It's a strange feeling to be where I am at right now. With the feelings of wanting to go home mixing with the desire to stay and have more adventures. I have come to the point in my journey where I do miss certain things about home, such as my kooky family, campfires and wake boarding at Higgins Lake, my amazing friends, home cooked meals, and my bedroom. And yet there are still so many things that I have to do here, and so many people I will miss leaving behind such as Lisa, and Thembie, Lindsey, and Comfort, Tina, and Johnny, Matthew, Mark, Alex and Eldi, Wesley, and many more new friends to come. I already know there will be an irreplaceable hole in my heart when I leave but that gives me hope that I will be back, sometime soon.
I probably shouldn't even think about my time being done yet because I do still have time for more adventures, and when I think about leaving it makes me want to live every single day to the fullest, when right now I do think it would be best to finally start focusing on school again. It helps that the winter winds are starting to blow through the city, sending my to my bedroom to cuddle with my pillow and a cup of Milo and get some solid work done :)
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Day Eight. White Water Rafting and Celebration Cruise
After waking up wearing bathing suits underneath our clothing which was about to be soaked we sat for a briefing about what White Water Rafting was going to be like. It was a mixture of people from our group along with other people staying at the lodge, nervous and excited at the same time we hopped into a truck for a 45 minute drive to the gorge. Due to high waters there were only six rapids we were allowed to do, with a mixture of level three up to level six rapids.
When we finally reached the site we all put on our life vests, helmets, and we grabbed our paddles.
difficult than the actual rafting. A few people took some major falls and slips but everyone ended up ok although it did take us about 45 minutes to maneuver down this cliff side we finally made it!
Our river guide's name was Stuart and after being one of the first ones down the hill I located Stuart and hopped in our bright yellow rafting boat and waited for the rest of the group. After everyone piled in he made sure we knew what to do when he yelled commands at us like "Down!" meant to crouch while holding onto the rope around the boat along with our paddles. Or "right back, left forward!" so depending on what side we were on we would either paddle backwards or forwards. He then asked for to strong and aggressive people to paddle at the front which was the hardest position. Paulo being the only male volunteered, but with no one else volunteering, I realized I should probably step up and take the position up front. I was already tired during our trial run! We want the opposite way down the river for a trail run, practicing paddling as a crew, and then we all jumped out into the river, which we were told had crocodiles in it, but assured we were mostly safe. I think the Crocs avoided the rapids much more than we did :)
The first rapid was called the washing machine, which at first didn't seem intimidating at all until a giant wave came rushing towards our boat nearly flipping us but definitely filling my noise and mouth with water. It was that moment where I was reminded of why I truly dislike sailing, the uncertainty of flipping and having a giant boat fall on top of you (it's a realistic fear I think). After the first rapid we drifted towards the other side of the gorge..that is right I touched Zambia! We paddled hard to through the next few rapids, completely flipped in one of them, and worked as a team pulling each other back in and making sure we all had our paddles. Stuart would some times call out our team chant to get us psyched for the next rapid, "Do you like it?!....No! Do you like it?! No....Well? ...We love it baby!!" haha it was a great chant. There were moments where it was safe for us to just hop out of the raft while still holding onto the line and take a dip, but even that was still a thrill with your legs being pulled under the boat and upcoming waves getting ready to battle for your attention. It was definitely thrilling.
We finally reached the end, and after being completely and utterly exhausted we were told we had to basically climb a mountain up to the time. I could have collapsed right there, but when I saw one man carrying the raft by himself up this mountain in 100 degree weather, I realized I should probably suck it up and make my journey to the top. There were moments where I could have sworn I was going to faint and fall of this mountain but I didn't thankfully. At the top we had a celebration meal and drinks waiting for us but I felt so hot and tired from hiking it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of eating.
After making it back to our lodge I automatically hopped in the shower and laid down for a nap. I woke up and realized I needed cash to pay for our team t-shirt so I got to walk with Moyo and his friend to the ATM in town to get money. It was about a twenty minute walk and I had the opportunity to listen to Moyo speak Dbele with his friend. I have such a fond appreciation for languages and I am putting it on my life goals to learn as many languages as I can. Top of my list right now is Shona, Tswana, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. After getting money, Moyo walked me to another lodge where I met his cousin Ivan and one of his friends who ended up driving me back to my lodge with Moyo.
