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Published: February 1st 2010
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Vivacious Victoria
One of many amazing views of the falls Finally, I’m making time to write another blog. I want to share our experiences of visiting Victoria Fall and my revisiting Kasane. I had such a wonderful time taking the river trip on the Chobe when I was there during Pre-service Training, I wanted to go back with my long time companion and best friend, Steve - oh right, and husband, too. We left Kopong early on December 30th. By 7:15 in the morning we had found seats near one another on a bus headed to Francistown. By 10:15 we found ourselves in a broken down bus along the roadside near Mahalapye. Shortly after that we were hitching. We caught a ride in an air-conditioned, leather upholstered BMW with a Botswana Police Force prosecuting attorney. We had ever so brief hopes that he would be going to Francistown, but were grateful for a ride to the bus rank in Mahalapye. After a much needed opportunity to relieve myself and tremendous gratitude for pay toilets that actually had toilet paper, flushed properly and were clean, we waited about 45 minutes before another bus to Francistown arrived. It had stopped to rescue those who remained with the broken down bus and therefore was
Another Beautiful View
Thank you to Steve for most of these photos! overfilled by the time it arrived in Mahalapye. But here in Botswana that is no problem. People just keep moving to the back of the bus and standing closer together until at last we were all tightly packed in and the bus lurched out of the rank. I find the tight packing a great advantage when standing on the bus; it makes falling down impossible during those sudden stops, rough starts and tight turns. With just over 3 hours of travel before reaching Francistown, I smiled kindly at my very near neighbors since I would be toe to toe with them for the next several hours. Fortunately I was standing near a window that provided me with a comfortable breeze without any direct sunlight. On we went through villages, plains and scrub forests until at last we came to a stop at the rank in Francistown. Passengers untangled their feet and their baggage, rubbed the sleepy and sore spots, and pressed their way out of the bus.
I was indeed grateful that we decided to splurge for a motel room in Francistown rather than foolishly attempt to make it to Kasane in one day. Gaborone to Francistown was to
be the short, easy, and comfortable leg of the journey. Before heading to our room, which was within walking distance, I inquired about the vans or combis to Kasane and was told the first one would depart at 6:30 a.m. After treating ourselves to a restaurant meal, the luxury of an air-conditioned room with a hot shower, complete with good water pressure, we were soon sleeping soundly. This left us refreshed and ready to travel.
We were back at the bus rank by 6:15 a.m. only to find that our intended ride left packed full at 6 a.m. with the overflow of passengers standing alongside us waiting for the next ride. By 8:20 a.m. with our feet perched atop the wheel well giving us an excellent opportunity to closely examine our knees, we were on the road again. The 16 passenger van carrying 24 people roared over the pavement leaving a heavy fog of burning engine oil in its wake. In a few short hours we were in Nata where we escaped to stretch our legs and use the restroom. The big dilemma for the time being was whether or not to quench our thirst and feed our rumbling
Mist Rising over the Falls
One story claims that early European explorers thought they were seeing smoke in the distance when they first viewed the mist rising above the canyon and falls. tummies. Soon after arriving in Botswana we learned that traveling while somewhat dehydrated and hungry is often the best bet when relying on public transportation. We shared a bottle of water and a few crackers as we watched the driver pour a gallon or more of oil into the engine before firing it up again to resume the journey.
In addition to the high likelihood of another breakdown, we anticipated two things on the next segment of our travels, one with dogged resignation, the other with childlike excitement. Coming soon was the section of road that could not accurately be called a highway. It could be called a rapid succession of potholes broken up by an occasional jagged strip of black top. It could be called frequent detours where everyone traveled through packed sand on what in the States could be called a barrow ditch. It could not by my snobbishly high American standards be called a highway. I was pleasantly surprised to find it under reconstruction with some bona fide detours that made the journey much less spine jarring.
Periodically we were entertained by elephants browsing along the roadside or slowing us to a near stop as
Border Crossing: Zimbabwe and Zambia
This is where I made my quick get away back to Zimbabwe after illegally entering Zambia : p they crossed. Once we got a teasing glimpse of a giraffe, his long neck stretched well out in front of him as he loped alongside the road.
It was late afternoon when we happily arrived tired and travel worn in Kasane. Again our lodging was only a brief walk from the bus rank. After a pleasant meal and evening of enjoyable company with some young Peace Corps Volunteers we left the coming New Year to arrive without our early morning greetings. We wanted to be fresh for the next day’s adventure into Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls.
The van that the lodge guide took us in was roomy and climate controlled. With border crossings, fees, and paperwork, we still arrived at the falls in less than two hours. Before parking at the entrance, we made a couple of brief stops in tourist areas where we were quickly surrounded by young men selling their wood carvings. The work was incredibly beautiful, but we were advised by the guide not to purchase anything because it was being sold illegally. Some of the artisans were asking to trade them for our shoes. Others were offering trillion dollar Zimbabwe bank notes for
A Quick Return from Zambia
I actually was in Zambia briefly with no formal border crossing in order to get a zip line ride above the canyon. ten dollars U.S. We have heard from both Batswana and Zim expats that things are better in Zimbabwe now. It’s hard to imagine how hard it was before, knowing we only saw a brief and superficial glimpse of the conditions there. The minor discomforts of our journey from Kopong paled beyond insignificance in comparison to the challenges faced by the people of Zimbabwe. Any complaints I might voice seem ludicrous.
Like so many other privileged people who came to see this Wonder of the World, we spent the remainder of the morning delighted to be gawking tourists as we walked the trails and took photo after photo of one of the most incredible sites I’ve ever seen. We joined up with a young couple from the tour van. She is South African, and he is a Motswana. We exchanged cameras to capture images of one another with the breathtaking falls as a backdrop. Much of the tour was spent dripping wet from the mist rising high above the falls, but we hardly noticed except for when the camera lens needed drying.
I am and always will be grateful for having seen Victoria Falls and so many other Divine
This is Big, Really Big
One of many views of the wildlife on the Chobe. Creations on this awe inspiring planet of ours. I am even more grateful to have been born into such bountiful circumstances. I hope that I am able to give adequate expression of that gratitude through the work I do while I am here.
The next afternoon we enjoyed seeing an abundance of wild life in and along the Chobe River. The boat docked just before dark after witnessing the painting of another sunset from God’s endlessly varying palette of colors.
After a day of down time to rest, we left at 5:00 a.m. and made a marathon one-day trip from Kasane back to our little Kopong home arriving here on the last bus of the day. That is how we welcomed in 2010, with amazement, gratitude and a few reminders that the time of our youth has passed. We wish everyone who reads this a year filled with peace, compassion, joy and adventure. Ngwaga o mosha.
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Vashti
non-member comment
Wow!
What an adventure. Beautiful photos! I'm so glad that you and your best friend (aka "my dad") had such a lovely time!!!! You are missed. By the way...your profile pic is adorable. You look too young to be my mama! xxoo