Out of Africa
 Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta is a huge wetland reknowned for the wildlife drawn to the abundance of water. How ironic therefore that the main item that we took with us for the 2 day trip was...water! Armed with 6 litres of mineral water each and an overnight bag we set off for a wilderness adventure. We were taken in 4x4 vehicles to the 'Poling Station'. This had nothing to do with elections though - this was where we boarded our transport for the trip - makoro dug out canoes. Makoros are poled along like a punt and they are only just big enough to squuze in two people and the poler. As we arrived there was a mass of people, boats and it seemed pretty chaotic as luggage, tents, campers and polers assembled. Our hosts were the local Boro villagers who it appears are benefiting greatly from the tourism as they provide the boats and polers for the trip in exchange for money and food. We had been warned that the villagers' English was limited, so Rhiann and I struck lucky when we found Chris who also turned out to have one of the drier makoros. After seeing the Mexican guys sink a couple of days later we realised how lucky we had been. Travelling by Makoro is a blissful experience although it takes a minute or two to get used to being so low to the water. If you make even a small movement it seems to have a very dramatic effect on the boat's stability, so you quickly learn not to turn round to talk to the person behind you! The makoros set off in single file and immediately we seem to disappear into the reeds - the waterways that they travel in are only 1-2 feet wide (I think the reeds helped to keep the boats upright myself). It is a very peaceful feeling silently moving through the reeds, surrounded by water lillies and watching the storks and herons fly above. We were very comfortable as Chris had used our tent matresses to create gondola-like reclining chairs for Rhiann and I. Inspired by the reeds I decided to try and remember how to basket weave. I think about 30 years has elapsed since my last attempt and boy did it show. My 'basket' quickly decided that it wanted to be a giraffe statue instead, but I was absurdly proud of it in the end. When I later saw the beautiful and intricate basket work that the women in the village make I could see why Chris looked somewhat amused by my efforts. We set up our tents on an island under some trees and immediately a roaring camp fire was lit. At this point I should add that it was about 37 degrees in the shade, so the camp quickly became unbearably stifling. It was therefore a relief when we were escorted to our 'swimming pool' - a croc and hippo free inlet surrounded by beautiful water lillies. At this point we quickly realised that we weren't quite in splendid isolation after all as there were about three overland trucks all camping in the same area and we were all congregating to bathe in the same place. The Boro villagers really have got this tourism lark sussed and fair play to them I say. We amused ourselves at the pool by playing catch with the waterlillies and seeing how many tiny fish we could cup in our hands at any time - 7 was the record I think. All the time we were in the Delta it was humid and the temperatures were in the upper 30s. With no showers in the bush the trip would have been very unpleasant without this little pool to dip into. At this point I should mention that Blessing was proving himself to be a fantastic guide. As well as being extremely knowledgeable about the destinations and wildlife he is also an amazing cook. I havent dared weigh myself, but can already feel the trousers getting tighter each day. Each evening we went for a nature walk. As ever we had to endure a scary safety briefing and told what do if chased by an elephant, buffalo or lion. For the first two the answer is to run and climb the nearest tree or termite mound. As I listened I realised that the chances of outrunning either of these creatures over rough ground is nigh on impossible. Then I realised that you dont need to be faster than the animal - only your fellow campers. A quick glance around and I realised I was buggered on that front as well. They were all taller than me apart from a lovely Irish girl called Miriam but as she had just climbed Mount Kilimanjaro I didnt fancy my chances at being able to outrun her either. I actually thought I might fare better with lions as with them the answer is to stare them out and NOT run (or they will think you are prey and chase you for the hell of it). That sounded more feasible but I still wasnt keen to see if I would be able to hold my nerve. As it happened, we didnt see a lot of anything. The walks were very pleasant though and we learned a lot about the ways that the native bushman use their natural resources to cure all kinds of ailments. For instance, boiled elephant dung in water can be drunk by pregnant women who want to turn a breech baby around the right way. (Caron and Lou take note and let me know if you want me to bring some back with me!!). Once again, I had fun identifying the animal tracks and we did see some zebra and tsetsebe (antelope). I always have the philosophy that you should judge any safari experience based on what you DO see and not on what you dont, but I have to say I did get frustrated when other groups came back with exciting tales of walking near elephant, buffalo and hyena. My best game viewing experience was via makoro to a hippo pool where once again we were treated to the most beautiful sunset. That night the polers performed fantastic local songs accompanied by some hilarious dance moves, so we thought it only polite to reciprocate. Unfortunately the first songs that sprang to mind were The Lion Sleeps Tonight and wait for it The Birdie Song. We were certainly amusing if not tuneful. After that we had an unoffical inter-country singing contest as per Eurovision tradition the Irish (Miriam and Ulton) had the most fantastic voices and put the rest of us to shame. I dread to think what the polers made of the actions to the raucous English rendition of Swing Low Sweet Chariot, but the Mexican guys sang awesome latino songs. And what the Aussies lacked in terms of harmony they more than made up for in enthusiasm with their compilation it was a lot of fun all round. We kept up the singing the next morning as we left the poling station in the 4x4 vehicle - everything from the Sound of Music to a very bad rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. That afternoon Mark, Nilima, Rhiann, Shelley and I chartered a flight in a 5-seater plane over the Okavango Delta and it felt like being on an episode of Planet Earth. We climbed up over the village as once we had flown over the Buffalo Fence which separates the wild animals from the domesticated ones we started looking for game. The view over the Delta was great in itself waterways snaking through the reeds, hippo pools and wooded areas ravaged by elephants. Soon we started to see herds of elephant (some as many as 50 individuals and many with babies). As we were late in the afternoon, the hippos were starting to come out of the water to graze and we banked steeply to get a better look. At this point I suddenly remembered that most of the pilots are newly qualified and are there to clock up their hours, but we seemed to be in safe hands. That night we played drinking games including 'Slammer, Spider and Slider', but it was a relatively early night - a long drive through to Namibia awaited us the next day,
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Diary Photos
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