After getting cleaned up I met up with everyone from my group and we headed to the Zambezi river to partake in a beautiful sunset cruise. It was so great to engage in the conversations that I did with people on my group who I had waited until the last minute to truly bond with. We all watched the sky being painted red, birds flocking to their homes, and a hippo lounging in the water. The boat was only big enough for our group which was so nice because it gave us the chance in such an intimate setting to enjoy each others company. We were served Samosas and a few other appetizers and everyone had their choice of drinks on the trip. After arriving back from our cruise my friends Wes and Henry and I decided to go to another back packers in town that had a bar called the Broken Shoelace. There was such an eclectic group of people there, all gathered to watch a soccer game on t.v. Afterwards we walked to a casino in the largest hotel in Victoria Falls. We were just going to look which was great because in no way was I willing to partake in betting my money away.
The next day I went back to the market and traded the rest of my things that I didn't want to carry back for a few lovely tourist items. I was so sad to be leaving Moyo and Theunis who truly helped make the trip what it was but every great thing has to come to an end, in order to make room for another great adventure :) The trip was amazing and I will never forget all of the incredible and amazing sights that I saw, people that I met, or times that I laughed. Never.
When we finally reached the site we all put on our life vests, helmets, and we grabbed our paddles.
difficult than the actual rafting. A few people took some major falls and slips but everyone ended up ok although it did take us about 45 minutes to maneuver down this cliff side we finally made it!
Our river guide's name was Stuart and after being one of the first ones down the hill I located Stuart and hopped in our bright yellow rafting boat and waited for the rest of the group. After everyone piled in he made sure we knew what to do when he yelled commands at us like "Down!" meant to crouch while holding onto the rope around the boat along with our paddles. Or "right back, left forward!" so depending on what side we were on we would either paddle backwards or forwards. He then asked for to strong and aggressive people to paddle at the front which was the hardest position. Paulo being the only male volunteered, but with no one else volunteering, I realized I should probably step up and take the position up front. I was already tired during our trial run! We want the opposite way down the river for a trail run, practicing paddling as a crew, and then we all jumped out into the river, which we were told had crocodiles in it, but assured we were mostly safe. I think the Crocs avoided the rapids much more than we did :)
The first rapid was called the washing machine, which at first didn't seem intimidating at all until a giant wave came rushing towards our boat nearly flipping us but definitely filling my noise and mouth with water. It was that moment where I was reminded of why I truly dislike sailing, the uncertainty of flipping and having a giant boat fall on top of you (it's a realistic fear I think). After the first rapid we drifted towards the other side of the gorge..that is right I touched Zambia! We paddled hard to through the next few rapids, completely flipped in one of them, and worked as a team pulling each other back in and making sure we all had our paddles. Stuart would some times call out our team chant to get us psyched for the next rapid, "Do you like it?!....No! Do you like it?! No....Well? ...We love it baby!!" haha it was a great chant. There were moments where it was safe for us to just hop out of the raft while still holding onto the line and take a dip, but even that was still a thrill with your legs being pulled under the boat and upcoming waves getting ready to battle for your attention. It was definitely thrilling.
We finally reached the end, and after being completely and utterly exhausted we were told we had to basically climb a mountain up to the time. I could have collapsed right there, but when I saw one man carrying the raft by himself up this mountain in 100 degree weather, I realized I should probably suck it up and make my journey to the top. There were moments where I could have sworn I was going to faint and fall of this mountain but I didn't thankfully. At the top we had a celebration meal and drinks waiting for us but I felt so hot and tired from hiking it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of eating.
After making it back to our lodge I automatically hopped in the shower and laid down for a nap. I woke up and realized I needed cash to pay for our team t-shirt so I got to walk with Moyo and his friend to the ATM in town to get money. It was about a twenty minute walk and I had the opportunity to listen to Moyo speak Dbele with his friend. I have such a fond appreciation for languages and I am putting it on my life goals to learn as many languages as I can. Top of my list right now is Shona, Tswana, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. After getting money, Moyo walked me to another lodge where I met his cousin Ivan and one of his friends who ended up driving me back to my lodge with Moyo.
