steve-wilson.net

February 21, 2007

Today was the most uneventful day of the trip. Which, isn’t a bad thing at all. I didn’t sleep all that well last night, camping on the island. I was dirty, sweaty and had a ton of sunscreen and bug-spray coating most of my body. I had quite a few itchy mozzie bites and was ready for a shower! Nobody had brought any beer to the island, either, and I think more than a few people were ready to get back to that! I was looking forward to spending another night at the Guma Camp with it’s excellent deck and campsite.

This morning it was threatening rain, which would hamper the mornings activities as well as get everyone wet with nowhere to shelter. We were supposed to head out in the mokoros for a morning ride and a walk on a nearby island after we broke camp. Martin finally made the call and we left one tent up in case they needed to store everything while we were out in the boats.

The boat trip was pretty short. We stopped on an island similar to the one the day before and took a short walk. This walk was cut short as well, this time by a herd of eight or more elephants! We saw them off in the distance and M’po decided not to take the walk. Instead they took us on an extended boat ride around some of the islands. One of the islands had a sort of cove that we went into. In some parts, trying to access the cove, the water was very shallow and it took a couple tries to find a navigable route. We did and ended up seeing some more elephants off in the distance. Today I must not have felt like taking any pictures, because I don’t have any except for one taken on the first island.

We headed back to the island camp, loaded everything up, and started making our way back to the mokoros island. The ride again was beautiful, and was so cool to just be pushed along through the grasses and think about where I was and what a great place it was to spend some time in! I was as far away as I could be from where I was working a year ago in that godforsaken office in Everett – in southern Africa, in the Botswanan bush, on a mokoro in the middle of the Okavango Delta! It’s hard to believe where I’ve been sometimes thinking back.

Today was also our first hippopotamus sighting! Another one of dozens of situations where I needed a longer lens, but you can see its head popping up out of the water. This shot is a major crop from the original. I think there were three hippos during the course of our watching at this spot.

Shortly after the hippos, we got back to the mokoro island and transferred to the powerboat. I was dreaming of an ice cold beer! It was hot. And, like I said, we were grungy. Martin had said when we got back that we should go ahead and set up camp. Me and the four Australians disobeyed, though, and headed straight for the bar. I wasn’t going to do anything without some refreshment! After a nice, cold one we did set up our tent. Martin and I were bent on sleeping as far away from everyone else as possible. At first, we set up our tent in a spot we weren’t supposed to. M’po asked us to move it, or he’d get in trouble with his boss. He helped us pick out another spot as he knew what we were trying to avoid! He put us plenty far away … we had the kitchen, bar, dining area and staff quarters between us and the rest of the group! Woo hoo!

After the tent was up, it was into the shower and then back to the bar. We chilled out and talked and got to know each other even more. It was interesting how much we all had to talk about over the course of the safari. Each day we got more comfortable with each other, especially after everything you experience together, and our bonds grew tighter. A few beers usually helped the situation, but we always had plenty to talk and laugh about. We sat on the deck and enjoyed the view. Soon, dinner was ready and we gathered around the table in the excellent dining area for our last meal at this camp.

Afterwards, there was more beer and then the wine was broken out. I hung out with the Australians and chatted and I ended up telling the abridged version of my life story. I was sorta surprised when they asked me “So, Steve, what’s your story?” It’s not something many people ask of me. They grilled me a bit about the details and was kinda glad when the subject was changed! I realized later that I really hadn’t been that forthcoming with them during the whole trip previous. They really didn’t know much about me. It’s amazing, though, how after you share more of yourself how much closer you feel to people. It’s not just about how well you get to know them, it’s about how well you let them get to know you. Friendship is such a two-way street and creating deep friendships can happen very quickly if you let it. I’ve definitely learned to open myself up when I want to and establish a base of trust. Now, if I could just figure out the romantic side of things a bit more and find a good woman … then I’d be getting somewhere!

February 20, 2007

Today we eschew the Land Cruiser in favor of boats. We were heading out into the Okavango Delta in mokoros - dug out canoes. I woke up earlier than I needed to. I was excited about the day, but honestly I had to wake up and use the toilet and saw I was just in time for sunrise. I couldn’t quite capture it well, but it was the best sunrise we had the whole safari and I hung out on the deck and enjoyed it. I was joined soon after by Jen and Martin.

