Hippos, waterfalls, and the next border crossing

Today driving is on the program again. We have to cover 700 km to the Popa Falls. The day was relatively uneventful. However, today we finally had real African food from the market. Since we are still in Namibia and everything here is very German, the food is also very similar to German cuisine. There are pasta salad, potatoes, mashed potatoes, and steak, but the food is super delicious. Lena and Bea happen to see a dance performance, so we watch it before continuing. Totally unusual for us, we arrive at Popa Falls Camp at 4:00 p.m. and ask if we can still get a camping spot. Rebecca, the camp manager, takes care of us personally and we actually get a spot. After we have set up everything, we go to the river. Here we meet Team 2beBarefoot, who are fishing for tigerfish. And they actually catch one. The bartender tells us that the crocodiles and hippos come out of the river at night. We are all excited to see if we will see anything tonight. To pass the time until the evening, we cook and eat. After dinner, we go on a hippo hunt. Unfortunately, we have no luck and Lena and Bea decide to go to bed. Nessi and I chat a bit with Team Double Dutchs, who are also staying at the camp. Suddenly, the night watchman appears and shouts "Hippo, Hippo!" Lost in conversation, no one understands what the night watchman wants. He repeats it and finally, we understand that there is a hippo standing by the river. And indeed, this powerful animal is standing 50 meters away from us, grazing. Completely fascinated, we watch the animal and try to take photos. Unfortunately, it feels disturbed by us and disappears back into the bush. Shortly after, it reappears and we can watch it eat again. The hippo hunt was therefore at least successful for half of the team. But now, it's time to go to bed, as tomorrow we have the border crossing to Botswana on the agenda.

Border crossing from Namibia to Botswana

We wake up before sunrise again. However, it doesn't help us because someone is never ready. So, we finally leave shortly before 8:00 a.m. However, it is only 20 km to the border. The road is now just a dirt road. On this short stretch, we see a lot of animals again, even two giraffes standing next to the road, enjoying their breakfast. For this border crossing, we have imagined the worst scenarios. Standing in line for hours because all teams want to cross at the same time, the car being searched because the import of food and drones is prohibited. And as it often happens, we crossed the border in ten minutes, only met two other teams, and the customs officers just waved us through. But you immediately notice that you are in a different country. The roads are getting worse and on the road, donkeys, goats, and cows run around in all directions. There is no sign of German orderliness anymore, finally arrived in the real Africa! Nevertheless, we are making very good progress. When we want to turn around to take another look at the signs, a little boy approaches us. All he has to say is, "Give me sweets!" Luckily for him or maybe for us, we still have chips in the car. When we give him these, suddenly children come running from all corners towards us. So, we quickly make our way out. Because we don't have any candy left in the car anymore. At our first stop, there is a typical Botswana Fatcake. As the name suggests, it's a type of bun dripping with fat. Totally delicious, so we buy 18 of them right away, because one only costs about 20 cents. The journey continues past small villages made of straw huts, which are very reminiscent of the village of Asterix and Obelix. Bea remembers that she still has balls that she wanted to give to children. At the next house, we stop and Lena and Bea give the three boys the balls. Slightly confused, the children play briefly with the two of them and are happy with their new toys. The actual plan for today was to drive through the Okavango Delta. Unfortunately, we realize too late that we missed the entrance. So, we drive around it. In the evening at the camp, we learn that most teams missed the departure. When we arrive in Maun, we first look for the campsite and organize a scenic flight with a small airplane over the Okavango Delta for the next morning. Lena and Bea treat themselves to dinner from the camp and party hard with our friends from Team Global Party Machines. Naschti and Nessi take it easy and eat beans heated in the campfire and chat with the neighbors for the night, Team Hakuna Matata.