Days 35 thru 39

(Rhia’s comments are italicized)

We have spent the last 5 days waiting around in Maun, thinking we had a private safari into Moremi Game Reserve organized. Sadly, we got news this evening, that the camp we were really excited about is fully booked. So we are trying to salvage something from this disappointing revelation. Although much about traveling is exciting, there are days when you wonder what the heck you’re trying to do. There’s so much about Africa that I absolutely love; the lack of follow-through isn’t part of that! But, as we know, disappointment is part of life. Actually, it’s interesting really as I’d just written to my highly organized friend telling her she’d be proud of me for having the next NINE DAYS planned when…the proverbial s@@@ hit the fan. I truly should know better than to try to plan ahead 😂

During our days here, we have been staying at Golentle Homestay. The owner and operator is Kay. She has spent 20 years in the tourism and hospitality business. Kay runs the operation for both lodging and arranging safaris and mokoro tours (dug out canoes). She and her children have been absolutely wonderful during our stay.

While in Maun, Rhia was intent on finding the town center (the only part of Maun I remember from 36 and 33 years ago) which turned out to be a little more difficult than one might think. The center of a town is usually where the tall buildings are, or where Google shows a large concentration of businesses and restaurants. But no building here is more than two stories, and we have found that Google has been REALLY bad this whole trip! We eventually ended up at some buildings across from the airport, and discovered that that area was considered part of the old town, but that we had actually traveled through the new town to get there?!? So we walked around the old town, visited some of the stalls, walked through some back alleys, exchanged money to pay for the safari, and bought a few souvenirs.

When we first arrived at Golentle Homestay, we met a fellow traveler that we hit it off with. Nina is a retired international teacher originally from the USA, but now resides in Cairo. She has been visiting Southern Africa for over 2 months. Nina originally booked just a couple of nights at Kay’s, but loved it so much that she kept extending for a total of nine days. On her final day here, Kay and her 15 year old son built a fire and cooked a farewell dinner for her that we were invited to. We were served a wonderful traditional meal of seswaa, maize meal and spinach greens. As is custom, the meal is eaten without utensils. I enjoyed every mouthful!

We sat around late into the evening talking about our experiences and just life in general. I learned that most of the tourists who fly into Maun see the airport before being picked up in an air-conditioned car and taken directly to a lodge in the delta. At the end of the safari, this process is reversed so the tourists see none of Maun (and, consequently, spend no money here). Kay said that probably 95% of the lodges are owned by white people, and almost no money comes back into the community. There is a theory that tourism in Africa is what has saved the animals here. There is a monetary incentive to keep the habitats safe from poachers and encroachment. So we want to make sure that we are supporting both the community and the animals.

Speaking of animals, we went for a walk on the grounds of a private hotel and saw some lovely termite mounds and kudu.

Foodie wise, we discovered a local restaurant called Hilary’s, which serves more of the traditional western home cooked dishes like chicken pot pies, meat and potatoes and quiches. We went there three times during our stay in Maun. I think we were ready for some comfort food!

I’ve loved wandering around this town and seeing  things that we’re not used to seeing. Things like:

Otherwise we have been resting and enjoying talking to the locals. I am really working on looking at people in the eye as I pass them, smiling and saying hi. I think I have been conditioned in the US to keep my head down and mind my business. Sometimes it results in a response of “give me money”, but that seems more prevalent in the larger cities. But on the whole, the smiles I get back are genuine and beautiful. Those responses encourage me to keep learning to socialize in the non-Western way. Jake (our son) worries about me because I look people in the eye and smile as I walk past; he fears this may get me into trouble! Although I love that he worries about me, it makes me sad that this is now the Western attitude.

And speaking of Jake (who, by all accounts, is becoming a successful EDM deejay), I don’t think deejays make much here…the entrance fee is around $4 US!

Tomorrow morning, we move on to the game park for 3 nights 🤞 so will be uncontactable. Hopefully we’ll have some stories to tell when we get back!