TRAFFIC & WEATHER

If weather affects human behaviour, then aggressive and frequently violent Joburg is certainly a case in point. Weather is never polite in this city: rain pounds down and hail is common. All this action is accompanied by high winds, thunder and lightning which is why what happened yesterday is even more remarkable. Clouds rolled in in the late afternoon and the sky became very dark. I should have left work immediately, but wanted to wrap up one last thing. By the time I got on the highway, hail was pounding down so hard that I couldn't hear the car radio. My impulse was to stop under the nearest overpass and wait it out. And then the most amazing thing happened: drivers who are known for their blatant disregard of traffic laws began to slow down and everyone put on their hazard flashers making it easier to see the car in front during the heavy rain storm. This uniform reference to safety is unheard of in Joburg and left me feeling much calmer as I slowed with cautious traffic pace. As I reached the first underpass, cars had not only stopped on the shoulder but were also parked in the two slow lanes. In the end, I decided not to stop as I was too afraid of being rear-ended. This is Joburg after all……

WOZA FRIDAY!

It's Friday and I couldn't be happier! Eight more weeks of work and then we pack up our house and head out for a two week holiday in the Cape.

My 12 week Bootcamp ended two weeks ago and the outcome has left me discouraged-- I had hoped to introduce our Producers to the concepts of planning and professionalism and have failed miserably. I have been struggling away trying to write my final report-- emphasizing the positives-- but am sadly forced to conclude that we are facing a systematic malaise that pervades Soweto TV. It is a culture of excuses and blame. It is going to take more than 12 weeks of me emphasizing "solution oriented" work to change this approach. I know the reasons for this behaviour are cultural and complex-- more than one little Canadienne can solve! So, with my final 8 weeks, I will do all I can to improve show content and get them delivered on time, contributing what I can to this highly challenging community station.

It's Friday and few people have showed up at the station. Thursday is knows as "Pusa Thursday" here, one of the main nights, along with Sunday, to go out and party here in Soweto. My colleagues here at the station tell me that many clubs don't even bother to open on Fridays and Saturdays! All I could think is that means that Mondays and Fridays are write-offs in terms of work-- that's how middle-aged I've become.

On a sunny note, we transitioned from winter to summer about a month a ago-- the weather is perfect this time of year-- cool nights and sunny days (about 25C). Soon the glorious jacarandas will be covered in their unique mauve blossoms. But summer is the rainy season here in the highveld. Rain is not a gentle occurrence here-- in Joburg it pounds down in a chorus of thunder and lightning-- we are enjoying every day until the rains start.

Glen and I had hoped to get away for a weekend as he has been tied to his desk most weekends for months finishing a major report on how to improve throughput rates for engineers in South Africa. We weren't able to get a booking as it's a school holiday, so instead I suggested we have a little holiday at home-- steaks on the braai tonight followed by a fire in our portable firepit, massages tomorrow, a stroll through Art in the Park at Zoo Lake, and a movie. October starts tomorrow and we know time will continue to speed up as we head to December and our departure for Canada.......

LIVING BY THE CALENDAR

More than ever, our lives are determined by the calendar.

The most recent date of note was August 23rd, but not because it was my birthday. After 18 months of waiting, Glen received his approval for Canadian Residency! This most wonderful birthday present could not have arrived in a more mundane manner: a simple email arrived asking him to bring in his passport to the Consulate in Pretoria so that his immigration visa could be inserted. So much for "Welcome to Canada"!

The next date of note was the first weekend of September: a long anticipated family trip to Kruger National Park to begin what Glen has dubbed his mother's "birthday season". She tuns 80 in December, so we flew her out from Cape Town for a visit and then drove to Kruger Park-- about 5 hours away. We were joined by Glen's daughters and their partners, his son from the UK and his sister from Durban. Although we will see all of them (except his son) again before our departure in mid-December, this will be the last time that we will ALL be together. Time, and our lives, are marked by these important dates.

Kruger was a wonderful trip and such a treat for all. I had found a big house for rent not far outside the park. The best part of it was that the house was located in a small private game reserve, so as we sat out on out large porch in the evening, there was a parade of animals including warthogs, zebra and kudu. It was almost as much fun as being in the park-- and much more relaxed as we sipped sun-downers and watched the wildlife. The animals were accustomed to humans, so they slowly made their way forward-- just a few feet away from us. We were all unnerved when a warthog decided to join us right on the porch! Even more unnerving was when a kudu (the size of a small horse) approached us and didn't stop until his head was about 18 inches from Glen's!