After getting cleaned up I met up with everyone from my group and we headed to the Zambezi river to partake in a beautiful sunset cruise. It was so great to engage in the conversations that I did with people on my group who I had waited until the last minute to truly bond with. We all watched the sky being painted red, birds flocking to their homes, and a hippo lounging in the water. The boat was only big enough for our group which was so nice because it gave us the chance in such an intimate setting to enjoy each others company. We were served Samosas and a few other appetizers and everyone had their choice of drinks on the trip. After arriving back from our cruise my friends Wes and Henry and I decided to go to another back packers in town that had a bar called the Broken Shoelace. There was such an eclectic group of people there, all gathered to watch a soccer game on t.v. Afterwards we walked to a casino in the largest hotel in Victoria Falls. We were just going to look which was great because in no way was I willing to partake in betting my money away.
The next day I went back to the market and traded the rest of my things that I didn't want to carry back for a few lovely tourist items. I was so sad to be leaving Moyo and Theunis who truly helped make the trip what it was but every great thing has to come to an end, in order to make room for another great adventure :) The trip was amazing and I will never forget all of the incredible and amazing sights that I saw, people that I met, or times that I laughed. Never.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Day Seven. Somewhere Over the Rainbow
It was another early morning starting at 5:30 a.m where a group of us awoke to do a game drive around Chobe National Park. It was dark and very cold out, but driving around in the park with the rising sun was priceless. We got to see warthogs all walking in a straight line...yay Pumbas! I also saw a few Timones :) A.k.a meerkats. We saw some dirty water buffalo as well as a group of giraffes feeding on a nearby bush. We saw a group of impala and a few kudos as well as some beautiful native birds. No lions although we did get extremely lucky the day before at what we were able to witness.
Breakfast this morning was amazing, Moyo outdid himself with french toast, sausages, and fresh fruit. We all boarded the trucks and stopped to get our departure stamps from Botswana. As is common, the police here tend to ask for bribes for everything, for instance, if you drive past the speed limit you can pay to not have it on your record. As we were crossing the border to Zimbabwe the police officers tried to get a bribe out of our driver Theunis, although we hadn't done anything wrong, the police officers still try to get bribes. We had a very short drive, only about 45 minutes long until we made it to Victoria Falls!
We headed to the adventure lodge we were staying at picked a room and unpacked our things. It felt amazing to have a real bed after 6 days of sleeping on the ground. I always love trips that remind me of how grateful I need to be for every little thing that I have. After unpacking we went to the bar/lobby and watched a video that explained to us all of the options of the activities we were allowed to do. I knew for sure I wanted to do white water rafting, and as a group we all decided to do a sunset booze cruise as a great cap to an amazing trip.
After paying for the activities we changed into clothes that could get wet, packed our cameras into some heavy duty water resistance storage bags, (a.k.a a grocery bag :)) and headed on the truck to go to the actual falls! As we waiting to get our tickets inside we saw monkeys running around wild, it was so great! Something else I noticed as well was that the entrance fees to get into the falls differed depending on the country you were coming from.
We entered the falls and I couldn't stop smiling, after having seen a picture of the falls on a poster on my wall for the past year I was actually seeing it in person!!! We were instantly drenched in water as it was high water season and a wet one indeed. We stopped at every lookout point and every time we were always amazed, as well as sopping wet. It was literally like someone was pouring buckets of water on us but hey, I hadn't been able to shower in a while so it was very necessary. Every corner we turned there were multiple rainbows due to the constant flow of water all around us. The falls were so loud and roaring, it was sweet music to my ears. We got to view the bridge where people usually bungee off of, and on the opposite side of the bridge is Zambia. It was amazing to be so close to another country.
Afterwards we all went to a market soaking wet, which I think may have helped more in my bartering skills. I ended up getting two purses, two bowls, two spoons, and a pair of earrings and a maraca, for the grand total of a pair of green old navy flip flops I was wearing on my feet (I decided I had already been walking barefoot the whole trip, I can go a few days more), a dirty pair of socks, a towel, a white t-shirt from goodwill, and 15 dollars. I would say that it was a great deal! Afterwards we all took a necessary shower and got ready for an amazing dinner that we were going to be taken on.
