Aachen, Ancient City of Kings

The last full day we had in Germany was a John's Pick Day, since he had come with us to the Steiff factory.  He picked the city of Aachen, which is very historically significant because it was not only a favorite of Charlamagne's, but it was also the coronation city of kings of Germany.  In Roman times people took advantages of the springs there, and in the middle ages Aachen became a royal city.  The main attraction is a huge cathedral, which has been built over many centuries and therefore looks like a hodgepodge of architectural ideas.  It also houses the remains of Charlemagne and his throne.  The rest of the city has some interesting history too, but we didn't get to see much of it, as I shall explain later.



It was nice to not get up at the crack of dawn for once.  Previously I had been up early either on planes, getting ready to go on planes, or to board some trains.  We did indeed board a train this day, but the morning had a much more leisurly feel.  Although Aachen was not the city I immediately thought of when thinking about "cool cities to visit!" after learning a bit about the history I was excited to see this big important cathedral and the ancient city.  Plus, you know, Charlamagne's an important guy so it's cool to see his stuff.  When we got to Aachen the weather was quite nasty; cold, sleeting, and grey.  We had to find our way around the city somewhat blindly.  None of us had ever been there before, but luckily there are a lot of tourists and also a lot of tourist information.   When we did find the cathedral it was very large, Gothic, and impressive.  Around the outside was another Weinachtmarkt, the Christmas market, and so I headed for some gluwein to warm me up.  I was also quite hungry, so I feasted on a potato pancake (which came with applesauce, oddly enough) and gluwein.  I paid a few extra euro for a deposit on the mug.  It began to sleet and rain in earnest, so I downed my potato pancake and ran with Dad and John for the inside of the cathedral.  I rather forgot that I had the mug still and when I got inside Dad advised me to down the drink so that I wouldn't get in trouble for having it inside.  I did, and stashed the mug safely in the bag.  We milled around the inside of the cathedral's entrance and main hall area for a while, admiring the colorful mosaics and ornate saint boxes.  John went to see if he could find information about getting a tour.  It turns out that tours can only be booked several days in advance (especially English ones) and there is a minimum number of 10 people per tour.  Uh oh.  So we didn't get the tour, but later we saw a photo of the throne of Charlemagne and...it was a wooden chair that looked like an ancient toilet.

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After we left the cathedral we browsed the Christmas market a bit and then headed back through the city towards the train station.  The sleet had stopped, but it was still pretty cold.  Especially for someone who had been acclimated to Africa for the past four and half months!  We passed a lot of gorgeous shop window displays with holiday themes, exciting fountains, and big posters for Steiff bears.  We also got a little lost in the dark.  When we did make it back to the station I was very, very grateful to get on the warm train back to our apartment in Dusseldorf.  

 A few days earlier we had seen a wooden music box nativity at one of the Dusseldorf Weinachtmarkts that we thought would be just perfect as a Christmas gift for mumsey.  Now we were determined to try and find it again because we wouldn't have another chance before leaving for the US.  The entailed the three of us running around Dusseldorf at night, in the frigid weather, getting more and more frustrated.  Eventually Dad's German insticts lead us to the right place and we were so relieved!  Music box, purchased!  Then it was time for a celebratory last dinner in the Altstadt, and Dad took us to one of his favorite haunts.  Unfortunately our friend Ollie was locked up in a business meeting and couldn't join us :(  But we did have a great dinner and some quality drinks!  I was quite tired by this point, and ready to sink into my comfy bed.  It was going to be another extremely early morning.

