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I had been told by Tony that Sepopa is one of the best places to fish in the world and I knew that Tony was extremely passionate about fishing so I was very excited to get to Sepopa. On arrival to the campsite we made our way down to the river and set up camp. We were getting pretty efficient at it now, everyone knew what they had to do. The winner for the best tent definitely went to Tony and Elsie. They had one that attached to the roof of their car, it was designed with a large living space inside that you could stand up in and so the sleeping area was above the car not on the ground. It was a professional tent that's for sure! Once we had set up camp Tony was keen to get his boat on the river so the boys set off to do that and half an hour later Tony was cruising down the river towards us looking like the true fisherman!
Benji, Andrew, Elsie, Tony and I went out first. Tony drove the boat for about ten minutes up the river. I soon learnt this was because while we were fishing we turned the engine off and let the boat float down the river with the stream. I didn't have any prior experience or even much knowledge about fishing but Tony soon put my nerves to ease with his patience in teaching me how to fish. I was scared at first to throw the line too hard or far in case I hit someone or broke the rod! After a while I became more confident and Tony said he didn't believe I hadn't been fishing before. Tony and Elsie both said I was a natural so I was feeling pleased with myself - that's a big compliment coming from the two of them. They're professionals!
Being on the river was so peaceful. It was one of those moments in life I will never forget. The sun was shining down on us, every time someone threw a line you could hear it flying before it plopped into the water, the birds were singing and the bushes were talking to each other in the wind. There was a unanimous sense of calm between all of us in the boat and the wildlife that was surrounding us. We stayed on the boat in this tranquil state for two hours. I took a break from fishing at one point to just sit and enjoy the sounds and smells of the Okavango. It was my first experience being on a river in Africa. Unfortunately though, despite our best efforts, we didn't catch anything. Tony and Elsie were both surprised as they said this was a good time to be fishing. I wasn't disheartened however we still had another day to fish and I had enjoyed being on the boat regardless.
What I absolutely cherished was listening to Tony and Elsie talk about the native Africans that live by the river. I love hearing the stories about the different cultures and way of life out there. It's a world away from my life in England. I find it absolutely fascinating to listen to. I am often in awe that people still live like that and very much admire the way they live. Having said that Tony explained that there was a bit of tension between the locals and the fishermen who come to fish here. That's because the local men are allowed to fish using nets because that's their livelihood but they often left the nets in the water and they would get caught in boats. I thought it was a real shame that there was this issue but Tony said that volunteers go and pick up the old nets so it wasn't too bad.
My time spent at Sepopa (which was two days) was so relaxing and surprisingly educating. Our campsite was very relaxing although there were still people about so I could sit an watch as they went about their business. During our time there I feel like we all bonded and had some really great conversations. I always love a sundowner! (For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a drink as you watch the sundown.) And at Sepopa the sunset was really beautiful and it created some really incredible colours in both the sky and on the river.
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elsie Yay, got it right and even navigated to the Sepopa story. many thanks for a re-run on a truly great time we had together.