New horizons

On Monday morning we left. It was lovely and sunny, as it always is here in Bostawana this time of the year. A few hours later, after we’d crossed the river already, it started to rain, and it didn’t stop raining for there days. It never rains in here in June - this is the middle of the dry season. We got to Maun just after it got dark in the pouring rain, went out for a pizza and had an early night. The following morning after we’d done some running around we headed towards Sowa town in the eastern Botswana, where Anna and Graham have their house. It was still pissing with rain. We never made it to Sowa, but had to seek refuge on the way as the rain and darkness got too much. We found a cozy safari lodge near Nata where we stayed the night, and continued our journey in the morning. In Sowa I spent the whole day trying to cash my traveler’s cheques. In the evening we had dinner and a small birthday celebration, for it was my birthday the following day and also our last night together.

On Thursday morning we went to see the Sowa salt pans, a home for thousands and thousands of flamingoes and also the place where Graham did his PhD – on flamingoes, of course. A miracle happened: the sun came out. The flamingoes were out too, it felt like the seaside and smelled like the seaside, in the middle of a desert. Magical place.

It was time for me to go and say goodbye to Anna and Graham, who were heading in the other direction. I was due to jump on a bus to Kasane, but Graham managed to find me a lift with some guy he knew. I got to Kasane, got dropped off at Thebe camp site feeling extremely tired and not in the best of spirits. The place was horrible, but it was the only place I could stay for an affordable price as I didn’t have my own camping equipment (I’d tried to buy some in Maun but couldn’t find anything and Thebe had promised to hire a tent for me). The campsite had flooded recently, so my tent was placed in a lovely spot between the main road and the temporary bar, with the view of the office. The whole place just felt hostile, nothing like the other lodges and campsites I’d been to so far. Miserable, I went to bed at 6.30pm, trying to forget it was my birthday. I read Anna Karenina for a couple of hours (great travel book, it just lasts and lasts…), then tried to go to sleep, but it was around then that the party started going in the nearby bar. They closed just before midnight, when I finally managed to fall asleep.

Wake-up was at 5.20am, as I’d decided to do an early morning game drive that was organized by the campsite. It was excellent – we got to Chobe National Park just as the sun was rising and most of the animals were active. In the space of three hours I saw lions (very close – one crossed the road just in front of the car, and we also witnessed lions mating in the grass…), elephants (my first time seeing a baby elephant in the daylight), giraffes, buffaloes, warthogs, impala to name a few. After the game drive I headed to Kasane town and when I got back to the campsite in the afternoon I spoke to the reception staff about moving my tent somewhere else where I could actually get some sleep and perhaps even a nice view. They said no. I had a moment of clarity – I wasn’t going to stay in this shithole for another night especially as it was my last days in Botswana, so I packed my bags and walked off, even though I’d already paid for two nights there. I jumped on a taxi, and asked him to drop me off in town. I’d seen a small tent for sale in one of the shops earlier that day, so I bought that and a mattress (no camping mattresses around, so I had to buy a big one...), and with my big rucksack, small rucksack, handbag, tent, and a full-size mattress walked into the most beautiful safari lodge in town (Chobe Safari Lodge) and asked to camp there. They were friendly, the place was lovely, I felt so much happier!
I was looking for a spot for my tent by the river when I spotted an Intrepid Travel bus. That’s the company I nearly booked a tour with to travel from Livingstone to Cape Town, until I decided to do it on my own. The guide was setting up the camp as his group were out on a boat cruise and we started chatting. He invited me to camp with them and also to join them for a dinner, which I gladly accepted. It was a nice evening, and I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that I’d made the right choice to leave Thebe.

They were off to Livingstone this morning and offered me a free ride, which I was very tempted to take, but then decided to stay another night here in Kasane and just relax. I also wanted to do the boat cruise on the Chobe river. So that’s my plan for today – they have a swimming pool at the lodge so after I’m finished here at the Internet café I shall park myself next to the pool, and maybe try getting some colour on my pitifully white legs (which have remained untanned due to me wearing long trousers most of time, while my arms and face are an impressive golden brown colour) while reading a bit more of my book. The cruise is later on in the afternoon, and tomorrow morning I’ll say goodbye to Botswana and try to get across the border.

The turmoil over the last few days was making me quite stressed out: I was feeling sad about leaving the camp, anxious about the accommodation in Kasane etc so I didn’t even feel exited about the impending journey ahead of me. However, I’m now full of optimism, excitement and curiosity, ready to embrace the adventure waiting for me. It was good to spend the night with the Intrepid group and notice that I’d made the right choice of going solo rather than joining a tour – I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed the strict schedule they were bound to. I can finally fully relate to the words I read a while ago and scribbled down in my notebook:

There is nothing more beautiful than a moment before a voyage, the moment when tomorrow’s horizon comes to visit us, to announce its promises. (Milan Kundera)