The Promise Land: Steiff

The next day we got up early- before the sun was up- in order to make the long trek across Germany to Giengen where the Steiff factory has been located since it was founded by a young woman named Margarete Steiff in 1880.  If you aren't familiar with this company check out their US website here.  Since I've been collecting Steiff my whole life it is literally the promise land.  Dad's friend John was very good natured about being dragged on an all day trip to a toy factory.  We started out
the journey with some (haha) Starbuck's coffee in order to fortify us.  What followed was many hours on trains, changing trains, and also some train stations.  We saw a lot of the countryside, which I liked because it was a good way to soak in the country during my brief visit.  The precise schedule of the German train system became very apparent when our train came into the platform a minute or two late and we consequently missed our connecting train to Giengen.  So we killed some time in the station and waited for the train that would take us on the last leg of the journey.  It finally came, right on time, and I was going mad with anticipation.  Giengen is a cute little town, almost entirely based around the Steiff factory and the historical aspect of the life of Margarete Steiff, who is the local hero.  We got off the train and immediately saw signs pointing us towards the factory.  In addition there were giant bear pawprints on the sidewalk to guide us.  It would have been a real feat to get lost.  As we walked we passed a Marklin store, but for some reason Pappy didn't go in for a peak.  Marklin trains are his Steiff.

The factory, when we arrived after a short walk, was just like in all the photos I oggled.  It was glorious!  The white building is the 'klinik" where Steiff go to be fixed, and the glass and round buildings are part of the museum tour.

The big glass building was the original factory, but has since been retired.  When we walked inside the museum we were immediately greeted by a display of a wintery tree, giant Steiff bears, and a profusion of Steiff squirrels.  On the other side was the (!) store (!).  We power browsed through it before purchasing our tickets for the museum tour.  John decided to come along with us, but I suspect he may have regretted his decision when it began and became obvious that it was designed for young children.  Pappy and I found it amusing, and I put up with the kitschy stuff because the displays, layouts, and magnitude of Steiff animals was magnificent!  In one area there were studio sized animals, which are huge Steiff that are rideable, and I went around and sat on the giant elephants, polar bears, and caribou.  There were all kinds of giant animals.  Like a wonderful petting zoo.

There was event a snake slide that led to the floor below!  I slid down it twice!  The floor below (also reachable by staircase and elevator) had all the historical animals in glass cases.  Also very fascinating and wonderful.  This then led back into the (!) store (!).  Pappy and I spent a lot more time browsing around while John went off on a self guided tour of the town.  We decided to venture across the street to a cute little shop called Barenburg, which is turned out was started by Margarete's sister and has been selling ever since.  It was packed with all kinds of animals, including vintage Steiff!  The staff were very kind and didn't mind me running around and touching everything.  They only spoke German, so Pappy communicated with them for me.  It was sososososososo hard to make decisions!  In the end, after A LOT of deliberation (let me say that again, A LOT) I ended with two fine canines and a little Christmas fawn.  By that time was dark and had started to snow.  It was a beautiful way to end the shopping experience...well, it was almost ended.  We went back to the factory to buy a teddy bear for my then-not-yet-born nephew.  Since my parents had bought a Steiff bear for me before I was born they thought it would be cute to buy one for the nephew too.  Pappy spent a lot of time selecting the most perfect bear.  I bought a few Steiff critter keychains for myself, my goddaughter, and one of my good friends.  Then we met up with John and headed back to the train station.  It was snowing in earnest by then and we were glad to get onto the train.  It was a long, sleepy journey back, and I kept peeking at my delightful new Steiff critters.  When we finally got back to our little apartment I was quite happy to curl up under my blanket.  I think Pappy and John were too.

  

Crisp German Winter Air...That's Good Right?

After meeting up with Pappy at the Dusseldorf train station we walked back to the rented apartment where he and John (and now I) were staying.  It was wonderful to see Pappy again and be back in good old Germany.  Like I mentioned before, I fit in and looked just like everybody else!  For once, that was a good thing.  I don't think the yarn dreadlocks I had (which I now miss greatly) even made me stand out.  The apartment was very luxurious, with a big living room, two lovely bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and the best part! I nice warm, cozy bathroom complete with a deep bathtub and separate shower!  I could have stayed in there for days!  As much as I liked the refreshingly cold air I also was in the habit of being very well heated and I guess my body just didn't want to give that up.  That certainly became apparent when, later that night, I went outside and frigid night air hit me, making me want to vomit and run back inside to hide in a hot bath.

