A trip to Mombasa!

So, less than a week after arriving back from Vic Falls and Chobe I woke up before the sun and went to the Intercape bus stop. For some reason, I neglected to do much in the way of planning before setting out on this adventure, which is fairly uncharacteristic. I tried to book a ticket over the internet the night before I was supposed to leave, but it would not work. Then I realized that all the Batswana students who are studying in South Africa would also be looking to head to Johannesburg around that time. I panicked a little, but Ronald came to take me to the bus stop and waited with me while they tried to figure out if there were any available seats. He made sure to stand near the conductor so that she didn't forget about me, and in the end she told me I could have her seat! I sat in a regular seat until we stopped to pick up the last person with a ticket, and after that I sat up front near the driver and the conductor stood in the stairwell. When I got to Jo'burg I asked about a taxi and she helped me find an Intercape employee who agreed to drive me to the airport. People have complained about the lack of customer service in Botswana, but they are just not looking in the right places, I guess.

I got to the airport at about 2 o'clock and found out that the Kenya Airways staff doesn't arrive until 8:30, so I would have to wait to check in. I spent a few hours at one little cafe and then browsed the three shops available, then spent a few more hours in the other little cafe because there were no seating areas that were not attached to cafes. Then I found a phone card and a phone booth and called mom and dad and Ronald to let them know I had made it to the airport. I finally checked in and browsed the more abundant shops inside the terminal and decided they need a wedding registry at the Jo'burg airport. They had so many amazing housewares! I managed to get some sleep on the plane and when I landed in Kenya I got my visa and made my way toward domestic departures. A man approached me and said you are going to Mombasa? I will show you where the terminal is, sit here until the line dies down and I will check to make sure you are in the system. Hmmmm. This guy clearly wanted money. I had a boarding pass, why would I suddenly drop out of the system. I told him I could find the terminal on my own after he tried to get a 1000 shilling tip. Nice try, buddy, look for some other mzungu to hustle!

I finally arrived in Mombasa and Ruth was waiting at the airport. We drove through Mombasa and took the ferry to South Beach where Ruth lives and where my hotel was. Mombasa city is on an island, so the ferry is the only way to get from South Beach into town. We arrived in the village of Ukanda. It was so vibrant and lively that I immediately felt welcome and at home. We then headed to my beach front hotel, the Kaskazi. This was the view from my balcony:

After a much-needed shower and nap we headed out to see the village and try some traditional Swahili food. I called it a night early; I was exhausted from the 30 hours of traveling it took to get there. The next day we headed in to Mombasa city on the ferry and took a tuk-tuk (pictured below) to Fort Jesus, a Portuguese fort built almost 500 years ago which is now a national monument and museum. The "Anti-Corruption Suggestion Box" was my favorite part... Though the views were also quite wonderful.










Then we went shopping in town and I got some great fabric, a leso (traditional cloth), and a dress. That night we went dancing at Sharkatak. Ruth is one of my all-time favorite people to dance with.

On Sunday we went to Shimba Hills game reserve with Ruth's friend Sylvia and her sons Joseph (6) and Nick (14 months). We saw buffalo, warthogs, elephants, and two male giraffes fighting by hitting each other with their necks. We also found a tailor to make me a dress out of my new fabric.
On Monday I got my hair braided. It took three ladies four-and-a-half hours to complete. Then we went in to Mombasa and ran around for hours trying to book me a hostel for my night in Jo'burg on the way back to Botswana. We watched the show at the hotel, which was "Lord of the Dance" that night. It was a little odd to watch Irish step dancing in Kenya, I have to admit.

Tuesday we went snorkeling at the coral reef in the marine park, it was so beautiful!
Then we had a seafood lunch at a hotel and walked through the mangroves. The black stuff is dead coral--the entire area used to be under water at one time.


Then we went and picked up my dress at the tailor and enjoyed "African Night" with traditional food and dancing at the hotel. On Wednesday we did one last round of shopping in Mombasa before heading to the airport. My flight from Nairobi to Jo'burg was delayed, so I didn't get in until about 1:30 am. The people from the hostel were there to pick me up, though and I got some sleep. The next day I took a taxi to the bus station and took the Intercape back to Gaborone. Ronald met me at the bus stop and took me home. I gave him the shirt I bought for him and we had a little fashion show.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Chobe Game Reserve

On Tuesday Teresa and I flew up to Kasane and were picked up at the airport by a shuttle from the lodge in Vic Falls. We made it through the border and I saw something rummaging through a garbage can. "That is a skinny cat!" I thought. Turns out it was a monkey!

We set off through the national park toward Vic Falls and came across some southern giraffes on the side of the road. These are lighter in color than the reticulated giraffes I saw in Madikwe.

We made it to the lodge and went to the room to drop off our stuff. Gerald, Marilu, and Michelle were in town, so we made our way to the Boma restaurant to get some lunch. On our way three warthogs charged out of the brush and down the road. It was startling, but they didn't seem interested in us in the least. When we got to the Boma I ordered the warthog steak roll. Delicious!


