Aug 31, Kasane Africa

By Jain

What a night. We both are wide awake up at 3 a.m. (jet lag). It looked like it was going to be long sleepless night. But after waking up looking out the apartment window and seeing no wild animals were sitting on our porch we managed to fall back to sleep. We slept until 8:30 a.m. which is unheard of for us… we usually wake up at least by 6 a.m.

Jay makes coffee and I sit on the deck.  At 9 am sharp our chamber maid wants to clean our room, fine with me. Actually my pet peeve is having my room cleaned late in the day so this was a blessing. So Jay and I sit on our porch soaking in some African sunshine having coffee while she proceeded to clean our room for an hour. Now since we have only been here a half of day it can't be that dirty, but she busys herself mopping everything in sight. One thing I have noticed in Africa, somebody is always mopping something whether in the airport, grocery store in restaurants. I have seen people just carrying a mop down the road, just in case the urge strikes them I guess.

This morning is a great time to do chores meaning washing our clothes we have worn for the past two days, and making arrangements for our first safari.  We decided on a boat safari going down the Chobe River. This safari departs from a prestigious hotel, the Chobe Safari Lodge. It leaves in the early afternoon and returns after sunset. It starts in Kasane and enters Chobe National Park, where the boat stops and pays a fee for each passenger complete with passport numbers. The procedure is very exacting but the old worn out toll booth on the makeshift pier seems an unlikely place to deposit money.

Our newly acclaimed favorite Kasane taxi driver, Joseph takes us the short 3 kilometers down the road to the fancy upscale resort the Chobe Safari Lodge to catch our boat. Joseph, or Joey as he is called by some, is young, funny, and eager to please. A new father he has lived in the village all his life, knows everybody and is well liked. His old worn down beater of a car has seen better days and if washed would probably just crumble to the ground. Inside is well worn but clean (his wife probably mops it). Jay said he tried to wind the window down but it got stuck half way down and he couldn't get it back up either. I hope it doesn't rain.

As he putts down the road he proudly points out the Kasane sites; notably the police station, water treatment plant, social center and hospital. All these buildings are built out of basolite construction and without a sign with their name on the outside they all look alike. Actually the water treatment plant is the nicest building of the bunch. God help you if you had to go to the building that said, "Hospital".

When we arrive at Chobe Safari Lodge we both gave each other a look that said, "Wow! So this is how the rich people live. Rooms here must cost a fortune. This resort is huge, lovely gardens (complete with roaming warthogs), a pool, bar and dining areas and a nice view of the Chobe river.  Our self catering apt probably costs a fraction of what these guys are paying but peering in some of rooms decided we liked our apartment better.

Our safari boat is fairly large and since we are first on board we get great seats. Most of our fellow passengers speak German and have cameras the size of machine guns. At times I feel like telling people just put down your camera and just take a look.The Skipper promises we will see animals but how many and what varieties depends on pure luck. He said everyday is different. He goes over the rules; no swimming or diving please (that's obviously a joke), and arms, legs and hands stay inside the boat. That is obviously not meant to be a joke since crocodiles and Hippos abound.

On safari boat trip goes down the Chobe river where it intersects with Zimbabwe River. The views are breathtaking. Most of the trip, Namibia is on one side while Botswana is on the other side. In the middle of the two are various islands and marshland. We see more animals than we have ever dreamed of. Herds of elephants, with baby elephants in tow, feasting on the marsh grasses and swimming across the river to feast then again on tree leaves on river banks.

On the trip we are just yards away from crocodiles just lazing in the sun (some with their mouth open, looking for a handout). In addition there are  hippos, water buffalo, antelope, springbok and baboons everywhere. All and all we are very delighted to see so many animals up close. We both thought this boat cruise was even better than our previous jeep safaris.

At the end of the cruise we witness the most spectacular sunset I have even seen, anywhere. Truly an ah ah moment. Nothing can describe the beauty of this country at sunset.

At the end of our trip Joseph is waiting to take us back to our apartment. We ask if he could drop us off at the Hunters Pub for dinner. He actually walks us in, finds us a table and tells us if we  need a ride home to call him.  Our home is about a block away and we politely say no we will be okay and we can walk, barring of course there are no Hippos or warthogs out and about.

