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The Land Cruiser
was truly stuck!! The pans looked dry but underneath a deadly
thick
salty mud lay. After spending an hour laying our fire wood and
sand ladders under the tyres, we attempted to push and drive the Land
Cruiser out. Not a chance!!! The wheels were so caked in
mud, that they just spinned at the slightest drive. Time for the
Land Rover to give a pull...
Or that was the
idea. We thought if we attached a 30m rope to the Land Cruiser
we might be able to give a bit of a tug and perhaps the Cruiser would
pop out of the mud and we could be on our way! This did not work
and the Land Rover sunk into the mud. Now we had two 4x4
vehicles stuck in the Makgadikgadi pans mud! Time to strategize
- first rescue the Land Rover, then get the Land Cruiser out!
 Two
hours later, the Land Rover had wallowed out of the mud. Being a
much lighter vehicle it was easier to rescue. With the
rescue of the Land Rover, the sun was setting. Time to relax,
open the red wine, and cook up a classic Italian meal of pasta and
sauce. It had been a long day, so whilst the wine and good food
was settling we all headed for bed. Romeo awoke around 2am after
dreaming that the Land Cruiser was slowly sinking into the mud!! Thankfully,
it was only a dream!!
After a hearty
breakfast, the plans were prepared: Lee-Anne-Anne and I would take the Land
Rover and head inland to find large wooden stumps to place under the
Land Cruisers tyres. Romeo and Beat would continue to dig and
lay our fire-wood and the sand ladders under two tyres.
The plan did not
materialize. As Lee-Anne and I were heading inland we drove over a
slight hill. Little did we realize that it was covered in
Warthog holes. We felt a bit of a bump and then it was all
over. The
right rear wheel of the Land Rover had fallen into a hole, lifting the
left front tyre off the ground. Not even 4x4 could save us, as
both tyres diagonally opposite would spin. We were now stuck two
kilometers apart. The Land Cruiser was still in the mud, and now
the Land Rover was stuck in a warthog hole. Our plans had to be
radically changed!!
 Very despondently
Lee-Anne and I headed back to Romeo and Beat to break the news. The four of
us had to retrieve the Land Cruiser using only the two sand ladders, a
bit of fire-wood and tufts of grass. At an average of 90minutes
per wheel, we had layed the sand ladders, the wood and replanted a
whole grass bed under all the tyres. We had created channels for
the wheels to travel in. These channels were lined with grass,
which would help give traction to the wheels. As Romeo started
the diesel engine, we all silently prayed and hoped that this would
work. If our efforts failed now. we would have to try something
else.
A mighty heave was
given and the Land Cruiser popped out of the mud and onto the hard
ground. What a relief!!! Now it was time to tackle the
Land Rover
and to retrieve it from the Warthog hole.
Using the sand
ladders and the hi-lift jack, we lifted the rear of the Landy and then
slowly lowered the Landy onto the sand ladders. The ladders held
the weight of the vehicle and we were off.
24 hours later, we
had recovered the two vehicles, three
times. It had been a long
hard day. The 3 hour trip back to Nata went quickly and before
we knew it, we had showered and eaten a good meal at the restaurant!
Romeo and Beat then
suggested we head back to Maun and up to the Moremi game reserve for a
rest!
The Moremi game
reserve, nestled on the Okavango Delta, hosts a large wildlife
population, including excellent birdlife. Our first night was
spent at the South Camp campsite. Initially we were told that
they did not have camping space available for our two vehicles.
As night fell, the campsite hosted only five vehicles, of which our
vehicles counted for two.
The next day we left early and headed for the Third Bridge campsite
and Xakanka campsite. At Xakanka we took a trip on the Delta and saw
many different types of bird-life. It was good!
The two days were in the park, during which time we saw Kudu, Elephant, Lion, Wild
Dog, plus plenty of Springbok were excellent. On our second
evening, we had a huge bull Elephant in
camp, plus a Genit Cat, which is rarely seen. The camping was
expensive, but well worth it.
And then finally it
was time to say goodbye to our travel partners and friends Romeo and
Beat. They were heading back to Namibia and we were heading for
Pretoria, before venturing to the Kalahari Gemsbok park.
Our
trip continues to the Kalahari Gemsbok Park....
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