I'm surprisingly not hungover and make my way over to the bar area for breakfast after the customary visits to the bathroom. Later, showering in the morning will become optional. Though feeling fine there doesn't seem to be much chance of doing anything this day. We settle for hanging out next to river on the comfy day beds. Only one person is still passed out on one of the 3 beds. Tomcat, who was ridiculously funny the night before and had on one the most hideous pair of boardshorts I have ever seen. He's still wearing them. Astrid and I are having more them a giggle at him and break down laughing when he rolls over, reaches into his pants and scratches his balls.
Tomcat and hideous boardshortsWe actually manage to do some reading today, alternated by naps on the day beds. It's far too hot to even think about sleeping in our tents. Even if it's in the shade.
We need to go into town to buy food for the mokoro trip we'll be taking the following day. Town is some ways out. There are 4 of us and it'll cost each of us 10 pula (a little over R10) to get a taxi. But everyone else wants to hitchhike. I'm not keen. I'm not in the mood to walk in the heat and even less in the mood to stand waiting by the side of the road until we get picked up. Also, I've never jitchhiked before. I bow to peer pressure. Just outside the gate of the backpackers a bakkie is pulling away and Graham, a 20 year old Brit looking for work as a scenic flight pilot in the Delta, gets us a ride. This was too easy. I get the front seat since I'm the prissy city girl.
The driver is Reuben. He's not from Maun but is helping with the construction work at the airport. A Chinese company is responsible for the construction and Reuben is not happy working with them. They are taking jobs away from locals, their work is of inferior quality and many of them do not speak English.
Reuben drops us in town and we head to Choppies which I reckon must be the cheapest grocery store in Botswana. The equivalent of Shoprite in South Africa. We buy a lot of water, some tinned food and bread. We only have a short walk before getting another ride and this time I actually sit in the back of the bakkie. We're dropped off and have to walk some to get back to the backpackers. I get to walk over the old bridge that the backpackers is named after. It's made from logs and packed earth.
The old bridge
Once back we get a couple of drinks to take with us on a sunset boat ride. The boat ride is free but not because we went out too early to see the sunset.
Now I've been on a few boats. And I quite like being on the water. But all the boats I've been on moved a little slower than this one. Also this boat was completely open and I was terrified of falling overboard (and being eaten by crocodiles). The rest of the passengers, including Astrid, Jens and Graham, a 20 year old Brit pilot who'd joined us sometime the previous night, and an elderly 'British' couple, were highly amused at my yelps and gasps everytime the boat veered right or left and at my complete unsteadiness getting in and out of the boat.
The surrounds are beautiful. There are tons of waterlilies on the river. And at times the river is a near perfect mirror.
Mirror mirror
There are cars parked all along the river. Some are playing music. Weekend recreation for the locals.
We go around a corner and spot a giraffe grazing on the trees. I'm in awe.
We also spot a fish eagle but it flies away before I can take a photo.
Back at the backpackers thunder makes promises of a storm that would relieve the heat. We have a few drinks but make it an early night in preparation for the mokoro trip that starts early the next day. The storm breaks later that evening after we'd all gone to bed already. I'm woken by a combination of thunder, lightning, loud rain drops on my tent and by Astrid closing her tent flaps. I'm woken again later by the loudest clap of thunder I've ever heard. For a brief moment not even my love of storms can keep me from being scared but my tiredness and bliss win out and I drift back into peaceful sleep.
We need to go into town to buy food for the mokoro trip we'll be taking the following day. Town is some ways out. There are 4 of us and it'll cost each of us 10 pula (a little over R10) to get a taxi. But everyone else wants to hitchhike. I'm not keen. I'm not in the mood to walk in the heat and even less in the mood to stand waiting by the side of the road until we get picked up. Also, I've never jitchhiked before. I bow to peer pressure. Just outside the gate of the backpackers a bakkie is pulling away and Graham, a 20 year old Brit looking for work as a scenic flight pilot in the Delta, gets us a ride. This was too easy. I get the front seat since I'm the prissy city girl.
The driver is Reuben. He's not from Maun but is helping with the construction work at the airport. A Chinese company is responsible for the construction and Reuben is not happy working with them. They are taking jobs away from locals, their work is of inferior quality and many of them do not speak English.
Reuben drops us in town and we head to Choppies which I reckon must be the cheapest grocery store in Botswana. The equivalent of Shoprite in South Africa. We buy a lot of water, some tinned food and bread. We only have a short walk before getting another ride and this time I actually sit in the back of the bakkie. We're dropped off and have to walk some to get back to the backpackers. I get to walk over the old bridge that the backpackers is named after. It's made from logs and packed earth.
The old bridgeOnce back we get a couple of drinks to take with us on a sunset boat ride. The boat ride is free but not because we went out too early to see the sunset.
Now I've been on a few boats. And I quite like being on the water. But all the boats I've been on moved a little slower than this one. Also this boat was completely open and I was terrified of falling overboard (and being eaten by crocodiles). The rest of the passengers, including Astrid, Jens and Graham, a 20 year old Brit pilot who'd joined us sometime the previous night, and an elderly 'British' couple, were highly amused at my yelps and gasps everytime the boat veered right or left and at my complete unsteadiness getting in and out of the boat.
The surrounds are beautiful. There are tons of waterlilies on the river. And at times the river is a near perfect mirror.
Mirror mirror
There are cars parked all along the river. Some are playing music. Weekend recreation for the locals.
We go around a corner and spot a giraffe grazing on the trees. I'm in awe.
We also spot a fish eagle but it flies away before I can take a photo.
Back at the backpackers thunder makes promises of a storm that would relieve the heat. We have a few drinks but make it an early night in preparation for the mokoro trip that starts early the next day. The storm breaks later that evening after we'd all gone to bed already. I'm woken by a combination of thunder, lightning, loud rain drops on my tent and by Astrid closing her tent flaps. I'm woken again later by the loudest clap of thunder I've ever heard. For a brief moment not even my love of storms can keep me from being scared but my tiredness and bliss win out and I drift back into peaceful sleep.
You rode in the boot of a bakkie!!! I once did the same, with you in the front seat. But not while hitch hiking.
ReplyDeleteHow is it that anyone can sleep outside in the Delta? There are ferocious animals that can chomp you to bits in the night. And primates that can poke and prod you and steal your belongings.