. My only option was to do a speedy U turn and retreat up the road, a bit shocked. Someone asked me afterwards if his ears were flapping as he charged, but my response was that I was only looking at the tusks.

I still had to pass the elephant who was now on the other side of the road. I came gingerly forward. He was 50 metres away and keeping a wary eye on me. He seemed satisfied he'd driven off his intruder. I took a last few photos and rode on. The tiredness of earlier had miraculously lifted.

For the 2nd time in a couple of days I'd seen the raw power of wild animals, this time a bit close for comfort. I arrived at Kasane 11 hours after leaving Maun, a long tiring day but one that will live long in the memory.
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Really enjoying this, Jim....another great trip and some amazing photos - thanks for sharing them with us. :beerjug:

Phil
 
Whoa Elephant charge?!! Sounds like a lot of excitement Jim. I bet that got the ticker racing....

Loving the report
 
Super shot of the giraffes.:thumb2
It's surprising how quickly an elephant can move!
Very envious of you having to take layers off to cool down,not something I needed to do today.
 
Thanks guys. I had to take layers off again today after being caught out on the Chobe river in an open boat when a thunderstorm struck!

John, at one point, when the ellie charged, I wouldn't have minded being in IKEA :)

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So after the excitement of the elephant on the road the day before, I thought a relaxing cruise on the Chobe river would be in order. I arrived early and the boatman took me on a solo trip while waiting for the others. We saw some birds, hippos, female Nile crocodile(lighter in colour), an African Darter and the nest of a Southern Red Bishop.
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We returned to collect the remainder of the party, a local family and then headed down towards the Chobe national park. It was noticible that the river was much more full, than when I was here last year. I commented on the dark clouds but the boatman did not seem concerned. We quickly spotted an elephant having a bath in a pool with hippos in the background. Next a Goliath Heron and then a better shot of a lawn mower(local name for hippos). While stationary we looked over the side to see a meter away, 2 eyes and a snout of a young croc hiding in the reeds. Then these wonderfully named White-faced Whistling Ducks and lastly a young male croc who is just over a meter long but already about 9 years old. Crocs apparently live to 80 - 100 years.
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As we moved further into the National Park, it began to spit with rain but we carried on spotting this big male elephant grazing in the lush grass. Then to our excitement this family, with some young, came down to drink. At this point the rain got a little heavier. Watching this little group, for the moment the rain didn't matter. I over indulged on pictures of the little one, but am not appologising, it was so cute. This photo sequence finishes with a contender for my favourite photo of the trip, as mum and little one walk off together back into the bush.

This is when the rain and wind hit in full. We were exposed, no waterproofs on board and no sides to the overhead canopy. A straw poll was taken and we turned around. The boatman went to another boat and got waterproofs for all of us but one. It didn't matter too much, as I was already soaked but was worried about cameras and phones. At this point one of the young ladies next to me, spread her cape and offered to share it for the return journey into the teeth of the rain and wind. It was a generous offer and saved me from the worst of the downpour.

When I got home my landlady explained that it had been 6 cm of rain in less than an hour, extraordinary even for here, apparently. It had caused landslides which I came across on the road today.
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Superb,amazing shots.
What a special moment to have witnessed that family gathering.
Thanks for sharing Jim.
 
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