Snorkeling in Moremi

We had to go into Maun a day early (last thursday) last week for supplies and parts for the truck (again). I did not obtain any photo’s of Maun, it seems like everything does eventually get done, however very very very slowly. The Batswana don’t seem to have any real sense of urgency in their walk, talk or business. So we spend a lot of time waiting, what I think we could get done in a morning at home, here will take an entire day.

Graham and I spent a good part of one day going to a couple of greasy mechanic garages. I am used to this, I’ve been dragged to several similar garages at home by my father and various past boyfriends. The masculine chatter about engines, (between my father and uncle) and cars and the rest, as a young girl while I stood back silently listening (and a little bored), is how I learnt what I know about cars, which is more than most women I proudly boast. It is why Graham was impressed when I knew the gear box had to be “dropped” as a result of the clutch seizing, and that I understood that this was a huge undertaking. It is why I can and have changed a flat tire in a white suit with heels on and managed not to get dirty, and how I knew to use a pair of panty hose as an alternator belt when mine snapped in an old honda civic I owned. Anyway, there we were standing around boys chatting about car stuff, when I over hear the mechanic ask Graham why there is no snorkel on the utility vehicle (we use a toyota truck for supplies and moving between Maun and camp)

“Snorkel?” I am sure that I am not understanding the accents and didn’t hear that correctly. Images of the great barrier reef pop into my head and flippers and clear blue ocean. (I am once again standing silent in the background bored)

“We don’t take this vehicle under water” Graham responds confidently. Again, under water? Snorkel? Vehicle? Silly South African accent, I am sure it is some slang word used here for muffler or something. They do have silly odd little words and sayings for things like, kip for nap, and whinge as in “to complain”, a torch is not what they use on survivor, it’s a flashlight, and the dust bin, it's really a garbage can. Anyway, I digress. Turns out the cars here have snorkels. Yup because people drive their cars through rivers, and the car needs to take air in so there are in fact three options for snorkels.

Option A - no words necessary, obvious isn't it? It is "Good times Bob," having a good time snorkeling thrilled because he just saw a crayfish

















Option B - This actually is Grahams option (it's a google image he found, and clearly he liked it. We have no idea who they are, but I am sure they are very lovely people)












Option C - for the vehicle







This is our vehicle and what some of the crossings are like, this is snorkeling in Moremi.... and how I caught that frog with my foot