Tuesday, May 23 continued: After checking in and leaving our bags in one of the lodge safari tents, we went to the restaurant for dinner and found another of Jeff's friends from his earlier Nata days, Peter Robson. Peter is of British descent, born in what is now Zimbabwe, and has operated an auto repair shop in Nata since 1991. He originally came to Nata to join his brother Trevor, who owned a general store there at the time, but who now lives and works in Zambia, near the capital city of Lusaka (we will visit Trevor and his wife, Monica, later this year, probably during the Christmas holidays).

We didn't have a thermometer for a precise reading, but by all accounts the overnight temperature in Nata fell below freezing. Ordinarily the safari tents are comfortable, even luxurious. They are erected on wood platforms and include a small deck for sitting outside to observe the wildlife and enjoy the pleasant daytime weather. The interiors include sinks, showers, toilets, electricity, and king-size beds with mosquito nets. However, they are canvas tents built for moderate to hot temperatures, with ventilated walls and no means of heating. We tried to sleep through a very cold night, with limited success. Jeff could not remember ever experiencing such low temperatures during his previous years in Botswana.