Moremi to Savute Dry Marsh

Thurs 17th June
We had an adventure of a completely different kind this morning, we again set off in search of a leopard at around 8am. Again we headed to the water's edge but this time the water was flooded just a bit too much and we got completely stuck in about a foot of muddy water, the wheels span, we were grounded. Luckily the engine did not stop and the exhaust was half out of the water and it spluttered and farted but did not stop. Lenti stripped off to his vest and shorts and went into the bitterly cold water and the cold wind to rescue us. First finding logs then jacking up the car to get them under the wheels so that we could get some grip. It took over an hour to get us moving after several failed attempts, but then finally we were off. We got about 6m before we were stuck again and this time the engine stopped. That is the worst thing, now, had the exhaust been underwater still, water would have been sucked up into the engine and then we would have been stuck for good. Lenti's hands were so cold that he couldn't turn the key but fortunately when I gave it a go the engine spurted back into life and after another 10 mins of jacking and placing logs we managed to make it out of the water.
We leapt from the vehicle and covered Lenti in blankets, made him coffee and fed him chocolate then, after about 15 mins he could feel his hands and feet enough to get underway again. Phew!
But our aquatic adventure was not over yet, as we left the Moremi game reserve, that has been our fantastic host for the past few days, we had to do three river crossings, one of which was the one where the two German guys got stuck yesterday. So we were all a bit nervous and Lenti was definitely more cautious, we rocked and rolled through the rivers and pools, one time water splashing up over the engine, but we made it through. Then we were off 120km along a sandy track with a top speed of about 30kmh to Sabuti, a dry marsh area where the river hasn't flowed for over 30 years, but this year it is flowing and is over a foot deep! We passed some South Africans who obviously didn't know how to drive in the sand and they had got themselves stuck. Lenti gave them advice but they didn't seem to want to take it until they had tried and tried and were just digging themselves deeper and deeper into the sand. Eventually Lenti gave them one last bit of advice and then told them that we were driving on but that we would stop up the road and wait for about 20 mins to see if they could get out else we would send for help by his radio. They finally took his advice and unhooked their trailer and did lots of reversing and then going forward - SLOWLY - so that the wheels could get traction. We bypassed them and stopped about 1km ahead to have lunch and just as we finished they came along the road, finally having followed his advice and managing to free themselves.
We arrived in our new campsite at around 2:30pm, had a quick cup of tea and then went out on a game drive. We had only been going about 20 mins when there she was, the beauty, a leopard right out in the open, sunbathing on the top of a termite mound. She was gorgeous and posed for us for over half an hour as we sat and watched. Then we went to see some Wildebeast and by the time we returned she had gone, but what a treat. Another great day.