"I saw the rains down in Africa..."

Botswana is a wonderful country and should be visited by everyone once in their lifetime. The Okavango Delta has to be seen to be believed, especially for it's proximity to the arid Kalahari.

It was quite an experience to be there for the start of the rainy season. Now I know what the song means! On our way to Ghanzi we had the most intense experience like something straight out of Storm Chasers. From cloudless sunny skies we drove straight into a charcoal grey horizon. We literally hit the eye of a huge storm and got completely drenched. Our truck was leaking in every crack. 20 minutes later it was blue skies and not a cloud again. What a weather phenomenon!

Everything about Botswana is different. Even roadtripping is broken up by foot & mouth stops where you have to dip the shoes you're wearing and any others you have in you vehicle into a special solution. You then have to drive your car or truck through a pit of the same stuff.

Something else I love is that the zebra is Botswana's national animal. Why choose an animal of such massive proportions common to so many African nations you ask? Because a past president went to England to be educated at Cambridge and there he met a white woman, brought her back to Botswana and married her. Being the harmonious existence of black & white together he elevated the Zebra to Botswana's national animal. Sweet huh!

Fun fact: male zebras are black with white stripes & female zebras are white with black stripes. When it's hot the white hairs stand up to reflect away the heat, and when it's cold the black hairs stand up to absorb it. Oh, and unlike their cousins the horse and the donkey (and their difficult cross-breed the mule) zebras cannot be domesticated or carry any weight on their backs.

A lil note on the people - I have never seen shelf booties in my life, like those on the women of Botswana. Bootilicious!

And my favourite thing of all? Warthogs are EVERYWHERE! Road signs mostly warn of the warthogs and the elephants crossing, and quite frequently you pass both just meters from the side of the road.

Bye beautiful Botswana! With every country checked I get closer to coming home. For a while there I thought I never would but I can feel a little pull now. Especially since that cheeky doggy with the dancing eyes is waiting for me!

Xxx