Tuesday 9 June 2015 -Namutoni

We are up early to get the car is packed and ready for our after breakfast departure.

We start our slow trip up the dirt road and stop to watch birds including purple roller,

pied babbler

Marico Fly-catcher

and yellow-billed hornbill

We are some kilometres away when it suddenly strikes me that I have left my expensive ski-jacket in the cupboard in our room.   There is a quick u turn as we race back to get it.

On the way back we see dik dik in the bushes.

Finally we arrive at Namutoni.  On hearing my name the receptionist says – We have had a call from Sossusvlei – It seems that you have not paid for your two guided drives.  I am a bit taken aback as when I checked out I’d asked Herbert if all was in order and he’d assured me that it was. Earl goes straight into panic mode and thinks I have lost the receipt. But I only find receipts for dinners so he has to concede that the drives which should have been put onto our daily bill have been omitted. Yes – I should have checked the amounts but I’d simply written down the amounts paid by card in my meticulous records.

After calming down, we settle into our comfortable cabins, have a cold drink and then go out in the Land Rover.

We have a successful afternoon and see black-faced impala,

zebra,

giraffe,

lots of kori bustards,

northern black korhaan,

grey hornbill,

double banded courser,

a single bull elephant,

parent Burchell’s sandgrouse with 2 babies,

and a black rhino hiding among the foliage of tree he was browsing.

It is a good start to our stay in Etosha National Park!  When we get back to camp, Wendy and I browse around the fort shops and late we have dinner in the restaurant – a buffet which is acceptable.