We all got dressed and headed to a restaurant called The Boma located in town. Upon entrance we were given traditional African clothing which were wrapped around us like togas. Near the entrance there was a man playing a Djembe drum and a place where people could pose to get their pictures taken. It was obviously the ultimate tourist spot because of the idea of it representing traditional African cultures. We took our seats where we were all served a sip of bantu beer that is usually made and sold withing local townships here. It was so disgusting and tasted what I would imagine urine would taste like with a very gritty taste to it as well..obviously my description makes you all want to try it right?! We were also given a small plate of appetizers and told that this was a buffet style place so whenever we were ready we could get our food. There were people doing traditional African drumming and dancing in the center of the restaurant, there was a fortune teller offering his services as well as a man who painted small pictures on our faces. I got to have a guinea fowl painted on my cheek. I skipped the appetizers line and of course went straight for the meat where I chose warthog, impala, kudo, as well as buffalo stew. Warthog was by far the tastiest with the sauce they had placed on it as well as how tender it was. I then went for an appetizer of bread, crocodile, and fruit. And of course I had to try the famous Mopani worm! That is right everyone...I ate a warm, which was cooked and covered with a bit of salsa. It was not the best tasting thing I've had but I would rather eat that then asparagus. It tasted like very burnt gritty bacon, and i got a certificate for eating it! I also got to eat crepes cooked in wine and topped with raspberry and litchi, it was delectable. Dessert was a mixture of cake and chocolate and it was all incredible. Everyone in the restaurant was then given a djembe drum and taken through a drumming session. It was great fun as we all tried and failed to play together. Afterwards we were all invited in the center of the restaurant to form a circle where the drumming continued but the drummer would point to someone in the circle to jump in the middle to show of their dance moves. It was great to see people try their best at not looking silly, as well as looking mortified at being called on. Of course I had to be one of the people who was called on so I hopped in the middle and showed of the best salsa steps I could manage in a matter of seconds. Afterwards we all came together and everyone was dancing and having an amazing time! After being full and happy, and spotting some buffalo on our way back to the lodge, I fell asleep exhausted recognizing that we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
Breakfast this morning was amazing, Moyo outdid himself with french toast, sausages, and fresh fruit. We all boarded the trucks and stopped to get our departure stamps from Botswana. As is common, the police here tend to ask for bribes for everything, for instance, if you drive past the speed limit you can pay to not have it on your record. As we were crossing the border to Zimbabwe the police officers tried to get a bribe out of our driver Theunis, although we hadn't done anything wrong, the police officers still try to get bribes. We had a very short drive, only about 45 minutes long until we made it to Victoria Falls!
We headed to the adventure lodge we were staying at picked a room and unpacked our things. It felt amazing to have a real bed after 6 days of sleeping on the ground. I always love trips that remind me of how grateful I need to be for every little thing that I have. After unpacking we went to the bar/lobby and watched a video that explained to us all of the options of the activities we were allowed to do. I knew for sure I wanted to do white water rafting, and as a group we all decided to do a sunset booze cruise as a great cap to an amazing trip.
After paying for the activities we changed into clothes that could get wet, packed our cameras into some heavy duty water resistance storage bags, (a.k.a a grocery bag :)) and headed on the truck to go to the actual falls! As we waiting to get our tickets inside we saw monkeys running around wild, it was so great! Something else I noticed as well was that the entrance fees to get into the falls differed depending on the country you were coming from.
We entered the falls and I couldn't stop smiling, after having seen a picture of the falls on a poster on my wall for the past year I was actually seeing it in person!!! We were instantly drenched in water as it was high water season and a wet one indeed. We stopped at every lookout point and every time we were always amazed, as well as sopping wet. It was literally like someone was pouring buckets of water on us but hey, I hadn't been able to shower in a while so it was very necessary. Every corner we turned there were multiple rainbows due to the constant flow of water all around us. The falls were so loud and roaring, it was sweet music to my ears. We got to view the bridge where people usually bungee off of, and on the opposite side of the bridge is Zambia. It was amazing to be so close to another country.
