Elephants!

O.M.G.! Another unbelievable day.
Visited an elementary school in Zimbabwe on our way to Botswana. The darling kids sang and danced for us....and we left them with the school supplies and books we had brought from home. (To be replaced by souvenirs in our suitcase :-) ......we made another 10 minute stop at the craft market first....at some of our group's request-of course I went for more too.....
Bus ride with border stops to our lodge (Mowana Safari Lodge) on the Chobe river right outside the Chobe national park. Our activity for this VERYHOT day was a cruise on the river. I have NEVER seen so many new birds and animals! ( Musings, you would be out of your mind with glee as I was.) Also hippos, impala, wart hogs, Cape buffalo, baboons, crocs, etc etc. And elephants! Although there were too many blip-able photos, the elephants gave us a show better than any Animal Planet. This river is the dividing line between Botswana and Namibia and when it is low in this season before the rains, there are islands in the middle. Botswana is home to many many elephants (many too many actually) who live in the mainland but swim to the islands for the day to eat and play. We saw bachelor herds and several female herds scratching the ground to dust themselves, sparring, eating, drinking. When the sun goes down, they swim back to the mainland for the night. Well we were at the right place at the right time as we saw them gathering at the water's edge and one young female swam across right away. But the rest hung back until several other boats that were too close backed off. And then they formed a line behind the matriarch and swam across one after the other. Our guide was ecstatic- she had never seen this many at once. (More than 50) So I'm choosing the beginning of the crossing for the blip - there is a small baby directly behind the matriarch. When they got to the other side , now looking much darker when all wet, they split up into their several groups and wandered up the hill. An incredible experience!

I will have some time tomorrow between game drive and more boating and will try to load up the flicker album-there are just too many wonderful shots not to share....but we get up at 5:00 so it's not going to happen tonight!