We had great luck game viewing in Kruger the highlights of which were seeing a lion kill-- 4 female lions had brought down a buffalo and were devouring it right at the side of the road. We were close enough to smell the stench of the kill (intestines? meat rotting in the sun?). The lions devoured it with such gusto that a head would disappear inside the body cavern of the buffalo as every desirable morsel was consumed.

We were stopped for about 20 minutes in a buffalo crossing when a herd of several hundred took their time crossing the road in single file. There were lots of elephants, hippo and crocs, but the best had to have been the rare sighting of a leopard strolling across a dry sandy riverbed. As I watched this gorgeous creature through the binoculars, a switch clicked in my brain and there in that moment, all of my time Africa was embodied in that perfect moment watching this gorgeous creature.

And now, we know that time will only speed up as we finish our jobs in late November, pack up the house and take one one last (for now at least) road trip in South Africa. The most important part of this race through time is that it is not a singular one as most of my adult life has been. Instead, there is my wonderful loving Glen at my side as we share, evaluate, and make decisions about yet another momentous decision: our relocation to Canada. What a joy it is to share these moments and keep each other calm as one starts to fret about all the risks and challenges of the next phase in our shared life-- but oh how exciting it all is too!

B-DAY at THE CRADLE

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Yesterday, Glen treated me to an early birthday lunch at The Cradle Restaurant. The last time we were there was the morning after our wedding--- our first day waking up as a married couple! All our other wedding guests attended that day as we had spent the night in cabins on the property. The Cradle is located on a small private game reserve in an area called The Cradle of Humankind and as we pulled up to the gate, there was a giraffe crossing the veld-- I took it as an auspicious sign for the beginning of a perfect afternoon which it was!

Spring is in the air and The Cradle provides the most wonderful view over the highveld-- as it's the end of winter (the dry season), the tall grasses were golden and crisp in the warm afternoon sun. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch on the grand patio, while remarking on the perfect view and sharing a bottle of crisp South African Blanc de Mer (white wine). While we chatted how it has been nearly a year to the day since our arrival back in Joburg (on my birthday last year), our talk turned, as it often does these days, to our future as we wind down our time in SA and head to Canada at the end of the year-- a thought that is both exciting and terrifying as neither of us are heading to jobs! We also talked about how it seems so much longer than 8 months ago that we sat in the very same spot having our wedding breakfast-- it is distant, but very happy, memory. Certain dates have held importance for us-- we felt we really wanted to marry before the close of 2010-- starting a new decade together. As of 2012 we will begin living together in Canada-- Glen, will not arriving as a visitor this time, but as a permanent resident. For the first time since his year in Penn State, he'll be trying out life in a new country.

While we sipped wine and nibbled on venison carpaccio, we recalled the excitement of seeing a giraffe in the distance at our wedding breakfast-- the first siting of African animal in the wild for our American relatives which caused great excitement! I suggested we take a drive through the reserve after lunch to see what we might find. Within a few minutes we spotted some buck (see pic) and some so-ugly-they're-cute warthogs who were far too skittish for me to get a pic. We continued along the rough trail-- this is when Glen always points out to me how great is is that he has a Land Rover! I was hoping to get another siting of that giraffe and then as we rounded a bend, there was the pick of the day: the biggest rhino I have ever seen! We ooh-ed and aah-ed but Glen kept rolling as the rhino, who was not far from the Landy, lumbered toward straight toward us. It was massive, so we moved cautiously. Soon after the trail circled around and brought up back to the main gate. We left on a high note, never thinking that there was a rhino wandering not far from where we shared an elegant lunch!

In two weeks, we are off for a family trip to Kruger National Park and there was no better way to whet our appetite for game viewing than this!

A BAD DAY AND A GOOD DAY THAT TURNED BAD

Yesterday was our first Monday at Bootcamp, renamed Lekgotla (meeting place), by the participants. By 9:15am, 6 stragglers had shown up. I simply cancelled class and said if they didn't bother to pitch, I wouldn't bother to teach.