Afterwards we all went to a market soaking wet, which I think may have helped more in my bartering skills. I ended up getting two purses, two bowls, two spoons, and a pair of earrings and a maraca, for the grand total of a pair of green old navy flip flops I was wearing on my feet (I decided I had already been walking barefoot the whole trip, I can go a few days more), a dirty pair of socks, a towel, a white t-shirt from goodwill, and 15 dollars. I would say that it was a great deal! Afterwards we all took a necessary shower and got ready for an amazing dinner that we were going to be taken on.
We all got dressed and headed to a restaurant called The Boma located in town. Upon entrance we were given traditional African clothing which were wrapped around us like togas. Near the entrance there was a man playing a Djembe drum and a place where people could pose to get their pictures taken. It was obviously the ultimate tourist spot because of the idea of it representing traditional African cultures. We took our seats where we were all served a sip of bantu beer that is usually made and sold withing local townships here. It was so disgusting and tasted what I would imagine urine would taste like with a very gritty taste to it as well..obviously my description makes you all want to try it right?! We were also given a small plate of appetizers and told that this was a buffet style place so whenever we were ready we could get our food. There were people doing traditional African drumming and dancing in the center of the restaurant, there was a fortune teller offering his services as well as a man who painted small pictures on our faces. I got to have a guinea fowl painted on my cheek. I skipped the appetizers line and of course went straight for the meat where I chose warthog, impala, kudo, as well as buffalo stew. Warthog was by far the tastiest with the sauce they had placed on it as well as how tender it was. I then went for an appetizer of bread, crocodile, and fruit. And of course I had to try the famous Mopani worm! That is right everyone...I ate a warm, which was cooked and covered with a bit of salsa. It was not the best tasting thing I've had but I would rather eat that then asparagus. It tasted like very burnt gritty bacon, and i got a certificate for eating it! I also got to eat crepes cooked in wine and topped with raspberry and litchi, it was delectable. Dessert was a mixture of cake and chocolate and it was all incredible. Everyone in the restaurant was then given a djembe drum and taken through a drumming session. It was great fun as we all tried and failed to play together. Afterwards we were all invited in the center of the restaurant to form a circle where the drumming continued but the drummer would point to someone in the circle to jump in the middle to show of their dance moves. It was great to see people try their best at not looking silly, as well as looking mortified at being called on. Of course I had to be one of the people who was called on so I hopped in the middle and showed of the best salsa steps I could manage in a matter of seconds. Afterwards we all came together and everyone was dancing and having an amazing time! After being full and happy, and spotting some buffalo on our way back to the lodge, I fell asleep exhausted recognizing that we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Day Six. T-shirts and Lions Hunting
We woke up at 5:30 a.m, when the stars and moon were still out. It was eery and beautiful to be up this early with the large trees in the background creating a picture perfect moment. After eating breakfast Theunis let me climb on top of the truck so I could get a better view of the campsite we were staying in. When I say truck I really mean bus (Theunis usually got offended if we called it a bus but it really was), so after finding a way to maneuver my steps I was standing on the roof of our bus in no time only to gasp at the glorious view in front of me. The sun was just rising painting the whole sky yellow, with birds flocking to a new destinations and the wind causing the trees to sway slightly.
After boarding the van we had a short drive to Kasane which was very close to Victoria Falls. We ate lunch at our new campsite and then a man who owned a t-shirt company came to talk to us about designing a t-shirt for our trip. It took so long for everyone to agree on a design but finally we did, although I won't be wearing a shirt that says Africa in Africa..can anyone say tourist? haha. We drove to town to exchange our Pulah for American dollars because Zimbabwe doesn't have their own currency anymore they use American Dollars.
After going to town we all boarded a boat for our sunset boat cruise/game drive. The cruise was on the Chobe River in the Chobe Naitonal Park. The river is located between Botswana and Namibia and it was amazing to see the Namibian flag waving in the river signaling that we were on the boarder of two countries.
