[Botswana] Chapter XII: In which we venture across the Botswana border, and what ensued

And then we crossed the border into Botswana.

When we had received our car back in Windhoek, we had been told not to pick up any hitchhikers, but being the adventurous globetrotters that we are, we decided to ignore this recommendation

and pick one hitchhiker after all: a charming little mouse. We don't actually remember inviting it into our car, but we must have, for otherwise how could it have ended up turning our car into its home, our dish-washing sponge and our bread and one of our bags into its supper, and our as-yet-undiscovered spot into its lavatory. At one point, when we thought we had reached the place where it was bound for, we tried to gently hint --- by removing all our stuff from our car and making loud noises such as "Last stop! All disembark! Rodents too!" --- that it possibly might want to get off, but we might have been too subtle. So, we left it a whole loaf of bread to nibble on when peckish, and for all we know, it could still be there, enjoying the bread and the ride.

Mice notwithstanding, the Chobe National Park experience, or at least the Linyanti and Chobe riverfronts, which we explored on three consecutive days (11 am to 3 pm, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, 7:30 am to 1:30 pm), was a bit less about close encounters with individual animals --- although these abounded too --- and a bit more about grand majestic vistas of green plains extending as far as the eye could see, crisscrossed by blue river channels and sparkling brooks, and densely dotted by overwhelming multitudes of animals --- grazing, digging, drinking --- primarily cows (yes, Namibian cows), zebras, impalas, kudus, elephants, baboons, and to a lesser degree, warthogs,
giraffes, mongooses, lions, waterbucks, pukus, tsessebes, monkeys, hippos, squirrels, buffalos, hyenas, as well as numerous water birds, such as ducks, geese, egrets, cormorants, kingfishers, spoonbills, fish eagles, and many more.

Contrary to common conceptions, we have found the Western side of the park riverfront (closer to Ngoma Gate) more impressive than the more popular Eastern side (closer to Sedudu Gate) and more populated by animals. Also contrary to common conceptions we have seen no less --- and probably more --- animals at midday than at the recommended early hours of the morning. On the other hand, in accordance with common conceptions, there was a lot of deep sand to drive through in Chobe, but after braving the Mudumu sand monster, these lengthy sand patches proved almost inconsequential to N, Queen of the Desert.

Accommodations:
- Muchenje Cottages and Campsite (1 night; pretty nice campsite)
- Senyati Safari Camp (2 nights; could have been a great campsite, what with the good facilities and the awesome underground bunker that allows one to safely watch elephants from a couple of metres away, but it seems like the place is going out of its way to make you feel unwelcome)

Photo captions: (a-j) elephants at the Senyati camp; (k-m) baboons at the Senyati Camp; (n-u) the Chobe plains; (v) a vervet monkey; (w-bb) giraffes, including one hiding from Mitz Petel; (cc) a small elephant killed by lions; (dd) the same carcass a day later; (ee-jj) lions; (kk-ll) kudus; (mm-nn) impalas; (oo-pp) waterbucks; (qq) pukus; (rr) tsessebes; (ss-tt) warthogs; (uu-xx) baboons; (yy-bbb) mongooses; (ccc) buffalos; (ddd) hyena; (eee-fff) fish eagles; (ggg-hhh) spoonbills; (iii-lll) other birds