close

Me going to Botswana!!!

6 min read
article image -

Botswana is its own country, and the capital is called Gaborone. The drive to Botswana was very different. They still had street people selling their ware, but everywhere you looked there were animals walking or laying around. They were so close that I could reach out my window and touch them.

I saw a mule and I couldn’t help to notice that he was walking funny. My niece looked harder and said that his two front feet were tied together. I was about to jump out of that car and undo the restraints placed on this poor animal, but I reminded myself, ‘you’re in another country, step away from someone’s animal.'

There were cows, goats, mules, and chickens. Ok, so help me with this one, with all the starving in Africa wouldn’t you think here is some food? I guess we Americans think differently about food and all the time.

We stayed at yet another B&B. On the way to this one, it brought back bad memories of the road we got lost in while in Lesotho. The roads were again pot holed dirt and dark. I was looking at my niece and said, “are you sure you on your selection about this B&B???” She did inform me that she normally picks ones with good ratings and comments, but this one she told me didn’t have either. My head snapped towards her so fast. I said, “girl, have you lost your mind cells!!!” Thank goodness for the opportunity to pray to God anywhere and anytime, because this was not looking good for us. I hatched out a plan and said if it doesn’t look good and my spiritual radar kicks, in we are out of here!!

It began to look promising when they had to use a remote to open the gates. The grounds were dark and there were loads of trees and plants. Charles said to my niece that we could have our pick of the houses (which means we were the only ones of the property). I declined for both our sakes; I just imagined them separating us to knock us off sooner. I was not letting my niece out of my site. Worst case scenario, if we were attacked, then I would fight them off long enough for my niece to get away. So you can tell I watch way too much TV, but I felt as though I needed to stay in survival mode.

When we opened the doors, I was taken aback at how beautiful the place was. It was a mini house with ample rooms and space. Ok… me loving this place. Then the girls said to make sure to use both locks; she pointed to the one at the foot of the door. I never saw a lock down there, but you be your sweet pibbie I was going to use it. My niece went right to sleep; I on the other had been consumed with the many different animal sounds as they captured their dinner. Lets just say God and me, well we talked all night.

The next day we prepared for our safari, which was only 2 kilometers away. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, as well as a tracker. Right off the bat we came upon a giraffe (the tour guide said he smelled the giraffe’s perfume). The giraffe was magnificent in size and color. He was an older male. We learned that they never lie down because of their necks. We saw ostriches and found out that their eyes are bigger then there hearts. We saw wart hogs, wild pigs, spring box, antelopes, impalas, and many species of birds unknown to us. There was a bird that’s called the hunter’s enemy, because this bird warns the other animals when there is danger and will lead the animals to a safer place.

Lastly, my favorite was the pack of rhinos. We got out of the truck to track them and when we saw them and they saw us… time stood still. I was less then 100 yards away. Oh, they were awesome and huge. I took some video of them, and as they moved from us we moved toward them.

We came upon more giraffe babies and younger ones as they sat on the path; you could tell because of the color of their coat. The first one we saw had deep vibrant colors.

On this safari there were no lions or elephants, and we could have seen zebras, but didn’t. I was ok and truly enjoyed this experience.

While we were in the market plac,e we bought some goods with their money called Pula. The Pula is stronger then the Rand, but not as strong as the dollar. The exchange rate is about 8 Pula to 1; remember we could get 10 R to one dollar?

I saw some boys leaving school and horse playing like most boys do. I told them where I was from and that I had a gift to give them. I produced the Rainbow kids Afterschool Buddies Frisbee and their eyes lit up. One of the boys said he had seen this before (I suspected from photos or TV). I took the photo and gave them the Frisbee, which they began to fight over. I told them they had to share and the girls with them said ‘yes and with us too.'

Our night watchman was named John. He told us we would sleep really well with him on watch. I gave him a polo shirt from Washington Community Choir, and he was thrilled. I gave to the lady who cleaned our house a T-shirt from Washington Community Theater; her photo and expression was priceless. I gave to her and her sister-in-law a bookmark from Audia Caring. She said, “I will give it to my husband he will be so happy.” The B&B turned out to be the best one we stayed in on the entire African trip.

We are on our way back to Johannesburg; my niece is working with a group of artists who started a movement that showcases living artists. We are now off to our last B&B.

More next time… stay blessed.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today