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On the way to our next campsite deep in the Caprivi Strip we drive through a pretty landscape of Kalahari woodland. The leaves on the mopane trees and the other trees are russet-coloured and dry, giving the woods an autumnal feel. We get stuck in the hot, loose sand and have to get out and push the car. Up to now the roads in Namibia have been amazingly good, so this is a new situation, at least for Birthe and Jørn who have never been to Africa before. On the road we spot a lovely leopard tortoise.
Later on, we meet another challenge. The road is flooded. There is no other way but straight ahead or back the way we came. We cannot see how deep the water is. Theoretically, it could swallow the car. We sit for a minute or two and ponder the situation. Mike gets that mischievous look on his face and I know this means we are not going to turn heel and head back the way we came. We are going through.
He is the driver, so I trust that he knows best. I have travelled with him a couple of times before and know that although he does get himself into scrapes he is also great at getting out of them again. So, here goes! Mike does some fancy gear shifting and we drive into the wet unknown. Deeper and deeper we go. A small wave crests along the car hood, breaking on the windshield. Jørn, in the back seat, gets wet feet. We screech with delight because this is kind of fun!
Just as I sit and hope we do not have to get out and push, the car starts to point upwards and we are once again home free. There are more ways than one to wash a car, it seems.
During the day we explore the sandy roads and see kudu, impala, bushbuck and Cape buffalo and several bird species, including purple heron, Bateleur eagle and amethyst sunbird. The driving is quite challenging for Mike, especially as the sand heats up and gets more loose.
Close to the campsite is a lookout tower where we spend the sunset and the sunrise hours watching lechwe antelope splashing about in the marsh. Lechwe are particularly suited for this environment because they have elongated hooves which prevent them from sinking in the mud. That way they can outrun their predators in the marsh. The herd we see is accompanied by a lone, furry bushbuck, who seems to be a wannabe lechwe.
The only sounds we hear are the splashing of the lechwe as they move about and the clanking of horns as two territorial male lechwe engage in a duel over a female who is not interested anyway. She still has a suckling calf. In the dawn and dusk light there is a kind of dreamy atmosphere.
