Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

Wild camping off of Hunter's Road, Botswana

I awake to my tent collapsing and shouts from the South African; “I'm blowing awaaaaaay!” I peek out, and he indeed is levitating on his air mattress with the tent billowing at all sides. We are wild camping off of Hunters Road, and the wind is relentlessly insane. I struggle to hold down the tent & watch the others do the same. All we can do is wait for a break, which finally comes long enough to get the South African back on land, move the car to break the wind, and find rocks and ropes to further secure our homes. Phew! Although a trip to Oz would really be a highlight of this adventure! We decide to stay another night, with the hopes the wind might die down and we see the wildlife and stars that brought us here. Our site is strategically placed under a giant baobab, with the valley spread out below. It's another windy day, but we still catch zebras, jackal, and antelope not far off. A relaxing day, and the wind seems to have moved on. Just as I'm settling down to sleep that night, I hear what I think is a lion roaring... Back out of the tent I go to ask the others. Yes, it is indeed a pride of lions just down the hill. Quickly back into the tent! I tell myself that lions won't bother us, but it's a futile attempt to relax. I lie there and listen – and here an even closer roar up the hill. Two prides of lions?? One on either side? What luck... I don't think I've ever been this legitimately afraid on Halloween night!

Exhaustion wins over, and I manage to catch a few winks. I awake with all of my limbs but am ready to move on. Off we go to the Makgadikgadi Pans! We choose Sowa Pan for our, a seasonal lake that fills with water in the rainy season but is a vast salt pan in the dry season. Lucky for us it is dry season, and the salt pan is quiet, lonely, desolate, DRY, and simply amazing. After playing with perspective and exploring the pan, we ate like kings over a huge bush fire and went to sleep trying to count the billions of stars. Oh – and no lions! The only life I saw were wild horses that must be waiting for the rainy season. Brilliant :)

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