According to the people of the Delta, the mention would trigger thoughts of the river. To them the Okavango Delta is a river that is the source of their lives. The water they drink, where they fish twini and mpa-khibidu (cat fish and tilapia), harvest letaka to build their shelter, and the bush where their grandparents taught them to hunt wild animals for food and survival. These are the people who still travel free across the Delta on their mekoro.
To many Batswana elsewhere in the country, the Okavango Delta conjures images of luxurious camps, photographed at twilight in the middle of the bush, showing the splendour and grandeur of what can be done when money is not a problem. The top end lodges with huge white-sheet beds, bathrooms with a view, free imported beverages, free cigars and personalised service. Places that boast of filthy rich clients, built for kings and queens of the world to come and taste the natural environment away from flashlights and hooters. To many Batswana, this is the world they can only dream to be at in their next life because it is too expensive. These are the same people who believe mokoro is a very dangerous mode of transport.
