Home » Botswana » Jul 22, 2004 Xugana Lodge, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Imagine an isolated island on a wide and vast delta waterway, surrounded by a gentle lagoon fed by narrow channels lined with papyrus and tall reeds. Imagine gently waking to nature’s alarm clock as, one by one, the birds greet the growing steel-gray of dawn with a fugue of disparate song melding into a beautiful symphony of the awakening earth. Imagine quiet afternoons, the sun dappled through the trees offering a play of shadow and light, rolling dreamily in the light breeze over the fern covered loam; the lagoon rippling in rhythm with the moving shadow. Imagine that same lagoon reflecting the burnt orange fire of the evening sun dropping to the horizon, the sky ablaze with color. <br />

Jul 22, 2004 Xugana Lodge, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Tom Schueneman
2006-03-27 15:38:52

Displayed times (last time: )

presence on the planet, though he did not characterize his awareness as such. He did, most innocently I must say, ask about our president and why he went to war. A difficult question to answer and we found ourselves immediately distancing ourselves from the actions of our government in the world. People really want to know what GW is thinking when he acts the way he does, and we Americans from San Francisco (or Boston or Lafayette) could only offer our own frustration and confusion with the current regime. We thus far have been fortunate to meet people that don’t judge Americans by the actions of the American government.

The afternoon sun was reaching down toward the western horizon as we made our way back to the lodge. Jayne and I decided to have a cocktail before cleaning up for dinner. Jayne bravely ordered a White Russian and our amiable bartender bravely tried to make one. I’m not quite sure what happened, but soon the bartender came back from the kitchen with cake mix, or some crazy thing like that, before Jayne called her off. The resulting drink must not have been too bad; Jayne drank it (no cake mix, of course, I’m pretty sure that would have ruined it). The bar being well stocked, but not with vermouth, I settled for a gin and tonic. Martinis are best left for my return home. I’m okay with that.

Twilight was enveloping the lagoon as we retired to our chalet to freshen up and enjoy the delights of indoor plumbing. How many places can you take a shower in front of a picture window and not feel like one should at least be paid for the indignation? The Xugana Lodge “rocks”, as the youngsters like to say.

The lodge has a sixteen bed capacity, and during our visit here, the lodge has not been not been filled even to that meager accommodation. Last evening there were only two other guests outside our tribe, a lawyer and novelist from New York. Compared to the unsociable Germans they had to endure through dinner the ...