acacia blossoms

acacia blossoms

Sunday, May 2, 2010

road trip and flip


we are back from a six day road trip round Botswana
here are some of the scenes along the way



crossing the 'great grey green greasy'  Limpopo River




a donkey cart - a more civilised mode of transport
commonly used in rural areas
and accounts for the off duty donkeys that hang around the roads


sunflower fields at Pandamatenga




kalanga horse races in a drive-by
the ghostly flare on the window is me





road rage - an elephant bull reacts to a passing truck




recycling is alive and well at Planet Baobab
was wondering what to do with that bottle mountain





Lucky me -  I went for a flip in Bruce's flying machine out of Elephant Sands
a view so wide and it made the word big again



elephant herd moving towards the pans


the great north road - we know it well
this puts it in perspective



elephants drink from the swimming pool in the evening
at Elephant Sands










22 comments:

Angela said...

What incredible photos, Val! That elephant so near the road! And the dark ones, drinking! You live so close with such wonderful creatures. And the long road north, and the green greasy Limpopo (we crossed that, too, many years ago, it looks unchanged), and...all of them! Thank you! And please say, how was your Setswana exam???

Ivo Serenthà said...

Thank you for the visit dear Val, photos of the African continent evoke a strong emotion.

A hug,

Marlow

Anne said...

I just love coming here and reading about your adventures. Must be so exciting to see the animals so close.

Lori ann said...

oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.
oh.

geez val, i am going to have good dreams tonight. thank you for that.

i saw you in the window, hi hi!

Val said...

hi Geli - oh the Setswana - I will email you..

Marlow - thanks for coming back - and for the hug :-)

Choices - yes it never stops being awesome seeing these amazing creatures about the place!

Lori - sweet dreams in the Seaside Hotel!! i love that name :-)

have a great day everyone and thanks for visiting

xxxV

Delwyn said...

Hi Val

what a great glimpse of your trip...thank you for taking me along, you really do live in the wilderness. Do the elephants not mind the chlorine flavour?

Happy days

Fire Byrd said...

Just love the idea of you going inside for your evening and the elephants waiting in the shadows till the coast is clear and drinking the swimming pool.
xx

Val said...

Delwyn - strangely they dont seem to mind it at all - even preferring the pool to the waterhole. they are right next to each other.

Fire Byrd - great hey? :-) love it too

xxxV

Anonymous said...

I so recognise THAT border post!
Was the harridan on duty??

I'm so jealous of your flip, trip and gripping pics

xxxx

Charl said...

Nice pictures Val. Thanks for keeping those places and roads fresh in my memory. Hope to be back in Africa in a couple of years. Kind regards

Pooch Purple Reign said...

awesome!!
~laura

Spiny Marshmallow said...

Great pics - I so enjoyed them - you always have a good eye for things and take such fab photos - lovely!

Anonymous said...

That elephant pic reminds me of my first visit to Selati!

Marilynne said...

I love the photos. It all seems so exotic.

Val said...

Janet - no thank goodness! altho i did see her. the nice people were at the desk this time :-) you must do that flip if you get the chance - and a good stopover for your trip (that and the KRS)

Charl - hope you make it back here soon. congrats on those painting acquisitions too!!

Pooch - thanks :-)

Pam - thanks so much for always encouraging and inspiring me x

Val said...

Janet - glad you came back! yes indeed. they look kind of guilty in this pic dont you think?

Marilynne - glad you enjoyed :-)

thanks for visiting everyone, and leaving your mark here :-) have a fabulous day, and Blog On!! xxxV

karen said...

Hi Val. Great photos - I feel right at home as if I'm in the car, driving back to Kasane!! Love the aerial shots and must try and do the flight next time we're in the area (with a bit of time, haha!)

Reya Mellicker said...

Ah fantastic! Nice flight. That elephant is so powerful and scary, wow. And the sunflowers!! They stretch on to the horizon. Incredible.

Vagabonde said...

Val these are wonderful pictures. What a trip you had – it makes my trip to Baltimore look quite tame next to it. I saw some wildlife but more like crabs, seagulls and ducks!

Cheryl Cato said...

Wonderful photos of your trip. The elephants at night is so eerily beautiful with their eyes aglow.

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