Today was a brand new day: 18 out of 20 showed up more or less on time. The other two contacted me in advance (one via sms at 5:50am!). We talked about show ratings and whether their show fell into the Top, Middle or Bottom Ten of the ratings (we produce 30 shows a week-- even I can't understand how we do that with such limited resources!). The discussion was lively and engaged and solution oriented! Amazing!

The class ended on a high note: Terry Mokoena had followed up my suggestion of organizing a pay day raffle. We agreed that class would end with the draw. Phumelele won the jackpot of R220 (about $35) and shouted "god is great!. Even more excitement ensued when Terry presented each Lekgotla team member with a name tag for tomorrow's event-- by the cheers, you'd thought they'd all won the lottery! The photo is of Terry wearing his nametag

SADLY, THEN IT TURNED BAD…. About an hour after we broke for the day, Derrick assaulted Phumzile. She has charged him, as she should. In class we had just finished a short time previously, the two of them had be leaders of a fantastic discussion.

All in a day's work in Soweto…..

You are my Dog

Yesterday was Day #1 of a 12.5 week Bootcamp that I proposed and created for young Producers at Soweto TV. I l found an unused room at the station with a collapsed ceiling and after a certain amount of arm twisting convinced our parent company to spend the money renovate it into a sparkling clean freshly painted space-- by far the nicest space at dumpy overcrowded Soweto TV. Twenty excited young Producers filed in and despite the power outtage leaving the place very chilly, they were keen and excited. The big bosses arrived from the city and to their credit, gave inspiring talks about the future of the station and the focus on individual development. The Bootcamp was up and running and everyone was on a high! What a grand way to start!

Later in the day, Titi, a fellow who has the saddest face in the world, greeted me with what sounded like "injaiyam" but told me I had to ask someone else what it meant. When I did, I was informed that it meant, "You are my dog" and felt rather disturbed to receive such a message from such a kind and mellow fellow. My interpreter then told me that in township language this means, "you are my hero". Gawd, I now I have to live up to that....thank you, Titi. I will do my best

Here's are pics of our sparkling new room filled with sparkling faces.

I heard voices.....

I came in early to work today at Soweto TV to catch up on a few things. The place was nearly deserted-- only a few keeners had arrived. As I sat at my computer, the most amazing mournful music came floating in through the window-- there was a funeral taking place at the church next door. The place was full and everyone was singing in a powerful slow manner-- it was sad, but not dirge-like, and carried with it a thin underpinning of hope.

I had to leave my desk to go outside for a few minutes and just listen. The voices were so unlike what I'd grown up with in the Catholic Church where a few worshippers stumble half-heartedly through hymns. Here in this modest yellow Sowetan church, every single person was singing. And it was beautiful.

Amazing things like this happen everyday here in Soweto and I must make time to record them before they evaporate.

SOWETO TV

I have been working at Soweto TV for just over two weeks now and it's one of the most interesting and refreshing jobs I've had in ages! Soweto was the first community station in South Africa and is currently watched by over a million people. A new transmitter is due to be installed in the next few months and our transmission area will increase tenfold.

We operate out of a portion of the former Tlhoreng Primary School and our facilities can best be described as "basic". Attached are a few pics. Down the street from the historic Mandela House, it's a lively neighbourhood with a mixture of locals, tourists, cafes and souvenir stalls. Each day, I promise myself I am going to stroll the immediate neighbourhood, but haven't yet managed to do so as I get absorbed by the work day. One of the lovely things that happens is that local kids tend to gather and play on the premises after school-- on Friday afternoons, there are art classes in one of the rooms to which we don't have access. They are friendly and curious an help make one feel part of the community.

Although the facilities are "no frills", what happens here far exceeds our limitations: 6 cameras, 2 edit suites and one car (the other is in the shop after a recent car accident) and yet 28 origin programs are produced each week!

The mood is what makes the place-- people are young and welcoming to this white middle-aged foreigner. For me, it is an entry into a new culture as opposed to the mostly white very middle class bubble we live in in the northern suburbs. Each day is a revelation as I get to know the Producers who work under me.

For example, Phumi, who produces our health shows, who only discovered she was HIV+ when her young son became ill and both were diagnosed. She is now on ARVs and is half of a "discordant couple" meaning that her husband remains HIV negative and their two year old was born free of the disease. One of the shows she in now working on is about how popular male circumcision has become in the townships-- yes, we're talking about ADULT MALE circumcision here (yikes!)-- as it reduces HIV transmission by 60%.

