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Published: January 17th 2010
The African Mini Bus
Short ride ... long walkDecember 29
Got in a taxi and headed for the Botswana border ... I don’t want it to sound like it’s some epic journey ... 1 hour tops ... anyway from one taxi we hopped into another one ... after trying to figure out the real price of course ... got a deal for 2 cabs 200,000 kwacha ... roughly $40 ... not bad.
Rushing towards the Botswana border...
Arrive ... line up in the correct immigrations line up ... enter Botswana ... for free! Pleasant surprise because to enter Zambia it costs $50 ... stoked!
The walk from Zambian immigrations to the Botswana office is like nothing I have ever done ... just a big open gravel road that goes right into a river ... trucks lined up ... ferries bouncing back and forth from shore to shore ... soldiers at their posts on the banks with AK’s just waiting for swimmers? Not sure but it definitely looked that way.
After trying to board a ferry ... being turned down ... directed to another ferry for walk-ons ... asked for tickets we didn’t have ... purchasing tickets ... boarding ... crossing the river ... we were in
The Ferry
Botswana to Zambia ... mmmm bread Botswana. Not knowing where the immigrations office was on this side we started to wander aimlessly until a really nice mini bus pulls up and asks me if we are the Frasier group of 5 ... I look at the decals on the side of the bus ... Chobe Safari Lodge ... the lodge we were going to try and camp at ... convenient? Definitely! Should have said YES ... definitely said no ... still got a ride to the immigration office in this A/Ced bus ... and the walk to the office would have definitely been a lot longer than expected. We get dropped ... the driver notices the real Frasier group of 5 and takes off ... stranded at the border ... no taxis ... just a classic African bus ... bus is a rather large overstatement ... our only option ... the 5 of us pack on ... with our bags on our laps ... and wait for this thing to fill up ... and yes it FILLS up.
Arrive at our planned destination ... realise it’s full ... walk down the street to another lodge ... there are lots of lodges ... I’m not worried
Chobe
End of the first day ... sick of shooting elephants but this one shows how huge and open the park is ... this lodge has room but only rooms for 2 people ... and they’re 1100 pula .. Botswana currency ... not sure the conversion ... but its too much for us ... we would have to get 3 rooms ... brilliant idea ... we’ll run it like we do back home on the ski hills ... 5 of us 1 room ... sounds good. Rachel and I check in at reception ... room for 2 ... the others wait across the street at a nearby cafe ... we get the key ... drop our bags ... and meet the others for some food and a bit of a celebration ... super nice lodge!
That day we hang out ... watch the TV ... chill on the porch. The next day we pick up our rental car ... truck ... awesome ... head for Chobe National Park ... awesome ... see the most hippos/elephants of my life ... awesome ... full day ... head back to lodge. Watch more TV and eat good food ... ichiban noodles ... baked beans ... spaghetti ... bread ... chicken ... anything we can find. Go to sleep. Wake up super early the next
morning ... back to the park for another shot ... want to see some lions! By this time we know the park ... we’re experts ... no worries ... going on a lion hunt ... see the most baboons of my life ... awesome ... going on a lion hunt ... see way too many impala and puku ... they look the same ... see a jackal ... chasing impala and puku ... awesome ... see wild dogs ... really rare ... awesome ... no lion ... flat tire ... not so awesome ... Tina naps ... haha.
Leave the park ... check out of the lodge ... return rental truck ... head back to the border ... same “bus” ... cross the same river ... same ferry ... pay $50 to get back into Zambia ... wah wah ... get a 10 day visa ... Side Note: this is important later ... it’s December 31st ... back in Zambia for the big show ... New Years!
New hostel ... just as nice ... more expensive ... for some ... depends on how you work it. Tent ... air mattress ... secluded corner on the lawn ... view
Contemplation
Pretty sure this guy let the air out of our tire of the pool ... pretty good!
January 2nd 2010 ... say our goodbyes to Christa ... she heads back to Botswana and then on to South Africa for her final month of Hands at Work ... we head back to Lusaka for what was supposed to be 3 days for me ... turned out to be over a week ... extended holiday ... crazy boredom ... once again ... view of the pool ... not bad!
So begins the hassle of the Congolese embassy ... what a test of patience ... new problem with my application every day for a week and finally they asked for a new invitation letter from the DRC. Took 3 days to get it put together and I received it on Monday the 11th ... too late ... embassy was closed ... “come back tomorrow” ... the famous words of the week prior back to haunt me.
Tuesday ... drop the letter at the embassy ... “come back at 14h” ... 2pm for those of you that don’t know ... I got there at 130 ... it was ready and I immediately started organizing my trip to Luanshya to meet with Kennedy my
New Year
New moustache! roommate from South Africa who would be joining me in the DRC. Waited another day in Luanshya for Ken to get his visa put together ... made it to the border on the 14th ... celebration ... too soon.
Another paragraph is needed for this section ... go back to where I said I got that 10 day Zambian visa on the 31st of December ... oooooook ... apparently it’s a major offence to stay in a country “illegally” after your visa runs out ... I was so busy with the DRC embassy that I completely forgot about my Zambian visa situation ... right on ... they confiscated my passport on the Zambian side of the border and told me I had 2 options ... first ... I would be arrested and taken back into Zambia to go to court and then most likely prison ... grrrreat ... second option please ... pay 1,080,000 kwacha ... $200 ... ya I’ll take number 2 ... thank you ... new problem ... no money ... James, Erick, and Samuel head back to the nearest town to get the money and bail me out ... nice work Will ... they come back
The Setup In Kafue
I was in the net ... which is great for mosquitos ... not things that crawl ... and bite and pay it ... now we’re off to the Congolese side of the border ... Zambia is the easy part ... what’s next? Turns out the DRC side was the easier of the 2 this time ... perfect.
Now I’m back ... home sweet home ... Likasi, Democratic Republic of the Congo ... good to be here ... just hanging out this week and getting Ken used to life here in the DR-grease-C ... it is greasy ... everyone should experience it ... for a weekend ... tops ... here I come 4 months! AYAH!
Updates on my life in the Congo will continue to come your way ... stay tuned ... and love the snow for me ... I miss it dearly!
Thank you Helen and Paul for the ski movies ... they’re saving my ski season.
OUT
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Grammy
non-member comment
Fantastic
Dear Will - Thank you for this fantastic account of your life in Africa so far-- Wonderful pictures-- keep them coming.Please take care of ourself and spread your love to those orphan children . You are a very special person-- Blessings. Lots of love - and good health and joy in this New Year. Grammy