Moremi Gorge

Breakfast at camp.

Villages on the road to the gorge.

The climb into Moremi Gorge.

Fire lillies.

The third and best waterfall.

Thursday, October 19^th.

While having breakfast this morning Will and I watched as a couple of antlions trap ants and dragged them underground. We left camp at seven and set off for the border. We are crossing back into Botswana because the border into South Africa from Zimbabwe is chaotic. We drove for a couple of hours before reaching the border. Luckily we got there before a convoy of local buses which Timon said cause all sorts of problems with people butting into line and trying to smuggle illegal things. Our crossing was fairly painless, but it took a while. We had to get stamped out of Zimbabwe, then get stamped into Botswana, take all of our shoes to a cleaning station to dip them in solution to kill any potential foot and mouth disease. Then we had to stand around outside in the hot sun while they scanned our bus. Luckily we did not have to pull all our luggage out of the truck and they did not inspect the inside. So after a couple of hours, we were on our way.

Shortly after we stopped in Francistown (the second largest in Botswana) for lunch and supplies. I checked out a computer store, but am reluctant to pull the plug even though mine is on its last legs. I don't know what to do with the plug or electric situation.

Then we drove for a couple more hours in the hot truck to our campsite for the night. I nodded off a couple of times. We are at the Moremi Gorge and the camp is really remote and basic, no electricity, no internet, and just a couple of outside toilets and showers. You have to put a chain across a couple of poles to let people know that it is occupied so that they don't walk in on you as there are no real doors.

We set up camp quickly and then Timon and Ernest drove us over a very narrow dirt road, brushing past trees to the entrance to the Moremi Gorge. There we met out local guide Kit and he took us for a couple of kilometre hike through the narrow gorge to see three small waterfalls. The area really reminded me of the gorges in Western Australia.

Dinner was ready for us shortly after we returned and then was sat and chatted a bit before bed. I talked to Dwayne and Bronwen from Ottawa.