When the others got back we went down to the marketplace to have a look. That was an experience! Luckily I could say I was just looking and save the real craziness for another day! The next morning we booked a sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi and an elephant back safari. Then we went to the falls. They are stunning!!

Our sunset cruise was beautiful and peaceful.

The next morning we got up before the sun and headed to camp elephant. We had tea and learned a little about the elephants that live at the camp. They are all orphans and some of them came to the camp seriously ill or injured by poachers' snares. I rode Emily, a 22 year old elephant. She was awesome. Her best friend, Janet, and her baby walked in front of us. The baby was SOOO cute! He was very playful and ran around trumpeting and charging the staff members. My elephant driver wanted to know how to get an American girlfriend. I guess I had better figure out how to answer that question!

After the ride we gave the elephants pellets to thank them for the ride and they saluted us. We had breakfast and watched the DVD of our adventure.

After the elephant ride we went back to the marketplace with barter items in hand. It was pretty chaotic! We had sweaters, t-shirts, socks, underwear, soap, pens, jackets, hats, gloves, scarves... We got swarmed and people would just make a pile of whatever they wanted and it seemed like everything I wanted belonged to someone who wasn't there, so I had to pick something else... It was certainly an experience and I ended up with some nice gifts. After the marketplace I packed up my stuff and Gerald drove me to Kasane. We hit the ATM because it is impossible to get cash in Zimbabwe and only the hotels take credit cards (and only when the computers and phone lines are working...). I checked in at the Chobe Safari Lodge, booked a game drive and sunset cruise for the next day and headed to Choppies (a grocery store) for some take-away.

The next morning we headed out at 6 am for our game drive. It started out slow, but then we saw some southern giraffe. Then we got the call on the radio that three lions had been spotted moving toward the river. We rushed down to see a mother with two 4-year old male offspring on the hunt. They were so cool!! They are used to the trucks and see them as "objects" but our guide said if we made sudden movements or too much noise they would realize that we were edible!

When I got back to the lodge I had some breakfast and took a nap. I had planned on going for a swim in the lodge pool, but couldn't figure out how to get sunscreen on my back. I guess I would have figured something out if I really wanted a swim... At 3 we headed out on our sunset cruise. We saw elephants galore

hippos

cape buffalo

water monitors

more elephants playing in the river

giraffes

elephants and the sunset

As we were admiring a couple of bull elephants trying to decide whether to cross over to the island for some grass a boat pulled up beside mine. Lo and behold, it was Dave and several of the Penn undergrads! I didn't even know they were headed up to Chobe!

After the cruise I had dinner with the Penns at their lodge, then packed up and went to sleep. I got up at 4:30 and caught the 6 am bus to Francistown. The bus was somewhere between a minivan and a bus, and it sat 27. At one point I counted 31 people in the bus. It was a workout trying not to fall off the tiny seat as we swerved to miss the potholes in the road! We made it to Francistown about 12:30 and I got some food and a coke and made my way to the Gaborone bus. I met a lady who was headed to Mochudi, so I asked her if she knew Judge Dow. "Of course, she is my homegirl!" was the answer. I even got invited to the wedding she was attending in Mochudi. I would have loved to go, but I will be in Kenya.

Botswana takes its "foot and mouth disease-free" status very seriously, as it opens up lots of markets for their beef. Between Zimbabwe and Gaborone I went through three disease checkpoints where I had to disinfect all of my shoes and the vehicle had to drive thorough disinfectant. When the bus stops in towns along the way it is borded by a large number of vendors selling everything from sodas and water to take-away meals and air time. Riding the bus was an experience, that is for sure. A 13 hour + experience. Needless to say I was SO greatful to get off the bus in Gabs and find Ronald waiting to pick me up. (Ronald is my boyfriend and a wonderful man, more about him in a later post.) We got some pizza and I went home and slept like someone had hit me over the head with a sledgehammer.

Other goings on about town

Despite the recurring theme of my past blog posts, I do not spend every day on a game drive (though I would be OK with that). Most days I stay home and read, do laundry, go grocery shopping, and spend time on the internet. Some days are far more eventful than others, last weekend was a good example.

Last Saturday was the Orange (one of the cell providers in Botswana) charity cup. It is a soccer tournament that lasts all day. The games started at 8 am, but we didn’t get there until about 10. We saw the end of the first match and the traditional dancing between the games. Then we watched the Mochudi Center Chiefs win their game and advance to the final. (The Center Chiefs are our friend Molls’ home town team, so we rooted for them by proxy). We went home and had some lunch and went back for the final.

I have to admit, I didn’t see much of the final. Batswana men tend to over imbibe at soccer games and then there is no telling what will happen… Someone walked by and randomly groped me, others gave hugs or high fives. One very persistent young man sat down in front of me and declared that he wanted to start a family with me. I told him I am very busy for the next few years. He also said he hated cats. I told him there was no way we could make a family work if that was the case. He also asked me if I was part of a drama group because I am always acting. When we finally got away from him, there was a guy who wanted to give Teresa and me massages, which we politely declined. One man told our friend Nelly that she looked like the guy who plays on Fat Albert. Then his friend asked if she and I were sisters. These guys are smooth with the ladies! I have to admit, it makes for some funny stories, though.

