Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Bush Camping With Carnivores
March 18, 2006, Mabutsane, Botswana
We left Windhoek on Thursday, planning to spend a night or two in the bush before reaching Gabarone, Botswana. We entered Botswana around mid day and spent the next couple hours driving and looking for a suitable place to set up camp. We were looking for a dirt road that we could travel down and park beside in order to keep the car hidden from the traffic of the main road. As nightfall approached, we found such a road and pulled off. From that road, we then sought a sufficient clearing where we could set up camp. The clearing that we found was surrounded by thorns, but there was enough space to set up camp, so we parked the car and unloaded or supplies for the night.
In November, I went on various camping trips in Botswana and learned one thing: it's loaded with animals. The interesting thing about Botswana is that, unlike many other African countries, the animals are free roaming, meaning that there are not fences around the game parks. This fact did not make me at all nervous in November because I was with a man who had over 50 years of experience in bush camping and his handmade tents, which were fitted to the top of his truck, kept us safe from the lions that roared while we slept. However, my present company was three city kids, who had a collective bush experience amounting to zero and a flimsy American made tent, meant for camping in places like Yellowstone Park, or your backyard.
As darkness cloaked our camp, I tried to explain the few tips that I had been given about camping in the Botswana bush. Number one, always have a camp fire to sit around at night, it will keep the animals away. We had no wood, so our cooking gas bottle had to serve to do that job. Number two, always have powerful flash lights that you can use to scan the perimeter of the camp and check for the reflection of the eyes of approaching animals whose intention it is to eat you. We had two miniature mag lights with a range of about ten feet. Number three, always clear the brush from inside the perimeter of your camp so that you have a clear view of anything that may be approaching (especially poisonous snakes). Our dull, rusty machete was not up to the task of clearing the thorn bushes that filled our camp. The final, and to me the most important, rule is that if you have to get out of your tent at night, check the surrounding area for eyes. The last thing that you want to do is to get out of your tent and start relieving yourself and realize that you are standing next to a lion.
With these rules in mind we set up camp and cooked dinner. After eating, I was eager to get into the tent, which hopefully would offer protection from the large hungry carnivores that roamed the bush. I nervously entered Nate's tent and attempted to fall asleep, wondering what animals would visit our camp during the night. As my brain formed various horrific scenarios involving lions mauling our tent, I heard jackals howling in the distance. This did not make me uneasy at all because jackals look like small dogs with rabbit ears. As I drifted off to sleep, however, I was awoken by a scream that I could not identify and that made the hair on my neck stand up and my heart beat uncontrollably. In the silence that now filled the night, I turned to Nate, who was asleep and wondered if I was dreaming, which would have been a huge relief. The second scream assured me that I was wide awake and that something was outside of my tent. The silence was again broken by Sean who asked if we were fooling around, or if there really was some horrible creature lurking about. I told him that I didn’t make the sound and that whatever made the sound was close. Not knowing what to do, I figured my best plan of action would be to stay in the tent and try to go to sleep, which I did.
At some point I must have drifted off to sleep, but I was again abruptly awakened, this time by rain drops. I rolled over and woke up Nate who confirmed that we should put the cover on the tent. Half awake, I grabbed the cover and got out of the tent to begin putting it on. It took about two seconds for rule number four to jolt into my mind. I looked around but could see nothing due to the cloud cover. I hoped and prayed that whatever may have been outside of the tent would have run away when it saw me jump out of the tent. The rain quickly picked up, so I threw the cover on, hoping it was not upside down and jumped back into the tent as quick as possible. From the inside, Nate and I shifted the cover into place and drifted back to sleep.
We awoke the next morning a bit soggy, but at least none of us had been eaten.
