Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

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  Gabs, Botswana
Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Back again in Botswana
Time to move on...I leave Botswana for good tomorrow morning at 6 am to meet up with Meg in Tanzania on Friday. Its been an amazing experience, I've had some wonderful times, brilliant laughs, met some fantastic people and learnt loads about life, myself and the world and had fun teaching Americans English/ well Britishims like Wanker, Bugger and Bollocks!

Notes and Corrections
Apologies to Geoff in the last blog for misspelling his name continually!!

Most over-used phrases
"I'm easy but not cheap!"
"Sure, sure!"
"Now, Now or Just now!"
"Just because I'm white, don't think I'm stupid!"
"Ische"

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
A last minute decision, I decide to join 6 others (all Americans and all some how medical, whether still a student or fully fledged MD) on a camping trip to the untouched and unspoilt Kalahari desert. We set off from Gabs in two cars and arrive after 12 hours of driving at the south western edge of Botswana at the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to go on a wilderness trail camping trip. This consists of no more than 2 vehicles (1 party) on the route at any one time and camp grounds that are just a clearing in the bush that is home to lion, leopard, hyena, cheetah and antelope.....Thankfully no elephants, hippos or crocs! Its dark when we arrive but by the light of a near full moon, we set up camp and take full advantage of the first camp's facilities, knowing that the next 3 days/ 2 nights we will be totally in the bush!

The next morning we set off and after much haggling with the authorities (we should have set off at 6 am and not 9 am...we should have started the trail somewhere else....etc!) we drive in convey up to the last serviced camping site Nossob. Suddenly we lose the second vehicle, turning round we find the owner/ driver and passenger scratching their heads, bonnet open and steam rising from the engine - yup it over heated. We limp into Nossob and group discussion incurs, the options are:
1. 7 of us pile into a land cruiser, with all food, camping equipment, water, gas etc for the 3 day trip.
2. 1 or 2 people stay behind
On finding out that we had somehow (no names will be mentioned!) left the tent poles behind at the first camp, we thought what else could go wrong so lets f*** it and piled everything minus a tent and everyone into one car and laughing and being laughed at, headed to the Wilderness trail.

It was an amazing journey, we got stuck once in thick, smelly, sticky mud and all got covered as we pushed the land cruiser one way and then the next in several attempts to get it free... all the while getting mud splattered by the wheels spinning! Mud wrestling was not part of the activities on offer, but smelly and caked in grey mud we climbed back in the car and set off in the darkening evening to the first camp site.

We saw masses of Gemsbok, Hartebeasts, springbok, wilderbeasts, gnus, secretary birds, kori bustards, eagles, ostriches, jackals and a few lions and eland, but no cheetahs or leopards, awesome sunrises and sunsets, but most of the time we were driving too fast to game view trying to get around the trail before dark.

I had a brilliant time - learning to rally drive and almost taking off once and crashing a couple of times.. not sure how the others felt about my skills as the next Colin McRae - but I'm now thinking of training for the next Dakar rally race!!!!

We made it back to Gabs in one piece, and I've never been so glad of a shower! You know its bad when you can smell yourself, you know its really bad when you can no longer smell yourself!!!

Botswana is haunting, mesmerising, frustrating, amazing, beautiful, breath-takingly awesome... the people are friendly, open, warm and inviting, the sights spectacular and the colours vivid, luminous and stunning. However, I'm not sure where my future lies, but I now know its not Botswana...not enough rich men as potential marriage material (Highest offer is only 20 cows for my lobola (sorry M and D!)). On a serious note, I had romantic notions that Botswana was my spiritual home, but on spending time here as an adult, I have come to realise it is not, it will always be a special place for me and I intend to visit again and often, but it is not where I wish to spend the rest of my life or any substantial period of time.

The trouble with Botswana
It would be naive of me to think I could explain all the contradictions about Botswana and its culture, but I will attempt here to simplify some of my observations:

Botswana is on the brink of westernisation, its a rich country without the people having to work, there is not really a concept of industry. Over 50% of the work force is employed by the government, generating no wealth and that does not include those indirectly employed by government in the service industry. It sits on the world's most valuable diamond fields of which the government gets 75% of the proceeds and (credit to them) have tried to distribute this amongst the people. However, this has caused problems as the Batswana now expect hand outs and so things have become valueless including education, health care etc. I've heard of patients taking ARVs thinking they should get money from the government for being responsible citizens and taking their ARVs on time and thus reducing the spread of HIV. In other African countries, just getting the ARVs is a miracle. Also the women here.. In Africa women have no to little voice and even less of a choice and this has contributed to the spread of HIV throughout Southern Africa, but in Botswana women have been given a chance, albeit slim - they are educated to the same level as men, but they continue to use their bodies as commodities to get a flash car, new cell phone, a few drinks at the bar. Okay it's still behind the west on equality especially in terms of employment, but Botswana is more advanced than a lot of its neighbours - there are now 5 women kgosi (chiefs) on the chiefs' council - and yet the women are still apathetic and compliant. Also they don't feel they are a woman until they have had a child, meaning they are having unprotected sex to achieve this goal. It takes time to change culture, but the Batswana have been aware of AIDS/ HIV for 10 - 15 years and still there is no significant change in behaviour. Alright, there is awareness but not much knowledge - there is still a belief it can be cured or you can contract the disease from the toilet seat.. BUT they know having unprotected sex with multiple partners is risky and yet they still partake in that behaviour. Contributing to this is an unemployment rate of 40% and a major drinking culture. Also, they know that this is a polygamist society, but have this warped view that their man/ woman is faithful to them! Its frustrating, because they know the risks and yet they don't protect themselves...is it because there is no tomorrow in Africa and thus the thought of dying in 5 - 7 years is so far off that there is no need to take appropriate precaution or is it that death is so integral to life here that there is not the western fear of dying, leaving behind children, family, friends etc? I don't know the answer and there are loads of subtle complexities of the above arguments, too much to go into for this site. But all I know is that since 1989 the life expectancy in Botswana has dropped from 69 to mid 30s, that you don't see middle aged people in Botswana. That 1 in 2 25 - 29 year olds are HIV+ and that over 1 in 3 adults from 15 - 49 are infected and unless something drastic happens in the next 5 years or so, this will be a country of orphans and grandparents... but hey they'll still have diamonds!

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Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Moon over Bokspit	Morning light	One happy camper	Over(h)eating
Packed and ready to go	Sunrise through trees	The African plains	The camp site
The Kalahari Desert	Why did the ostrich cross the road?

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