Follow Me Around the World

I woke up at 7am to go to the bathroom, but my body felt like it was 8am with the time difference so I was up and at it.  I got some breakfast and sat around the campfire with JB, Elizabeth and Gabby.  We were just chatting and passing the time and I asked JB a few questions about Zimbabwe to learn about the situation and how it really is there.  It was interesting to learn about it.  People started slowly waking up coming out of their tents, getting breakfast and then afterwards the people who went on the game drive came back.  I also made time to fix Harriet’s phone.  I have been  the master of fixing electronics on this trip.  The two things I couldn’t fix was Rob’s headlight and his camera, but I have fixed Alex’s camera twice, Hannah’s first camera, Harriet’s phone and other things.  Just call me Mcguiver.

Before I knew it, it was time to pack up the truck and get a move on.  We got on the truck and headed off for Maun which is near the Okavango Delta.  Before we ventured off we first took a decent walk to see some lions.  It was hard to see them as they were in their dens, but I got a glimpse of both the male and the female.  Then we ventured off and now we are on the road.  Since I don’t read the itinerary so I am surprised as to what will happen, I have no idea what we are doing today and I like it.  I do know we will be stopping at a bank in the afternoon as a lot of people need money including myself.  I am going to try hard to get as much US Dollars as I can.  I need them desperately for a lot of things.  I can use the Pulla which is Botswana’s currency in Zimbabwe but the dollar will go a lot further.  I also need the US Dollars for the Visa to Zimbabwe and maybe Zambia and I want to give the tip to JB and Mike in US Dollars but I think I will ask them up front what they prefer.  I don’t want them to have to get charged in exchanging the dollars to rand or whatever currency they need.  When we arrived in Maun we set up our tents, and then were briefed on our trip to the Okavango Delta.  The Delta is the largest in land delta in the world, with tons of wildlife.  This will be the wilderness with no holds bar between us and the animals.

After the briefing the guys and I played some football to pass the time before lunch.  After lunch we chilled out and took a ride in to town.  But before going to town I tried and swap currency with the dude who ran the campsite but he told me know.  When we got to Maun, there wasn’t much open.  It was the weekend but there was one atm, some supermarkets and other shops.  Before I left for town the guy who ran the place also told me to look for a shop called Open Door.  There I could possibly change Pulla to US dollars.  He said even though it was the weekend that it should still be open.  So I was on a mission to find that place as well as money.  When I first got off the truck I tried to go to a pawn shop, but after walking down a shady alleyway I took a detour in to town.  I went to the ATM machine, and once I realized I could take money out, so I ran and happen to find Open Door.  Even though the sign said it was closed, the security guard said I could come back and he would let me in.  So I had to run all the way back to the bank, had to wait online, kept it quiet so others wouldn’t run with me, then I ran all the way back to open door.  When I got to Open Door, the guard let me in but the lady at the first teller booth refused to do it for me claiming that her money was counted already.  The other lady overheard me and then I told her that I had no money left and was leaving for Zimbabwe and needed US Dollars.  She said ok and changed the money for me.  The rate was terrible and I think I lost about 25 US with the conversion but having US Dollars is crucial in Zimbabwe.

After I got my money I walked back and went to the Supermarket to buy water for the Delta.  I bought chips, booze and a 5 liter bottle of water.  When we got back to the campsite, we chilled out till dinner, had some pre-dinner drinks.  Dinner was great as usual and then it was time to head to the bar.  There were a lot of other trucks at the campsite and the bar was jumping.  I ended up having a great night with the gang that ended with me getting pushed in the pool and then Hannah and I danced around the campfire like tribespeople to stay warm.  Tomorrow would be an early morning as we were off to the Delta.

Today we ventured off nice and early from the hostel for our fairly long drive to Botswana.  We stopped in the morning to pick up some supplies and I wanted to change all of my Namibian dollars to rand or some other currency that would be accepted in the remaining countries I would visit.  When I went to the bank I took out 500 Namib dollars and then wanted to change it back Hannah and Harriet had beaten me to the punch and changed all of their Namib dollars and the bank had run out of rand.  Now I was on a mission to get creative and try to change my newly acquired 500 Namib dollars which would be virtually useless out of Namibia.  Hannah and Harriet had already gone to the second bank to try and change the rest of their money, so I had to look elsewhere.  I got creative and went to the Supermarket where I alot of tourists come through and often use rand.  So I asked a manager if she could chnage 500 namib dollars in to rand.  After some talking back and forth she handed me 400 rand and the rest in Namib dollars.  This was perfect since I still needed to buy some water and supplies.  For 3 days we would be in remote parts of Botswana away from society, cell phones, and everyone.  The Okavango Delta is one of the highlights of the trip where we chill out and enjoy the nature arround us.  I have already decided to save my money for Victoria falls and all the great activities they offer.

After I exchanged money the way it is done best in Africa, on the black market, I bought 10 bottles of 1.5 litre bottles of water, chips and two six packs of Savanna Dry my favorite.  We will need a lot of water since in the Delta will not have access to anything.  There I will have an opportunity to take some more bush BM’s and use my no rinse shampoo and soap, or just bath in the Delta and water around us.

We arrived at the Border a little before lunch time and both the departure from Namibia and the arrival in Botswana went very smooth and that is too much stamps in the passport.  Botswana is my 38th country!  Zimbabwe will be 39th, and depending on what I do and how I go home Zambia or Qatar or both will be 40 or 41.  Right now I am thinking about trying to refund my Safari to Kruger National Park in South Africa, try to refund my extra ticket back home and just use my original ticket home and get home 3 days earlier than I would have for the extra rest and work.  Since I am now going to California to visit Sarah I need to take care of some things back home before school, namely post graduate job applications and sending out resumes and getting transcripts and whatnot from UMass and probably Cooley.  I really hope that most jobs won’t require transcripts from Cooley.  I did so poorly there for my one year, that I would much rather have the transcript from UMass and Touro together as they would both be very nice to look at.  Both have high GPAs and rankings.

We arrived in Tautona Lodge in Ghanzi just after sunset so Rob and I quickly got the tent up, I did some unpacking of the truck as it was my turn to do so with Frank, the teacher from Germany and then I ran in to the shower.  When I shower I want to be first, so its hot and delightful.  My goodluck of taking warm showers continues and the streak has now reached 4 consecutive warm showers.  After my shower, I got dressed, took out my sleeping bag and pillow and stuck it in the tent, which I have to myself since Rob stays with Carolina in her tent with Alex and then went to the campfire.  We all sat along the campfire waiting for this tribal dance.  The dance was interesting but clearly geared at tourists and furthermore you could see them passing around a “peace pipe” to help them with the dancing.  I guess that is why the lead guy was in such a trance.  I took some good photos in the dark.  I have learned how to use this camera and it is a great camera.  I will buy canon’s the rest of my life.  They are amazing pieces of machinery, durable and work well, knock on wood.

I made it an early night since I would have the chance to sleep in a bit.  Since I wasn’t doing the game drive, I could wake up as late as 830am.  Oh we also lost an hour in Botswana as they turn the clocks up one hour.

Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia and with only 2 million people the capital I believe has 200,000 people, where the rest of them are I have no idea I certainly haven't seen that ... [Continue reading this entry]