Botyburps

We left Maun yesterday having had 2 wonderful quiet days.  We found a restaurant that served real coffee and visited it twice but that was all!  Yesterday morning it was another early start to go flying over a small part of the Okavango Delta.  Lovely to see it from the air to get an appreciation of the size etc. We saw lots of animals but they look small from 400 feet.  Much more impressive on the ground and 20m distant.  

After 45 minutes it was back on the ground, back to the accommodation to have breakfast and be on our way.  Got here last night and wouldn’t recommend it. Another glamping set up but dirty and inadequate bathroom facilities, lightbulbs not working and staff surly – no tip given!  Disappointing but it is close to Orapa which is a great place to visit. 

The game park is at Orapa and is owned by a diamond mining company.  We had a happy hour or 2 going through the diamond museum this morning.  No samples available but some on display.  Diamonds were discovered in Botswana the year after Britain gave independence – I wonder if the Brits were unhappy about that.  Anyway, Botswana is the biggest producer and works 40:60 with DeBeers.  The wealth produced made the country one of the wealthiest African countries.  However, so many diamonds were produced that mining has stopped to ensure the value remains high!  Tough on the employees but they seem to have good farewell payments and effort is going into developing tourism as another income earner.  

Anyway, back to animal spotting.  The rhinos have moved away and we are awaiting the next visitors.  Hopefully lions.  We gather there are a few around here.  Orapa means the resting place of lions.  We have our retreat all organised!

I don’t think there is anything more exotic than sitting at a waterhole in Botswana watching animals come to drink.  Which is what we are doing as I write this.  At present there are 2 large rhinos posing for photos for us.  

Left Orapa this morning, Thursday and are now ensconced in a lovely chalet with elevated views over a dam in Tanebane Golf Resort, 35 km north of Francistown.  For the golfers out there it looks like an interesting course with its own natural hazards  – monkeys to nick your balls, warthogs to mow the greens!