Botswana

These last two days have been extremely eventful. The day we arrived we were taken on a scenic flight of the Delta which was absolutely stunning. We saw all kinds of animals and got a great view of the wild place we were going to spend the next 2 days. The next morning, we kicked off the trip bright and early, as we packed and mentally prepared to spend the night in the famous Okavango Delta. We made our way to the river, where we were collected by a speed boat which took us to the Mokoro sight. Once we reached the Mokoro's, were assigned a Polar and off we went. The Mokoro ride was so relaxing. As we were floating along, I began to have a conversation with our Polar, 'Lawrence'. He taught me some of his language, 'Tswana' and recounted some of his various experiences within the Delta. 2 hours later, we arrived at our destination. Our campsite was right in the thick of the Okavango Delta where the was no showers, no electricity, the stars shone bright and the toilet was a hole in the ground. I have to admit, the idea of sleeping amongst the African wildlife scared me at first, especially after all the stories we heard. However, once I got a glimpse of our campsite, I was no longer scared, but rather captivated. Once we had settled in, we were taken to a watering hole that was 'safe' for swimming. In other words, there weren't as many crocodiles there. The water was so beautiful though. We swam in there for a good hour until it was time to head back. Not long after our swim, we went for a nature walk. In  total, the walk took us three hours, and although it was exhausting, it was well worth it. It was stunning. We trudged through metres of water, crossed large grass fields, and managed to see zebras, warthogs, antelope and wilder beast. We made it back just in time to watch the sunset, and what a beautiful sunset it was.

When we returned to the campsite, I noticed one of the polars was limping. I asked him what was wrong with his foot and he said he had a thorn in it. I asked if I could have a look at it and boy was it bad. His foot was extremely infected and the thorn was still inside. I quickly retrieved my first aid kit and got to work. I removed the thorn, disinfected his cut and gave him some pain killers and he thanked me kindly. After dinner, the real fun began. The Poler's performed multiple traditional songs and dances for us by the fire, and we responded with our own traditional songs and dances. It was a night of laughter and joy. Once it was time for bed, I opened all the windows in our tent in hopes to catch a glimpse of any animals that pass during the night. Unfortunately I didn't see anything, but we did hear hyena's in the distance and a lion roar. That morning, we headed back to the Mokoro sight where we also saw one of the local villages. As we were saying goodbye to the Polars, the man whose foot I fixed, wrapped his arms around me and proclaimed that I wasn’t allowed to leave. It was a humorous end to an amazing few days. Looking forward to the next part of my trip!