Botswanna Safari

The Swahili word Safari translates to journey so technically I have been on safari ever since leaving Stockholm almost 9 months ago. In the English sense of the word though I havent really done much safariing apart from one day on bicycle in Kenya but that was all to change once I had joined Radovan and his boys.
To begin with I had just planned on getting a lift across the border but when we reached our first restpoint in Kasane I realised sleeping in the backseat of a landrover wasn't too bad. So the following morning I tagged along with them to Chobe National Park in hope of spotting some wildlife. We saw hundreds of elephants, giraffes, hippos and loads of other animals you would expect in Africa, but my lifelong dryspell with wild big cats continued as we failed to see any. We bushcamped that night and at dawn I got up to sort my morning duties out, a while later the boys got up and asked me if the lions roaring had woken me as well, luckily I hadn't heard them as I am pretty sure I would have literally shat my pants, then we found their footprints and they had passed less than a meter from the car, close but no cigar allthough on this occasion I think I preffered not seeing them. Our next destination was Khama Rhino Sanctuary where we spent a full day looking for the large mammal and finally got to see a few of them before the sun had gone down. Then we drove to Central Kalahari Game Reserve where we would spend the next five days.
The Kalahari Desert covers 85% of Botswana's landmass and the name of their currency is Pula which means rain and used to be the most valuable resourse in the country... before they discovered diamonds and gold. The wildlife spotting was sparse in the arid landscape apart from the occasional group of springbok or gemsbok, but we had a good time celebrating a traditional Swedish midsummer complete with foolish dancing, boiled potatoes with different types of canned fish and meatballs made from corned beef. Then one morning when we least expected it we came face to face with a pride of five lions attacking a honey badger. Needless to say the legendary badger with a fierce reputation came out of the scuffle unharmed and if anything the lions should be happy to still be around. It was impressive to finally encounter these giant cats at such close range and made the days spent staring at dry grass and shrubs completly worth it. After this we left the desert and drove to the town of Maun where four filthy, dusty and sweaty guys could finally take a much needed shower. Now I can't wait to crawl into a warm and soft bed after nine nights spent sleeping in the backseat of Radovan.

Taking it Zambezi

Zimbabwe is a strange place run by a strange man named Robert Mugabe, most of you will remember the economic collapse that hit the country in the beginning of this millennium when people would need trillions of Zim-Dollars just to buy a loaf of bread. Today the Zim-Dollar is history, supermarket shelves are stocked once more and the official currency is now the U.S-Dollar, however U.S-Cents don't exist so you will either buy for exact dollar amounts or get your change in South African Rand, Botswana Pula or bubblegum. Once I had arrived in Harare the next problem was finding a cheap room to stay in, this didn't seem to exist but I eventually found an acceptable deal and I could fall asleep in front of my T.V. watching some dismal European Championship football. Early next morning I decided to get out of the capital and head straight for the town of Victoria Falls. The busdrive there was long and delayed but it did provide me with my first sighting of elephants on this trip so I couldn't be too upset. Victoria Falls is a town which feels very artificial and completely centered around the touristtrade that the waterfalls with the same name attract.
I stayed here for four nights taking it easy most of the time, relaxing at the hostel, strolling along the Zambezi river and of course getting up close and personal with the famous body of water. The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa Tunya which translates to "Smoke That Thunders" in a local language is one of the seven natural wonders of the world but it was even mightier and more breathtaking than I could ever imagine. For once I had also managed to reach a sight at the right time of year as this is when the largest volume of water gushes out of the 1700 meter wide river opening, you can hear the roar and see the enormous tower of water particles from miles away and once you get within viewing distance the spray hits you like a monsoon and soaks you right down to the bone. One day I walked across the most beautiful bordercrossing I have ever seen, as an iron-bridge leads you over a gorge to the Zambian side of the river where I could sit drinking a beer, witnessing the cascades in the background and the crazy bungyjumpers diving towards the Zambezi 111 meters below. Back at the hostel I met Jonathan, Lars and Mattias, three Swedes who had driven their Land Rover which they named Radovan all the way down here from Sweden. They were heading for Botswana next and asked me if I wanted to join, I couldn't think of any reason why not so I took a seat in Radovan and crossed yet another border arriving in the small town of Kasane just before sundown.

