The polers of the Okavango Delta
OKAVANGO DELTA - 29/01/2013 12:26:37 PM [AAP]
Victor is chatty but quiet with his words. Holy is extroverted, playing the youngest well.
Jo is helpful and kind, keen to teach the poling way, while Morgan is the wise elder, speaking only when something needs to be said.
These are the men of the Okavango Delta. These are the Batswana who spend their lives on the river, welcoming tourists into their watery world.
It's a world of reeds, of white and mauve water lilies. It's a world of islands upon which wild zebras and warthogs mingle; upon which cattle that's come here via broken buffalo fences graze.
It's a world of muddy banks, dry scratchy grass, massive blue beetles and, ultimately, ferocious hippos.
It is the hippo that tourists fear the most as they sit on broken plastic chairs in traditional dugout canoes called mokoros. They needn't worry. Although the hippo is one of Africa's most dangerous creatures, killing more people than any other animal across the continent, in these parts, faith should be entrusted in the Batswana polers - these waters and its creatures are their home.
I am with Victor, a 30-year-old poler with coffee bean-coloured skin and a scar across his left cheekbone. He is lithe and kind and strong.
At first I believe he is unsteady and slow with his mokoro, perhaps new to the job. I later learn, however, that he is one of two men in charge, always allowing his fellow polers to go ahead, staying at the back of the pack while the other head poler, John, leads the way.
Victor is keen for tourists to learn about the Okavango, rattling off facts about the waterways in his soft voice.
"The hippos come to the pools in the day," he tells me. "At night they go on land to feed on the grasses."
Victor stands at the back of the mokoro propelling us forward with a long smooth wooden beam he pushes against the muddy river floor and banks.
"There is a white heron," he continues as we move through narrow waterways choked with moss-coated reeds. "And there, a red-chested cuckoo."
The birds flutter in and out of the scrub, flashing their colours against a sky bright and blue.
As the world's largest inland delta, the Okavango is a popular destination for avid birdwatchers - there are said to be more than 400 species of birds here.
There are plenty of other African treasures to savour seeing too.
I learn more about the animals of the region from Morgan, who wears a beaded necklace he was given by a tourist and whose tight black curls are turning a smoky grey.
As we walk the grassy interiors of Okavango islands Morgan stops to show me warthog tracks in soft mud.
"Pumba," he says simply, pointing at the hoof prints.
"These, the home of the warthog," he adds, as we pass burrows fit for wombats.
Back at camp, the voluptuous Irene, with her hair always covered by a patterned cream scarf, seeks me out to help collect river water for washing up dishes. As she leads me down a narrow path to the banks she links my left arm and encourages me to sing Tswana verses: ooh ka lele, ooh ka lele, chuga chuga chuga, chuga chuga chuga, go go go, go go go..."
I don't understand what I'm singing and Irene can't explain it with her limited English, but it doesn't matter. It's clear she is very happy and her mood is contagious.
Holy, the exuberant 18-year-old and the youngest of the polers, comes into his own when my fellow Intrepid tour travellers challenge the Batswana to mokoro races. He is speedy and, partnered with the American alpha male tourist, beats all others to the 'finish line' - the bank.
Spending two nights with these polers is the highlight of Intrepid's Okavango Experience tour, as is the case with most tours. As stunning as the landscape is and as delicious as the local cuisine may be, it's the people that make a journey that extra special.
Experiences, such as our Okavango adventure, allow travellers to mix with those from a very different world. They give us the rare chance to learn more about their lifestyles, their needs and even their desires. It's a privilege to hold close to our hearts.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE: The Okavango Delta is in northern Botswana in the south of Africa. Botswana's airports are in Gaborone, Francistown, Maun and Kasane. Intrepid Travel's Okavango Experience tour starts in Johannesburg and ends in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
STAYING THERE: Okavango Experience is a Basix tour, meaning budget accommodation (in this case, primarily camping) and optional activities. The tour is nine days and costs approximately $A1070 (conditions apply). For departure dates and details visit www.intrepidtravel.com.
PLAYING THERE: The currency in Botswana is the Pula (BWP) but US dollars can readily be changed at exchange bureaus and there are ATMs in larger towns. Currently, $A1 buys 8.43 BWP.
Australian citizens do not need a visa to visit Botswana as a tourist for up to three months.
* The writer travelled as a guest of Intrepid Travel.
