Up early and hit the road at 7:30am. A stop at a rural market was a highlight. Goats for sale, goats slaughtered and fresh meat for sale, every vegetable you can think of (and not) for sale. The biggest eggplant and avocados I have ever seen. All the tomato sellers in one section, cabbage in another, potatoes another etc etc. I bargained with a young man and bought some local fabric.
We reached camp around 12:30pm had lunch and off to QENP for a boat trip on the lake. On the way we spotted a lioness right close to the road, just right there in front of us, something I didn't expect.
So onto the boat we get with a heap of German tourists. I looked up to the top of the hill we had just walked down and the shape of some bushes immediately took my eye and imagination. I immediately thought of Sim and quickly snapped the shot as we pulled away from the jetty. So Sim, I hope you can see the bush polar bear I snapped for you!
The Germans all appeared to be bird fanatics, with their binoculars, books and excited shouts when they identified a new bird! Few photos were taken by them however, like everyone else, when we spotted an older male and younger male elephant in and beside the water, having the time of their lives, the cameras were clicking like crazy. We watched them for at least 30 minutes with the boat driver getting as close as he could and getting the best angles.
The older male was a real showman, sitting on his bum on the edge of the water, stretching one leg out and waving it around and farting! Then he would feign lying down whilst the younger one came closer to prod him with his trunk and the older would sit up suddenly and trumpet just as the younger male's trunk was about to touch him. Scared the bejeezus out of the young one who rushed backward into the water, splashing madly whilst the older one rolled into the water after him. More water antics followed, then back on land again with, what looked like, a fake stand off between them! They were incredibly entertaining! The boat captain said he had been doing this trip for 8 years and this was the best he had ever seen of the elephants and for the longest time. Bet they say that to all the tourists! No matter, it was an incredible show!
We were treated to many hippos and some baby ones, crocs, Cape buffalo and warthogs plus many storks and cranes. The trees that overhung the water were filled with many nests, dangling precariously over the water. Not silly these birds, they would dive from their front door, into the water and snatch up little fish. The pied kingfisher was particularly amazing. It would hover in the air, around 3 or so metres above the water and then dive for its catch. They reminded me of a large hummingbird, as it hovered, flapping its wings so fast you could barely see them. They just seemed to sit in the air, suspended over the water, until their prey swam along.
After our 2 hour boat trip it was back to camp.
Woken up around 10pm with loud 'douff, douff' music permeating the quiet night. It was from a camp across the road from us, in the bush. It was so muddy and wet outside, I didn't investigate even when, by 1am it was still blaring out, the bassiness of the beat reverberating through the ground it seemed. The last time I looked at my watch was 1:30am and I must have drifted off. Woken at 5am by the music again, appears they don't need much sleep.