Kasane to Pandamatenga 106 km – Elephants!

After the rains yesterday, today is the first real heat, and at over 100kms a more average days work.

Elephant Highway runs dead straight through the middle of elephant territory. Tall grasses edge the road, brushing against us and hiding elephant.

The hard part for me isn’t the heat or the work… it’s not being able to rest. We have been told not to linger where the grasses are long, or anywhere really. Tallis patrols up and down the Highway near the areas he’s heard of sightings. I’m skeptical, given yesterday, but now we’re regularly cycling over piles of dung.

Suddenly there he is… lumbering across the road ahead. Riders behind me want to carry on once he’s gone, but I wait- there could be a herd following this one, best not to get between them

Now that we’ve seen one, animals pop up everywhere … three giraffes loping along beside us, a huge gang of baboons all over the road, then a smaller one of monkeys, and finally three southern ground hornbills – magnificent endangered birds. Oh and also the most photographed bird in Africa – the Lilac Roller.

But not photographed by me… google it! I know by the time I stop, grab the iPhone and get a shot it will be too late. And I will have missed the experience. So I relax and enjoy… I’ve never been to a country where so many wild animals live free outside the parks.

I make my day again! Last in but at least I’m not in the bus

Building my little camp for the first time takes a while – out of practice. But there’s a hot shower and dinner, and after a few hours in the friendly bar I go to sleep, happy to be in my own warm bubble.

Bertie

Uve and Gitta, and Aleena