THE CHIEF OF BOTSWANA
Hello everyone, and welcome to 2021!
In the last two years, I’ve barely touched my camera. I don’t have a real solid reason other than pure apathy, which I suppose is a strong enough reason on its own. As part of my “resolution” for 2021, I’m wanting to recapture the passion that I once had for photography and get back to doing what has always (usually?) made me happy.
So let’s get this year started off with a long-overdue blog post about my adventures in Botswana from a few years back. I apologize for any vertical video, I was recording stories for Instagram and wanted to use some of the clips. Please don’t hold it against me. Aside from being long-overdue, when I wrote this initially, I had planned to release it as one post, but it’s just too much for one read. I think it would be a nice way to start off blogging for the year with a three-part series I’ll release over the next few weeks.
Let’s begin.
Meet Chief. Yes. That's his real name. When he first told it to me, I admit that I might have had a chuckle to myself. That's a bold name anywhere. I wondered if Chief would live up to his namesake. As I write this, I feel humility in the fact that a man with a name like that would have caused me any concern. If this man's name was anything else, I don't think saying goodbye at the end of our safari would have been so difficult. He lived up to his name every waking moment. Before I start the journey through Botswana, I need to tell you about the guide we had. It will make every wildlife encounter, every quiet moment, every endorphin-releasing adventure have meaning for you.
When Chief was 11 years old, he left his family to live with the Kalahari Bushmen. One night, Chief and two other young boys were out hunting. They managed to kill a buffalo and corral the carcass to an area that was guarded by a huge acacia tree. They set up three fire positions, extending from the protection of the large tree, which they kept burning so as to keep any potential conflict at bay. During the night, a pride of lions took wind of the buffalo carcass and approached the campsite where Chief and his two friends were resting. One of the boys was acting sentry and quickly woke the two others. Three small fires were all that kept the three boys, guarding a buffalo carcass, away from a hungry pride. Acting on instinct, the three boys rallied together, collecting leaves and sticks to stoke the fires hotter and reaching higher. They took long sticks, lighting the ends on fire and throwing them towards the ravenous lions who were waiting for their chance to strike. The lions eventually retreated, and the boys collapsed together, staying awake in case the fires should abate over the night. In the morning, elders from the village found the boys and their kill. Although it was considered foolhardy, the fact that the boys had managed to kill and secure such a formidable foe hadn't gone unnoticed. The boys found later on that the pride of lions was only mere one-hundred yards away.
When I found out we were doing the camping expedition with &beyond I was beyond excited. I have done many, many safaris with this company, and they have always been nothing short of life-changing experiences. Usually, we'd spend two nights on safari at one of the lodges. You'd get to know your ranger, but then you'd be saying goodbye before you really get to know a person. This trip would be different. For the next eight days, we'd be traveling through Botswana, an area I've longed to be in, with one of the most knowledgeable and charismatic rangers I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. On that note, welcome to Botswana...
THE ROAD TO MAUN
We drove from Swakopmund to Maun. That's an eight-hour drive plus a border crossing. Now, I love my family, and any disparaging comment henceforth is said with love. Really. Eight-hours in a car with two people is enough to make you crazy. We had five. Five people. Five family members. Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have changed this for the world, but awesome ideas have their moments, too. But I digress. We made it to Maun, and the next day we were on a flight to Chobe National Park. This is where we would be starting our eight-day camping safari. Should I just call it "glamping" and get that part over with?
CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
We flew into Kasane, a town in which there are no fences, where wildlife crosses the street and can end up on your doorstep when you least expect it. We were picked up at the airport by Chief, who was to be our guide for the next eight days. We loaded up into our Land Cruiser and were taken right to a boat launch for a cruise on the Chobe River.
While so many parts of Africa suffer water shortages, drought, and access to clean drinking water, I'm still amazed at the actual amount of water that does exist on this continent. I don't want that to sound like a Westernized view of Africa, I just know that a lot of places in Africa have very little water. Botswana has such an abundance of water that so many different species congregate and cohabitate within the country. If you've ever been to a waterhole in Africa, you'll know there is an almost unspoken truce that takes place between predator and prey. Lions and gazelle will drink alongside each other. Well, maybe as socially-distanced as possible. Even the large predators know that taking the drink is sometimes the better choice than attempting to outrun and overpower a potential meal.
We cruised the Chobe River for a few hours, encountering elephants, hippos, spoonbills, and springbok. We also enjoyed some Christmas Day treats and the obligatory family photo. It really was a Christmas Day for the books. After the boat cruise was done, we headed back to camp which was in Chobe Park. Part of the stipulation for certain safari companies to camp in the park requires that all vehicles be parked and free of passengers at 7 pm. This isn't such a big deal now, but it comes into play later. I digress. We rolled into camp shortly before seven, where we were greeted by the staff who would be taking care of us for the next two days and nights. As I said before, this was glamping at its best. All the tented sites we stayed at were virtually identical in set-up, so I'll just share the photos of one camp here so you get the idea. A flush toilet in the jungle? Don't mind if I doo-doo! We were treated to an amazing dinner before heading off to bed. We had an early start the next day.
Over the next day and a half, we toured the Chobe Park in our Land Cruiser, the most common and awesome safari vehicle. We tracked lions, had a close encounter with a young elephant in muste (heat), as he came charging towards our vehicle out of the thick brush. This all happened while we were tracking a lion pride of over 15 lions, which is a very large number for a pride. But alas, we weren't able to track the big pride, but the unknown part of what you might see in the search is what I live for. You’re always at the peak of adrenalin and excitement and sometimes it pays off in a big way. Our adventure here even brought us to a battle of ants versus termites, with the smaller ants showcasing their superiority over the termites. I was watching a live version of "A Bug's Life" minus the grasshoppers.
We came across a lioness by herself one morning. We stopped to observe and take photos of the beautiful scene before us. It’s hard to write this and not think of “basic” words to describe a scene such as this. But that’s what it was. Simply beautiful. The lioness was a perfect model, and I made sure to take a few shots and observe her with my own eyes to record the moment. The hardest part of a safari, in my experience, is putting the camera down. “What if I miss THE National Geographic shot of the year?” I’ve asked myself many times. And the answer is that I already have many many times. And I don’t want that to sound defeatist, but I’d rather know I got a shot or two I liked and can put the camera down and just witness with my own eyes. It’s not the same through a lens. It can never be. My eyes are more HD than that TV I paid a bunch for!
That finishes up the first part of my three-part series, “The Chief of Botswana.” I hope you enjoyed all the pictures, videos and stories. Part II will be out next Sunday. Have a great week everyone!
