Well, I admit it, I’m totally disoriented. I barely know what day it is nor what days any of the following photos were taken. In general, for someone who likes to blab on for paragraphs without care for grammar or punctuation, I am pretty much at a loss for words regarding what we have experienced.

For this entry I have resorted to pulling out the itinerary to try to make sense of it all and plan to just post photos of what all we saw and learned and maybe throw in a little extra blah blah about some of the photos. I am sitting in a hotel room in Cape Town, South Africa, I know that much. The rest of the group hopped on a bus tour of wine country. More on this area later when I come to my senses.

When last we met I think we were on our way to Okavanga Delta by itty bitty plane. But to recap (more for my orientation than yours), we flew into Johannesburg, spent a day or so, flew to Zimbabwe and went to Victoria Falls, John and Larry arrived without luggage (SO GLAD THEY MADE IT!) . Went on a sunset cruise down the Zambezi River and saw our first critters.Got up early in the morning for our first real safari and saw the rhinos. Left with our shoes in a bag and went to Botswana. Went to Chobe National Park and saw lions eating an impala and lotsa birds. Okay. Got it.

Kasane Airport. We were divided into planes according to weight of us and luggage. Most people were in a 12 seater but Al and Jesse and Scott and I hit the jackpot and rode in a little 6 seater. Our pilot was approximately 10 years old. Just kidding, but he was younger than us. I come from a family of pilots – my brother flew since he was 16 and my nephew flies corporate jets for a living. I couldn’t help but think of my nephew, who for a time flew in Africa carting people around who worked for the UN.

Many people are afraid to fly, and I have my moments despite the family history. I’ve been in small planes such as this one but not for 90 minutes and it rattled me a little bit, until I saw the pilot hop into the plane. As soon as he became a pilot and not just the guy who greeted us, his demeanor changed to what I imagine my brother and nephew become: serious, focused, no-nonsense and capable. That, and I pretended I had won a reward challenge on Survivor (those who watch will understand) and that the reward was a plane ride over the African bush into the Okavanga Delta. We met Scott and Jesse in Peru and they have become friends as we live in southern California and it felt pretty special to share the experience with just them.

It was refreshing to see from the air the bone dry land become dotted with water here and there. As I may have mentioned, it was a dry summer for them here in Africa and so the water has evaporated leaving less water than expected this time of the year. The rainy season starts in November and lasts til April, and water should be lasting until October, but it’s more scarce this year. The water from the Okavanaga Delta drains from Angola, so in the future I will be watching the weather there perhaps a little more closely. Where we safari’d in the Delta can, during a normal winter, be navigated by motor boat. Not so much this year. We were crossing water with the jeep. I’m sure there are areas where we wouldn’t be able to do that still, but the fact remains the water is low overall.

Our tent cabins were comfortable but we were in the wilds now and after dinner we could sit by the campfire but once we were escorted to our tents that was it for the night. We could hear all sorts of critters out there – the ever present baboons and birds and even lions. Last month a zebra was killed inside the camp itself and they had to drag it out of the area a bit so they didn’t have to step around a lion and hyenas and vultures and what not to get to breakfast.

Except for the middle of the day there was no rest for us weary travelers. Up before dawn and real breakfast to grab coffee and a muffin before heading out with our wonderful driver Titus, and our tracker, Sianga. Our tour director was in our jeep as they are her favorites (I’m thinking maybe we are too!). Our group was Al, John, Larry, Susan, Steve and moi.

In case you’re wondering, John’s luggage showed up, Larry’s did not as yet. Fortunately the guys could share some clothes and there was free laundry at the camp. At this point Larry just wants the luggage back so he doesn’t have to replace some of the rather nice outdoor clothing he had packed, and his binocs).

It is at this point where I start to really lose track of what day it is and what we did. The photos all start to blend together. We were out until after dark our first and second days there, We were out for one early morning and a second not quite as early but still early enough for our final safari on the way to the airport, where we would take another small plane to Maun (Larry’s luggage was there!), then to Johannesburg to connect to a plane to Cape Town. It was a long day.

Since I am confused now, I will just post photos and try to make sense of the notes I took along the way. I was able to find a wonderful coloring book sized book with all the animals and birds found in the area so I may be able to identify the birds. Looking through photos between Al and me we actually got some decent shots of the birds. Here we go… this first fellow will be my forever memory of Okavango Delta. It was nearing sunset and we stopped for a snack. Like a movie, in the distance we saw this massive elephant slowly making his way towards us. I have a video and will try to upload it as well, but he was the hugest land animal I have ever seen, and we saw LOTS of elephants. He walked past us like royalty and took my breath away with his size and demeanor. I will never forget those five minutes. If you want me to send you the video via email or text just reach out to me, family and friends.

This first photo is the scary matriarch who came so close to our jeep. That’s another video I’ll be happy to send to anyone who wants it. The middle photo there is the mud bath scene, and the elephant who looks black on the bottom is just demonstrating how deep the water is that it just waded through.

What’s your pleasure next? How about my favorite animal – giraffes. They are camouflage experts and you start to think you are seeing them when it’s just a tree. Our lovely tour director, Belinda, is always trying her hand at pointing things out but she has a great track record in spotting ALT’s. Animal Looking Things. She has accompanied many safaris and does spot actual animals but she is a good sport about when she finds ALTs. Our girl on the right in the first row (who was leaning down to drink) is pregnant.

These giraffes are the Southern Giraffe. They are lighter in color than the masai rothschild giraffe and the reticulated giraffes in eastern Africa. They can be darker depending on age or the gene pool if a darker color is passed down ( through the mother). Apparently.

I do not know why this text got smaller and can’t seem to figure out how to change the font bigger. Sorry!

My lovely people, as our tour director would say, I need to stop and continue later. Dealing with photos – transferring and figuring out which ones to use has exhausted me. To come: lions, hyenas, wild dogs, warthogs, wildebeest, cape buffalo, jackals, leopards and lots of birdies…