It was a big riverboat with all of us sitting on chairs in the boat, watching a heard of elephants bathe themselves on the water, or a majestic eagle sit a top a tree. One of the luckiest things that we were able to see was a heard of unknowing antelope walking towards a pack of female lions who were hiding under a tree. The lions came out and chased after the antelope and although we did not witness a kill it was pretty close and pretty amazing. The sunset on this boat cruise was amazing with the sky painted red and birds flocking across the sun with hippos fighting in the background. It was spectacular and to top off the evening once we arrived back at camp Moyo had his famous beef stew awaiting us with mash potatoes, my mouth waters at the thought of it right now. After laying under the stars before getting eaten alive by mosquitos I headed back into my tent for an early night of sleep, only to be awakened by Moyo shaking my tent and letting me know it was raining and I should put a rain cover over my tent. Oh Moyo, always looking out for us. It was another sleepless night as I listened to hyenas laughing in the background and other strange noises coming from unknown animals.
After boarding the van we had a short drive to Kasane which was very close to Victoria Falls. We ate lunch at our new campsite and then a man who owned a t-shirt company came to talk to us about designing a t-shirt for our trip. It took so long for everyone to agree on a design but finally we did, although I won't be wearing a shirt that says Africa in Africa..can anyone say tourist? haha. We drove to town to exchange our Pulah for American dollars because Zimbabwe doesn't have their own currency anymore they use American Dollars.
After going to town we all boarded a boat for our sunset boat cruise/game drive. The cruise was on the Chobe River in the Chobe Naitonal Park. The river is located between Botswana and Namibia and it was amazing to see the Namibian flag waving in the river signaling that we were on the boarder of two countries.
It was a big riverboat with all of us sitting on chairs in the boat, watching a heard of elephants bathe themselves on the water, or a majestic eagle sit a top a tree. One of the luckiest things that we were able to see was a heard of unknowing antelope walking towards a pack of female lions who were hiding under a tree. The lions came out and chased after the antelope and although we did not witness a kill it was pretty close and pretty amazing. The sunset on this boat cruise was amazing with the sky painted red and birds flocking across the sun with hippos fighting in the background. It was spectacular and to top off the evening once we arrived back at camp Moyo had his famous beef stew awaiting us with mash potatoes, my mouth waters at the thought of it right now. After laying under the stars before getting eaten alive by mosquitos I headed back into my tent for an early night of sleep, only to be awakened by Moyo shaking my tent and letting me know it was raining and I should put a rain cover over my tent. Oh Moyo, always looking out for us. It was another sleepless night as I listened to hyenas laughing in the background and other strange noises coming from unknown animals.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Day 5. Goodbyes and Baobabs
The final day of our trip in the delta was a sad day indeed. We did a morning walk for about an hour and a half and saw an elephant and a few zebras. We hiked in silence so as to not scare away the game, which left much time for me to daydream. After arriving back we ate a quick breakfast and got to work packing our bags, tearing down our tents, and leaving no trace that we had ever entered the delta. On the ride back I ended up falling asleep, hearing the sound of water lapping against the boat and the hot sun beating down on me had me instantly fall asleep, only to awake when Moyo had asked me if I was asleep. He then began to sing songs in a language unknown to me, but very soothing to my ears. That is one thing I will never forget about Moyo, his singing, his huge smile, and his funny way of laughing that became contagious to anyone who was near.
After arriving back at the village we sadly said our goodbyes as I tried to take mental images of the people who changed my life after only a few days. It is always hard to leave someone when you know you will never see them again, unless it became fate. We loaded up the car, and drove back to the campsite to shower (because we all smelled!) and to head to Maun. Maun is a city and a big trading center, and it is where we went to get some money exchanged and of course to buy more cadbury bars.
We boarded the bus and napped for 2 hours until we reached our destination at Planet Baobab. It was my favorite campsite out of all of the places we have camped. It appeared to be in the middle of nowhere with the famous Baobab trees creating the perfect vibe for the night. Britt'ne and Mj and I took a walk around the site and tried not to run into the spider webs containing the biggest spiders I had ever seen in my entire life. The decorations for this campsite were beautiful with randomly painted chairs and tables strategically placed in the middle of the brush. There was a large pool and bar area as well as another beautiful sunset.
