Spilled milk

The border crossing into Botswana was easy breezy – took us 38 minutes to be exact.  We checked out, checked in, paid for the car, and that was it – they were done with us. It was such smooth sailing that we got suspicious…so after checking, and double checking, that we did indeed make all necessary payments, and have all the official papers & stamps, we were on our merry way.  At the Botswana entrance, there was one last inspection of our fridge – NO VEGGIES ALLOWED INTO BOTSWANA.  We had been warned about this, by a young Austrian couple in the campsite, and opted to hide all our good veg into the washing machine bucket (😊 literally a case of mushrooms amongst old socks!  So you’re not totally grossed out by us, all veg was still wrapped and sealed) leaving a couple of decoy limp carrots and rotten avos in the fridge to be confiscated from us.  The idea was that a little win, would mean there was no need to go through the whole back of the car.  Worked a treat!

 

First stop: Ghanzi – where we had the boring task of setting ourselves up with SIM cards, Botswana Pula, and getting a bit more info on parks & campsites.  Information on how to book campsites within the parks was clear as mud, and after being sent from pillar to post and back to the pillar, we learned that there are three companies, in three different offices in Maun, who manage 12 campsites, in 3 different parks.  To cut a long boring story short –we based ourselves in Maun, called all offices – got availability ideas, put together our itinerary, visited each of said offices, and made the bookings and payments.  Took us a day and a half but we sorted it out. The itinerary would be: 2 nights in Mgadikgadi & Nxai Pans, 3 nights in Moremi (Okavango Delta), and 4 nights in Chobe!

 

Unlike Zambia & Namibia where we had good local knowledge, to point us in the ‘right’ direction, we had limited contacts in Botswana for top tips, so we asked fellow travelers – and quickly learned that their direction is not always your direction 😊.  Some of the advice we got included fabulous campsites based entirely on the ablution block experience, campsites to avoid – as there were too many wild animals around, or to consider a detour of over 500km to avoid a sandy stretch of road.  It was clear that we should do our own research, and trust our instincts because the advice that was being handed out was clearly not for us – to be frank – it was pants!

 

We like to think we are savy safari adventurers, so it pains me to admit that the memories we made at Mgadikgadi came at a high cost – our pride!  We were victims of harassment by a gang of three bastard vervets.  It was simple.  There was about 2.8 seconds where we were not paying attention, a simple blip in the grey matter – and before you know it, the vervets had torn the milk packet put aside for the tea, and were having a picnic about 2 meters away from us.  Braisen! Like they were invited to party.  I have never seen Col so angry.  I wish I could say that was it – but there was an aftershock blip in the grey matter where they actually got into the car, and ran off with the bread rolls.  Col by this stage is furious!!! Raging!! Wishes them dead, both verbally and physically!!  Col dives into a thorn bush to retrieve bread that was dropped in a panic – no way in hell are they getting this sandy roll.  I try to calm Col down – convince him its time to leave – and try to see the silver lining of the whole situation – could have been worse – at least they didn’t crap in the car?!

 

That day started off terribly – but ended with one of the best sundowners we have had on this trip.  Picture this.  We camp at Baines Baobab 3 – a gigantic Baobab tree on the shores of the salt flat. Its just us and the bush (and no monster ablution block).  We park our little aldi chairs in the middle of the salt flats, and watch the sun go down whilst sipping an ice-cold drink – Savannah for me, Windhoek for Col.  Zebras and a jackal in the distance.  It was magic! Felt like very lucky people and couldn’t help but feel this is a memory that will stay with me forever.

 

Next up: Moremi, Chobe and Andromeda goes Goggling!