Apologies - this is a monster of a blog but it is because internet access is very limited and quite rubbish when it is available. So this is like several blogs rolled up into one!

Day 7-9: Swakopmund, Namibia
The adventure Capital of Namibia certainly lived up to its name, except for on a Sunday - everything is shut and good luck trying to get anything done in this place on a Sunday!
Managed to do some quad biking on some mamoth dunes and we did the usual stupid things the guides tell you not to do and we got the odd b******ing for succedding in getting the quads airborne etc.
The highlight of this stop for me was the 10,000ft sky dive. I had done one before in New Zealand and promised myself I'd do it again some day and the prospect of sky diving over the Namib desert proved irressistable. You also got a really nice 25 minute scenic flight thrown in too, which was awesome. The sky dive was incredible and just as good as the first time I did 5 years ago. Can't really describe it - just do it if the opportunity ever arises, you will not be disapointed!

Day 10-13: Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park and Etosha National Park, Namibia
We left Swakopmund and headed north for the Cheetah Park. The group had elected to skip visiting one of the biggest seal colonies on the planet and make it to the Cheetah park in time to see the feeding of the cats. Although the colony would have been impressive, the thought of missing out on the feeding of the Cheetahs easily persuaded us to bid fairwell to the Skeleton Coast and head inland for the animals.
We arrived at the park late in the afternoon and were ushered passed a couple of guard dogs that were the size of a small vehicle and entered a house garden, where we were greeted by 3 pet Cheetahs. Although we knew what to expect, our jaws still dropped and after some advice from the owners we all took turns at sitting with the animals and petting them - a really special experience. I am not normmally a Cat person but these animals were gorgeous to be aroound and you could hear them purring from about 10 yards away - like a low rumble when anyone was paying them attention - was an incredible experience. A couple of the group got more than they bargained for when the Cheetah's took a liking to their flip flops and pinched the foot wear off them and proceeded to munch away and play with them - was quite funny watching the owner trying to retrieve them and telling off his cats!
We then got taken into the bush where we watched the wild cheetahs get fed - massive slabs of meat were thrown into the air and we watched the 15 or so Cheetahs, one after another grab a slab of meat and then sprint off into the bush. When we got back to camp we were all then introduced to a 10 day old Cheetah cub and the little fella crawled around the floor in a daze while we all took pics and petted him - definately the star of the show.
As we set off for Etosha National Park, the bus pulled into the Cheetah farm one last time because the Giraffe the owners had rescued the previous year had popped by to visit - they don't keep him at the farm and he just pops by from time to time. He's called Buddy and is about 9 foot high. We spent about 20 minutes with him, he wondered around, stuck his head in our truck, we petted him and one of the Cheetah lads told me to stick my thumb up in the air, which I did and Buddy sucked my thumb! Was hilarious having this massive animal acting like a baby and was one of the highlights of the trip so far.

Etosha National Park was incredible. We saw an insane number of animals - Zebra, Elephant, Jackal, Springbok, Giraffe, Kudu...the list goes on! We were very lucky to also see some lions, including one female which was only meters away from the side of the bus and we spent quite a while with her in a staring contest.

Day 14-15: Ngepi and leaving Namibia
Ngepi is one of the more incredible camp sites on our itineray - it is on the banks of the Okavanga river and is like an eco camp - hardly any any of the trees have been cleared and the toilets are right in the bush and crocs and hippos wonder round the camp on an almost nightly basis. It was for this reason that our tour guide and driver did everything they could to get us to this camp - the camp had been cut off by flood water because Botswana, Zambia and Namibia are experiencing their worst floods since 1968! Bren, our driver managed to drive our mamoth truck across the flooded causway and into the camp - was really quite an achievement and we were the first overland truck to make it in since the floods hit. We were all super pleased because the camp was incredible and Bren was super proud to have done it and earned lots of beers off us that night - his legendary status had been achieved. The actual camp ground was flooded and we had to camp on the bank of the river and we could hear the hippos all night - scary at first but you get used to it.
We then spent a couple of days just chillaxing and the only events of any note were: some guy finding a pit viper in one of the toilets and killing it - managed to see the deadly snake's headless torso before he chucked it in the river, swimming in the swim cage which had been washed away in the flood and ws now about 500 meters downstream in a reed bank - the cage is used too protect us juicy tourists from the crocs and hippos.
The day of our departure we had another adventure - during the night a truck had gone off the causeway while trying to get to the camp and some people had managed to anchor it to the bridge to prevent it from floating off downstream. This left a pretty big obstacle in the way of our exit but Brendo managed to squeeze by and save the day and we were able to continue on to the Okavango Delta...

Day 16-18: Crossing into Botswana - Maun and the Okavango Delta
We arrived at the Mokoro station in the Delta and we split into pairs and got taken to our Mokoro's - a traditional dugout canoe, which sits precariously low in the water while the driver stands on the back of the craft and poles through it through the channels in the reeds. The trick is to just lie back, get as low as possible and relax while you navigate through the reed channels.
We arrived at camp, set-up the tents, kitchen and even our bush toilet - hole in the ground about 20 yards from camp. The group was split into 2 and we went on our first walk through the park in the late afternoon. As we were on foot and our guides don't carry any weapons, our guide educated us on what to do if we bump into any of the dangerous animals in the park:
- Lion: Will mock charge a couple of times if it feels threatened. What to do - stand your ground and face the lion and slowly back away. Do not run or turn your back because it knoows it has the upper hand and may run after you and attack you.
- Leopard: Can be very aggressive. What to do - Turn your back to it and avoid looking at it and hopefully it will go away - not convinced about that bit of advice!
- Elephant: Will mock charge twice before a full charge. When it mock charges, stand your ground, keep eye contact and slowly back away. If it does charge, run like hell towards trees and hide!
- Buffalo: No mock charge. If it comes at you - run and just generally get out of its way if possible.
- Rhino: Similar story to the elephant.
All of the above are in the park and all of which our guide had encountered within the last few months.

