This is what happens to me when I’m really really really really really tired. Little things that would normally not annoy me, annoy me. A lot. And it’s not a nice side of me and I don’t like it. At all! I’ve been doing pretty well after our three restdays in Livingstone, but yesterday’s ride just seems to have undone that. Luckily or unluckily I know this dark side of myself and I know how to bite my tongue. The best remedy is just to stay away from people. So that’s what I did. I had my breakfast at the quiet end of the terrace, overlooking a nice green lawn and some trees with many different birds in it, which made me feel a bit better :-)
After breakfast I took a long warm shower and I cleaned out my spare toiletries bag in which a bottle of shampoo had exploded about a month ago (i’m a natural lazy person and procastinator). And after that I took a taxi into town, in the hope of finding a nice coffee/tea/food place without or without too many TDA riders. I ended up at a place with Vik, Ash, Mike and Lisa, who were about to order a bottle of wine, so I joined in and drank wine and had lunch.
At 330 it was time for our flight over the Okovango Delta, to which I had actually been looking forward a lot! The Okovango Delta is an inland delta, meaning that the river estuaries don’t flow into the ocean or the sea or a lake, but they flow inland and dry up after the rainy season that feeds the rivers ends. It’s this massive green area with waterways and a lot of wild life, so I figured it would be pretty cool to see that from the air. Unfortunately I forgot the reason why I don’t like flying... I had not even considered the possibility that I might get sick on the flight. After having been on a plane for about 50 times last year I think I thought I’d left air sickness behind me... Nevertheless I’ve been able to watch out of the window for some 20 minutes. After that I threw out my lunch and wines and just prayed for the one hour flight to end :-)
I was in the plane with 7 other TDA riders and they probably showed me more kindness than I deserved after my groggy morning and me avoiding them and me geting annoyed by the smalles thing. And I think that kindness helped me get over my grogginess a bit, because in the end we’re all doing the same thing and we have the same aim of reaching Cape Town. And after throwing up like that during the flight - and again after the flight - I was just very gratefull for a soothing hand on my back and people giving me tissues, water and a bag. And especially for none of them blaming me for throwing up next to them in the plane :-)
I’m in Africa! In Botswana! I flew over the Okovango Delta! I saw big herds of elephants, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, gazelles, all making their way through this beautifull green and unspoiled natural area. And I shared this experience witb a bunch of special and kind people!
I hope my groggy me stays away again the next few days :-)
Taking off! Maun International Airport
Very much worth getting onto a plane for...
Can you spot the elephants? They’re really small though...
Pretty much worth getting sick for!