We had to break camp, eat breakfast and be ready to hop in the boat by 8 am. As we were all seasoned safari folks, it was no problem to get ready to head out on today’s adventure. First we had a powerboat ride to where we rendezvous with the mokoros. There was a boat that left before us which contained all our gear. We took just about everything except for the Land Cruiser! We were to spend the night on an island in the middle of the delta, and I didn’t expect to do it in luxury. But, it was nice to know we’d have the same accommodation we’d had the entire trip. Our boat was a simple open aluminum hull craft with an outboard at the rear. We sped through channels snaking through the papyrus. I’d never seen papyrus before, and it is quite an interesting plant. It is everywhere in the delta.

Once we got to the mokoros island, we paired up and hopped into the mokoro of our choice. Jen and I hopped in the same one, and we happened to get in M’po’s boat. M’po was the guide for this part of the trip, and he was an awesome dude. Riding in the mokoro was neat. It took a little getting used to, as the riders sit and the driver stands. It felt very unstable at first, but M’po assured us he keeps it balanced and we wouldn’t fall out. Even I was tentative about it. They aren’t really very deep, and it really didn’t feel like it would take much to spill us. Every time M’po maneuvered the boat, he’d have to shift his weight to push on the pole. The mokoro proved to be just fine, the shimmy was just part of the ride! The pole the mokoro drivers use is about 15 feet long, I’d say and about 2-3 inches in diameter. It is quite impressive how fast they can get those things going.

The mokoro ride to the island was supposed to be two hours long, but it didn’t feel like it. The Okavango Delta is a fascinating place. And, it is quite a thought that no one really knows what happens to all that water that drains into the desert. Luckily, it wasn’t too hot and the scenery was just amazing. It was quite surreal, really and most of the trip we didn’t talk much and just tried to soak it in. It was very different than riding in the cruiser. We were far, far away from everything. No roads, no noise, no windows to hide behind. We were in the middle of it and it was great. The main sound we heard was the mokoro parting the thick grasses.

A lot of the time, that’s what it was like. Aside from the sound of water below, you’d think we were in the middle of a field the grass was so thick. Yet, the mokoro cut through it like it wasn’t even there. I’d guess the water was generally 5-6 feet deep.

If felt like we were haphazardly going through the swampy delta. I certainly had no idea where we were going and couldn’t have gotten back to the cruiser if I had to. We finally came to the island and pulled ashore to a small clearing. It was a small, shaded spot and Martin and I knew we’d be asked to keep our tents close to the others. That’d be fine, really. We were truly in the wild and there were no fences here. No escaping the snorers.

After we set up camp and had lunch and took it very easy for a while, we set back out in the mokoros for a ride and a walk on a nearby island. It was a short ride and we landed on a small beach. M’po was the guide for the walk, and we mainly looked a different animal poops and tracks. He identified all of them. We looked at this bird and that bird and got up close and personal with a huge baobab tree. Which are beautiful and must bee seen to be appreciated. Otherwise, they look like just another tree in a picture. We saw some warthog and quite a lot of different birds. There was one point, though, that M’po just stopped, froze, turned to Martin and said “Just go … go.” Pointing directly back in the direction we came. I was at the back of the group, so all I saw was everyone turning around and walking briskly in the opposite direction. Apparently, M’po saw a huge elephant very close and didn’t want the elephant to really see us. So, we took off. It seemed like the walk was over as we were getting close to the boats. But then, off in the distance, across a small pond in the middle of the island, M’po spotted the elephant again. This time, though we were behind some trees and the wind was apparently blowing in a better direction and the elephant wouldn’t be able to locate us. And we watched. The elephant lumbered around a bit, yanking on trees and eating. Luckily, he came closer. Close enough to get a decent shot, tusk and all.

After the elephant repositioned itself and looked like he was heading our direction again (not because he sensed us, but just because) we ended our walk. Back in the mokoros, headed back to the island, we had one of the most brilliant sunsets. I think it was even more amazing being out in the boats as the sun was going down. The light through the papyrus, the silence with the occasional bird calling, the sound of the boat in the water, the place is just amazing.

We moseyed back to camp, hopped out of the mokoros and had an excellent dinner shortly after. I know I was tired, and getting bitten by mozzies (what everone else in the world seems to call mosquitoes), and we all retired fairly quickly to the sounds of hippos a certain couple bickering. We had to be up early again the next morning!

[p.s. These write-ups are getting harder to write as they get further from when I was actually on the safari. But, I will finish them, if only for my own sense of completion! thanks for watching ...]