The story behind the photo 3/10
This photo has always stood out to me because it is a frozen moment from our of our more exciting journeys. Andy took this photo of the mokoro I was travelling in as we silently cruised down a still river in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The idea of sitting in a dug out canoe to further our chance of seeing more wildlife while safaring in the Delta sounded idyllic. It was only when we arrived to the "pier" in the bush and surveyed the area for Cats and Hippos that we realised this could actually be dangerous. The water was infested with both Crocodiles and Hippos and if either hit the boat we were goners. We did encounter a Hippo swimming under water but as we gave it a wide berth it completely ignored us. The silent journey allowed us to get a glimpse of the elusive Sitatunga Antelope and a variety of birds of prey. However this image isn't a reminder of what we saw but more the feeling of stillness and silence we experienced. A perfect Safari moment.
The key to being an intrepid traveller is to embrace the journey. Sometimes It may involve driving in extreme heat on corrugated roads, flying in a four seater plane that shakes with the breeze or silently cruising down a hippo and crocodile infested river in a dug out canoe. It is at the point where back ache, nausea or fear sets in that Andy & Michelle would stop and photograph the scene. This photograph has frozen that moment in time so they would never forget the journey that got them to their destination.