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Kasane, Botswana

By Jain

We spent last night at the Johannesburg Airport Protea Transit Hotel. Transit hotels are great since they are located in the airport itself and very handy to restaurants, shops and boarding gates.  Usually the rooms are pretty basic however this hotel seemed to be upscale and very comfortable, meeting our needs and for getting some shut eye.

Last night we took a stroll down to one of the airport restaurants. Having been to Africa before I now recall that the wait and service people are very nice and are outgoing and friendly. It is hard not to notice there always seems to be an abundance of staff. Even in the tiniest shop you will see three salespeople ...o.k., maybe not paying attention to customers but at least they are there, chatting with each other, having a good time.

Sitting down to dinner last night we were greeted by five waiters anxious to escort us to our table. Once seated we waited quite a long time until Chacha introduced himself and with a big smile said his name stood for powerful one. With his warm welcome, he presented our menus and we never saw "the powerful" one again. Another waiter took our order another waiter delivered our food and yet another presented the bill. I remember the African service is slow but the orders usually turn out accurate.

Our flight to Kasane, (that is pronounced Ka Saun a) Botswana is a short 1 hour and twenty minutes. On the plane we were served a box lunch consisting of pasta salad and cold meatballs. Jay said his meatballs were slightly icey, nevertheless quite tasty. To round out the meal we also got some herb crackers from France and a huge chunk of chocolate. Hey, what else could you ask for.

Kasane is a small town located on the banks of the famous Chobe River bordering on the Chobe National Park. At the airport we hailed a taxi to take us the 3 kilometers to our new digs, the Chobe River Cottages. We will be staying 3 nights here then going two blocks down the road to stay at The Old House B and B which was our first choice but since the tourist season is officially in full bloom accommodations there weren't available.

The Chobe River Cottages are self catering units complete with a bedroom, kitchen and a patio. Ours is quite nice, located next to the pool. Well when I say pool I mean cement pond, really...but it is clean and the premises are well maintained.  Our first order of business is to head to the Spar market about a block down the road.

To give you an idea of what Kasane looks like just imagine a small town in a 3rd world country in the desert the color of brown, a lot of dirt, dry, and poor. On second glance let me describe it as in the desert, the color of brown, a lot of dirt, and poor. But more I look around I start to see the people, the activity, and surroundings and appreciate its uniqueness. This is Africa and there's no place in the world like it.

There is one broken down highway leading to the shopping center that has a bank, grocery store, KFC, liquor store, a misc of tiny shops and safari tour operators.   Along the highway, locals have set up makeshift souvenir stands trying to entice tourists to stop and take a look.

As we walked along the highway we passed by those waiting for the bus and carefully maneuvered around a warthog who is looking for some food. We are comforted by knowing warthogs only eat grasses and green stuff, not humans. However since talking to our neighbor we have been warned Warthogs can be dangerous if threatened; their tusks and teeth could get nasty.

In any foreign country you can get a pretty good feel of the people and the country if you just go to a grocery store and take a walk through the aisles. Here in the Spar market in Kasane Africa there is a tiny produce section, fairly large mystery meat section, a big selection of "Billabong" (that's beef jerky to us) a huge section for potato chips, candies, sweets and a whole aisle with large stacks of bags of rice. These bags are the size of an economy sized bag of dog food you would buy at Costco.

Well it's out for dinner and we venture down the two lane highway to one of the few Kasane restaurants. Jay, after seeing warning sign for Hippos posted in the garden, asks the waiter, "How dangerous are Hippos really?" Our waiter smiles reassuringly and says, "If chased by a Hippo just run in a zig-zag pattern as fast as you can and if possible look for a log to jump over". Evidently Hippos have a very short foot to knee span so any jumping is almost impossible. Good to know. As we started home we realize we can't run in a zig-zag for fear of being run over by a truck barreling down the highway, and we running fast is out of the question ... so we start to look for logs.

Sweet dreams from Africa. 

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Out to Africa August 28th

By Jain

We are on our way to Africa. After 5 weeks at home we are rested and raring to go. Well, I think it was only after a brief 2 weeks at home when  Jay said, "When do we go again?" He was ready.

