Stamp 2: Entering Botswana

The walk to the Botswana border post was only a few kilometers and one of us was sure we had read somewhere that the fairly large river town of Kasane was only another few kilometers beyond the border. We were energized and had plenty of time to spare, so we thought nothing of the walk as we passed people fishing in the area owned by neither country, got stamped into Botswana, and were told by the border employees that we should not count on seeing many cars.

Then we started to walk uphill.

“12 kilometers of this?” we all thought and then said aloud. 12kms had somehow become the number that stuck in our heads as the distance to Kasane. Unbelievably an SUV appeared behind a fence and stopped to pick us up. Ours and the driver’s paths were diverging quickly, but the man did take us far enough to see a sign that read “Kasane – 67km” before dropping us off. Not only was our destination a distance that was impossible to walk, the road there was through a wildlife reserve well-populated by enormous elephants and other large predators, and after entering Botswana our cell-phones were no longer of any use. Our luck quickly improved though as a man and his car seemed to appear from out of nowhere, and he let us jump in. Our driver was displeased that we had no local currency, but we convinced him to accept our South African Rand and went on our way. We had arrived in Kasane by lunch-time, which in budget-friendly travel terms means, if possible, it is time for porridge!*

*A note on porridge. Almost every Southern African nation’s population subsists on a thick porridge that is made by boiling a mixture of water and a pounded form of whatever crop is locally grown (maize, sorghum, etc.) The porridge from each crop and in each country has a slightly different name (Oshifima, Nshima, Papa, Pap), but they all are always the cheapest item on any menu, stuff you full, and taste fantastic when you use your dirty hands to smear a ball of it in the hot juice of whatever you ordered with it (chicken, vegetables, fish, and so on) and swallow it hungrily. I had had Oshifima, Namibia’s porridge, before my trip, but I quickly went crazy for the stuff and since returning I have already purchased the necessary ingredients to begin my own porridge experiments in my kitchen.

On our first afternoon in Botswana, I was determined to taste a locally brewed drink known as “Shake Shake”. Though I never laid eyes on it in any reputable establishments, the drink is apparently sold commercially as “Chibuku”. We stopped in a bar, and our request for Chibuku was met with ill-concealed laughter from most everyone within earshot. The bartender told a man wearing a safari guide uniform that we were looking for “Shake Shake”, and the man rose and led us through several backyards and fences to where a group of Botswanans were sitting in a circle.

We paid 5 pula for a carton of Shake Shake and spent the next hour or so making the locals laugh as we violently shook our carton (the drink needs to be mixed well, hence the name) talking to them, and meeting their babies. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting, sharing time and jokes, and I gather they did too because before our group left one man contributed this to the conversation: “I am so happy you have come to meet us. It is like I have just seen Jesus!” Bemused and humbled, we said our goodbyes.

The next day we hired a speedboat to give us a tour of Chobe National Park via the Chobe River. This trip, during which we witnessed hippos popping out of nowhere in the water, buzzards sitting silently on a perfectly appropriate barren tree, an elephant wading and dunking his head in elephant-waist deep water, and a family of lions accompanied by an enormous, majestic male sauntering in the background deeper in the bush, was easily one of the best parts of the trip. A gorgeous sunset on the river followed by an exhilarating race back to the marina is quite a thrilling experience, not in the least diminished by the innumerable bugs that smack into your face at high speed. I couldn’t stop smiling, so I just had to tilt my head downward to keep from swallowing anything in the wind.

Interesting animal facts (unverified) from our tour guide:

1. Jacana birds, whose long toes allow them to stand on leaves floating on the water are also know as “Jesus Birds”
2. A hippo’s skin is approximately 5cm thick, which protects it from the long teeth of its family members.
3. Hippos also possess almost no melanin in their skin, which is why they spend the daylight hours submerged and the night-time hours ashore.
4. 95% of a hippo’s diet is vegetation. (sorta like mine in Namibia)
5. Kudus (enormous antelope like creatures) are remarkable jumpers, and at least according to our guide, can leap distances upwards of 12 meters.
6. An elephant can remember where bug colonies are even when a river rises and submerges them. They can wade out into the river and use their trunk to dig up their food.
7. Elephants can swim!