The Wife, the Ex and the Kid

[Stofstreep]

Wow Again!!!
I'm In Awe!

 

[Big E]

MJ, Jy kan moet jou adventures in 'n boek sit!!!!

Ek sal dit koop!!!!

 

[bradleys]

Damn damn damn what a report ,this is the best by so far ,respect once again MJ ,Tharina,and not least of all Peanut, well done.

 

[Metaljockey]

Day 24 Divundu, Botswana Border, Shakawe, Drotsky’s Cabins

Today we head for Botswana and the Okavango Delta. I’ve never been there so am looking forward to it.

You have to go through Mahango National Park to get to the border. Just a formality of filling in vehicle particulars.

Some wildlife next to the road.

These are Swartwitpens or Sable Antelope.

Mother and child.

We go through the border posts with no hassle at all and as soon as we are on the Botswana side there is a speed trap. We expected it and stick religiously to the speed limit. After drawing Pula at Shakawe (don’t mistake it for a metropolis), we turn into Drotsky’s Cabins to see if they can help us with lunch. We have such an impressive spread that we fold and decide to stay over.

Spot the foreigner.

 

[Chuck U Farley]

Hey MJ, another stunner from you! I've been following some of the replies you're getting over on ADV Rider. You seroiusly do our part of the world proud!!!!!
(not even Julius Malema can undo the good you do for Southern African Tourism!!!!)

Way to go, boet!

 

[Metaljockey]

Day 25 – Drotsky’s Cabins, Etsha 13, Delta Island

The next morning we keep moving south. At Etsha 13 we turn off the main road and brave the sand to find the camp of Real Mokoro. It is a local community run setup that takes guests on trips into the Delta, for one or several days. The lodges that offer this kind of thing charges upwards of P3000 per person. These guys charge P400 per mokoro per trip and the camping on Islands is at P80 per night.

The only access to Real Mokoro is by 4x4. The sand is something to behold.  

Elephant sign is everywhere and they push over trees everywhere making things more difficult.

The going is very difficult. I cannot get any flotation and because the tracks weave in and out of trees there is barely 20m of straight anywhere. Tharina gets flotation but lacks a stretch long enough to make any notable progress.

Tharina goes down which surprises me a bit.

But then I see the culprit.

Twice we get a nice shona area, but soon they do not last long.

We make it to the camp finally though, pretty relieved.

We negotiate a trip into the delta where we will sleep on an island. We leave our bikes and most of our gear at the camp.

We meet our poler, Ram, and we are off.

Periodically we will meet other swamp dwellers.

This is the way I pictured a mokoro trip into the Delta to be like. Poling in open waterways.

But a lot of it is like this, channels cut by the locals that is very narrow. I quickly learn to appreciate that poling is actually very hard work.

Some of it is what looks like open grasslands, except the grass grows in water.

And then sometimes we follow hippo paths. We are assured that the hippo stay put during daylight hours.

We check out one or two islands for a suitable place to camp.

And then set up camp as the sun sets.

That night hippos have massive fights in the shallows in front of our tent. Very impressive.
 

 

[La Paz]

Absolutely bloody awesome.  Needless to say I am jealous and envious. (apparantly not very good qualities but ...).  I have only completed page 6 and have to go do something or the other now.  I can't wait to get back to your story (And amazing, soul stirring pic's).  As a result of what I have already read I want to read your other stories.  I also want to ride through Namibia as well.  There is just so much awesome, amazing scenery here inn the Southern Cape that there is little reason to go elsewhere.  Having said that South America looks good as well....      Thanks MJ

 

[MaxThePanda]

Hey MJ - I've been running Maxxis 6006 on my X for about 10k km cause they're cheap and tough - looked like a 6006 that you fitted to your bike along the road. Was there a significant performance difference from the Michellin Desert you had on before?

 

[funacide]

Run out of nice things to day..... I am REALLY Enjoying this one...

MJ Were you not concerned about the lions on the isalnd in the Delta?

 

[philemon]

Absolutely AWESOME RR.

Riveting and entertaining.

 

[ThomTom]

I loved every minute of the report so far and fantastic pics.  The report makes travelling in that area looks easier than it is.....

The Himba making beer; "where there is a will, there is a way"; it is easy to see why the R10 to R15 bottles of beer will be a problem for a nation when making alcohol in the pass was such a mission?  Beer for me, remains one of the best discoveries; around the world; almost all nations; made their own alcohol?

 

[Metaljockey]

Hey MJ - I've been running Maxxis 6006 on my X for about 10k km cause they're cheap and tough - looked like a 6006 that you fitted to your bike along the road. Was there a significant performance difference from the Michellin Desert you had on before?

Max, the main reason I don't like the 6006 is that it only comes in a 130, so it looks a little aneamic on the bike. Otherwise I'm almost sure that in sand it performed worse than the Desert, it is thinner and the pattern is not arranged in rows like the Desert which aids traction in sand. I won't fit another.

 

[Metaljockey]

Run out of nice things to day..... I am REALLY Enjoying this one...

MJ Were you not concerned about the lions on the isalnd in the Delta?

We had a guide, if he is at peace with it, so am I. And every island has trees.

 

[madmike999]

man this is the coolest and best RR i have read ever

my daughter also like riding with me but this will blow her mind

 

[chris]

Hats off.....wish my family was as adventurous!!

 

[Metaljockey]

Day 26 Delta Island to Etsha 13

We get going early, we are going for a game walk on one of the bigger islands.  

The elephant here seem to enjoy the bark off the baobabs

Ram opens a baobab pod for us and the Kid enjoys the snack.

Small leopard track.

If you want to know what it looks like when ‘shit hits the fan’, this is it.  

That there is hippo poop. They have a ‘spray it’ policy, using their tails as a high speed fan. The story goes that God made hippo to live in the water, but being insolent as they are, they sneak out onto land at night when God isn’t watching. So as not to leave big turds lying around as clues that they were naughty, they spread their droppings around.



Little hippo bones.

We do not see any big game, but I don't mind.  We were very close to elephant but we were upwind so they crossed to the next island before we got to see them. And the whole place is full of animal sign, so you get the wilderness feel.

There’s our camp, under the tree.

Ram made a necklace for the kid.

Lunch being prepared.

And consumed from a novel seed pod bowl.

We buy some fish off the local fisherman.

On the way back to the mainland, we stop off on their island. It is a fabulous setting under large shady trees, Robinson Crusoe type thing. Well, it would have been if it was not for the overwhelming stench off fish. These two guys live here catching and drying fish, which they periodically take to town to sell.  

What is quite interesting is that we are using a fibre glass mokoro. Ram tells us that it costs about P3000, but that the guy who manufactured them, Brian, had died some time ago and that new ones cannot be obtained. Apparently the original mokoro, carved from a solid tree trunk, are prohibitively expensive. It aslo appears that everybody prefers the lighter fibreglass one, on this fishing island for instance, the wooden mokoro lies unused.

Fish Eagle.

Sun tan lotion.

I keep on dipping my hat to cool down but the sun dries it again in minutes.

It’s a trip of several hours to get back to camp, and the kid uses it wisely.

That night we have fresh bream for dinner.

 

 

[funacide]

Damn another thing to add on the list of things to do....

 

[Oetie]

This RR is getting better by the day :thumleft:

Thanks MJ!!!!

 

[cracklin]

MJ, brilliant, you give the needed "flavour" AND "defenition" to true adventure riding, this is it!!

ME VOTE: Best RR of 2009!! :thumleft:

X infinity. definitely the best rr !!!

 

[popipants]

Thanks MJ, we are enjoying it, and it must have taken some to time to write.
Thanks for the effort!!!