Don't get me wrong, there's no place like home, yet it seems like there is always someplace calling our name, someplace where we long to go. I admit, being at home is nice, it is comfortable. At home we have our friends, daily routines, our favorite chair to sit back and relax, and our own bed. It is easy to fall back into the groove.  But somehow for us that groove makes us feel like we have one foot struck in a rut.

So it's off again flying the blue skies to our next destination Botswana and Zambia. We are loyal Delta customers so we are quite familiar with one of their slogans "Time on Board is Time Well Spent."  Don't believe it. If you have spent any length of time in the air, flying on an airplane ranks just above going to Dentist. Most of the time flying is long, boring and uncomfortable. At least at your dental appointment you're probably gonna be out of there in an hour, with your mouth numb to ease the pain, and when things get really bad you can kick the Dentist in the crotch. And besides, in the Dentist chair, you're sitting alone without that guy next to you that wants to be your next best friend. Like the guy sitting next to Jay now.  He is flying to Chicago to attend an air and heating convention. We know so much about his business I could do his taxes. ...and the things I know about his wife... but that's another story.

Our flight to Africa has got to be one of the worst. The total in the air flight time is 24 hours however when you add airport time that gets you up to 36 hours travel time. Fun? No!! You gotta be a real travel nut, or maybe what you're thinking, just plain nuts to go through that.  But then again that's the price you have to pay to get half way around the world and see the Big Five. The Big Five (count them) are elephants, lions, rhinos,  leopard, and buffalo. The five you are guaranteed to see on any African trip is warthogs, springbrooks ( a form of deer)  zebras, monkeys and Mosquitoes.

This will be our 3rd trip to Africa. Our first was to South Africa and next we visited Namibia. On our trip to Namibia we actually saw very few animals, because the countryside was in a drought with its rivers dried up. Animals go where there is water. Our location in northern Botswana is next to the Chobe river where the animals have brought real meaning to.. "It's 5 o'clock somewhere". Botswana has the highest game population in all of Africa so we are bound to see some.

Botswana is said to be desert like, flat country with one of the lowest populations of any country in the world. Located at the bottom of Africa just above South Africa, it is landlocked and borders South Africa,  Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe . The citizens of Botswana are known as Batswana with the Ba meaning plural. The single person is called Motswana...go figure..) The Batswana are, for the most part, cattle herders. That's what various tribes have done for centuries. Over the years the expanded cattle rearing is thought to have worsened their drought conditions. So the government has all but closed down many of the local tribes cattle businesses in the name of saving the environment. Of course it may have had something to do with where the diamond mining fields are located.

Because of the diamonds and growing tourist trade (up 200% over the last 5 years!!!), Botswana is a very stable country with strong banking industry. It is supposed to be a very safe country, but I ask you what country is safe these days? The biggest problem is HIV. Botswana has third highest HIV rate in the world. A couple of years ago it was 26% percent, now down to 21%. They also worry about unemployment and alcoholism. I guess not getting to raise cattle takes it toll.

For the next 14 days we will cover about one hundred miles from Chobe National Park through Zambia over to the Victoria Falls.  We are not on a safari but plan to take day safari trips to shoot the big five.. that is shoot like in camera shots. We hope to see a lot of animals and not be run over by an elephant, hippo or bitten by the 2 step. That's a snake that if you are bitten, you are guaranteed to take your last two steps.

Go Siame ( that's "See you later " in Tswana language)

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Botswana

By Jay

Botswana has been on our bucket list since our first visit to South Africa and further motivated by our disappointing trip to Namibia in that the animals there were pretty scarce. Those that we saw were at a considerable distance. Some of the guests that we met booked day trips to some animal preserves where they had the opportunity to get up close and personal with animals that were almost domesticated. While they seemed satisfied with the experience it didn't sound like a good investment; to travel a couple hundred miles to see these animals in a confined and controlled environment.

Making preparations for our adventure in Botswana and Zambia we're been researching accommodations and transportation options and looking forward to being in an area that has a plethora of wild animals and birds which we expect to see in a much more natural environment. 

We will spend our time at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, some time in Kasane and work our way towards the Victoria Falls at Livingstone, Zambia.