Out of Africa- At the waterhole- 6

o We've now moved on to Botswana, a small country of about 1.7 million people. Botswana and Namibia are both very prosperous resource-based economies based on copper and diamonds. Botswana, like the UAE, has been able to introduce a very successful trickle-down economic strategy. They have among the highest per capita income in the world, but the rural areas have much in common with SE Cuba.

o We are staying at Elephant Valley Lodge at the Chobe National Park. The weather here is 36 C in the shade and considerably more in the sun. The name of the lodge is appropriate. There are herds and herds of elephants....a regular elephant convention.

o To say that we are roughing it in the bush would be a slight exaggeration. The lodge itself is embarrassingly luxurious (check the link to see photos). We are in platform tents, 20x40 feet, with electricity, running water, hot showers, flush toilets, and even an electric blanket for Richard, which he seems to find necessary because the temperature drops to between 10 and 15 C at night. Alas, there is no mini bar. The food is great, including warthog steaks and mealie-pap. We know a couple of vegetarians who might argue that it's a little uncharitable to photograph the animals by day and eat them at night, but warthogs taste much more agreeable than they look...trust us!

o Our tent overlooks the watering hole, where there is a constant parade of animals. Throughout the night, there is a symphony of sounds from the animals and birds. The politics of the waterhole seems to be much more complicated than is ordinarily appreciated- it is both ruthlessly competitive and cautiously commutarian.

o But for us, the big rush- the ultimate thrill- came in the late afternoon game drive yesterday when we came upon 3 young (4-year old) lioness sisters basking in the sun. We were able to get within 17 feet of them. They weigh about 350 lb and were about 7 feet long, with paws about 8 inches in diameter. They were solid, barrel-chested, and obviously well-fed. When they looked at us imperiously, we worried that we might be on the night's menu, but they had feasted on water buck that morning and luckily, weren't in the mood for a snack. They exuded raw power, elegance, and confidence. This is primordial nature at its best!

o This morning we took a sunrise boatride on the Chobe river. For the first time, we saw crocodiles and huge herds of hippos, along with the mandatory elephants, but this time, instead of destroying the trees in the bush, the elephants were eating water grass and were swimming, splashing, and otherwise enjoying the river. It came as a surprise to us to hear that hippos don't swim. Usually, they try to stay at a depth that allows them to keep their feet on the bottom and their heads above water. If they find themselves over their heads, they walk along the bottom to a more shallow area. Elephants, though, are great swimmers. We watched large herds swim in single file to the island in the centre of the river to enjoy the thick grass that was growing there.

One sight we enjoyed: when the elephants finish swimming, spraying, bathing and drinking in the water, they go through the complicated ritual of getting dirty again. They fling trunks full of sand or mud over themselves, creating a mudpack that dries on their skin and protects them from both the sun and the parasites. Nearly every place we've visited in Africa so far, the grays of the elephants have seemed to differ in shade, but the difference is really due to the colour of the soil they use, which ranges from almost white to a vivid deep red.

o Tomorrow morning we take a small plane to Gunn's Camp in the Okavango Delta for 3 days. It's unlikely that there'll be internet access...and Richard is worried that there may not be electric blankets, either. This will REALLY be roughing it!