But back to the apartment- We didn't stay there too long.  By that time John was up and after introductions we headed back out...and back to the station for some real German food!  I was so excited to have new food options!  No longer a slave to chicken and rice, I could be a vegetarian in peace once again!  We ate at a nice little cafe in the station and then set out for a day's adventures in the city.  Dad and John had spotted a store window featuring Steiff the day before and challenged me to find it.  Game on.  Walking around Dusseldorf also meant that we could happily explore the wonderful Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas markets.  I love these! They were booths all set up outside selling every Christmas item known to man, as well as selling hearty food like potato pancakes and pretzels.  I discovered the joy of drinking hot Gluhewein (I think I spelled that right...?), which is hot spiced wine.  It takes a little getting used to, and probably wouldn't taste very good outside of the setting of a cold Christmas season.  It also comes in nifty mugs.  I later learned that stealing/buying these mugs is a Blank family tradition.  One I was happy to become a part of when I accidentally (...kind of) made off with one myself in Aachen.  I think I probably lived on Gluhewein and potato pancakes.  We visited a huge mall, which was all decked out for Christmas, and enjoyed the sights and sound of beloved Germany.  And yes, my Steiff-y senses did lead me to the window with the big display, which was in a Kauhauf, which are big department stores.  We went inside to the third or fourth floor to inspect the Steiff merchandise.  It was here that Pappy found the model of bear that he wanted to buy for young Ian, who was not yet born at that point.  Soon it was time for lunch and so we headed to the infamous Altstadt for some bier and feasting.  Our destination was an establishment called Uerige (I probably spelled that wrong), which served some delicious alt bier and the wonderful Dusseldorf mustard, among other things.  I was happy to munch on cheese, bread, and mustard- aaannnndd beer, after such a long stint of eating chicken and rice.  Pappy also bought me what must be one of the world's coolest t-shirt, which featured a skill and the Uerige logo surrounded by lines of majesty and the key ingredients in beer.  Glory!

After an afternoon of adventuring we headed back to the apartment for some rest before dinner that night.  I was running on very little sleep, but I was also running on hardcore determination not to waste my time in Germany by sleeping.  This determination was fueled by months of the kind of sleep deprivation common to all study abroad students, as well as by three and a half years of conditioning from being a college student.  I filled my time with bathing and Steiff plotting.  As evening came we headed back to the train station (this is when I experienced the cold like a royal fist in the gut as mentioned earlier) to visit some old friends in Hilden.  The Korte family has been friends with us since their son came to live with us on an exchange sometime in the very early 90's.  Since then there has been quite a bit of back and forth.  The most recent was when I came to Germany on my way to Africa and stayed with Ollie (the son, now all grown up).  Mrs. Korte is a very talented chef and always makes decadent meals.  She even made me vegetarian food because she is so talented and considerate.  They also served very good wine.  Unfortunately the combination of the late hour, the warm house, the wine, and the good food, did me in.  I curled up and fell asleep on their couch while Pappy, John, and the Korte's visited.  Pappy woke me up and we walked back in the freezing night air to catch a train back to Dusseldorf.  Thus was my first glorious day back in Deutschland.

The Last of Bots, the First of Deutschland!

