"I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I

was not happy."

-Ernest Hemmingway

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Semester Break: Chobe National Park

As I set my fingers upon the keyboard, the long awaited semester break has already become a memory. An unforgettable one. For the sake of organization, and with so much to say, I have split the epic adventure into three parts: Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls, and the Okavango Delta.
Early Saturday morning (so early in fact that I had to walk hurriedly past raucous, drunk party goers) I set off with my Wildlife Biology class for a weekend of research. After a full day of driving, while blazing along a pothole ridden road, I as rewarded with my very first elephant sighting. A huge bull cheerfully breezing its colossal ears. Night set in quickly and, almost inevitably, we hit a mammoth pothole. The tire burst, the rim bent out of shape, and the engine broke down. Then it started pouring rain. Jolly good. We ended up driving the last leg of our journey to Kasane sandwiched into the back of a pick-up truck (8 students, luggage, tents, and dripping mattresses). While others found comfort in the midst of a drunken stupor, I was too cold to feel anything. Needless to say I slept very well that night. The Toro Safari Lodge hosted us for the duration of our stay. A tidy establishment with a lawn boasting “Beware of Hippo” signs. Only in Africa. The gates to Chobe National Park were just a short drive away. The class departed on a reconnaissance drive to familiarize ourselves with the terrain. As the sun set, our jeep parted through a sea of impala and baboons revelled in the trees overhead. Magical. I started off the following day with a python wrapped around my arm. We took a short tour of a local NGO responsible for rescuing abused pets and injured wildlife. After that it was all business. With GPS locator, data sheet, and binoculars in hand I took up the front seat in the survey jeep. The Wildlife Biology class covered 100km of dirt track and made over three hundred animal sightings: water buck, giraffe, elephant, implala, water buffalo, mongoose, kudu, baboon, puku, and zebra. It was one thing to see an elephant at a distance, but an agitated bull male a mere ten feet away is absolutely terrifying. They are not in the least bit hesitant to face down a vehicle, tusks swinging dangerously. Respect the animals.

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