Robin's Adventures

The lions were up and about and we were in an opened game drive vehicle that was very close. Got some amazing video and a major rush of adrenaline.

During our game drive, we came across several small herds of grazing animals. We saw zebra, kudu, and impala.

Vervet monkeys have very long arms and legs so they are able to move very quickly both on land and in the trees. These monkeys are very impish and we had to be careful not to leave anything out on the deck because they would come by and snatch any unattended items.

We also saw lots of baboons in the Okavango Delta. They travel in groups with the dominant males in the front, females and children in the middle, and other males bringing up the rear. When a warning bark is given, the whole troop quickly scampers up a tree. If they are not near a water source, baboons can easily survive by licking the morning condensation off of their fur.

During our game drive, we came across a small group of banded mongoose. These little guys live in small social groups and eat mostly beetles and centipedes.

We also noticed a bunch of squirrels hanging out on top of a termite mound. In the cool mornings, they very cleverly hang out over the vents in the mounds and warm themselves on the air rising through the vents.

As we traveled across the delta, there were many warthog sightings as well as a lone hyena that was trotting along as if he were in a hurry to go somewhere.

Although we saw many of the same birds as we had seen at Stanley's Camp, there were also many new and unique birds that caught our attention. We saw the Arrow-Marked Babbler, Swainsons Francolin, the Helmeted Guineafowl, the Red-Billed Buffalo-Weaver, a White-Browed Sparrow-Weaver, and a Swamp Boubou.

Some of the larger birds we saw were the African Jacana, the African Fish Eagle, the Ground Hornbill, a Black Winged Stilt, and some Cormorants.

We traveled by game drive vehicle to the airstrip. We managed to get "covered parking" while we waited for the bush plane that would take us to Maun. From there, we took another small plane to Johannesburg. We transferred again to another plane that took us to Cape Town.

Upon arrival in Cape Town, we checked in at a wonderful hotel called the One and Only. We were given a complementary upgrade to an amazing suite that had three different bathrooms, a huge bedroom, a large living room, and a big dining room. It also had an amazing view of Table Mountain and and a delightful marina.

A large ferry boat took us to Robben Island for a tour of the maximum security prison that was home to Nelson Mandela for 18 years. The island was also a leper colony from 1845 to 1931. The name "Robben" comes from the Dutch word for seal, although the rocky outcrops along the beaches did not have any seals when we were there. The lighthouse on the island was built in 1864.