After leaving Botswana and saying goodbye to my friends (both human and animal) I was ready for the next adventure- Germany!  As much as I had grown to love Africa I was so very excited to return to Germany for round 2 of my visit there.  It would be my third time in the country total, but because my visit there on the way to Bots was so short it kind of felt, weirdly, like I had only left the country for a long weekend and that it was time to go back.  I hauled ass through the confusing maze-like Johannesburg airport and made it to the far end where my gigantic Lufthansa airplane was boarding with little time to spare.  Once I was on the plane (armed with a book and my brand new Anthropologie coat, thanks to Mumsy and Matt) sighed a gigantic sigh of relief.  Airports make me tense.  Now however, it was one long smooth flight to Germany where my Pappy would be waiting for me.
The flight was, indeed, long and smooth, and I had time to watch several movies and TV shows from the comfort of my personal screen inlaid in the seat in front of me.  Unlike my flight from Germany to Joburg, I had no chatty seat companions, but that was just fine with me.  We flew through the night and arrived in the Frankfurt airport sometime around 6 am or so.  I gathered my things, excitedly put on my new coat in expectation of the refreshing winter air (cold air, how long we were parted!) and stepped into the huge airport to bungle my way through train ticket buying and platform finding.  It was so confusing!  I finally found a kiosk sporting the red DB logo, which I recognized from train layouts, and went inside to inquire about a ticket to Dusseldorf.  The ticket man easily switched into English and kindly refrained from making fun of me for having no idea what I was doing.  He sold me a ticket on the next Dusseldorf bound train, which left in about an hour, and I was on my way with helpful directions to the platform.  It turns out that the platform was not that hard to find, I was just nervous.  The platform was also outside in a glass tunnel, so while it was shielded from the wind it was not shielded from the brisk pre-dawn chill of a December morning.  For the first forty five minutes or so I was thrilled to feel that chilly air.  I giggled out loud when I saw my breath form.  It felt oh-so-refreshing after the dry heat of the Kalahari.  Then it began to actually get cold and my ears and nose where the first to suffer.  However, I was able to ignore this inconvenience because I was excited to asked a question in German.  I couldn't answer, but at least it meant that I blended in.  Blending in was new after months of sticking out like a sore thumb.  When the train finally came I was glad to warm up in the cozy seat and nap a little.  I couldn't fully relax for fear of sleeping through my stop, so I dozed and watched the countryside go by.  It didn't look too different from Wisconsin, actually.  My train got into Frankfurt at around 8.00 and I got off looking for Pappy, who was waiting for me somewhere on the platform.  Unfortunately I didn't know where, and we must have missed each other.  I walked up and down the platform, going down below to the lower level, all the time dragging my luggage around. I got increasingly worried as an hour went by with no sign of Pappy.  Finally I stopped pulled out my laptop and looked up the Italian phone number he had sent me in case I needed to call him.  I found a payphone and braved the European public phone system...and it worked!  I was able to call Pappy and we found a place to meet up.  I was so happy!

The Last Days in Bots

The last few days in Botswana flew by in a weird whirlwind of activity and lethargy. Of course it was really hot, and there were no classes or even any other students on campus for that matter. The dining services had all shut down for the break so we ate all our meals at Riverwalk or bought supplies from the grocery store. It was a good time, actually. I enjoyed having the whole room (and pretty much the whole building) to myself; no competition for the sink for washing, no waiting for a shower in the morning, no dealing with the horrible little twerps that were my roommate's friends. It was bliss. Amanda, EJ, and I spent a lot of time at Riverwalk enjoying the last few meals together. Our last trip to Milky Lane for ice cream and our last sub at Debonaires was a big deal. There are photos of course. On the last night we were all together Batsi threw a big party at his house, complete with catered food, liquor, soft drinks, and music. He barbecued some chicken and steaks too- Batsi is the best! It was bittersweet to be all together for one last time. We were excited to go home or keep on traveling, depending on our post-Bots plans, and the UC kids were all making plans to keep in touch once the spring semester started. Of course Batsi had one last assignment for us all to do.

In the morning some people left for the airport. One group was taking a bus to Joburg and then flying to Cape Town or some such complicated plan, and quite a few were just flying to Joburg and then catching a connecting flight home. EJ and Amanda both left and I was almost by myself. My friend Brooke was still around and she spent most of the day frantically trying to cram her belongings into her luggage. She was planning to stay on for another week or so, continue working at Mokolodi, and then meet up with her parents and travel around Africa for a little while.

I had made arrangements with my friend Diana to spend my last night in Bots at her house. She picked me up from UB (it took her, my friend Tonya, and myself to haul my luggage out) and we drive through the village and to her place. At the time her sister had gotten a tiny and ridiculously adorable kitten named Stoney, so I was pretty entertained with playing with the kitten. However, since it was December, and since Diana not only loves Christmas as much as I do, but is also one of the few people on Bots who really cares about Christmas, we went shopping for some holiday decorations and bedeck her house with. The end result was very pleasing. Her mother came home and started to cook dinner, had gotten not too far into, and the gas for the stove was out. The gas man couldn't deliver another canister, the car was busy over heating, and Mrs. Abankwah didn't have any cash on her. Somehow, despite all of this, in the end she got the stove working and finished cooking a delicious dinner. Then we watched a Christmas movie until we fell asleep.

