In the mid 1970's Dave Herbert, managing director of African Travel, was in New York City calling on travel advisors to promote his safari camps in Botswana. As luck would have it, Dave stayed at a hotel that was the temporary home to several show dogs awaiting their time to prance around the ring at a prestigious dog show. Adding to the "voices" of the canine guests, the hotel was across the street from a fire station. When the fire trucks roared out of the station, the dogs greeted the noise with a canine chorus.
After a day of promoting Botswana, Dave returned to his noisy "home" tired and frustrated. He reached for the phone and called his business partner in South Africa. In between barking and fire sirens, Dave explained to John, his partner, the gloomy situation. "I had called on a very prominent gentleman and suggested he send his clients to Botswana. The travel advisor rudely replied, 'I'm not going to send them to some swamp!' I don't know what we're going to do!" For a few moments the phone was silent (except for the occasional tones indicating several more dollars have been used on this long distance call). "John, are you there?"
John cleared his throat and slowly said, "Then we won't call it a swamp; we'll call it a Delta."
Ever since that day people have referred to the Okavango Swamp as the Okavango Delta (some people still call it a swamp----oh well!). Funny, the difference a name makes because I love the Okavango Delta---the people, the animals, the flowers, trees, and yes, the water which we maneuver by mokuru (a canoe-like craft). I was eager to go to the Delta in 1999 and have been there again for 2 weeks last year. If you had asked me if I wanted to go to a "Swamp," I know I would have said, "Thanks, but no thanks!" So, in this case "a rose by any other name" brings visitors!
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