We set up the fire and Moyo cooked lamb chops and boerewors, mashed potatoes, and veggie stir fry which was absolutely amazing. We also were surprised when Theunis said they brought S'more ingredients just for us. Once again it ended up being Wesley and Theunis and I around the fire while everyone else went to sleep. This time we talked about Botswana's first president, and stories of Theunis coming face to face with a rhino as well as a pack of hyenas while in a restroom. We talked about how the people of Zimbabwe are very peaceful people but the economy is terrible and the government as well as the government in South Africa is extremely corrupt. We talked about racism and reverse racism and how much of it still occurs everyday. I went to sleep, trying to write down every detail of the conversation we had just had. I went to sleep, layered in my clothing and still not warm enough, it was a freezing and yet beautiful night.
After arriving back at the village we sadly said our goodbyes as I tried to take mental images of the people who changed my life after only a few days. It is always hard to leave someone when you know you will never see them again, unless it became fate. We loaded up the car, and drove back to the campsite to shower (because we all smelled!) and to head to Maun. Maun is a city and a big trading center, and it is where we went to get some money exchanged and of course to buy more cadbury bars.
We boarded the bus and napped for 2 hours until we reached our destination at Planet Baobab. It was my favorite campsite out of all of the places we have camped. It appeared to be in the middle of nowhere with the famous Baobab trees creating the perfect vibe for the night. Britt'ne and Mj and I took a walk around the site and tried not to run into the spider webs containing the biggest spiders I had ever seen in my entire life. The decorations for this campsite were beautiful with randomly painted chairs and tables strategically placed in the middle of the brush. There was a large pool and bar area as well as another beautiful sunset.
We set up the fire and Moyo cooked lamb chops and boerewors, mashed potatoes, and veggie stir fry which was absolutely amazing. We also were surprised when Theunis said they brought S'more ingredients just for us. Once again it ended up being Wesley and Theunis and I around the fire while everyone else went to sleep. This time we talked about Botswana's first president, and stories of Theunis coming face to face with a rhino as well as a pack of hyenas while in a restroom. We talked about how the people of Zimbabwe are very peaceful people but the economy is terrible and the government as well as the government in South Africa is extremely corrupt. We talked about racism and reverse racism and how much of it still occurs everyday. I went to sleep, trying to write down every detail of the conversation we had just had. I went to sleep, layered in my clothing and still not warm enough, it was a freezing and yet beautiful night.
Day 4; Surviving and thriving in the Delta
Another early morning but a glorious one indeed. Watching the sunrise over the Delta left me absolutely speechless. We had a three hour long walk ahead of us and after having some tea and rusks we headed on our merry way to the makuros, which would take us to a different island in hopes of finding game this time.
We were very lucky because on this 3 hour game walk through long brush and prickly thickets we got to see hippos in a watering whole, giraffes roaming wild, a lone elephant eating a plant, and zebras that were bonding with a herd of wildebeests. We also saw storks, warthogs, and antelopes. It was amazing to be a few feet away from a group of wild zebras, watching the sunlight hit their black and white stripes. A zebra is South Africa's national animal due to the blending of the black and white stripes, representing the blending of the black and white people.
After arriving back at camp Moyo had an amazing egg roll sandwich waiting for us. I call it an egg roll because it is an egg on a roll with canadian bacon and it is absolutely delicious. After breakfast, my friend Britt'ne and I along with Wesley decided to go for a swim. We all got into a makuro donning our costumes (the word for bathing suits here) and headed to the safe swimming spot, supposedly where crocodiles don't go. Wesley was actually quite good at poling the makuro with only a few mistakes, and we made it to shore. Brit was to afraid to go in the murky waters so she tried her own skills at doing the makuro, it was pretty entertaining. It felt so good to jump in the cold water after being sunburnt in the 90 degree heat. Also, everyone had been commenting on the amount of dirt my face and legs and feet were caked with, mostly from walking around barefoot and laying down in the dust. Someone thought there was a shadow on my face until they told me it was dirt, so I figured I should scrub down in the water. After that we hopped back in the makuro and Brit did her best to take us back to camp. After taking a few pit stop and the scenic route back enjoying the reeds we were stuck in, we made it back!
I took a nap in preparation for our sunset makoro ride. I shared the makuro with Henry and Wesley with Tampo as our poler. We were taken to see 5 or 6 hippos in the river, spouting water from their mouths and bobbing in the stream. It was incredible to be so close to such amazing and dangerous animals. (Don't worry mom we were totally fine). It was another day where I had to ask myself "Is this real life?" It was just absolutely incredible.
