I’m Going to Travel Until My Time and Money Runs Out!

The best part about studying abroad in Botswana, is being able to travel to some amazing nearby places. For semester break I traveled with three other international students to Ponta de Ouro, Mozambique: a county that is said to have the most beautiful beaches in all of Africa. Just getting there, was an adventure within itself as we began our trip by not being let through the South African border, therefor missing our bus we had already paid for. Instead, we ended up hitchhiking to Johannesburg, then catching our next bus to Moputo, taking a ferry to Contembe, and then being driven by a jeep for the last three hours, until we finally reached our backpackers hostel. I four-wheeled up the coast, bought food from the local market, negotiated for local crafts, and spent my days laying on the beautiful beaches and trying to avoid the blue jellyfish as I swam in the warm ocean. It was a wonderful vacation filled with relaxation, adventure, and culture.

Another travel experience was a a spontaneous trip up north to Maun to see the Okavango Delta, Botswana‘s biggest tourist attraction. We took an over crowded, uncomfortable, hot bus for 10 hours and reached Maun on a Friday afternoon. We checked into a backpackers that was recommended to us by friends called The Old Bridge Backpackers. It was located right on the Thamalakane river, which leads to the Okavango Delta. On Saturday we went on a Makoro trip which we were nervous about because three weeks earlier there had been a hippo attack on the river resulting in two deaths.

We first took a motor boat down the river, already seeing dozens of different types of birds including herons, and the African fish eagle! Then we went to a small shore where we got onto the Makoro boats. They steered us through the narrow pathways of the shallow delta, getting hit in the face often with the reeds shooting up from the water. But when I wasn’t protecting my face, and we had a little more space, I felt so peaceful surrounded by water lilies. We were lucky enough to see hippo on the trip, but were far enough away that we felt safe. One hippo sprang out of the water, mouth open, and left a big splash in the water. This was a once in a life time adventure. Every trip that I go on, no matter where to, reinforces my love for travel and my desire to continue exploring the world, even once my study abroad experience is over.