Our first stop in Botswana was Sitatunga campsite, the same place we had stayed last year. At the bar that night Andrew got talking to the bar tender, Stix, & after mentioning that we had been there the previous year Stix started asking questions. Turns out he could remember us....well he remembered that we were the ones that were dancing on the tables, slightly inebriated, doing rude things with a stuffed rooster! When it came time to leave he told us "I look forward to seeing you next year". I have to say, so do we!
The next morning we packed up & left for 2 nights camping on an island in the Okavanga Delta - the largest inland delta in the world. To get to the island we were "poled" out in Mukuru boats (a giant tree cut in half & carved into a canoe) by a group of young locals. Our poler was called "B"....the others had names like Action, Labour & Baker. It was a serene 2 hour boat ride, skimming across the water, working on our tans & taking photos of the water lillies, frogs & the occasional fish.
We got to the island, set up camp & spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the waterhole & sun baking. Late in the day we strapped on our walking boots & went out with Labour for a nature walk. Last year we had done the same thing & had the most incredible encounter with over 30 elephants....this year not so much as an impala. The temperature had dropped nicely as the sun was setting (it had been around 40 degrees for days) so we just soaked up the peace that comes over the bush at sunset & enjoyed the exercise after sitting on the truck for days.
The next morning was an early walk of about 3 hours but again we didn't see any animals so it was back to the camp to spend the day as we had the previous - swimming! This time though all the locals came into the water & everyone spent hours playing keepings off with a makeshift ball. Not a bad way to spend a lazy day in the Delta!
Late in the afternoon we headed out on the boats for a sunset cruise. We came across a hippo & decided to park nearby & watch it while waiting for the sun to set. Now, the thing is, with hippos they can hold their breathe under the water for a very long time....so every now & then the hippo would disappear under the water, only to pop up a bit too close to the boat for comfort. Now with the thought that hippos are the most dangerous animal to humans in Africa, I was a bit freaked out. Luckily our polers knew what they were doing & we didn't end up as hippo bait.
On our last night we were excited to enjoy a tradition that we had also experienced last year. All the guides joined us around the campfire after dinner & they danced & sang for us. Now, when I say danced & sang, I mean they blew us away with their incredible voices teamed with lots of foot stomping & a bit of play acting. Nothing I write will do justice to the sound of 8 untrained voices harmonising perfectly & rising up into the night air....it made us all speechless. These guys have obviously been doing it their entire lives & we were terrified about the finale to the evening......we had to get up & reciprocate! Karaoke is my worst nightmare so you imagine how sick I was feeling when the guys took their final bows & it was our turn. BUT, I got a reprieve....before we could stand up & thank them, they disappeared into the night, off to sing for another group of campers on another island. So all in all it was a perfect night, not spoiled by my out of tune wailing & awkward 2 step!
Next day we were back in the mukurus early for the 2 hour journey back to the launching point & the ride back to our campsite. Just as we were leaving we spotted a familiar face - OT, our poler from last year. He is the big boss & it was lovely to see him & his wife still out there keeping the young ones in line.
Time to move on again though, this time we were heading for Kasani, our base for game watching in Chobe National Park.
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