We got back and had chicken curry for dinner. It was delicious! After dinner all of the villagers who came with us did a traditional song and dance for us and in return we tried to think of something that we could show them. We ended up doing the cotton eye joe and the soul train. Then we formed a circle and Warrior sang in his traditional language and called people in the middle to dance with him. I ended up doing this strange dance with two of the female villagers where we hopped on the ground like frogs, it was such a funny odd experience. Afterwards I sat around the fire with Brit and Moyo, Tampo, and a few of the female villagers who I unfortunately cannot remember the names of. The most common question was when I was going to get married, because many people in their village get married very young. Then this man, who looked like he had just come off of the show survivor, appeared out of nowhere from the water. He came with a poler who had informed him that there were other Americans staying at a camp site nearby, so he found us. Everyone even the villagers had a little laugh to ourselves at how absolutely strange the whole situation was. It turns out Nate is in the peace corps and has been living in Botswana for 7 months working at a school, teaching English and music. It was interesting to talk to him about the existence of corporal punishment that remains in the school, as well as the Peace Corps in general. Afterwards I went to sleep recapping all that had happened in only a matter of hours.
We were very lucky because on this 3 hour game walk through long brush and prickly thickets we got to see hippos in a watering whole, giraffes roaming wild, a lone elephant eating a plant, and zebras that were bonding with a herd of wildebeests. We also saw storks, warthogs, and antelopes. It was amazing to be a few feet away from a group of wild zebras, watching the sunlight hit their black and white stripes. A zebra is South Africa's national animal due to the blending of the black and white stripes, representing the blending of the black and white people.
After arriving back at camp Moyo had an amazing egg roll sandwich waiting for us. I call it an egg roll because it is an egg on a roll with canadian bacon and it is absolutely delicious. After breakfast, my friend Britt'ne and I along with Wesley decided to go for a swim. We all got into a makuro donning our costumes (the word for bathing suits here) and headed to the safe swimming spot, supposedly where crocodiles don't go. Wesley was actually quite good at poling the makuro with only a few mistakes, and we made it to shore. Brit was to afraid to go in the murky waters so she tried her own skills at doing the makuro, it was pretty entertaining. It felt so good to jump in the cold water after being sunburnt in the 90 degree heat. Also, everyone had been commenting on the amount of dirt my face and legs and feet were caked with, mostly from walking around barefoot and laying down in the dust. Someone thought there was a shadow on my face until they told me it was dirt, so I figured I should scrub down in the water. After that we hopped back in the makuro and Brit did her best to take us back to camp. After taking a few pit stop and the scenic route back enjoying the reeds we were stuck in, we made it back!
I took a nap in preparation for our sunset makoro ride. I shared the makuro with Henry and Wesley with Tampo as our poler. We were taken to see 5 or 6 hippos in the river, spouting water from their mouths and bobbing in the stream. It was incredible to be so close to such amazing and dangerous animals. (Don't worry mom we were totally fine). It was another day where I had to ask myself "Is this real life?" It was just absolutely incredible.
We got back and had chicken curry for dinner. It was delicious! After dinner all of the villagers who came with us did a traditional song and dance for us and in return we tried to think of something that we could show them. We ended up doing the cotton eye joe and the soul train. Then we formed a circle and Warrior sang in his traditional language and called people in the middle to dance with him. I ended up doing this strange dance with two of the female villagers where we hopped on the ground like frogs, it was such a funny odd experience. Afterwards I sat around the fire with Brit and Moyo, Tampo, and a few of the female villagers who I unfortunately cannot remember the names of. The most common question was when I was going to get married, because many people in their village get married very young. Then this man, who looked like he had just come off of the show survivor, appeared out of nowhere from the water. He came with a poler who had informed him that there were other Americans staying at a camp site nearby, so he found us. Everyone even the villagers had a little laugh to ourselves at how absolutely strange the whole situation was. It turns out Nate is in the peace corps and has been living in Botswana for 7 months working at a school, teaching English and music. It was interesting to talk to him about the existence of corporal punishment that remains in the school, as well as the Peace Corps in general. Afterwards I went to sleep recapping all that had happened in only a matter of hours.
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