Okavango Delta

We weren‘t taking off till 8am so I could have slept in but my cabin was so hot and I could hear people on the deck upstairs so I was up and dressed by 6:00am. I do not do early mornings but there wasn’t a better option today. 

It was worth it as breakfast was served soon after and it was BACON AND EGGS!  Never have they tasted so good. There was a bacon butty to follow and coupled with a good coffee I was set for the day. And what a magical day it has been too. 

We set off at 8:00am in our ‘speedboat’.   Not your normal speedboat but an alluminium jerry can type thing.   Its a bit of fun, especially when it gets stuck in the rushes and nearly blows itself apart trying to get unattached.  

Our ‘speedboat’ took us to the edge of an island within the delta where we transferred to a real live safari vehicle, not the flash one we have been hanging out in but an open sided truck with a covered flat deck and seats running down the centre and a ladder to get us up the back. 

Hooning along the sand amid giggles we arrive at a beach where four mokoro were waiting. Original mokoro were dug outs made from acacia trees but now, for safety reasons, they are made of fibreglass. Each has room for two people (in leggless plastic bucket seats, one in front of the other) plus a ‘poler’ - the person that uses a long pole/stick to propel the mokoro through the canals. 

And so our cruise through the Okavango Delta began. Narrow waterways snaking through papyrus grass and reeds as far as the eye could see (and much more that we could not see) was magical. The only sound to be heard was the chirping of the many birds and insects. So tranquil it would have been easy to stretch out and sleep. I was lucky, my mokoro mate was our tour guide and it was great to be able to just chat about his life in Zimbabwe and how he left there to go seek a new life in South Africa. 

In the distance we could see a lone hippo, unusual as they normal travel in groups. Once we zoomed in close enough we could see that he bore some dramatic scars which may have been the result of being forced from his group. 

Further on we came across a large group of hippo, all jostling for space and showing off their magnificent array of teeth. Soon some started getting tetchy about our presence so we moved on. 

Donkeys, horses and birds were everywhere. Way in the distance we could see a group of elephants. The water was glistening but so still and the lotus pads were floating gently on the surface. Magical was an understatement. Even though the animal sightings were not new to me seeing them in this setting was very special and quite different to viewing from a safari truck. 

A short bush walk was the next thing on the programme, the most interesting part of the walk were some elephant remains. Here we saw up close just how large the monsters are. 

Walk over it was time to reboard our mokoro. I got my foot stuck in the mud as we got off earlier on so was now sporting a foot and shoe of mud. The mud was starting to dry and it felt really uncomfortable so I was looking forward to getting shoes off and my feet into a shower. 

The trip home in the speedboat was uneventful, we were all sun burned hot and tired. Lunch awaited us on our return. I was too hot to eat but a few cold fantas fixed that. 

The breeze came up in the afternoon and most people went for a nap and so did I. Ha ha. Approximately 4 minutes and 3 seconds later the chattering started upstairs from my cabin. What to do?  I had to join them!  So the afternoon was spent on deck dodging the sun, catching the breeze and listening to 60’s music, all the while keeping an eye on a tiny (about 2cm long) cream coloured frog. The music had us swaying to the beat while taking us down memory lane. What a time warp and a great time warp at that. It’s such a small world. One of the ladies on this trip is Greek and from Newcastle in Australia. An ex boyfriend of mine, Greek and from Newcastle used to go out with her sister. Ha ha. At this moment his favourite song is playing on our BYO sound system. 

Sundowners were had out in the canal watching a crocodile slink off the beach into the water. 

What better way to enjoy a drink and just in time   for dinner. Our captain is a great cook and provides us with delicious meals; tonight it was baked chicken, veg and pap (the Southern African equivalent of ugali) followed by Apple  Crumble. Yumbo. 

It was too hot to get into my room tonight so I hung around upstairs as long as I could. If it had been quieter up on deck I wouldnt have even bothered in my room but listening to chatter was not what I wanted at this hour of night.  Stripped  off I crawled under the mosquito net and waited for sleep. After much tossing and turning and no sleep I opened the door to my cabin and turned myself around so my head was near the door. Expecting a breeze was beyond therealns of possibility but at least it wasnt quite so oppressive this way and I dont remember too much more.