Okavango encampment

---

Up before daybreak at about 5 in order to be ready to start a guided walking safari into the bush at 6 sharp. We split into several small groups. We saw elephant, giraffe, zebra, steenbok and fleetingly a wild cat. We saw tracks of some nocturnal creatures such as hyenas and anteaters. Our guide also showed us the track made by a python. It was overcast but incredibly sticky. We returned to the camp at about 9am. The rest of the day was at leisure. The locals caught some catfish and rather horribly one was still alive and writhing as they placed it on the grill above the campfire. The local women spent much of their time weaving handicrafts out of reeds such as bangles and bowls. Only the men seem to be able to speak any English so the women are very quiet. The locals played games with us such as tying us in pairs with reeds and seeing if we could figure a way to disentangle the knot without cutting the reed. It appeared impossible until they explained the secret. We did an evening poled cruise to see the sunset but the drizzle rather spoiled the view. However we did have some great fun having a go at poling the maroko’s ourselves. The evening was very special sat in the dark apart from the light of the campfire. The locals who we learned were from the ‘Yai tribe) performed some local dances. It was all very spontaneous and didn’t seem to be ‘just for the tourist’ stuff. A lot of the songs and dances mimicked wild animals. We had to join in. Particularly brilliant was one dance which had us jumping around the campfire like frogs and making the sound of the local frogs to the rhythmic drums. In return we had to break into little groups by nationality and perform a song from our own country. We performed swing low sweet chariot (assisted by Lindsey the old Aussie - as he knew the words) and Old MacDonald had a farm adapted for lions and aardvarks. The Belgians performed an incomprehensible (except to them) song which apparently consisted of ‘double entendres’ and appropriate actions. Daniel bravely performed a solo Swiss drinking song. The two South Koreans Kook and Sammy solemnly sang their national anthem with instructions that we must be respectful. The evening finished with a bizarre game by the locals. One plays a tiny harp like instrument with is held to the mouth. It makes a bizarre and very haunting noise in the stillness of the camp. The player guides another man with his eyes shut to an object somewhere on someone’s person by altering the tone to indicate how ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ they are. It sounds strange but was hypnotic. The whole night was bizarre and brilliant. (There was one scary moment when Brett almost fell on the campfire whilst doing the limbo - but he only fell in the edge and only burnt his arm slightly). We returned to our tents which we had kept tightly zipped to prevent mice and scorpions seeking the warmth of our sleeping bags.

---