Each day there is a new revelation and I must start to jot them down as they occur, but as you can imagine, the past two weeks have been focused on figuring out this new job. It's a new position, so I am pretty much making it up as I go along-- I oversee 17 shows and am trying to raise their quality as well as the professionalism of the staff. Not sure what I can accomplish in three months, but I'll give it my best shot! Am enjoying it despite the tiring commute.

SUCCESS!!!

Not only did I start a new job this week but my SA Residency Permit finally arrived in Joburg today!! It had taken months to process and then over a month to travel from Pretoria (45 minutes away) to Joburg! So I actually am now legal to work. Tomorrow we celebrate-- we just got tickets to see SA jazz great Abdullah Ibrahim (aka Dollar Brand) tomorrow night!

The pic was taken last weekend at a brew pub in the village of Clarens where we spent last weekend.

DAY #1 OF NEW JOB

Last night, Glen and I joked as I packed my lunch and a few basic office supplies that it was like getting ready for the first day of school-- it was exciting getting ready for my first real job in South Africa since 2006!

It was my first day at Soweto TV and everything about is as different as it could be from Canadian tv. We work out of an old primary school in Soweto-- it's dark and dingy and it's hard to imagine how this rundown building ever inspired learning in young pupils. And I won't even discuss the bathrooms! The location reminds me of how deeply architecture and design affect one's well-being. I will have to take some pictures to post to give you a sense of the place. However, it is just up the street from Mandela's tiny house, now a historic monument and down the street from the Hector Peterson Museum which documents the student uprising of the 1970s-- it's a great Soweto neighbourhood (not that I've had a chance to explore it-- only to get lost in it.)

Yet, there is an incredible spirit here-- the majority of crew are young and enthusiastic and incredibly friendly. None of them have been to film school but have learned by doing. A couple of them have been here since the inception of the station about five years ago. The facilities have only the absolute bare essentials to produce television shows, but somehow they manage to run a 24 hour station with Soweto-centric programming. The titles of the shows that I am now in charge of range from Mbokodo to Tsedimosetso to Mabindzu but fortunately everyone speaks English and some of the shows are broadcast or partially broadcast in English (whew!) I am in charge of 17 shows that range from sports to cooking to current affairs. There is a show where people come to get help with their problems from Dr. Love and I am afraid that I have already fallen in love with Dr.Love!

I share a small dingy office lit by a singular fluorescent tube with three other producers and there is a steady stream of people in and out. Headphones will become essential……

Tomorrow are official meetings with Board and management and then next week, I'll getting to the meat of production. But if anyone had told me on Aug 23rd of last year when I arrived back here in South Africa that I'd be commuting to Soweto six months later, I NEVER would have believed them!

I GOT A JOB!!!

I start a 3 month contract tomorrow at Soweto TV as Head of Current Affairs & Lifestyle Programming. YEAH!!! I'm sure there'll be lots more to tell!

MORE WEDDING PICS

I love the black & whites!

WEDDING PICS

HONEYMOON, Part 3. ZIMBABWE

My final honeymoon blog installment was delayed as Glen and I met up with my sis in Cape Town who headed there after a dream trip to Namibia. After the heat and dust, we treated her to the sights of this lush city as well as a day in the winelands (which surely are the most gorgeous in the world!). Time in my favourite African city was marred by the fact that my furnace back in Toronto kacked while we were in Zimbabwe and my lovely tenants were without heat for 9 days!!! I tried to remedy the situation via phone and email and even called in dear friend Boyd to help—seems it all had to do with locating a part. EISH!! Well, the heat is back on (finally!), my tenants endured with amazing patience and grace and my sis began the long trek home to the US two nights ago.

Time for life to get back to normal and for this newly married couple to settle in! Long awaited good news arrived Friday: my South African Residency Visa has been approved! It is being sent from Pretoria to Johannesburg and hopefully will arrive soon. I remain here with fingers crossed until it is actually in my hands.

But, back to Zimbabwe…… Glen and I were transported overland the short distance from Kasane, Botswana, to the Zimbabwe border where I learned that the visa for my three day visit would be $75 US! Visas for South Africans are free and nationals of most other countries pay $30 US, but evidently this is what Zimbabweans are charged for a Canadian visa. I was not happy handing over $75 to that tyrant Mugabe. But, once the formalities were sorted and we were dropped off at Imbabala Lodge, my anger disappeared. From the moment we arrived at the thatched roof lodge, I knew we had arrived at someplace very special.

