After our Kasane trip and an overnight in Gabs, on Tuesday we flew to Maun, Botswana's "tourism capital" and access point for the Okavango Delta. Something in the water or food hit both of our digestive tracts hard. First Rosa and then I spent some miserable hours at our tented safari camp with an outdoor toilet. After taking antibiotics (and switching to a hotel with an indoor toilet) by Thursday we were literally on the "up and up" and felt good enough to explore Maun and take a 12-seater MackAir scenic flight over the Delta. Botswana is having a drought year, so the Delta is drier than usual, but still a gorgeous landscape from above. We were able to spot elephants, hippos, giraffes, buffalo, zebras and impalas from the plane, piloted by a female bush pilot! Yay! On Friday we took a day trip into the Delta by mokoro canoe. These dugout canoes were traditionally made by hollowing out a straight tree (today they are fiberglass) and are propelled by a standing poler. All polers are represented by the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust (OKMCT), which sets their daily pay rates. Our poler MD also served as our expert guide through the Delta and on a three hour island bush walk. Between Kasane and Maun we have been fortunate to see Botswana's wildlife from a boat, a safari vehicle, an airplane and the ground.
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About MeA 9th grade AP Human Geography and Global Studies teacher at Stillwater Area High School in Stillwater, Minnesota, USA, living and learning in Gaborone, Botswana from January to June 2019 as a Fulbright Teacher. Archives
June 2019
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