Mokoros in the Reeds of Botswana

Getting into my mokoro with Kim, a friend I've made on the trip, it was the first time so far this trip that I've felt "now this is what I'm here for". Seated in a reclining position amongst the bags and gear, at first we sat very still - the mokoro was exceedingly thin - a slight movement right or left resulted in a much more exaggerated movement for the boat. The driver of the boat (or poler) stood at the aft with a long poll and pushed off the bottom of the Okavango riverbed, sending us on our way.

The Okavango is a river that begins in Angola, works its way through Namibia and then deltas into the Kalahari desert in Botswana. It is the only inland delta in the world, with the entire river eventually dissappearing into the sand. The waterway we are on is choked with water liles and reeds, but the path is deep and crystal clear. Its also freezing cold and in stark contrast to the day which is hot and dry. The reason the river is so clear and pure, according to the locals, is because a)the billions of reeds have a flitering effect on the water, and b)there is almost no agricultural or other industry on the entire length of the river. Imagining that all rivers must have been like this only 3 or 4 hundred years ago, I laid back and watched the delta grasses go by, the gentle rocking motion of the our poled 'motor' so soothing that Kim passed out a few minutes in, behind me in the boat.

I wasn't sleeping, but I was pretty comfy cozy too. Despite numerous warnings everywhere about getting into African waters I ran my hands languidly through the chilly river as we quietly glided upriver, keeping the heat at bay.

We set up camp as the waterway opened, right on the banks, while the native Botswanans with us built a fire. We struggled to set up our steel poled tents, and years of camping experience with fiberglass bendy polled tents did not come through for me. :)

I am happy to be in Africa this night. The animal noises (there was an elephant right outside our camp), bugs and bellfrogs set the perfect mood music for our groups convivial wine and campfire roasted steaks. The cards and long tales finally made their appearance.

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