Heat, flies and plenty of wine!

Paul with anti-fly gear

The heat is oppressive. Occasionally the wind blows but it is like someone has turned a giant hair dryer on high and pointed it straight at you. We’ve developed a new technique for coping with the incessant flies. We pin dish towels to the beaks of our baseball hats with clothes pins and that seems to, at least, keep them off our faces. It, unfortunately, makes things a bit hotter (if that is even possible) with not only a hat on our heads but a dish rag as well. It also cuts down on our peripheral vision, which worries me a bit since the last time we were in this campsite we had a puff adder visitor (who actually puffed at me as a warning when I almost stepped on him with his perfect camouflage making him indistinguishable from the sand). I worry a bit about this but ultimately give that up as my primary concern is dying from heat exhaustion, not snake bite. Snake bit would probably be quicker which, at that point in time, seemed like a better option. 

Paul checking the depth of the river crossing

After five nights at Khwai for Christmas we come home for a couple of days to resupply (it was supposed to be one night be we decide another night in air conditioning isn’t a bad idea). We head off to Makgadikgadi Pans for four nights to ring in the New Year. Upon arriving after roughly 4.5 hours of driving from Maun and one, not so treacherous river crossing, sadly, there is someone in our campsite. They had set up a small village and planned to leave the next day so we decide to just camp at another campsite for the night (there are only three campsites at Tree Island). This, of course, is a royal pain in the butt because setting up even a minimal camp for one night is a lot of unpacking. The guy felt bad and we, at least, got a cold bottle of wine out of it.

Me in camp wearing my Frog Togg

Our typical day involves a morning and evening game drive to see the area (when we soak in the air conditioning in the Land Cruiser). Mid-day we try to move as little as possible and basically, do our best not to melt from the heat. We read now outdated Time magazines (that I brought with me from the States), listen to Podcasts and play trivia games. Paul is always better at history and geography but I kick his butt on all things related to American culture. To try to cool down we use this thing called a “Frog Togg” chill pad which, when wet, actually does keep you a bit cooler. Unfortunately, as the days wear on, it starts to smell a bit like blue cheese, but I am undeterred. 

Migrating zebra looking for water

Typically this time of year the zebra migration is in the area but this year the animal population is sparse. This is primarily due to lack of rain and very little, if any, standing water. From Tree Island, we have to head south to see more wildlife. We do see some zebra and wildebeest looking forlorn as they depart from disappointingly dry watering holes heads hanging low. How long can they go on like this without much to eat or drink? 

At what should be a nice oasis (if there had been rain) we see quite a few animals including a cheetah in waiting. Unfortunately, when she sees us, she makes a mad dash for the tree line leaving her very obvious waiting place under a tree. She is rumored, by other campers, to have three cubs but no matter how hard we search for them, we can’t find them. Just a quick glimpse of her under the tree and then her spotted backside running away is all we see.

As with every visit to Makgadikgadi we are struck by the wide open spaces and desolate landscapes. And despite the drought, we see large flocks of ostriches running and small families of meerkats playing. We even see a rather determined tortoise making his way across a pan. Every now and then we spot a stunning lily and remark on the tenacity of life.

 

Ostrich on the run

Meerkat Lookout

Meerkat

Leopard Tortoise

Lily

Me at sundowners

Each night we enjoy sundowners with beautiful Africa sunsets and the heat starts to abate.

By night fall, the flies go home (where ever that might be?) to sleep and we are joined by red wine loving hawk moths. Fortunately, we can handle those and have small beaded mesh coverings perfectly suited for securing the tops of our wine glasses. 

Makgadikgadi sunset over the pan

 

Evenings bring cooler temperatures (in the desert climate you might actually need a blanket by dawn the next day) and we ring in the new year looking at a breath-taking view of the Milky Way.

For three days we go without seeing another person. We also don’t see this creepy solifugae until we pack up the tent and find him squished (my Chaco is there for size comparison purposes). Sadly, he did NOT have a happy new year but we hope you did!

Squished Solifugae