Thursday, 28th February. Before sunrise, all the others went off, after a coffee, for a bird-watching walk around the grounds of the Lodge. Being rather birded out, I allowed myself a few more minutes in bed, though still had had my breakfast pretty early, well before the others got back to have theirs. I filled in time by wandering round the grounds on my own in non-birdwatching mode, and then visiting the ‘Reptile Walk’ of the lodge, which had sadly seen better days.
The bar, where we had had our lunch on the two days we were there.Trees often grow through termite mounds, apparently because of the greater fertility of the soil, and possibly their greater water contentI didn’t go looking for birds, but sometimes you just can’t avoid them. Red-billed hornbill, in still poor, early morning light.Anchieta’s dwarf python. Quite big. actuallyBlack mamba. Not very big, but I’m glad there’s glass between me and it.Later, as I went to join the vehicles to leave, this family of striped mongooses, very much at home in the grounds of the lodge, were taking advantage of the hose water.
We covered a lot of ground this day, 430 km/267 miles. It was pretty hot (35 degrees C max) , and thunderstorms threatened, never amounting to much though.
Weaver birds’ nests. Even a refuelling stop is the opportunity for birdwatching.Ooh, and here we are at a sewage works.Fortunately, the problem with Jakes’s vehicle (a tyre I think) arose in a town, Tsumeb. Jakes explains it, Neil listens, and the mechanic mops his brow.Namibia is rich in minerals.
Our lunch was taken at a Roy’s Rest Camp, whose proprietors have a wacky sense of humour!
Looks fairly normal to begin with, just a little run-down. (It gets good reviews though).Just two examples among many of eccentricity.The dining area seems normal, until you start noticing little curios. No pictures because I was eating…… and then keen to get back to chat with this man. A Scot, who had lived in Australia for the last 40 years (though you’d think he’d never left Renfrewshire from his accent) who is travelling the world with just a 150 cc bike, (there in front of our right-hand vehicle), a mobile phone, and virtually no plans. Is nearly at the end of his years-long odyssey. Amazing fellow. I got this photo, with his permission, but didn’t like to ask his name.
Once we got going again, there was little time to stop for wildlife photographs, and I snatched such pictures of Namibian rural life as I could through the windows of the vehicle.
When we were nearly at our next destination, near Rundu, a dust storm arose as we went through the town. “Windows closed please!”
Shortly afterwards, we arrived at Kaisosi River Lodge on the Okavango River, with Angola on the other side.
Four rooms in this building. Mine was downstairs, in the nearer half, the river beyond.From the riverside, No 3.Just so peaceful after a long day’s journeying. View from the ‘French’ window.View from the verandah by the dining room.
But the dining room was not – yet – for us. After settling in, we went out to visit ….. a sewage works.
Homeward bound in the shower with firewood.Black-crowned Night-heronsRed bishop. The first we had seen, but we were to see more.Embroidery on my pillowcase. Pied kingfisher.
Your 100 Best Sewage Works! – but lovely to see the accommodation – and what a pretty room including the pillowcase – and glimpses of the town as well as countryside.
I don’t know what you call them in US English, but in French they’re called ‘door-windows’, which describes them pretty accurately. I guess we call them French windows because they were used so much there in their elegant 19th century houses.
Yea, then we just call them glass doors because modern language is devoid of all creativity. I’d prefer it if such doors were called French doors in the US, because then I could swear loudly whenever I used one and say, “Pardon my French.” But alas, I must simply swear loudly without using any French-related sayings.
A good and useful use of hose water!
430 km, phew, what a day! A little less birdy, which doesn’t make it less interesting. Au contraire 😉 Such a cosy room with a view!
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I’d always hoped the plural of mongoose would be mongeese. Alas I feel let down. Thank you for this, as always a delight to read.
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I’m tempted every time I write the plural.
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Your 100 Best Sewage Works! – but lovely to see the accommodation – and what a pretty room including the pillowcase – and glimpses of the town as well as countryside.
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Only once in the entire fortnight was there anything like a sewage works smell, thank goodness!
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What a long way to go. You did well to get out at the end of the day.
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The red bishops made it worth it for me.
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That must have been a tiring, though very interesting, day.
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Yes. Particularly the Australian Scot.
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Quite an arduous day, I should imagine in such heat, but your room looked most inviting.
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It was one of the nicest I had.
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The rooms in the lodge you stayed at look really comfy. One thing I don’t understand, however, is what makes a window “French?”
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I don’t know what you call them in US English, but in French they’re called ‘door-windows’, which describes them pretty accurately. I guess we call them French windows because they were used so much there in their elegant 19th century houses.
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Ohhhh, I think we just call them glass doors in the US. Are they actual, functioning doors?
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Yes, I think we’d call the modern ones glass doors. Yes, they open to full height.
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Yea, then we just call them glass doors because modern language is devoid of all creativity. I’d prefer it if such doors were called French doors in the US, because then I could swear loudly whenever I used one and say, “Pardon my French.” But alas, I must simply swear loudly without using any French-related sayings.
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A good and useful use of hose water!
430 km, phew, what a day! A little less birdy, which doesn’t make it less interesting. Au contraire 😉 Such a cosy room with a view!
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Despite its size, the room was indeed cosy.
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