So, I'm being decidedly useless with this blog lark these days. Mainly because I'm having so much fun that I'm not able to find the time to write it and then I get way behind and it becomes a chore but also because internet is scarce so I have no incentive to get it done! Anyway, will try my best but I know I'm missing out loads of info that has now been stored at the back of my head.

Anyhooo, I last left you on the border of Namibia and Botswana and we set off to the Okavango Delta. This is a place I have always wanted to visit as I'd heard you see so many animals. Well, you know me and animals - they run away as soon as they hear I am in the vicinity. I actually think in this case, when people talk of the Delta, they are actually talking about Moremi Game Reserve which we didn't actually go to. But it was still an enjoyable 2 days, just a bit unexpected.

So, after loading ourselves onto some makoros (dug-out canoe things) and being punted through lots of reeds, we landed on an island where we had fixed tents with beds to sleep in. Daniela got rid of all the spiders and all was going well until the middle of the night when I felt something on my chest - weird as I was lying on my stomach. Now, you know this is obviously going to involve some kind of creature right?! So, I scratched myself a few times but could still feel this thing sort of running backwards and forwards under me. I sat up and then definitely felt something furry so flicked it off and rushed to find my head torch. Looked under the duvet and there was something small, grey and furry. I yelped like a dog and flicked it onto the floor, by this time in full-blown screaming mode. Daniela woke up at the moment that I realised it was some kind of shrew and I had killed it - probably by throwing it halfway across the room and deafening it. We stared at it for a moment to make sure it was definitely dead and then Daniela got the bin and I shuffled it in with my flip flop, before she threw it in the bushes outside. She then needed the loo which was a good 6 minute walk away through the bushes. We had been told not to wander around at night as hippos often come ashore and it's pretty dangerous but when needs must. We made it back and after checking the room for more signs of shrew-age, I spotted something up near the door - a bloody skink. What is it with me and things that go bump in the night? As it didn't move for 5 minutes, we decided it was harmless and we thought we might make the situation worse if we tried to catch it so wrapped ourselves up in our duvets and pretended it wasn't there. I stuck to my ongoing philosophy of what I can't see and hear, simply isn't there. Still there in the morning, we got Olly to come and get rid of it as he has become a champion lizard catcher. And then people started taking the piss as they had heard my screams in the night - but thanks guys, they hadn't bothered to come and check that we weren't being attacked by hippos or anything!!

Anyway, the following day we got into makoros. Kian and I were in one with a lady driver called 'Ok' Within 5 minutes, a tiny frog (which was actually extremely cute but gave me a fright), jumped on my leg and then leapt up my shorts. I screamed and was trying to get it out but could feel it jumping further up my leg. We ended up stopping next to another makoro so they could balance while I could stand up and let the thing fall out. It was, of course, totally harmless, but you still don't want a frog in your pants right?! After getting settled back down and enjoying the beautiful waterlilies, I then spotted a spider down by my leg, then another, then another. Bloody hell, what IS it with me?! So, once again, as I was trying to inch further back almost into Kian's lap, we had to pull over to another makoro so the guy could reach in and get rid of the spiders. By this time, I was becoming the princess of the group! We set off again and I could feel something tickling my ear and it wouldn't go away. I then discovered it was Kian with a flower stalk - ha ha, very funny. He was going to regret that move. We walked for a while in the bush, actually trying to track elephants but with no success although we did see some in the distance. The journey back to the camp was pretty funny. Ok insisted that I sit I the back near her 'because of the spiders' and I soon realised that she wanted to come into cahoots with me and attack Kian so she kept handing me huge flower stalks to poke him with. We ended up in a full-blown fight which was pretty precarious as those makoros are not overly stable. I was whacking him (pretty hard to be fair) over the head but then he very meanly yelled spider and threw something at me - below the belt I thought. Still, all was good when we arrived as he had created a bouquet out of all the reeds and flowers - guilt trip or what?!!

Our next stop was Chobe National Park which was a nice relaxing couple of days. We were staying in the grounds of a pretty snazzy hotel so had cocktails in the pool on arrival (no harm in pretending you're living it up eh?!). We had an early start for a game drive which was a great morning. We saw lots of impala at the watering holes and leaping around, a whole load of elephants, some amazing, cartoon-like storks, lots of hippos, baboons, pumba, buffalo etc. One of the jeeps saw 5 lions (including 2 young cubs) right on the road within metres of their vehicle but my jeep couldn't find them - b*****! Despite not seeing the lions (we weren't bitter!), we had a great morning. After a relaxing afternoon in the pool again, we headed out for a sunset hippo cruise. We only saw 2 hippos but to be honest, it was a good opportunity to drink a lot and chat so all was good in the world!!