Peculiar

Friday, 21^st of September, 2018.

               Daryl made a sign with his hands that looked like a – “Where are you going?”, and he stopped. He was this old little man, who looks like the grandpa that everybody wants to have. He was going to Maun and knew about Mababe, so he accepted to give me a lift to there. In your face, angry lady! Unfortunately, she had left a few minutes before.
              The road from Kachikau until Mababe is horrible. A bad sandy road. Just 4×4 vehicles can managed to do that. And with quite difficult.
              Daryl was quiet (he was kind though) and I was telling him a little bit about my travels. Everything was fine until we got at the entrance of the Chobe National Park. He stopped the car and said we should go inside and I had to bring my passport. I was surprised and asked, quite affirming, that would not be needed to pay any fee. He said it should be paid. I asked how much. One hundred Pula. Fuck! No way! I would have to talk with the guy and try to convinced him that I had no idea I would need to pay the fee (which I really had not) because for me it was just a road which I had to cross to arrive in Mababe and later in Maun. I passed for a lots of other Nationals Parks along so many countries, here in Africa, and I never had to pay any fee.
              The conversation with the guy was not nice. He clearly did not give a shit in trying to help me. Probably the same thought of the others 90% of local people in Africa: “No shit that this white lady travelling in Africa has no money with her”. Asshole. I could not go any further in my argumentation because my fucking emotional was already broke and the tears were already tying to come. So I was just waiting until Daryl finished to fill his papers and I would take my bags from his car to go back and take the Nata’s road next day.
              There was even this nice old lady, from a group which arrived, who came to me and asked what I needed, and I really think she was just trying to help, but I did not wanted to cry so I did not talk with her too much. Maybe she thought I was being rude.
              So I finally realized that Daryl had paid for me. Then I started to cry. I was so ashamed for being a burden to him (even that I had not asked for it) that I could not stop crying. And of course I was also furious with the fucking National Park, just taking advantage from everybody. Do you know when it is nice that the locals pay less for attractions in their own country than the tourists? Right. But the difference has to be 12 times more? In Chobe National Park locals pay 10 Pulas and foreigners pay 120 Pulas. To what? The road is horrible! So to see the animals then? If you are in your own car with your own cost, is fucking too much. I hatted Botswana at that moment. And I was quite hating myself too.
              For a long time, I could not avoid the tears coming out of my face. They would just keeping dropping out of my eyes, rolling down, very slowly. I started to have some really bad thoughts about my next moves and days and how I would managed smile and be nice with anyone again. I was crushed.
              For some long minutes there was silence on the car. The first few questions Daryl did, were answered with a very sad voice and with just a few words. I think that in some how, he managed get in the profession subject. I first answered what I used to do and then him: safari business. At that moment, I felt a little better. He might not be the richer guy around, but at least he would not feel a lot of sorry for the 120 Pulas he paid for me. I wished and I hope so.
              And then the day that had just almost killed my mood for what would be the next few days, it turned in one of the best ones: A elephant just about two metres from me, right beside the car. And a huge male elephant (with a huge “excitement” about some female elephant nearby, as you can see in the photo). Then another one in the other side and they a pool with at least twenty of them. Elephants every where. Such amazing creatures they are…

I was already very happy and satisfied with my elephants. I did not need anything else. But the two female lions, lying down just beside the road, thought I deserved something else. They were in Daryl’s side and looked exhausted because of the heat (which by the way was almost impossible to handle) and because of the big digestion they would need to do for a while (told us by the huge size of their bellies). The two girls were so tired that they did not even got nervous with our presence, even with a cub, just beside them. How those animals can be so fascinating?

I thought nothing could be better than that. Loki, I was so wrong. Just a few metres ahead, and with not enough time to digest the wonderful two female lions, I saw him: a male lion. It was also lying down in the nice shadows of a tree and it was in a date. Oh! It was the most beautiful thing I ever saw! Judging by its mane, its color and its skin / fur, it was a young guy, just entering in the adult life. And, Loki, it was handsome! I always wished to see a male lion in my life but I guess I never thought for sure that it could happened. It was like being in my lovely movie The ghost and the darkness. But with no deaths or killing lions, please. It was an amazing moment for me. And I even managed take some great pictures, even with all those feelings and high emotion I was experiencing. Mainly because my lovely cat contributed some much with me and made some great moves. What a wonderful day!
              I could be starving (had not eaten anything since morning), almost dying by the heat, there was not enough water which could made me feel not thirsty, and my migraine was already knocking on my head, but everything worth it.
              Just some minutes later we arrived in Mababe. It was already half past four in the afternoon. Daryl was trying to find the right person I should talk to. I ended up talking with an old lady, Mrs. Dorin, because the chief would be out until Sunday night. She said I could stay, no problems. I would just need to handle with the fact that elephants and hippos pass by the village every night in their way to the river. They would pass through where I should put my tent. Interesting…