From Chobe to Maun was a longish and not very interesting drive. We camped near Maun - a cold night - before setting off by dugout canoe into the Okavango Delta. Here the Okavango river disperses five and a bit parts and hundreds of narrow channels. Little, if any, of the water flows on from here.
We were poled along in our canoes by local guides, following narrow channels between tall reeds. We set up camp near a small pool, and happily whiled away a couple of days. We went on a short walk on the first evening and a longer one the following morning. There were hippos and elephants, a couple of zebra and some antelope. I spotted a small snake which turned out to be a baby puff adder. It was an idyllic bushcamp, with nothing to do except sit around the fire, swim in the very refreshing water, or take a canoe for a punt. As the sun set a huge full moon rose on the opposite horizon.
I love the bushcamping. The simplicity of life. Using river water to wash and wash up. Having to strain water for tea through a shirt because it's so full of ash and bits of firewood...
Went for an exploratory canoe trip with Nick. Enjoyed punting us along, but enjoyed even more lying back in the canoe while he poled us back. Standing bare-chested in the stern, outlined by a perfect blue sky, he was quite the vision of youthful loveliness. Aah... Even better was his charming company. And don't worry - I'm not lusting after the dear young boy. Everytime it got too hot in the sun, we jumped into the water for a bracing cool-off. Back at camp, an elephant mooched about by our toilet hole.
The second evening, our guides took us for a "sunset cruise", which turned out to be a brief ride to a nice sunset viewing spot. Predictably, and prettily, the sun set. For the first time since arriving in Africa, mosquitoes came out to feed on me - so finally I hope to have got some use from my hundred pounds' worth of psychosis-inducing drugs.
We were poled along in our canoes by local guides, following narrow channels between tall reeds. We set up camp near a small pool, and happily whiled away a couple of days. We went on a short walk on the first evening and a longer one the following morning. There were hippos and elephants, a couple of zebra and some antelope. I spotted a small snake which turned out to be a baby puff adder. It was an idyllic bushcamp, with nothing to do except sit around the fire, swim in the very refreshing water, or take a canoe for a punt. As the sun set a huge full moon rose on the opposite horizon.
I love the bushcamping. The simplicity of life. Using river water to wash and wash up. Having to strain water for tea through a shirt because it's so full of ash and bits of firewood...
Went for an exploratory canoe trip with Nick. Enjoyed punting us along, but enjoyed even more lying back in the canoe while he poled us back. Standing bare-chested in the stern, outlined by a perfect blue sky, he was quite the vision of youthful loveliness. Aah... Even better was his charming company. And don't worry - I'm not lusting after the dear young boy. Everytime it got too hot in the sun, we jumped into the water for a bracing cool-off. Back at camp, an elephant mooched about by our toilet hole.
The second evening, our guides took us for a "sunset cruise", which turned out to be a brief ride to a nice sunset viewing spot. Predictably, and prettily, the sun set. For the first time since arriving in Africa, mosquitoes came out to feed on me - so finally I hope to have got some use from my hundred pounds' worth of psychosis-inducing drugs.
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