The next day, the day I was to leave Bots, Diana and I woke up fairly early and started the business of buying the materials to have yarn dreaded into my hair. We stopped at several market places and then tracked down the hair stylist Diana likes. The whole process was completed quickly and efficiently: the hair stylist put aside a few choice locks of my hair and then began wrapping the maroon colored yarn tightly around the locks. A small piece of metal at the bottom of each dread completed the look. The whole thing cost P15 for the work and P10 for the materials- score! Then is was back to Diana's house to pack up my luggage and go to the airport! Before we left Diana gifted me her bullet earrings (which I had been coveting all semester), which are now some of my most prized pieces of jewelry. We got to the Gabs airport, checked in, and discovered that my luggage was way over weight. Big surprise. Diana and I hugged our final goodbyes and then I got to stand awkwardly in a tiny office until somebody noticed me and had me pay the appropriate fee. I also could only take one carry on when I had been counting on two, so with great reluctance I sent my backpack into the baggage department. I had packed my most valuable items in my small wheely carry on bag and my backpack. At that point I was sure I would never see my big suitcase or my backpack again. My luggage was to be transferred over for me from Gabs, to Joburg, to Frankfurt.

So it was that I was not entirely settled as I sat in the boarding area waiting for my flight. I had a pretty short lay over ahead of me in Joburg and I began to get nervous as my flight from Gaborone to Joburg was late. It got to the point of panic before the tiny airplane arrived and I sat tense for the whole (mercifully) short flight. I booked it through security and the windy, confusing Joburg airport and by the time I reached my gate for my flight to Germany the plane was already loading. Once I was safely in line though I felt sweet, sweet relief was over me. From here on out it would be smooth sailing and in a few hours I would not only be in Germany, but I would be able to meet up with my dad. Pappy, Germany, Steiff, food that was not meat, beer....

Our Last Day in the Delta

Our last day in the delta was a long one. After breakfast we packed up prepared to leave. Amanda and I sneaked a few glorious moments away from the noisiness of camp and wandered around behind the tents in the early morning sunshine, enjoying the sight of a herd of impala grazing nearby and a few ever-present guinea fowl running around. Then we came back and and hopped back in the vehicles for the long drive back to Maun. Up until we reached the veterinary fence it was kind of live an extra game drive. We saw the enormous mass of a dead adult elephant at one point. The dry climate kind of mummifies the bodies for a while. We also saw a few giraffes, tortoises, and impala. Of course everyone was pretty sweaty and uncomfortable when we finally reached the city, but for about half the group there was one last great activity. Batsi had arranged that those who wanted to pay the fee could do a flyover of the delta. Keeping in mind movies like 'The Gods Must Be Crazy' and 'Out of Africa' I had eagerly signed up to go. After pulling out huge wads of bills from the Machine That Only Gives Small Bills we headed into the office to pay. Then it was over to the airport across the street to drop off our bags, leave the other suckers not going, and head onto the runway. We were met by two bush pilots, each flying us in a small Cessna. My pilot was named Brett and he was, unusual to see in Botswana, red haired and freckled. His accent sounded South African. There were six people in each plane and somehow I jumped on the offer to ride in the cockpit first. This turned out to be a great decision in the end. The land dropped away swiftly as we took off and Brett told us to look for the veterinary fence; it was not hard to find because one side was cut into dry little squares with square little houses and the other side was lush greenery and wildlife inter mingled with streams and rivers from the delta. We saw herds of elephant, buffalo (thus making my list of the Big 5 complete and seen), impala, and clumps of hippos which looked like ticks they were so fat and grey. Once I saw a huge crocodile lurking in some water- it was suitably unnerving even from a airplane. At one point Brett showed me how the steering mechanism worked (there was one on the copilot's side where I was sitting as well as the pilot's side) and then took his hands off, making me in control -temporarily- of the airplane. Every little bit of pressure I put on the steering thingamajig made the plane move sharply. Over in the other cessna Zach had been given the same opportunity, only he made his plane plummet and dive before bring it back up in a steep climb.

