Botswana and Beyond!
Phakawe
Safaris:The Delta
July
6 - July 8
Hey, check out Phakawe's website: www.phakawe.demon.co.uk!
They are a good deal and they are very well run. But make sure
to ask for the private campground at Moremi, you won't be disappointed!
DAY
ONE
Our trip started off a little rough. Sarah from Phakawe drove
us to the launch site, way out on the edge of the Okovango Delta,
but her truck would stall, and we got lost for a time. When we
did get there, her husband told us where he got the name for
the company. His dad told him a joke when he was young about
a tribe of pygmies in Africa who lived in tall grass. They were
known as the Phakawe because you would see them jumping up to
look over the grass and they would say, "Where in the Phakawe?"
Ha. We were in the true Africa again because we had to wait for
our boats to be loaded and it all seemed to be happening for
the first time. The boat drivers didn't have enough poles, so
they had to get some more, then there weren't enough guides,
and it was chaos. But we talked with Sarah and Steve about the
tourism industry and their lives. They had come to Botswana to
work in the British version of the Peace Corps and they just
never left.
Finally, after a long wait, we got guides and we launched three Mokoros, the dugout canoe of the indigenous people. One was for us, one for our comrades, Mark and April, and one for all of our supplies. It was odd being served again and just letting our Mokoro drivers do their thing. Jane did a great job poling Laura and I down the narrow channels between the reeds, and I later learned there was no way I could have done the poling that she did. Laura was a little freaked at first, as our mokoro sat so low in the water. We had to pick up lunch for our team, so we walked around their village for a little while. It was pretty rural, no power, no plumbing, but the people there are being primed by the government to take over the tourist industry, so the money is coming in. This was the Africa that Laura and I thought we were going to see. Dogs, kids, men, and bush.
Once our Mokoro team got their lunch, we headed out. Riding through the Okavango Delta was incredible. I mean, I've read about the Delta, but to be there, inches from the copper colored water, plucking little spiders off of me, and feeling the reeds in my hands, it was something. At one point we stopped to look at giraffe in the distance, and we also saw a huge herd of zebra drinking. Two hours and we were at our campsite. It was windy, but we soon set up camp, and this time, there were no fences. We were out in the wild, and our guide told us the do's and don't's. Pretty much, if he ran, we should run. Great. Unlike at Kruger, he had no gun, but he assured us that as a guide, he would rather be smart and avoid the animals rather than shoot them. We all agreed.
We had missed lunch, and so we decided to dive in. I grabbed a shovel and began to dig a fire pit. This tour, like the Namibia tour, was cheaper because we set up our own tentsn and did our own cooking. Our Mokoro team looked at me funny. We then had a cultural clash, and since I was in their country, I gave up. No fire pit. Surrounded by this tall, dry grass, we built the fire, and just had the branches sticking out. In the end, it was better for cooking than my fire pit would have been. Phakawe has a great set up. They give you all the supplies and then they also give you a menu and the recipes. So we followed their directions cooked our early dinner.
We also got a chance to get to know Mark and April. They were Canadian, she was an Orthopedic Surgeon, he was a Physical Therapist working as a PT educator, and they were both real outdoorsman. Usually Laura and I are the organized ones, but Mark and April put us to shame. It was like camping with Grizzly Adams. We were so lucky to have gotten them because in the end, it was more like traveling with friends than with complete strangers. We were lucky in another way. There should have been six people on the tour, but there were only the four of us!
That night, we got into our tent and we slept, without fences, in the bush for the first time. The tent was a little small, but the cushions they gave us were really nice. We listened to the sounds of the night and then fell asleep. We went to the bathroom in pairs, using our flashlights first before we got out of the tent. This was Africa, after all, and there was no telling what could have been out there.
DAY
TWO
After an early morning bush walk, no guns and lots of elephants,
and we got close to the elephants a couple of times, we came
back, ate, and relaxed. It was incredibly windy, so the wind
finally drove us into our tents. Three hours later, and a three
hour nap later, we got back into the Mokoro's and we went further
down the delta. I tried my hand at poling, and man, it was harder
than it looked. I had no respect for Jane! That night we ate
another great Phakawe meal, did dishes, and went to sleep.
DAY
THREE
Bush walk in the morning and then we broke camp and Mokoro'd
our way back out of the delta. The bird life was amazing, but
the best part was being that close to the water. It had been
raining in Angola and so the delta water's were higher than usual.
The plants were submerged, but it was all a part of the ecosystem.
When we got back to the waterbank, Sarah was there with a working
truck and she drove us back to civilization. Then Laura gave
me the nicest gift possible. She went and fought the hotel for
dinner while I stayed in and watched TV, DSTV, to be exact. It
was heavenly. We did laundry to the Classic Movie channel playing,
Huck Finn, with Mickey Rooney as the starring role. Our clothes
were filthy, but after a little Omo, they were smelling good.
Then we had our last night in civilization. The next morning,
we headed out into the bush.
Mokoro boat dug out from a solid tree, floating
down the delta
Mark & April enjoying the ride
Our campsite out in the bush, with Mark & April, Jane & our guide
Aaron trying his had at poling
