6 am reveille this morning, and after breakfast, on the road by 7, on route to our camp site for the last two nights. We didn't have too far to go, hence our half hour "lie-in" this morning. We had a game drive on route, but, unusually, very little to report, apart from a pair of courting lions at a waterhole. During this period of courtship, they mate quite frequently, and we hoped we would be able to observe this, but I think the male was in the "lying back for a cigarette" stage - or was it the female "having  a "headache" Either way - no photos this time. We had a tea stop at the jetty from where we were to take our boat

trip the following day. Here we saw some birds of interest - the black-collared barbet and the crested barbet, an African giant eagle-owl, and a saddle-billed stork. Our final campsite was again in a sheltered spot amongst tall trees, with two waterholes in the near-distance. Following the usual afternoon routine - which you should know by now  (brunch, siesta, bush-shower) it was off again for our afternoon drive. Lots of elephants - though these beasts here are not so laid back as their cousins in Chobe. Here they were much more cautious on the approach of vehicles, always trying to maintain a safety cushion between themselves and the occupants. 

We saw the unusual "go-away" bird, so-called because of its call, which seems to say just that. We went to a waterhole for the sunset, where we saw hippo amidst a strange, almost spooky landscape, known locally as "dead tree island." The images were those which one might expect to see in a "nuclear winter."   On return to camp, today we had some traditional Botswana fayre - that of maize pap, shredded beef and a delicious butternut squash. I wasn't so sure about the dessert though - this was more "an off-the-cuff" Bibi creation - peaches, custard and hidden within .... a baked chocolate

cream biscuit !! Delicious nevertheless. Our usual get-together followed around the bonfire. I sensed a sense of quiet prevailed as we were now coming towards the end of our trip, with just two days of activity left.....  possibly further reinforced by the fact that Nancy and I finished the last of our single-malt with a last tot or two of Dalwhinnie! And yet, there was still much to look forward to, with our much-anticipated boat trip around the Okavango Delta. As ever, we were all ready for bed at 10pm especially so if you wanted to devote some time to observing the night sky or listening for the distant roar of a lion (or maybe just the sounds of the frogs, toads and crickets!!)