Today we've got 600km's to cover before 5pm.
Something we've been told should be easy, apart from 50km's of road which was damaged last year in a flood. It was alarms sounding from 4am, breakfast at 5am & in the truck by 6am.
We've got a bigger time allowance due to the new & larger group.
Some people were shocked the night before during the dinner briefing to discover this was how they would spend their holiday.
We left at 6am on the dot, an extra effort was noted by the veteran members of the tour group who got things done. I can already see some problems appearing with a group this large, there is already people avoiding their fair share of work & being inconsiderate with other people's possessions.
I slept from 6am - 8am only waking to readjust my pillow on the window, take some photos as the sun rose & see the animals we drove past. By 8am we had driven past a herd of 7 giraffe crossing the road, an elephant, impala herd & a Kudu herd.
Something we've been told should be easy, apart from 50km's of road which was damaged last year in a flood. It was alarms sounding from 4am, breakfast at 5am & in the truck by 6am.
We've got a bigger time allowance due to the new & larger group.
Some people were shocked the night before during the dinner briefing to discover this was how they would spend their holiday.
We left at 6am on the dot, an extra effort was noted by the veteran members of the tour group who got things done. I can already see some problems appearing with a group this large, there is already people avoiding their fair share of work & being inconsiderate with other people's possessions.
I slept from 6am - 8am only waking to readjust my pillow on the window, take some photos as the sun rose & see the animals we drove past. By 8am we had driven past a herd of 7 giraffe crossing the road, an elephant, impala herd & a Kudu herd.
At 9.30am we all disembarked with our shoes to walk through another disinfectant station. We are driving into another province today & the threat of foot & mouth to the cattle of Botswana is still high enough to require quarantining shoes, the truck tyres & examination of fresh produce.
Just before 11am we were told that we had covered 300km's, yay halfway!
At 12.25pm the truck was pulled over by the police for a random safety check. They found a problem with one of the fire extinguishers not having a date. The fine was 200 pula & they produced a written receipt for the fine. The whole interaction was very friendly & there was lots of smiles, joking & laughing between the 2 police officers, Steven our driver & Jurumba.
We finally arrive in Maun at 3.55pm, a town famous for the Okavango delta. A river network that starts in the Angola mountains & flows down into Botswana.
I awoke on arrival after napping & from that point became increasingly uncomfortable in my abdomen. It felt like shooting pain, possibly from gas, it was really tight & distended.
As soon as our tent was set up I had some neurofen & lied down, falling asleep straight away. I would have missed dinner if Tom didn't come to get me.
We finally arrive in Maun at 3.55pm, a town famous for the Okavango delta. A river network that starts in the Angola mountains & flows down into Botswana.
I awoke on arrival after napping & from that point became increasingly uncomfortable in my abdomen. It felt like shooting pain, possibly from gas, it was really tight & distended.
As soon as our tent was set up I had some neurofen & lied down, falling asleep straight away. I would have missed dinner if Tom didn't come to get me.
Our cook Joseph is working overtime to accommodate to a group this large with vegetarians, vegans, people who won't eat red meat, people who won't eat pork, people who won't eat seafood, spicy food & a gluten intolerant person. Tom & I are definitely the most appreciative, easily pleased & willing to compromise. Some other people... are not like that and can be really frustrating to deal with at meal times when you can hear them whinging & whining like children.
I went straight back to bed after a very small dinner & only awoke during the night from occasional stomach pains.
The campsite is quite nice & one that I have been to before when I went to the delta the last time. It's got a new name & new management now . I'm sure Tom will be able to give me an honest report on the bar, bathroom facilities & pool when I wake tomorrow.
The campsite is quite nice & one that I have been to before when I went to the delta the last time. It's got a new name & new management now . I'm sure Tom will be able to give me an honest report on the bar, bathroom facilities & pool when I wake tomorrow.
- Alli
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