SHINNanigans: In Awesome Wonder, Part 2

As has often happened when we’ve traveled to see amazing wildlife or to accomplish a certain goal (eg, bike across a state or do a triathlon), we (Jon and Julie that is; unfortunately, the Shinn family had to stay in Gabs) once again discovered that one of our favorite parts of northern Botswana was meeting so many interesting people. On our trip to northern Botswana, we talked with many of the Batswana (that’s the name of the people of Botswana) of course, and so enjoyed how much they appreciated and knew about their lands and inhabitants. We also had wonderful conversations with South Africans, Americans, Belgians, Germans, British, Scottish, and even some Univ. of Georgia students (they were on a sightseeing tour after studying for a month in South Africa).

And on the wildlife front, we just couldn’t help but think that God was having a blast showing off for us. Each awesome sight was trumped by another. On our last morning at Oddballs, not only did we get a great view of the fish eagle (looks very much like our bald eagle) but the lilac breasted roller (the Botswana national bird) flitted into a clearing just as we were returning to the camp to gather our things to leave. Sooooo beautiful (see below). Then on our plane ride from the Delta to Kasane, we flew at about 500 feet and could see for miles. I even saw some hippos walking under water along the main channel of the swamps (bummed we didn’t get that on camera).

On our first game drive in Chobe National Park, we saw scads of animals at the river front. Our guide said that it was unusual to see so many species all together at one time. Then we got to see a couple lion cubs wrestling. They had been left alone while momma went hunting (that was the guide’s guess). And to top off the evening, we came upon some wild dogs just hanging out at river’s edge. The guide told us that it was quite unusual to see them for longer than just a few moments as they ran into the bush. But these guys were just hanging out, playing a bit, and enjoying the sunset. Unfortunately we had to leave before they did because the park closes at 6:30 and we had to get to the gate before it closed.

The rest of our time at Chobe Safari Lodge was very nice. The meals were wonderful (we can now say we have eaten many game animals including kudu, impala, wildebeest, warthog and crocodile) and it was nice to have a real bed and shower again. Our activities included a second game drive (saw a pride of about 10 lions on that one!), 2 morning private boat tours (saw many birds, including Julie’s favorite so far, the malachite kingfisher), and an afternoon boat tour (see sunset below). And we had a delightful time on Sunday morning attending a church we had found while roaming Kasane the day before. We were welcomed heartily and even invited to tea afterwards. And it was quite fun the next day to have people drive by who knew us as we walked up the hill to the Biodiversity Center (saw all the poisonous snakes of the region and several other critters).

Best of all however, were the familiar faces that greeted us when we returned to Gabs. More confirmation that it’s wonderful to visit very cool places, but what really makes it meaningful is the people we get to share our lives with while we’re there.