At Imbabala, there are only 8 thatched roof chalets spread out over the grounds—they were spacious , tasteful without being pretentious, and comfy. I particularly liked that each one had its own hammock.

Meals were taken communally—all 16 guests sat at one large table under the trees, weather permitting, giving US a chance to chat with visitors from all over the world. Some of the most interesting were white Zimbabweans—I didn’t think there were any left! Chris, a school principal from Bulawayo, told us of how the Mugabe government outlawed school fees a couple of years ago. When we asked what he did to keep the school open, he said he simply asked parents for a “donation” equivalent to tuition—and with a 98% success rate, he added. Now there’s someone to admire!

One cannot be in Zim without being aware of and talking about politics. Glen was reading Peter Godwin’s damning new book about Mugabe (may his days as dictator end soon), but this was our honeymoon after all…. so back to enjoying this Zimbabwean oasis.

There we were on the mighty Zambezi, close to the corner where Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana meet—staying at the best location of the trip and treated to the BEST wildlife sightings ever!

On our first night, we went out on a small pontoon boat with an excellent guide, Abie. But before one heads out for the early evening activity at Imbabala, afternoon tea is provided in the garden. Freshly baked goodies are served—talk about the life of colonials! The only problem is that the local troop of monkeys also know that tea is served at 4pm—they are so fast they do manage to grab a slice or two of cake before being chased away.

Although elephants are rare on the Zambezi in December and January, Abie had a hunch we just might see some. As we headed around a bend in the river, there they were. Herds of elephants travelling in neat rows down to the river! Abie cut the motor and let the boat bank itself while we just watched and watched as about 75 elephants drank and bathed in the river. Cameras clicked non-stop. It was a wondrous sight that no one, not even the Zimbabweans, had seen before.

That night as we dined under the trees, an elephant wandered into the garden. She seemed only concerned with munching the grass, completely unconcerned with us diners who were fascinated by her presence. Evidently, during the night, she was joined by four others.

A herd of impala have learned that the Imbabala grounds are a safe place to spend the night and appear after dark each evening. They rest while one member of the herd keeps watch.

After the amazing luck of our first river cruise, Glen and I decided to do it again the following night but knew nothing could surpass what we had seen. We cruised quietly for an hour or so, seeing crocs, hippos and amazing bird life. And then we spotted them in the distance—a row of elephants heading to the river. Abie gunned the motor and one of the guests began counting—50, no 100, no—about 150 elephants of all sizes and ages! Need I say more???????? It is a site I will never forget.

Our honeymoon could not have ended on a higher note—yet we managed to squeeze in one more amazing experience. We were flying back to Joburg via Victoria Falls Airport, so we left early asking the driver to make a detour to the Falls—and we were so glad we did. The Falls are over a kilometre wide and descend into a narrow deep chasm. The intensity of water gushing into this narrow gorge causes great clouds of mist and in some places, there is so much mist falling that it seems it’s raining! Despite having rented large umbrellas, we were soaked after a couple hours of viewing, but it was well worth it.

It’s our first quiet weekend without visitors in a month. Time for Glen to get back to work and for me to find some work!

HONEYMOON, Part 2. CHOBE

If we thought the flight into the delta was spectacular, we never imagined it could be surpassed by the flight out. We sat on a log near the Oddballs landing strip and saw a small plane land smoothly. After unloading provisions, we were the only two passengers aboard this 4-seater for the one hour flight to Kasane. There we were on our own private plane! We flew out of the watery delta and then over a forested area, not seeing any sign of habitation during the entire flight. Botswana is the size of France but has a population of less than two million, so it’s not surprising that there are large empty spaces.

We arrived at the Chobe Marina Lodge— the antitheses of Oddballs Camp! We had a luxury room with all the mod cons, but the best was having a balcony overlooking the river. We received all the honeymoon treats including a nice bottle of South African bubbly—and celebrate we did!

Chobe National Park is know for its large herds of elephants and buffalo, so we were excited to get game watching. On our first evening, we went on a river cruise and saw hippos in the water, hippos out of the water munching on the lush green grass and hippos chasing hippos. For an animal that is usually seen as eyes and ears peeping above the waterline, we were thrilled! It was an exciting start to our stay in Kasane, a modest but pleasant Botswanan town.