Sunday we attended a funeral for Judge Dow’s niece Kgalalelo. The service began at sunrise (about 6:30). Several family members spoke about their memories and the clergyman spoke. There was a lot of singing which was quite beautiful. Most of the service was in Tsetswana, so I don’t know exactly what was said. They read the condolences from family and friends and then we proceeded to the cemetery. The family members each took turns shoveling dirt into the grave while the rest sang hymns. Then wreaths and flowers were placed on the grave and a little wrought iron structure with shade netting over the top and Klalalelo’s name, date of birth, date of death, and date of burial were placed over the grave. We then went back to the grandmother’s house where the service had taken place and ate traditional food. It was a very sad day.

I went to work on Wednesday and got to see some of the Court of Appeals proceedings. It was quite interesting. Of the 8 Justices, only one is Motswana. The rest are from South Africa, Lesotho, or the Caribbean. The youngest Justice is 63. The Court used to meet only twice a year but is now moving to four meetings a year and Justices are not appointed, they apply. I got to watch an appeal against a sentence for murder with extenuating circumstances and an appeal against a sentence for manslaughter. The Court of Appeals reserves all judgment for the end of the session, so I don’t know what the decision will be.

Yesterday was my roommate Michelle’s birthday, and we all went out to dinner to celebrate. This weekend we are leaving to go to Victoria Falls, and then I am heading to the Chobe Game Reserve and the Okavango Delta. Thursday I got my Yellow Fever vaccination so I am all set for Kenya. I can’t believe how time flies! I will be back in Philadelphia in less than a month, and I still feel like I just arrived. This may be my first trip to Africa, but it certainly won’t be my last!

Madikwe game reserve, South Africa

Wow! I went down to Madikwe on Monday morning and stayed the night. It was incredible!! The lodge was stunning, the staff was wonderful, and I saw some amazing animals. I got there about 11:30 and was given a tour of the lodge and shown to my chalet. It was complete with a bathtub, king-sized bed, outdoor shower, and a deck overlooking the water hole. During lunch I watched as blue wildebeest, springbok, and waterbuck played at the water hole. They were running around, jumping, and chasing each other. It was pretty cool! wildebeest

waterbuck

At about 4 pm we headed out on the first game drive. I met Penny and her son Michael who were also down from Gaborone and our rangers Morah and John. We headed over to the area where a lone male lion was guarding the wildebeest he had killed that morning. He was clearly agitated, so we decided to leave him alone to settle down. I couldn't really get any good pictures, sometimes animals just don't cooperate! Then we headed further into the reserve and found some zebras grazing by the side of the road. My first zebras!

When we left the zebras we decided that we should stop for some refreshments while the sun started to set, because the animals are more mobile at sunset and after dark. After our beverages we came upon a male giraffe with a beautiful deep coat.

We watched him for quite a while as he munched on the treetops. As the sun set we moved on and came upon a breeding herd of elephants, including a baby that was about 1 month old! The lighting conditions made getting a good picture difficult, this is the best I could do.

The baby was super cute, still a "bit wonky on his legs" as my ranger put it. As we left the baby elephant and its family behind we ran into a group of seven giraffes grazing by the side of the road! Giraffes don't have a set social structure, so while you sometimes find them in groups they are often lone grazers. It was too dark for pictures by that point, and of course that is when the really crazy stuff started to happen. We got word on the radio that three prides of lions had moved in on the lone male and his kill and there was a fight for territory and food. We rushed back to where we had begun, and there were 10 lions within 30 feet of the vehicle. By the time we got there the fighting was over and three of the other lions were finishing off the wildebeest. A pride of six lions was hanging out in the shrubs, and the male who lost his food was resting a few feet away. During the fight one of the prides crashed through the electric fence and into the Tau Lodge Staff Village. Again, pictures were not possible due to lighting conditions (and not wanting to piss the lions off with my flash...). On our way back to the lodge we saw a spotted hyena headed straight into the mess of lions. Hyenas and lions are arch enemies, so it would have been the end of him if he had proceeded. Luckily for him, he managed to avoid the lions.

Dinner was great, I sat with Penny and Michael and our rangers Morah and John. I had the impala steak. While I am not sure how I feel about eating the animals I was just admiring, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to try something exotic. It was quite good, not gamey at all. It was very similar to beef steak. After dinner I took a warm bath with bath salts and climbed into the huge bed. At 6:30 I got my wakeup call and headed down to the main lodge for some tea and muffins. Then we headed out on our morning game drive.

I hope these impala didn't hold my dinner choice against me... We saw kudu, the group of giraffe from the night before, zebras,and two bull elephants. We tracked a leopard that another group had seen the previous evening, but she was hiding. We saw a red hartebeestand a steenbok (tiny but full grown)

lots of cool birds

Just as we were heading back to the lodge we saw a herd of cape buffalo!

Then I had a lovely breakfast and headed back to Gaborone. I am glad I made it down to Tau, and highly recommend the trip to Madikwe if you are looking for a wonderful experience. Of couse, there is more to life in Botswana than game drives, so in my next post I will cover "other goings on." For now, I am headed to bed, I am going in to work tomorrow!