While serving as volunteers in Botswana in the early 1970s,Ed Arata was invited by other volunteers to take part in a canoe trip through the Okavango Swamp in northern Botswana



While serving as volunteers in Botswana in the early 1970s,Ed Arata was invited by other volunteers to take part in a canoe trip through the Okavango Swamp in northern Botswana

A trip to remember: Ox-drawn sled part of rugged trip to swamps

Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, October 24, 2004

Editor's note: We're asking readers to share memories of a cherished vacation. This one is from Ed Arata of Sutter Creek.

Every Peace Corps volunteer has a "trip story." The one that my wife, Mimi, and I always tell is the story of the swamp trip.

While serving as volunteers in Botswana in the early 1970s, we were invited by other volunteers to take part in a canoe trip through the Okavango Swamp in northern Botswana. This was before Botswana became a tourist destination.

The town of Maun, at the south end of the swamps, was pretty much the end of the line. You could do a day trip out of Maun, but that was about it. A few game hunters and sport fishermen made it to the north end of the swamps, but there were no organized tours.

We started from our village of Molepolole and made our way by train to Francistown, near the Rhodesian border. We got on a bus bound for Maun that was so full the ticket-taker was walking on the seat backs to collect fares. There followed a freezing overnight trip up the edge of the Kalahari Desert.

In Maun, we spent two days buying provisions and trying to find transport to Sepopa, near the top of the swamps. There was no scheduled transport, so we decided to hitchhike and finally got a ride on a four-wheel-drive Mercedes freight truck hauling diesel north. After sitting on diesel drums for 14 hours, we were dropped off in the middle of the night. We camped next to a trading store where a fire was burning and locals slept.

Our contact person met us the next day and told us that we would be walking for two days to get to our boats and guides. We hired an ox-drawn sled and walked, staying one night at our guide's village along the way.

Finally, we reached the water and got into open, dugout canoes. We spent the next seven days with our guides, camping on islands and seeing the birds and wildlife of the Okavango.

Back in Maun, our first stop was Riley's Hotel for beer, a shower and a bed, then the return trip to Molepolole by bus and train.

When this story was posted in November 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Your vote makes a difference Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.

Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers The Kerry campaign wants the RPCV vote. Read our interview with Dave Magnani, Massachusetts State Senator and Founder of "RPCVs for Kerry," and his answers to our questions about Kerry's plan to triple the size of the Peace Corps, should the next PC Director be an RPCV, and Safety and Security issues. Then read the "RPCVs for Kerry" statement of support and statements by Dr. Robert Pastor, Ambassador Parker Borg, and Paul Oostburg Sanz made at the "RPCVs for Kerry" Press Conference. RPCV Carl Pope says the key to winning this election is not swaying undecided voters, but persuading those already willing to vote for your candidate to actually go to the polls. Take our poll and tell us what you are doing to support your candidate. Finally read our wrap-up of the eight RPCVs in Senate and House races around the country and where the candidates are in their races.

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Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview PCOL sits down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before. Plus the debate continues over Safety and Security.

Schwarzenegger praises PC at Convention Governor Schwarzenegger praised the Peace Corps at the Republican National Convention: "We're the America that sends out Peace Corps volunteers to teach village children." Schwarzenegger has previously acknowledged his debt to his father-in-law, Peace Corps Founding Director Sargent Shriver, for teaching him "the joy of public service" and Arnold is encouraging volunteerism by creating California Service Corps and tapping his wife, Maria Shriver, to lead it. Leave your comments and who can come up with the best Current Events Funny?

Peace Corps: One of the Best Faces of America Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and can you come up with a Political Funny?

Read the stories and leave your comments.