Brett took control again in time to land the plane and we all got out feeling thoroughly exhilerated. There is a group photo of us in my facebook picture feed. After the plane ride we were pretty hungry so we stopped at a nice looking cafe across the street from the airport. For some reason it was WWII themed and the waitress looked like she was about to kill someone, but the food was good. I fulfilled a dream I had had since taking French class for four years in high school: eat a croque monsieur. It was delicious! After stuffing ourselves my friend Brooke wanted to go and do some shopping because Maun is famous for it's crafts. It was probably in the hundred degree range, but I agreed to go with her anyway, even though I wasn't planning to buy anything. We made several dog friends as we walked along, so that made up for the discomfort of the heat. We shopped for about forty five minutes before heading back to the cafe where the rest of the group was more or less clumped. Everyone was wilted and tired from the temperature, and some of us made an escape to the only air conditioned shop we could find. Ah, sweet relief. Howevere, we still had time to kill before the flight back to Gabs, so inevitably we ended up back at the cafe. It was here that the dust storm hit. At first it was just windy, then VERY windy, then I had to close my eyes and cover my face because of the dust! Everyone either tried to cover themselves or dashed inside for shelter. People's food and drink was ruined. The power went out at the airport. TIA. When the storm abated a bit Batsi led us all over to the airport to sit and wait for the power to come back on so that the airport could get up and running again. Three of our number had joined us at the start of the delta trip from an expedition to Namibia and they had some left over beers they shared around. We had been enjoying them for some five minutes before being shooed outside by airport staff. Outside the wind had died but the sky was darkening and there was lightning. Everyone could smell rain. Sure enough by the time we had gotten through security and waited at the small gate area for our flight there was a serious downpour. The runway was completely flooded and the departure time kept getting pushed back and back. The gate was crowded and everyone was crabby. I was sweaty and dusty and quite ready to get back to Gabs and take a shower and relax in my now empty room. But I couldn't. I had to wait for the storm to pass. Eventually though, we did get on the plane and made the short flight back to Gabs. It was much chillier in the capital city, but it felt homey and we were eager to get to our showers and wash our smelly things. Here though we met another small roadbump; the man Batsi hired to drive us back to UB was nowhere to be found and we waited around for about an hour in the growing chill of the evening before he arrived. Two vans were needed, but I jumped into the first one being in no mood to share. Our driver was a complete and utter idiot, talking on the cell phone, weaving and speeding through traffic like a maniac, and driving the long way around the city. He even pulled over for a while and didn't tell us why. TIA. Anyway, we made it back to home base at UB at last and I was overjoyed to find not only the whole dorm building empty, but also no one had broken into my room, cut the lock on my closet, and stolen all my stuff. Batsi had made us leave our laptops and valuables in his office for safety, so I picked those up as well. Then it was time to relax and enjoy the silence. So that's how my December 1st went.

The Elephant Forest

Sitting in stats class with a laptop in front of me with a whiteboard full of charts and mathematical terms sends me into a spiral of nostalgia for Africa. How can I be sitting in this sterile and colorless environment when just a few months ago I was sitting in a dusty tent, hundreds of miles from civilization, which wild animals all around me? Is this real life?

The day after we spotted the elephant heard we got up extra early to pack up camp. The boys had to pack up the toilet and fill in the stinky pits- haha! It was time to leave to Moremi Game Reserve and move to a new site. The new site was in the Khwai Nature Reserve, which is owned by the Khwai village. The reserve differed from the Moremi because it had less stringent rules and was not owned by the government. The place we camped was in the middle of an elephant forest; by this I mean it was an area full of skeletal dead trees which had been stripped bare by elephants. One cannot full understand the impact elephants have on the environment around them until one sees the cast expanses of dead trees, huge craters where trees have been pulled up by the roots, and thick tree trunk which have been literally snapped in half like twigs. In some places these broken trees fell right across the road, making it impassable. Our site was set up under a tree which was fortunately still living and which, I was given to understand, was a favorite snack for elephants during certain parts of the year. This was not one of those parts. The ground was covered in multiple varieties of huge thorns, so thin and wimpy sandals/shoes were not an option. I learned this the hard way. Also, while we were there, it rained quite a bit, which made all the millipedes come out. There are no earthworms in Botswana. Instead, there are millipedes, and they are everywhere.

