Today we are excited to get off the boat and head to town. A couple we met last night told us we could rent bicycles. So we grabbed the bikes and road into town. My first order of business was to find an internet cafe to check in with home and to get money exchanged to Euros. Since tomorrow is a Catholic holiday, we come to realize that most people took a 4-day weekend. Again we are in a small port town where everything is closed. We wasted a lot of time looking for a bank that would be open (none of them were) and for what we could see on the map but somehow could not find in reality.
Finally finding the internet cafe, the lady was not helpful. She would only let me pay for 15 minutes or an hour, even though the sign clearly says I can pay for a half hour. To my fault, I didn't learn a view French phrases which I think would have gained me more honey.
Our next plan of action was to rent a motorcycle to head to this gorgeous town about 45 minutes from the port. Again the rental place was closed.
So that is when I had my break down. We are on our 3rd day on the boat and we have not seen anything but these tiny towns. I am also a little home sick missing our little boy.
My husband is wonderful however and reminds me, we could be at work. We make the most of the situation. We head back downtown, find an outdoor cafe and have a long lunch. We even get to know the waiter who graciously lets us practice our French and gives us some tips for traveling when visiting a French island.
The day was not what I expected and had quite a few bumps along the way but it is still nice to be on vacation. And you can do dinner and a movie anywhere which is how we ended the day!
Travel tip: If you have no expectations for the day, you will not be disappointed by the adventure.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.