We went on several game drives and were treated to lion viewings! The best was a beautiful young lion pair who seemed to enjoy posing for us. The thousands of elephants eluded us, but we did see a few. The guides seemed to take great delight in driving as close as possible them-- it is completely unnerving when such a massive creature heads straight toward the safari vehicle. We loved the hippo and lion sightings, but were longing for more elephants…..

In Part 3, we cross the border into Zimbabwe.

Honeymoon, Part 1. The Okavango Delta.

On Dec 28th, after having been married for an entire week, Glen and I boarded Air Botswana Flight #212. Our destination was Maun, located in the northern part of the country. We both noted the rundown state of the aircraft, which looked to be 30 or 40 years old, and crossed our fingers for a safe arrival—which, despite a bumpy landing, it was. Once in Maun, the excitement really began-- we boarded a six seater plane and headed to the Okavango, a unique location in a land-locked country. Rains that accumulate high in the mountains of Angola flow inland to create a vast lush delta. Once out of Maun, there was nothing but wilderness—no sign of human habitation whatsoever. Because we were flying low, we could see elephants and giraffe wandering below.

The bush pilot was amazing—he landed on the dirt landing strip in the Okavango as if it were teflon—and there we were at Oddballs Camp—our first destination. We were greeted on the landing strip, just outside the camp by Joyce, the ever pleasant manager and our guide for our stay, Kitso.

Although the camp can accommodate 32, we learned we were the only two guests and were treated like royalty. We had booked into a dome tent, but were upgraded to what I called the Presidential Suite—a hut of dried reeds with a thatched roof complete with a full bathroom and hot running water. The mosquito net covered bed was decorated with fresh foliage for our arrival. The only downside of our exotic hideaway was that we shared it with the fruit bats who lived in the peak of the roof. Sure enough, there they were hanging upside down over the bathroom. Joyce, ever pragmatic, commented, “Well, they were here first…” I decided that the best way to deal with then was to avoid looking up as they totally creeped me out in the otherwise very pleasant surroundings.

As we settled in, we could hear the grunts of hippos in the swampy delta outside our hut and that night, one was so close, we could hear him munching grass! Hippos are LOUD! We headed out in a mokoro (a flat bottomed dugout canoe) that is poled through the papyrus. We were both a little nervous as the delta is full of hippos (the most dangerous animal in Africa) and crocodiles. Kitso, our guide, explained that we shouldn’t worry—we travelled through narrow passages in the tall reeds barely wider than the mokoro. Just as we were to cross an open channel, Glen shouted “Hippos!” and sure enough, two eyes and ears just above the waterline, were directly in our path. It was a heart stopping moment and our guide the halted the mokoro immediately. We waited while he judged what the pair were up to and then, when he deemed it safe, quickly crossed the channel.

The next morning, after a quick coffee and muffin, we headed out with Kitso for a walking safari at 630am. After about three and a half hours of non-stop walking, we hadn’t seen much wildlife with the exception of abundant birdlife. Suddenly, Kitso, our unarmed guide, looked down and said one word, “Lion.” At first, I thought he was joking, but we began following the lion tracks. He upgraded the call to “A pair of lions” and we continued. Even I could tell that the tracks were getting fresher and fresher when Kitso’s final proclamation was, “It’s a pride.” After about 30 minutes of tracking, we were losing steam—soaked from the waist down from the tall wet grasses and flagging in the mid-morning heat, we turned back toward the mokoro as the tracks moved further inland. I was relieved. Although I was excited at the idea of seeing a pride of lions, I was also terrified.

We returned to camp to be served a huge English breakfast. Guides and managers dine with the guests (that wouldn’t happen in South Africa!). It gave us a chance to talk more about the animals and their experiences living and working in the delta.

During one of these breakfasts, Kitso confided in us that his uncle, a guide in one of the nearby camps, had been killed recently by a bull elephant during a walking safari. In order to make sure his hikers were safe, he literally sacrificed his own life to protect them. Kitso mentioned sotto voce that the guides had been forbidden to tell guests about his uncle’s death for fear of hurting tourism. After hearing this, I was doubly relieved that we hadn’t found those lions but was again reminded of just how remote and wild the delta is.

Stay tuned for Part 2 when we head to the Chobe River in search of elephants….