maun at last

Oh Air Botswana… Today we woke up at five in the morning in order to catch a 7h05 flight, which ended up being three hours delayed. But we just took it in stride and laughed it off (aka – it was good we hadn’t planned anything yet).

When we finally did arrive in Maun (pronounced Ma-oohn), we walked out of the airport and walked around town for all of about five minutes before some guy approached us and asked where we were going. After having a short conversation he offered to drive us to Matlapaneng, where several campsites and backpacker accommodations, including his own, the Old Bridge Backpackers (OBB), were located. We couldn’t believe our luck! After talking with a few people and checking out the rates at OBB, we realized we had stumbled into one of the best deals in Maun!

Setting up the tent.

We set up our tent and headed into town to buy some groceries, laughing the whole time about how well not planning anything was working out for us. On the way back from town (we had gotten a free ride into town), we got the first chance to take in the culture of Botswana. Maun itself is a pretty touristy area (I think the entire Maun economy is based off of tourism) and there are a good number of white people around.

We did have a brief conversation with a couple of young guys who offered to drive us back to OBB if we would give them ‘something’ (money or cool drink). This interaction reminded me of South Africa – people are very friendly, will talk to anyone, and are willing to help, and long as they get a little something in return. The neat part of this exchange was that I somehow ended up being our “point person.” I was the one talking to and negotiating with the guys. We ended up not accepting a ride, but I was pleased with the savvy and confidence I had demonstrated while talking to them. In the end, we rode a combi (a mini bus) back to our campsite. It cost us P3,25 (USD 0.50) – talk about sweet public transport.

The road to Old Bridge Backpackers.

Dinner that night was fun…ny. We were just cooking pasta, but it took forever for the water to boil and somehow we really over cooked the pasta. It was the mushiest pasta I have ever eaten. To top it off, when we were draining the water from the pasta, we used a pot top that was dirty and we ended up getting sand all over the pasta. It was the grittiest, mushiest meal I have ever eaten… but I still ate it.

Old Bridge Backpackers bar and eating area.

It was a good day. The group is still feeling each other out (not T and I – it seems like there are no boundaries between us anymore), but I think we’re all just so stoked to be here in this beautiful place together.

View of the delta from the old pedestrian bridge right next to the Old
Bridge Backpackers.