The Not So Easy Road to Rhodesia

The two-metacais coin landed on the side with a fish on it which naturally represented the coast and Vilanculos, so I got on the bus with the two girls and 8 hours later I was back in the small town with the dissapearing ocean. I spent a week here, getting into a daily routine which involved several visits to the market, several cups of coffee and several hours doing the usual nothing. I then felt guilty that I had spent in total almost two weeks in this place which is famed for it's optimal snorkeling conditions and I hadn't more than dipped my toes in the water. Boattrips out to the Bazaruto Archipelago are quite pricy and a daytrip sets you back roughly $100. Luckily I was travelling with an Israeli and though you may think it's a racist stereotype you would be surprised how often I have experienced the Jewish sixth sense for saving money and it has rubbed off on me as well. So Maayan and I managed to strike a deal with the captain saying if we could find two other passengers for his trip he would let us come along for free as long as we paid the $8 parkfee. We only managed to recruit one person but they let us come along without paying nonetheless and we spent a full day out in the waters which shift in all shades of blue, snorkelling amongst big colourful fish and corals and eating a fantastic meal on the island with giant sanddunes. This was a perfect farewell to Vilanculos and that night we all went out for a couple of drinks before I returned late at night with just enough time to get my stuff and catch my bus. However on my way back I heard my Korean friend Simba screaming for me to help him, I ran back to find him being held up by some very drunk police officers and when they saw me they came at me with raised batons. I put my arms up in surrender and tried to calm them down but they were not very happy and decided to throw me up on the back of the truck they were using as a policecar, when they started driving I realised noone was guarding me so I jumped off before it had gathered too much speed and ran as fast as I could back to the hostel where I could find help. Running fast in flipflops is however practically impossible so the lives of these two plastic slippers were shortlived in my possesion but perhaps one of the policemen who chased me saved them. Simba was arrested and we were never allowed to visit him, we could give him some food though and later next evening he was released after paying a total of $1200. This was less of a perfect farewell to Mozambique but quite symbolic as the police here have been nothing but trouble since trying to enter the country a month ago. The following morning I managed to get on a number of different chapas and trucks to get me to the border town of Manica, but when I arrived there I found out the border was closed despite being reassured by several people it would be open. A woman took pity on me though and offered me to stay in her house overnight until the border would reopen next morning. I gladly accepted her generous offer and drank a cup of tea with her family before getting some much needed sleep and then setting off for the frontier once again with a happy last memory of Mozambique. Crossing into Zimbabwe was smooth and I could get a bus which despite a flat tyre got me to the capital city of Harare in one piece.

Mozambeach

Vilanculos was a nice small town with a stretch of sand that has the longest tide I have ever seen, early in the morning the waterlevel was right up near the walls of the lodge I was staying at, but in a few hours time it had dissapeared and I could see sand all the way out at the horizon, before the water returned again in the late evening. I stayed relaxing here a few days and then boarded a chapa to the town of Maxixe where I could get on a small ferry across to the peninsula of Inhambane where another chapa took me the final couple of miles to Tofo. Tofo was yet another picture perfect (allthough I have no pictures of it, as my camera is still not functioning) beach with picture perfect white sand and picture perfect azure waters. I spent my days here doing nothing as usual, occasionally going for a short jog or playing a game of beach volleyball so needless to say life was tough. I also bumped into the Israeli girls again here and we celebrated Maayan's birthday before heading off one early morning on a shuttle destined for Maputo. It was nice to be back in the city which was my first encounter with Africa four years ago, allthough much had changed, a lot of development has been made, it feels bigger and surprisingly a little bit cleaner now. I also got to know more about corruption almost instantly as on our first night we were walking around town looking for a sushi-restaurant when the police stopped us and asked for our passports. The Israeli girls and I weren't carrying them and our photocopies weren't good enough, so we would have to go to the policestation with them, we called their bluff though and managed to convince them to let an Argentinian girl named Andrea and an Indian guy go back to the hostel to fetch our documents. The officers took me aside and blatantly said "Just give us $20 each, and we have no problem" but we insisted to wait or go to the station, after nearly an hour they tired and before our passports had been seen they let us walk. Apart from that incident the reaquaintance has been pleasant, strolling around the mix of archichtecture which I think may be the nicest I've seen in Africa so far, visiting my parents old appartment and savouring the Maputo nightlife once again. Naama left for Ethiopia after one night, but I stayed in Maputo with Maayan and Andrea for a few more nights. After this I had to decide how to get back up to Zimbabwe, either going into South Africa and heading north or backtracking on myself and joining the girls up to Vilanculos again, the only logical way of deciding was using my trusty coin and flipping for it... The result of the cointoss will be announced in the next installment!

In footwear related news:
It was a sad day on Thursday when despite the vailient efforts of two Malawian cobblers my flipflops finally gave in. They were a gift given me by Clara on my first day in Brazilian hospital and held a special place in my heart, they have served me well since then staying with me through thick and thin and protecting my soles for the majority of this trip after getting through Europe. A new pair were purchased in Maputo and even if they won't compare to my previous ones I hope they will enjoy many happy memories on the road with me. R.I.P!