Resting at Tuskers, Ivory Lodge
Distance  9382
Total from Amsterdam  14782

Woke to the sounds of Drifters people packing up. Two French ladies Christiana and Elinor asked about my sinus/toothache problem and gave me sachets of penicillin antibiotics, enough for 12 days. So kind of them. Directions were in French so I posted a WhatsApp message with photos of the sachet to the Cairo CT group we’re on and within minutes Tina sent the translation. My palette on the sore tooth side was all puffy and tender this morning but am sure it’s all related to my blocked sinuses, well hope so. Now we just need to sort our bike computers in Vic Falls and were told there are is an electronic shop and a Pick n Pay who would hopefully stock batteries. Peter will download info from his Garmin until bike computers are sorted.

Our tent is a few metres from the donkey boiler and we get some smoke when they fire it up to heat the water but it was the only spot that was reasonably flat. The nine Zim peoples tents are all within spitting distance from ours. They’re slow in getting going in the morning but headed out for a game drive shortly thereafter (09h30) and I heard the mom saying she’d booked another game drive for 3 pm. It will be nice and quiet to hear bird calls and the sounds of the bush. We walked to the Lodge to pay for our two nights camping and Sean said she would charge us $10 pppd. To stay at Ivory Lodge with full board and game drives is $SD220 pp. We asked Sean if the lodge would sell us some mince or chicken and she gave us a packet of frozen chicken breasts so Mama Magdel, don’t panic about protein intake, we’ll be gorging ourselves on chicken for a day or two.

Lunch was pan fried chicken with chopped orange and tomato. We lay on table benches in the lapa, softening the hard wood slats by folding our sleeping bags to lie on, slept some, read some. A massive herd of elephants made their way down to the waterhole in front of the lodge, Peter went to their hide to see and said there must have been over 40 ellies of various ages. I’m not feeling too kosher so had a snooze in the tent. More chicken for supper, this time with rice, onion and tomato with a stock cube for added flavour. Just showered and the one here is by far the nicest and most spacious shower cubicle at a campsite. Sun is setting and the afternoon glow on yellow grass and the bush is lovely. Peter cooked a nice dish of rice, onion, tomato and chicken. I was hungry but my tooth was so sore, I had to chew my food with my front teeth … I need an implant on the left so can’t chew on that side. I feel so despondent with not feeling great, had headaches yesterday and again today and then Peter tells me I tend to over react!

– Greg of Drifters about to leave for the Matopos
– Christiana and Elinor, the French ladies who gave me mootie for my blocked sinuses
– The donkey boiler works extremely well supplying piping hot water in no time
– Ellies coming to drink this afternoon