flying

I've been meaning to post this all week now, but of course the internet hasnt been working...anyways, I returned to Maun last friday from interviews in the village of Phuduhudu (a historically bushman community, quite different from the others) to find that I had received an invitation to go flying!! My friend Paul, a currently unemployed pilot, has access to a Bushbaby (a microlight plane, super super small made of basically fabric and that fits the pilot and just one passenger)and takes it flying over the delta and the pans a few times a week. I joined him on a Sunday morning flight which was honestly one of the coolest things i have done so far here. We left the Maun airstrip (take-off was a little scary!) and flew straight over the delta, spotting elephants drinking at water holes, hippos bathing in pools, a herd of buffalo, letshwee ( a type of buck) and several types of birds. Along with the wildlife, it was just incredible to see the delta from such a different perspective--winding channels and lush green grass interspersed with drier shrub/bush landscape. And the eles looked so small! We opened up the little doors of the plane and the wind rushed in, cooling the rather hot stuffy little plane. Along with being refreshing, that added a whole new level of exhiliration to the experience--nothing between me and the Okavango Delta except for what felt like a large amount of sky! After landing briefly at one of the camps in the Delta, we continued on to the Makgadikgadi area, which was especially neat for me, since I've been driving around there so much. We followed the Boteti riverbed, past Mopipi village, and managed to find Meno a Kwena camp! We flew right over it, really low, and I was even able to point out my little tent to Paul! After 4 hours of flying, we headed back to Maun, just in time, as rain clouds were fast approaching. Definitely didn't want to be stuck in a tiny little microlight in the storms they have here...but we ended up safe and sound at the river lodge (where else of course?) for a late lunch and a lightning show in the evening. I just hope I get invited to go flying again!!