The funniest thing about the new leg is that there are THREE ESTHERS on it! How funny... That has never happened to me before. I've only met about 5 in my life. So I am now referred to as "queen Esther" - a nickname they'd already coined on the previous leg - as opposed to Irish Esther and American Esther. I like Queen Esther.
It was now time to head to Botswana and we loaded our truck onto a ferry for the border crossing. From where we waited on the river's edge you could see 5 countries - Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Angola. Pretty awesome. Another warthog welcome and I already loved Botswana!
Straight away you could tell Botswana is a wealthier country. The roads were sealed, the towns were modern, the people well dressed. Apparently the government of Botswana has invested a lot of the mining profits into infrastructure for the country so education, healthcare and general standards are better than in most other African countries. It also means it's more expensive for tourists.
A trip into town was an eye opener. A huge supermarket selling western brands (my search for Vegemite has still proved futile but I'm consoling myself with it's poor man's version Marmite) as well as clothing stores, liquor stores, even a KFC. I got myself some papa - made with maise meal, similar to ugali - and some delicious mystery meat that was salty and full of spices.
That night we stayed on the Chobe River, an area known for a population of over 120,000 elephants. This huge overpopulation is causing serious damage to the region and destroying whole habitats for other species. As the elephants thrive at the expense of possible extinction to other species the issue of culling has become a heated one. At this stage they are not culled but when you see the utter devastation these majestic beasts cause en masse you can understand the argument to control their numbers.
So to truly get an intimate look at this wonderful wetland we jumped on a motorboat up the Chobe. Within minutes we had spotted hippo just metres away. We came across about ten hippo grazing on the shore, with another ten huddled in the river nearby. As we came closer the ones on land spooked and ran and dived into the river to join their friends. It was awesome to see how fast these dangerous beasts can move and the splashes their huge bodies made. We also saw crocodile and lots of other wildlife, especially birds. Funnily enough the whole time we were there we didn't see an elephant!
One of the new girls on tour had a stressful moment when she realised she wouldn't be able to hold on for a toilet till we got back to camp. At first it was a gentle request, till the urgency peaked and she literally couldn't hold it any longer. The captain refused to let her wee off the boat, and the option of using a bottle was floated. Finally, seeing her desperation, the captain pulled over and let her pee on an island. Out she got in hippo and crocodile infested waters to execute the bravest wee in the world. It was a first for the captain and had us all in raptures.
No sooner had she jumped back in the boat that the sky opened up and we were hit with absolutely torrential rain. It was like God said "you pee on me and I'll pee on you!". A limited number of raincoats were distributed and I found myself in one raincoat with two other people! One of my "trimese twins" as she called us, is 6 foot 2 and it wasn't easy keeping her long legs dry.
That day gave us our first taste of the rainy season we were heading straight into. Unrelenting rains throughout the night turned our campsite into an ocean. Tents were flooded and everything was sodden. It was quite an adventure and a real swim in the deep end, so to speak, for the new people. Our tent was wet through, as were our sleeping mats, so I slept under a little pavilion with the others in my boat.
The night huddled under cover provided plenty of laughs. I got a fright when a giant rhino beetle crawled onto my bed - complete with a big single horn on it's head. One girl got the fright of her life when she woke to find a 10cm millipede on her pillow. Trying to get into our sleeping bags was hilarious as we were covered in mud and were pathetically armed with a few bags of baby wipes. We laughed so hard at our situation. The Swiss have a perfect saying for that uncontrollable, contagious laughter, "she's eaten giggly soup". Giggly soup is a staple on a tour like this.
We slept well despite the rain and the bugs. That may have had something to do with our Amarula and hot milk... A delicious Baileys-like spirit that comes from the African Marula plant. It is delicious and whether straight, with hot milk, or in a hot chocolate, it has become our nightly ritual.
Day one in Botswana was beautiful and brutal and the rains had only just begun!
Hug for Harvey Bear
Xxx
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