March 18, 2006, Mabutsane, Botswana
We left Windhoek on Thursday, planning to spend a night or two in the bush before reaching Gabarone, Botswana. We entered Botswana around mid day and spent the next couple hours driving and looking for a suitable place to set up camp. We were looking for a dirt road that we could travel down and park beside in order to keep the car hidden from the traffic of the main road. As nightfall approached, we found such a road and pulled off. From that road, we then sought a sufficient clearing where we could set up camp. The clearing that we found was surrounded by thorns, but there was enough space to set up camp, so we parked the car and unloaded or supplies for the night.
In November, I went on various camping trips in Botswana and learned one thing: it's loaded with animals. The interesting thing about Botswana is that, unlike many other African countries, the animals are free roaming, meaning that there are not fences around the game parks. This fact did not make me at all nervous in November because I was with a man who had over 50 years of experience in bush camping and his handmade tents, which were fitted to the top of his truck, kept us safe from the lions that roared while we slept. However, my present company was three city kids, who had a collective bush experience amounting to zero and a flimsy American made tent, meant for camping in places like Yellowstone Park, or your backyard.
As darkness cloaked our camp, I tried to explain the few tips that I had been given about camping in the Botswana bush. Number one, always have a camp fire to sit around at night, it will keep the animals away. We had no wood, so our cooking gas bottle had to serve to do that job. Number two, always have powerful flash lights that you can use to scan the perimeter of the camp and check for the reflection of the eyes of approaching animals whose intention it is to eat you. We had two miniature mag lights with a range of about ten feet. Number three, always clear the brush from inside the perimeter of your camp so that you have a clear view of anything that may be approaching (especially poisonous snakes). Our dull, rusty machete was not up to the task of clearing the thorn bushes that filled our camp. The final, and to me the most important, rule is that if you have to get out of your tent at night, check the surrounding area for eyes. The last thing that you want to do is to get out of your tent and start relieving yourself and realize that you are standing next to a lion.
With these rules in mind we set up camp and cooked dinner. After eating, I was eager to get into the tent, which hopefully would offer protection from the large hungry carnivores that roamed the bush. I nervously entered Nate's tent and attempted to fall asleep, wondering what animals would visit our camp during the night. As my brain formed various horrific scenarios involving lions mauling our tent, I heard jackals howling in the distance. This did not make me uneasy at all because jackals look like small dogs with rabbit ears. As I drifted off to sleep, however, I was awoken by a scream that I could not identify and that made the hair on my neck stand up and my heart beat uncontrollably. In the silence that now filled the night, I turned to Nate, who was asleep and wondered if I was dreaming, which would have been a huge relief. The second scream assured me that I was wide awake and that something was outside of my tent. The silence was again broken by Sean who asked if we were fooling around, or if there really was some horrible creature lurking about. I told him that I didn’t make the sound and that whatever made the sound was close. Not knowing what to do, I figured my best plan of action would be to stay in the tent and try to go to sleep, which I did.
At some point I must have drifted off to sleep, but I was again abruptly awakened, this time by rain drops. I rolled over and woke up Nate who confirmed that we should put the cover on the tent. Half awake, I grabbed the cover and got out of the tent to begin putting it on. It took about two seconds for rule number four to jolt into my mind. I looked around but could see nothing due to the cloud cover. I hoped and prayed that whatever may have been outside of the tent would have run away when it saw me jump out of the tent. The rain quickly picked up, so I threw the cover on, hoping it was not upside down and jumped back into the tent as quick as possible. From the inside, Nate and I shifted the cover into place and drifted back to sleep.
We awoke the next morning a bit soggy, but at least none of us had been eaten.
2 Comments:
Wellcome to a dangerous world. Your Guradian Angels are really busy, but do not mind it at all. All they ask you is Trust and Faith and Prayer.
RTB!
Didn't know you'd sneaked onto the blog. great to talk to you, looking forward to the wedding, not sure who's wrote this shite about trust prayer, bollocks faith, etc, but keep in touch.
Doug
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Didn't know you'd sneaked onto the blog. great to talk to you, looking forward to the wedding, not sure who's wrote this shite about trust prayer, bollocks faith, etc, but keep in touch.
Doug
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