7 am on Saturday dawned bright and far too early, but Julia and I somehow managed to drag ourselves out of bed. We had no idea what to expect for our camping trip in the Kalahari – Olivia had helpfully passed on that her friend who had gone on the trip last year said that it was the coldest she had ever been in her life – but we pretended to be enthusiastic. I literally packed every piece of non-work clothing I had into my book bag. And the layering began…
Phase 1 - Base layers:
Bottom - Leggings + jeans = 2 layers
Top – sports bra + thin, long sleeve cotton shirt (not to be removed the whole weekend) + white light-weight jacket + pea coat = 4 layers
We had heard that we were potentially riding in an open-air truck for the 4 hour drive to Khutse. That, combined with the 8 am departure time (the second coldest time of day), meant that we started out heavy on the layers.
Tim, our driver and guide for the weekend, picked us up at UB, and we happily piled into the truck when we realized that it was an 8-seater Land Rover with doors and windows. We didn’t even care that there was no heat, we were so ecstatic that it was covered. And so the adventure began.
Most of the drive to Khutse, which is in central/eastern Botswana slightly north of Gabs, was on a paved highway. At the 2-hour mark, by which time we had all gotten sick of talking to each other, fallen asleep, and then realized that we had to pee worse than ever before in our lives, we stopped at a gas station to refuel/deal with basic bodily functions. Thank goodness we did, because past there it was an unpaved dirt road into the bush for two hours, with all the jostling and bouncing that entails.
Just when we thought we must have reached the ends of the earth, we got to the gate for the Khutse Game Reserve, just south of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Just outside the gates is a Leopard Research Center. Tim knows the staff and scientists there, so he drove us over to check out their set-up and learn about big cat research. There we met Cleo, Jan, and their adorable two-year-old son, Luka. What they do there is super cool – trapping cats, putting tracking collars on them, and then studying their movements – and they also have a pretty sweet camp for being in the middle of the desert. People have been doing research there for 10 years, though they’ve only been living there for a year, and they have solar panels, hot-water showers, and computers. If I didn’t already love what I do at the hospital so much, I definitely would have been asking where to sign up.
After we were done, we climbed back into the truck to drive out to our campsite within the game reserve. It was a longer drive than I expected, and I was just starting to doze off when we finally got there. We were literally in the middle of nowhere – it was basically a clearing in the grass with a tree, a fenced latrine and bucket shower, and us. Tim unpacked the trailer that we had been toting, and we set up our tents. Now, dear readers, I have never been camping before, and this was quite an entertaining and somewhat dirty experience. I loved it. Then we had a quick lunch of egg sandwiches with tomatoes. Very British, I think.
Phase 2:
Top – Added on a grey wool sweater = 5 layers
After lunch, we washed our dishes and packed back into the truck for a game drive. It was about 3:15, so we only had a few hours of daylight left. There was a fairly steady breeze that was quite chilly, despite the sun, so as a preventive measure I added on another sweater before we set out, since we’d be getting back after dark probably.
It was at about this point in the trip that I decided I’m getting quite tired of game drives. We go on them pretty much everywhere we go, and mostly all you see is lots and lots of antelope (usually impala). Here, the pans are big and the animals spread out a lot, so on top of being a bunch of antelope you’ve already seen before, they’re so far away that you can’t really get a decent picture of them either. Harumph.
Started dozing off after a while, then came across some ostriches that were too absorbed in their mating ritual to run away from us. Snapped some pictures, moved on. Then, there were lions. I didn’t even see them at first, they were hidden in the grass, which was lit by the fading sun. There were 7 of them, a pride that Chloe and Jan had been saying they were trying to get more information about, but seemed to be a mother and her 5 male cubs. They sat watching us, and we watched them, mesmerized. Then the first, most curious one, started coming towards us, and we all freaked out. Cameras were clicking, flashes were bursting, and pretty soon we were surrounded by lions. It was AWESOME. (Don’t worry, pictures will come eventually).
After about 20 or 25 minutes of “oohs” and “aahs,” Tim started trying to drive away, because we aren’t allowed to be out after dark (more for the animals’ safety than ours), but one stubborn cub kept staying in front of us. We had to stop, and wait for him to decide to join the rest of his pride in walking the opposite direction. Even when we finally did drive off, I was vaguely worried that they would follow us.
Phase 3:
Bottom – Added pajama pants + another pair of socks = 3 layers
Top – Added blue, long-sleeved running fleece + hat = 6 layers
The temperature drops super quickly once it gets dark, which it more or less was by the time we made it back to camp. Tim immediately started working on the fire, and we all added another layer. At this point, I was starting to feel a little bit like a Pillsbury Dough-Boy, and couldn’t quite put my arms down.
We all took our seats by the fire, which became quite comfortable within a few minutes. The fee we paid for our tour included food, and, we were pleasantly surprised to find, drinks as well. Tried “St. Louis,” a local beer that we’ve seen signs for EVERYWHERE. Tea was much more satisfying though.
Tim also started cooking dinner, which was a mystery hidden under foil in a large lasagna dish. It turned out to be sheppard’s pie, which was quite tasty and filling. Also garlic bread warmed in foil, which they have at every braai here and is one of my favorite things EVER. Mmmm, drool.
To top it all off, there was chocolate mousse, and before long we were stuffed and happy.
Phase 4:
Bottom – Another pair of pajama pants + a third pair of socks = 4 layers
Top – Long-sleeved, cotton shirt = 7 layers
As long as we stayed by the fire, we were quite cozy, but every time we wandered further than 3 feet, a startling, mind-numbing cold immediately set in. It was quite shocking.
By the time we finished eating, it was pitch black outside, and the stars emerged. It was the most incredible night sky I have ever seen in my life, and made it totally worth it to brave the cold. I wish that I could do justice to how beautiful it was, but I’m just not that poetic. Suffice it to say, we are missing out on literally THOUSANDS of stars in the States. We all stayed up as long as we could to soak it in (and avoid leaving the warm fire), but eventually it was time to sleep.
We retired to our tents, where our beds consisted of foam pads, a sheet, a comforter, and a pillow. It was also as cold as I imagine the surface of the moon would be. I tried to stay awake to read for a little while, but my hands became so painfully cold even through my gloves that I had to stop. I doubled up my comforter, so everything was warm except my feet, which have terrible circulation to begin with. As long as I didn’t move, and remained in a position reminiscent of a mummy/Dracula, I was actually quite comfortable. I also stole a fleece blanket from the car, and pulled it over my head, then eventually fell asleep.
Total number of pieces of clothing on my body = 18
Overnight low = -2.5°C
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