The Delta from Above

Just like yesterday I was woken by the noise upstairs and dragged myself out to the deck to be confronted with one of the most magical sights I have ever seen. The sun was rising through the mist which hung over the island, there wasn’t a breath of wind and the sun reflected over the water as though it were a mirror.  It made the 5:30am start suddenly all ok. 

Breakfast enjoyed we set off in in our speedboat. It was dead still but as we looked back we could see the wake of the boat rippling and spreading out across the water.  The reeds and papyrus were swaying in the wake like they were riding the waves. Frequently the surface of the calm water was broken by two eyes peering out then we would get close to see a croc emerge, or a little way along two pink ears protrude to give away the location of a hippo. Occasionally we see the hippos breaching like a huge whale and making a massive splash as they reentered the water. 

By the time we reached the end of our journey on the boat we weren’t even taking photos of crocs or hippos as we had seen so many the novelty had worn off. 

With a long drive ahead we settled on to our bus and most of us slept until we reached the city of Maun (pronounced Ma-oon) and took up residence at the lovely Maun Lodge, complete with real showers, big beds and aircon. Yay! We can get proper clean at last. 

Showered and changed into clean clothes it was time for the next adventure; a flight over the Delta. Having seen so many photos showing its magnificence I was really excited about the trip. 

But the thought of going up in another single engined aircraft scared the hell out of me.  Just as well I didnt know at the time that the plane was 30+years old and due for a new service certificate. 

Luckily we all had a window seat and so we all had great views. But sadly the lack of rain meant many of the canals had dried up. As far as the eye could see there was white sand with scrubby vegetation with the occasional shimmer of water surrounded by greenery. That at least gave us some idea of the magnitude of the delta. 

The good thing was that with vegetation dried up we did get to see quite a bit of wildlife going about their day; elephants, lion, hippos, rhinos, giraffe and countless types of deer/antelope type animals. Our one hour flight covering a tiny corner of the delta was over and we returned to the comfort of our lodge to chill for a while before dinner. With a fixed menu to choose from I think I hit the jackpot; crumbed and fried extra tender calamari rings to start, a perfectly cooked rare steak that was so tender I barely needed a knife and with fries and onion rings alongside and to top it off chocolate cake with ice cream and choc sauce. A line direct to my heart. 

We made an ice cream stop earlier in the day and we settled upon a box of ‘crunchie’ ice creams to share. Bad choice as the crunchie was so stale it had actually morphed into icicles, the ice cream was freezer burned and the milk chocolate now white. We threw them all away. 

Wifi in our rooms saw us scurrying off as soon as dinner was over, eager to restore our connection with the outside world. Another magical day.