botswana

Since hearing from several people how expensive Botswana is, we knew our time here was going to be limited.  Our combi ride from Mafikeng over the border to Gaborone (the capital of Botswana) was hot and crowded, though relatively short.  Apparently locals have a slightly different tolerance for heat than I do, seeing that every window but mine was slammed shut and folks were wearing sweaters in 90-some degree weather!  Even my window managed to be snuck shut whenever I wasn't paying attention.  Inferno.

We noticed quite quickly how much more we were getting stared at than when we were in South Africa.  I think there are far less tourists here than South Africa.  There is definitely a different feel in Bostwana.  Our time in Gabarone was fairly uneventful (not much to see or do) other than staying with a great couchsurfing gal serving for the peace corp.  Though I almost died of heatstroke while there (how could the weather keep getting even hotter?!) Michelle briefed us in on all things Botswana, the good and bad and challenging times she's had here.  Though there is economic stability in the country, due largely to the diamond mining industry, there is speculation as to what will happen to the country when that resource runs out (in the next few decades?) and of course there still exists the AIDS epidemic as well as poverty.

Since our time in Botswana was limited to a week, we headed north to the country's largest attraction, the Okavango Delta, where we spent the bulk of our week, with a quick stop in Francistown, before heading to Zimbabwe.

Our 10 hour bus ride was interesting...cramped, frantic and long.  As things turned dark I witnessed the most incredible sunset - a rainbow of colors across the entire dome of the sky.  Children were running toward the bus to meet parents, suddenly appearing as if from nowhere from the vast savanna.  Just as I was feeling peaceful and relaxed from those beautiful sites, we arrived in the city of Maun, where we spent the next hour with our taxi driver trying to find accomodations, since everything in town was booked!  Just when we afraid we would have to shell out $100 to stay somewhere, we landed at a fantastic (and one of the cheapest) place right on the water.  Here we had a cute tent with "real" beds, outdoor bamboo bathrooms where you could shower under the stars, and a huge waterside bar and restaurant.

The Okavango Delta is a huge 16,000 sq km mass of channels and islands, and the traditional method of transport through it is through the mokoro boat.  A mokoro looks very similar to a canoe, but is hand carved (our guide made his own over a 3 month period) and sits lower in the water.  Upon first seeing a rather fragile looking mokoro, I wasn't sure it would support me, Guy, the poler (functioning much like the gondolier) and all of our loot, but of course it did just fine.  Our poler and guide, Teman, skillfully glided us through the reeds, pointing out birds, frogs and plants along the way.  There were beautiful waterlillies everywhere we looked.  The ride was so peaceful, it was more relaxing than any massage I've ever received!  All that could be heard was the wind rustling through the reeds and the gentle plop of the pole into the water every few seconds.  So tranquil.
 

After our ride we landed on a large island where we ventured on a lengthy game walk.  Teman warned us of what to do if we ran into different animals, but also warned us we might not see ANY animals.  Almost immediately we spotted an elephant...it was amazing!  It was also a little unnerving, knowing he could cut across the field and charge us at any moment!  We also saw a warthog, antelope, a buffalo skeleton and several birds. 

After our quite lengthy walk, we were exhausted and had a break before Teman "poled" us back.  As wonderful as it was to be floated along the river, I felt bad for all the work Teman did as we just sat there!  We of course wondered just how much he was getting paid for his work and how much our hostel owner's cut was (considering Teman's lunch was a large piece of pound cake and he had a rather swollen ankle that looked as though it needed attention).  When we asked whether he like his job, he said yes, and mentioned something along the lines of getting paid more fairly now.  I hope that's true.

The Okavango Delta certainly made our brief time in Botswana worth the trip, with incredible tranquility and lots of natural beauty.