We left the Chobe Elephant Camp mid-morning to start our return trip back home to Leu Cat. As we drove to the airport in Kasane, we passed a couple of herds of impalas and a couple of herds of elephants wanting to cross the road. It was a fitting farewell and we felt that they had come to say goodbye to us. The last 9 days have been absolutely awesome as we were able to watch so many different types of animals in their natural settings, most of the time behaving as if we were not even there. There are few “once in a lifetime experiences” that one goes through in life and this trip was certainly one of those times. We strongly recommend that if you ever get the chance to go on safari, take it. Whether it is in a remote part of Botswana or even in a small reserve that may be fenced in, observing the wildlife in their own setting, doing what they naturally do, in a manner that is unique to each species, is just so special to behold.

The trip back to Leu Cat was tiring but uneventful. After riding in three different airplanes and waiting hours in each respective airport we were picked up at the Cape Town airport at 2300 by Mark, a local who specializes in transport between the airport and the Cape Town district. We were not in bed until well after midnight. It was a long day but we were so glad to be back home, safe and sound.

This morning we slept in and then took it easy. We will take the next few days off for rest and relaxation to recover from the long days of safari.

Well, that is not exactly true. Because there were no winds today, I just had to capture this rare opportunity to be able to raise the mainsail and finish tying the sail to the slide cars that go up and down the mast. When North Sails came to reinstall the sail a couple of weeks ago, I had them just attach the sail to the batten cars. I had wanted to replace the stretch cords used to attach the ring holes in the sail that are between each batten to their respective slide cars. You can only do this with the main sail hoisted up the mast so today was just the day to do it. As usual, it took longer than I planned but in a few hours it was done. With luck, the light winds will continue tomorrow and I will have a chance to reattach the three reefing lines to the main sail. They have to first be threaded through the boom, which is a pain to do. It sure is good to be back…