Day 15: Kirkmans Camp, Sabi Sands, SA

The 4:15 alarm not welcome,  however we dressed warmly and staggered out into rain for an amazing three and a half hours amongst the animals. First rain here in many months and the landscape will be transformed. As for Rally, we huddled snugly under gigantic ponchos in our convertible safari trucks.  Not enough praise can be heaped upon these worthy diesel vehicles, quiet and smooth running, yet as capable as elephants in mowing down the landscape.
We immediately struck leopard gold, tracking up close and personal a coy female being lured to new territory by an intruding and gorgeous young male.

Then hyenas, lots of hyenas, following the wild dog family we saw last night. Watching six young pups frolicking and jumping logs made us laugh. The five adult dogs sat alert between the large hyenas pack and the playing pups. As one they rose and chased off the enemy with a good bite in the ass to the closest one.

Now time for watching dueling giraffe 🦒. Their swinging necks look like slow motion ballet yet they strike with a resounding thud and can injure.

Damp, hungry and excited, Rally shared the sighting tales of their different safari trucks over a lavish breakfast. Laurie headed to Fang maintenance while I recaptured a couple hours lost sleep. This is working for me. 

Joel, our driver and Robert,the tracker will take us in search of white rhino during the upcoming evening safari drive. 
Wish you were here with us for this exhilarating experience.🦒🦓🐆🐘🦏🐃🐒👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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Weather cooling down a bit. 

Your Nav thankful for good friend, Carole's, hand knit hat.

Coy female leopard lured to territory by young male

Hyenas, lots of Hyenas

Lots of Hyenas

Wild Dogs Playing

Wild Dogs Running Calling Young

Giraffe's squabbling

More giraffe squabbling

Giraffe Running - looking like in Slow Motion

White Rhinos

White Rhinos walking

Yesterday's Cone Course

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Day 14: PM Warthogs on lawn at Kirkmans Camp, Sabi Sands

Easy to appreciate the raves Kirkmans Camp receives.
Superb lunch amid grazing animals, then a private safari for just the two of us. Laurie wanted to see a leopard, and I
wild dogs and hyenas. So we  visited a sleepy leopard up close, and spotted four wild dogs hunting. We spent an exhilarating hour tracking the dogs through and over bushes, logs and rocks. The dogs spooked a passel of mongooses. Boy, can they run.

Spectacular drive today through verdant mountains.
A fine motocross result in the airport parking lot by Laurie and a decent regularity result too.
I must go to sleep now.
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Tea break in Hairnet, SA

Jeremy the intrepid Morgan driver and his friend Victoria.

Mountain driving at last

Hike to God's Window

God's Window

Warthogs on lawn at Kirkmans Camp, Sabi Sands

Leopard viewing

and Wild Dogs

And Hyena Video on Night Safari

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Day 14: AM update

Going to breakfast! All we do is eat sleep drive and laugh. 
More soon,
Your Driver

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Day 13: Into South Africa

Went through border at remote Zanzibar border station after 50 km of very bumpy long dirt road. Then lunch at a remote golf club down a short and bumpy dirt road. 

Then Laurie turns fast laps at Mokopane Raceway!  

End of day, Laurie working on important siren. Long day, bumpy gravel roads got us and Fang all shook up.
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Border 50 km down bumpy dirt road.

Lunch Time at remote golf club.

Crew Chief Charlie & Communicator Kim favorites! 

Laurie readying for her track run.

Laurie turns fast laps at Mokopane Raceway!

Protea Hotel Polokwane, SA

Laurie working on important siren.

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Day 12 Kasane to Francistown 500 km

We fought our way out of the mosquito netting at 5AM this morning intent on an early start to beat the heat.  Fang hit the road at his allotted 7:04 AM departure time for a cool run on perfect tarmac. Botswana seems lightly populated outside the big towns. Few villagers or folks walking though we did pass a few elephants and wild pigs.  Greener, more trees. Tidy. 

The Nata Lodge lunch stop included a safari truck trip to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, home to 165 bird species. Ostrich, pelicans, heron, flamingos, stover, and standing in the shallow brackish water, a herd of gnus. These strange creations make wildebeests look handsome by comparison.

A bit of cloud cover allowed for a pleasant cruise to Francistown where Laurie and the girls led a sing along to cell phone selections. Tonight I wore a sweater!

Tomorrow morning we leave early for the South African border, the Mokopane race track and another brand of excellent beer.

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We are very popular at service stations

Our hotel on Chobe River

Golf course lawn mowers at Chobe Hotel

Signs posted at Lay-Byes along road to Francistown

Greater White Pelican

Blast furnace type heat and wind. The guide is asking us how many chicken eggs to one ostrich egg. 24 to 1.

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Day 11 Update: 8PM 84 degrees Botswana

Fang rests peacefully tonight amongst Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and other super cars that delivered a rowdy group of South Africans to our luxe hotel beside the Chobe River. 

Just when the border crossing from Zambia to Botswana was set to be downgraded from “Utter Chaos” to plain “Nightmarish” the little ferry to Botswana broke down, stranding most of Rally in 100 degree plus noonday sun for two very long hours. We escaped that particular torture but by 10 AM Fang’s dashboard was too hot to touch and my skin felt about the same. Laurie and I discovered the joy of supermarket air conditioning and took a very long time to buy a jar of pickles while our body temperatures came off the boil.

Our group cruised along the Chobe River for sundowners and animals. We agreed water borne safaris have their advantages.
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Little Hot Ferry

Tracker

Cruising the Chobe River: Going to have a bite!

Elephant Fun

Monkey Business

River Safari

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Day 11: Ferry, Border, Ferry, Border and Groceries

Today's ferry ride. Border passage and then ferry, and then border passage. Multiple steps and contributions at each end 😅 and 98° 100k today, felt like going for groceries. And the stores are very clean and well stocked. Car needs beverage cooling capabilities. 😋
First Rally Results Posted select this link
Your Driver, Laurie

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Ferry ride and on to Kasane and Bostwana

Fang on Ferry

Rally Tracker!!! 

Laurie and our Bardahl Fans!  

Dancing in the Street! 

Pam in Street!

Mowana Resort on Chobe River

Local residents

More Rally Tracker!

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