Gael back in Africa.

[Drumacoon Lad.]

The pool and river has other residents. Somewhat bigger reptiles than the monitor lizards. I spotted this log up one end of the pond mid morning, however, as it drifted closer some hours later, I could see it was a large Croc. There had been a large Croc in the pool last time and caught and drowned 2 goats as I watched. The speed of its attack was frightening, and I've been keeping well away from river banks, when Crocs may be present. There was a bit of a commotion yesterday, with lots of splashing, when the big Croc chased away a younger rival.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

There are a number of birds around the river and pond but many I've photographed before. Here's one that's not been included this trip, the African Jacana. It has elongated toes which enable it to walk on lillies and other floating vegetation as it feeds.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

It has a peaceful side here too with fishermen on the side of the pool.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

Coming out of Maun there lots of stalls, selling firewood and many things made out of tin.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

It was good to see one of the big 5 which eluded me so far, even if this one was a bit colourful.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

One animal I haven't seen here, is a hippo, but they do come into the pool at night. I hear them splashing about from my tent.

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[jeffa]

I love this thread

 

[richardbd]

One animal I haven't seen here, is a hippo, but they do come into the pool at night. I hear them splashing about from my tent.

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Please could you stay out there a bit longer Jim? I'm enjoying this thread far too much for it to stop now...

 

[Britishbeefy]

Please could you stay out there a bit longer Jim? I'm enjoying this thread far too much for it to stop now...

Agreed…….and it’s leading me to looking at flights and maps!

 

[Drumacoon Lad.]

Agreed…….and it’s leading me to looking at flights and maps!

Guys, that's the right approach. I did my first Africa trip to Morocco in 2010. Before we went, GSEddie and I dismissed going to Morocco, cos that was what the tough guys go. Well we did the research, went ahead, had a great time and found out it was like riding a bike, just in a different country.
https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/238596-Tagine-and-Sand-in-Morocco

Namibia and Botswana are easier than Morocco, and English is spoken everywhere. Borders are a doddle too. I Iook forward to reading your Ride Reports.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

Well it was time to move on today and leave one of my favourite places. The Backpackers at the Old Bridge in Maun, was high on my list when planning this trip. It wasn't as good socially as on other times but that may just be the mix of people staying and partly due to a change in management. The wildlife was still good and the Croc came to see me off, as I packed up early to leave.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

My plan was to ride south west and as far as the Namibian border. This was a 520km ride plus a border crossing, so an early start was needed. Crossing into Namibia requires a PCR test no older than 72 hours and I got that 2 days ago in Maun, and the results came in about 2 hours. So I left the Backpackers at around 07:30, when it was still relatively cool. There were no scary animals on the road today but some relaxing goats and grazing horses. There were a lot of horses and I'm no horse expert but they looked in fine shape.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

I must have gone into or left a national park, because I was stopped and had to step in the square area to disinfect my boots, sadly it won't be effective on the inside. Then I had to ride through this trough to disinfect the wheels.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

There were a few other riders along this road and a rather grand donkey cart.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

I did get stopped by this gentleman with an automatic rifle. It wasn't clear what documents he wanted, so I offered my UK driving licence. This seemed to cause enough confusion to be waved on.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

This lady with the umbrella gave me a friendly wave and for that I've included her photo.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

As I crossed the Border into Namibia I spotted the sigh for this wonderful road. I thought it was worth a selfie. After all, one selfie in 4 weeks travelling ain't bad.

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

This is my accommodation for the night. A little hut with 2 beds and a table and chair outside. The campsite does food too. A good spot to rest up after a long day.

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[simondippenhall]

How can you bear to leave, Jim?

Great photos and report. On my next visit I am expecting to find an African animal proudly wearing a badge: ‘not photographed by Jim Sherry’


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[Edventure]

Sounds like a superb trip Jim.

Looking forward to hearing all about it over a pint!