We made our way into the park and our guide found an Elephant which we managed to get very close to - about 40-50 meters. The large Bull eventually noticed us and didn't like us at all and he gave us a couple of mock charges and when that happens, you tend to forget all the advice someone gives you and you just tend to do the natural touristy thing - take photos and start to kind of run, which we all did. Only our guide did the right thing and started clapping and shouting at the Elephant and stood his ground. Was one hell of an experience to say the least.

The rest of the time in the Delta was more tame. We had another bush walk, where we saw Zebra, Giraffe, Elephant, Snake, lots of birds and some amazing scenery. I had a shot at piloting the Mokoro - seeing the fear on the local guides face as a I pushed us along in the Delta was well worth it. I only had the one wipe out, where I disapeared off the Craft and into the water but managed to not take all my passengers with me. I did eventually master the thing and ran a ferry service to the safe swimming are, which wasn't full of crocs and hippos. When not walking in the bush, we spent our day swimming in the clear delta waters or playing cards at the camp, watching the Milkyway and spotting satelites pass by. On our last night we had a sunset cruise in our Mokoros to the nearby hippo pool, where we watched the sun set and then we had 5 minutes of excitment and drama when a big hippo decided to join us and showed off for the cameras - snorting at us and generally moving around the pool and making lots of noise. The closest I have been to a hippo while sitting on a flimsy plank of wood I ever want to be!

When we left the Delta and got back to Maun a few of us opted for the flight over the Delta, which was incredible. The plane was only 500 feet above the deck and the scene from the air was incredible. We also saw herds of Elephants, Hipos, Buffalo, Zebra, Giraffe - you name it, we saw it!

Day 19-20: Chobe National Park, Botswana
The big yellow bus then headed off to Chobe national park for some more big game, which is renowned for Elephants and we saw several elephants within meters of the truck just on the drive there and some warthogs strolling around the local supermarket - the whole place was teeming with life.
We stayed at another camp site affected by the massive floods and we stayed in a patch not normally used but was the only area above water. Almost everywhere in this part of the world has been hit quite hard by the floods but we were managing to get by.

Crossing the Zambian border: This gets a special mention because it is one of the craziest border crossings I have had! We got up at an insane hour to be insure we got on the first ferry. We got there and got to the front of the queue - all good so far. The ferry pulled up and unloaded with a mad rush of people and vehicles bulldozing their way off the boat and into Botswana. Then we tried to get on and all hell broke loose. Myself and Stu realised that we had to block other vehicles from jumping in front of our bus and we made a human road block, which the local African bus drivers didn't take to kindly too and just proceeded to drive into us and telling us that they're going to run us over - quite an experience and despite being bumped a few times by a massive bus and giving the driver the finger, we all survived unscathed and we got our bus on the ferry and came away with another story for the trip. On another note - avoid African Ferry's if you can, they don't look the safest things to be on and having lived in Asia for some years, I can safely say that African Ferry's make Indonesian transport look like luxury liners!

Day 21-24: Livingstone, Zambia
Back to the adventure activities - almost all of us in the group decided to do the Bungee, Swing and Flying Fox over the Zambezi, only a stone throw away from the monsterous Vic falls and the site of the bridge straddles the Zimbabwe and Zambian border - so technically we all entered Zimbabwe but we don't have the stamp to prove it.
Doing the Bungee Jump, Bridge Swinge and Flying Fox over a 111 meter canyon with a raging torrent below is not for the faint hearted but we all conquered our fears and had a blast.
We visited the falls the following day and it was incrediible. The falls are at their highest level for over 50 years because of all the flooding and we got to see them in a state that is only seen once in a lifetime. We got absolutely drenched and the experience was so insane that us 3 lads stripped off and had a shower on one of the viewing platform! One of the funniest things I have done for quite some time!
The rest of our time in Livingstone was occuppied by fiishing on the Zambesi (none of us caught a thing apart from reeds) and a booze cruise which was crazy to say the least - 2 of the party in hospital: one requiring 6 sttiches to her face, the other lad with a very badly dislocated ankle. I some how managed to escape the carnage and just had a bruised and cut thigh and a pretty bad hangover the next day ;-)

Day 25-26: Lake Kariba, Zambia
Spent some time chilling by the side of the lake, with the one and only highlight being visiting the local village and playing footy with the local kids - ran rings around me!

Day 27-Now: Leaving Zambia for Malawi
We left Zambia and headed for my childhood home of Lilongwe. We got there just after 9am and I rented a car and ventured off to check out all my childhood haunts - Bishop Mackenzie School, the Golf Club and my house! Was an amazing day and my house is still there and it is now a clinic! My garage is an operating theater, my old room a maternity ward, the lounge the waiting room! While I was wondering around in a daze I managed to meet a local woman who used to work with my Dad! Very small world!
Then I went to the golf club and managed to blag my way in by saying I used to be a member and my Dad is on the hole in one board - they loved the fact that I used to live in Malawi and gave me the royal tour! I topped of the day by having a few beers with the locals and staying out clubbing till 4am and meeting some old class mates from Primary school!! A very surreal day that couldn't have been any better.

I am now in Kande Beach on Lake Malawi, just chilling by the lake and enjoying the stunning surroundings, dipping in the lake and breaking up this routine with the odd ice cold beer - life doesn't get much better than this ;-)

Cheers for now and photos will hopefully accompany this entry very soon.

Pete ;-) x

Playing in the local village on lake Kariba