Camping in the middle of the elephant forest was extremely beautiful and allowed us to see around us for vast expanses. I went a little crazy with pent up energy and ran around climbing dead trees and jumping the air, ha ha. Faithful Amanda accompanied me so that we could at least keep an eye out for dangerous animals.

In the Khwai reserve we were allowed to both leave the roads and drive at night. On the first night drive we took be came upon the carcass of a baby elephant. Our guide told us that when he was in this area a month earlier the carcass had been there, so it was at least that old. The dry weather had preserved the skin which had not been eaten, so it still looked rather fresh. Before the end of the delta trip we were to see the gigantic, somewhat mummified carcass of an adult elephant. Also on the night drive we saw two hyenas slinking through the grass and away from our huge spot light. We also spotted a mysterious type of small wildcat which vanished too quickly for us to identify. Night drives are, in general, less animal-packed than day drives, but it is fascinated to see the landscape transformed by darkness. An added bonus is that the air is much, much cooler.

During our time in Khwai we drive as far as the boundary with the Chobe National Park. We also passed through a suprisingly modern San village (where Batsi bought everyone soda pop and I got a coke in honor of The Gods Must Be Crazy- heyoo!), saw more elephants at close range, and a large amount of hippos. We stopped by one lake in particular and everyone got out to get as close as they dared to the water where the enormous hippos watched us warily and displayed their teeth at us every so often. It was a little terrifying when they grunted and growled. We also came across a graphic reminder of the circle of life; a young impala was laying in the grass on the side of the road and it was bloody in places and one of it's legs was broken. It was panting heavily and tried periodically to heave to it's feet. It looked as if we interrupted a hunt and the predator had disappeared into the bush. There was nothing to be done for the poor impala, and in any case it was a wild animal. I didn't want to see the outcome, but I knew what it would be. One trucks stayed behind in hopes of seeing something dramatic, but whatever was hunting the impala kept it's distance. Later, when we drove back to the spot, the animal was gone. One night the skies were cloudy and as Amanda and I lay in our tents we speculated on whether or not it would rain. We figured it might, but the air was so hot and damp we couldn't bear the thought of closing the windows and shutting out fresh air. Of course during the night there was a torrential downpour and Amanda and I would have ended up soaked like everyone else if it hadn't been for our friend EJ. He got up to close the windows on his tent and then noticed that ours were wide open. He kindly came over to ours and closed them and I guess when he was closing my window I sat up and thanked him. I must have done this in my sleep because I have no memory of it. I do remember having a dream where the wind was rolling the tent around and I put my hand up to steady it. Touching the damp canvas woke me up enough to notice that the windows were closed and I wondered whether Amanda had done it. In the morning we were both mystified by the closed windows because neither of us had done it. EJ told us he did it, but he in turn was mystified by my apparent sleep talk. All around us people were waking up with soaked bedding and luggage. One guy, Grant, had all his clothes and booked soaked through. It was a harsh morning. That day, however, we were lucky enough to make a rare find. Our guides spotted a den site belonging to either hyenas or the rare and endangered wild dogs. Whichever species it was the dens were clearly occupied with pup and adult paw prints fresh in the dirt all around the entrance to the dens. While were were circling them and talking excitedly the pups were no doubt hiding out below us. There may even have been a few adults present.

On the last night in the elephant forest a hyena visited camp. It was after everyone was in their tents but apparently one of the guides spotted it and kept an eye on it as it checked out the site. The guide said nothing at the time, not wanting to alarm anyone. In the morning I was wondering around the camp behind the phalanx of tents and marveling at the beauty of the golden sunrise in the elephant forest. I noticed huge dog-like paw prints and realized what they were. The hyena had walked a scant five feet behind where Amanda and I had been sleeping.