I returned to Onantsi a few days ago, rejuvenated and regenerated after a wonderful month of drifting around some of the most spectacular destinations in Africa. The break provided me the dose of adventure that I craved after four months in my village and gave me the opportunity to witness some of the continent's incredible natural beauty.
Over the past month, I have encountered abundant wildlife, visited the greatest Medieval city in Sub-Saharan Africa and snorkeled with cichlids. I have glided through the shallow waters of the Okavango Delta in a dugout canoe and marveled one of the greatest natural spectacles on the planet at Victoria Falls.
It will be impossible to capture the wonders of this part of the world in my blog posts but, I hope that over the course of the next few weeks I will be able to shed light on my May whereabouts and give my readers a glimpse of the beauty and diversity of the region.
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After two days of mid-service training in Windhoek, Rachel, Mailin, Abby and I set off on our term one adventure and headed East toward the Okavango Delta.
Over the past month, I have encountered abundant wildlife, visited the greatest Medieval city in Sub-Saharan Africa and snorkeled with cichlids. I have glided through the shallow waters of the Okavango Delta in a dugout canoe and marveled one of the greatest natural spectacles on the planet at Victoria Falls.
It will be impossible to capture the wonders of this part of the world in my blog posts but, I hope that over the course of the next few weeks I will be able to shed light on my May whereabouts and give my readers a glimpse of the beauty and diversity of the region.
_________________________________________________________________________________
After two days of mid-service training in Windhoek, Rachel, Mailin, Abby and I set off on our term one adventure and headed East toward the Okavango Delta.
Our drive through eastern Namibia and Botswana took us through the vast and endless scrub-land of the Kalahari desert. For hours, we zoomed across the desolate landscape, keeping our eyes peeled for the occasional kudu or springbok. The road we traveled on was virtually empty--very few cars made their way across this inhospitable and sparsely populated frontier.
We took a shared taxi from Windhoek to the Trans-Kalahari border post via Gobabis and hoped to arrive in Maun by nightfall. I had heard that the journey from Windhoek to Maun could be difficult, since there is no official public transportation that serves the route. Travel between the two cities involves a lot of patience and a bit of luck. Fortunately, luck was on our side that day.
We crossed the border with relative ease and waited for a few minutes on the Botswana side for a car to pick us up and drive us to the service station in the tiny outpost of Charles Hill. When we arrived at the service station, we were informed that the next bus would not leave until 5 o'clock and that our best bet would be to wait on the side of the road for a hike to Ghanzi. We heeded the advice of the station attendant and made our way across the road to where others were waiting for lifts. Within half an hour, a safari guide heading all the way to Maun decided to pick us up and take us the entire way for free. We thanked him profusely and hopped into the back of his safari truck, where we spent the next six hours flying by the Kalahari desert until sunset.
That evening, we met up with two Peace Corps Botswana volunteers who graciously agreed to host us for the night. We compared our respective volunteer experiences and chatted with their friends who decided to pop in for a visit.
The next morning, my travel companions and I got up early for an excursion into the delta.
For the overland traveler, the vast waters of the Okavango come as a bit of a surprise. They spread across the parched Earth like the palm of a hand and create a blue and green patchwork blanket that covers a large portion of the Kalahari. The Okavango delta is the world's largest inland river delta. Its waters originate in Central Africa and flow southward into Botswana, where they seep into the Kalahari sands. The waters fan out for hundreds of kilometers and create what is likely one of the world's largest oases. These waters bring life to the region and create refuge for a host of birds and large mammals.
We explored the Okavango by mokoro--a shallow dugout canoe that is the primary means of transport in the delta. In the past, mokoros were typically carved out of the trunks of sausage trees, but newer ones have been made out of fiberglass in order to help preserve the ecosystem.
The next morning, my travel companions and I got up early for an excursion into the delta.
For the overland traveler, the vast waters of the Okavango come as a bit of a surprise. They spread across the parched Earth like the palm of a hand and create a blue and green patchwork blanket that covers a large portion of the Kalahari. The Okavango delta is the world's largest inland river delta. Its waters originate in Central Africa and flow southward into Botswana, where they seep into the Kalahari sands. The waters fan out for hundreds of kilometers and create what is likely one of the world's largest oases. These waters bring life to the region and create refuge for a host of birds and large mammals.
We explored the Okavango by mokoro--a shallow dugout canoe that is the primary means of transport in the delta. In the past, mokoros were typically carved out of the trunks of sausage trees, but newer ones have been made out of fiberglass in order to help preserve the ecosystem.
| Makoros in the Okavango Delta |
| Reeds in the Okavango Delta |
We spent a few hours in the canoes--gently gliding through reeds and past water lilies. My friends and I sat back in silence. The only sounds we could hear were the chirping birds and the rhythmic swoosh of the pole as it dipped in and out of the water. The excursion reminded me a bit of a gondola ride in Venice, though the setting could hardly have been more different. Each mokoro seats two people plus a poler. A poler is someone who stands in the back of the boat and propels it slowly forward by pushing a long stick into the sand below the water.
| My Poler |
The ride was quite relaxing and a perfect break in our hectic travel agenda. In fact, it was so relaxing that at times I had to force my eyes to stay open--not because it was boring--but because the rhythmic swooshing and utter tranquility combined to create the ultimate environment for an afternoon nap.
For two hours, our mokoro weaved its way through papyrus swamps and tall, undulating reeds. Though we only made modest inroads into the delta, the enormity of the body of water was apparent. I could see it stretch out for miles, its maze-like pathways covered in reeds and interrupted occasionally by islands.
| Baby Crocodile! |
After a few hours in the mokoro, our poler took us to a secluded spot on a large island. There, we set up camp and spent a few of the hot afternoon hours reading and relaxing under the shade of the trees.
When the hot sun began to subside, we set off on a walking safari around the extensive savannas of the island.
On our walk, we would come face to face with many of the wild animals that call the delta home.