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Chobe, Makgadikgadi, Okavango, Kalahari, hitch to Namibia.
Hello from Botswana

Sent 5/7 from Rundu, Namibia 

Cavit, if you see this email before Anne leaves for Femsi,
print it for her size 14.

I am typing this from Rundu, Namibia.  Just came back from
the Caprivi Strip and will next try to enter Angola for a
few hours, to see how easy it is, how much it costs, how
things look, etc.  Will then return to Namibia and take a
bus south to Etosha Park, next day the train (if possible)
to Swakop to do the Sossusvlei Sand Dunes, take the day
train to Windhoek, spend the night there, and then on May
12, take the bus to So. Africa, to start the remaining
1/3rd of my return trip from Nairobi to J'burg.

1. Facts.

a. Climate. These parts of Africa is entering the winter
season, so although it is quite warm during the day, it is
somewhat cool to cold at night, most of the landscape being
a desert.

b. Roads.  The roads in Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia are
very good, as also in Rwanda and most of Burundi. I am
still surprised that they are so bad in Kenya, somewhat
better in Tanzania and Uganda.  Africans like speed bumps
even more than Mexicans.  Many of them near towns, but not
so many in Namibia.

c) Botswana versus Namibia.  Botswana is about the size of
Texas, with only 1.6 million population, whereas Namibia is
twice the size of Calif. with a population of 1.8 million. 
So buses in some parts, especially in Botswana are rare and
hitching is is almost the only option especially on the
Trans-Kalahari highway from Mamuno, Botswana to Namibia. 
(More about this below.)  Botswana, as the top producer of
diamonds in the world is better off than Zambia and Namibia
economically, BUT it does not look it.  The towns are
scattered developments looking for a town, the center
difficult to pinpoint.  I did not like the towns of Kasane,
from where I did the Chobe Park, and Maun, from where I did
the Okavango Delta.  Curiously, Botswana has also the
highest rate of HIV infection in the world.  (I would have
expected places like Mozambique higher.)  There must be
much investment from South Africa in Namibia, for the place
is very much like being in South Africa, with nicely
designed neat towns and enterprises.

d) Time Difference, Exchange, etc..  US$ is down in
Botswana (US$ = 4.1 Botswana Pulas = 6 Namib Dollars). 
Botswana is VERY backpacker unfriendly--prices higher than
even in So. Africa--whereas Namibia is fine, though more
expensive than Zambia.  Namibia is one hour earlier than
Botswana, on Summer Time first week in April to 1st week in
September.  Apparently there is no such adjustment in
Botswana.  

e) Visas.  Americans do not need a visa to enter Botswana
or Namibia.  In Namibia, you get 90 days of stay
automatically.

2. Interesting People I met.  1) Tom, an ultra-liberal
American Peace Corps volunteer in Livingston, Zambia. He
works as an English and math teacher at a Himba village in
northwest Namibia, a tribe where the women wear only a loin
wrap and otherwise cover their bodies with red paint of
sand, I believe); 2) Chet Neufeld a young Canadian
biologist, who is also a world traveler.  He was so
impressed with the return route I took thru Burundi and
lake Tanganyika that he is the 5 friends he will meet in
Zanzibar will duplicate the entire trek I took; Paul
Berens, a white caterer in Kasane, Botswana, who pointed to
me the sunset cruise from Chobe Safari camp--dock right
there--to the Chobe Park on the Chobe River, and gave me
other hints about my stay there; 4) Nicolas Johannes
(Nicco), a Namibian (who is about to go thru a divorce),
who gave a ride from the lonely border to Windhoek,
Namibia; Dion Jade, a curious guy from Wales, who was at
the bus station in Rundu, when I arrived there late at
night, who works at the BIG FIVE compound right next to the
bus stop and gave a bed for just $6.

3. Livingstone, Zambia to Kasane, Botswana.  Livingstone is
more of a town than its counterpart Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe 11km across the Zambezi River.  I paid 8,000
Kwatches ($1.60) for taxi from the Jolly Boys Backpackers
to the bus station for the minibus for the 65km distance to
the ferry at the border crossing in KAZUNGULA, at the point
where the Chobe River joins the Zambezi.  The ferry takes
just minutes, for just 2,000 Kwatches (40 cents). For 20
Pulas ($5), a minibus then takes you to the town of Kasane,
the gateway to Chobe National Park.  I stayed at the SEDUDU
Guest House for 166 Pulas ($41).  Lia's Hotel was 180
Pulas, camp ground charge 50 Pulas if you have a tent, 225
Pulas for a tent with a bed otherwise--MUCH too expensive
for what you get.

NOTE. In Kasane, if your ATM card does NOT work at the
bank--mine did not--go to the SPAR Market next door and use
that one. My Visa worked there.  You get the cash from the
store.  The Internet (3 computers) across the street from
Spar is 15 Pulas (nearly $4) for 30 minutes.

4. Chobe Park, via a sunset cruise on the Chobe River:
RATING 10.  I arranged this 3-hour (3 to 6pm sunset) tour
for a well-spent 170 Pulas thru the CHOBE SAFARI CAMP right
at the river, about 1 km from the bus station, with a dock
and boats on site.  The landscape along the river in these
parts is the mainland on one side, the river with several
passages in the middle, and a sea of grass, like the
Everglades, we have west of Miami.  The grass here is lush
green.  This is where you want to see the elephants.  It
was almost a staged show, of about 26 elephants in 4 groups
putting a show for us, right next to our boat.  Add 2
crocodiles, and a group of noisy hippos, especially the
sight of one male chasing another on land and in the water,
all sorts of birds, an impala herd, and a group of water
buffalo, we had the makings of a documentary.  THIS IS THE
ONLY WAY TO SEE THE CHOBE Park, for the parts on the
mainland are very much like the bush at the Krueger Park in
So. Africa.  The experience and views here were unique. The
weather was beautiful, the landscape same, the view
fantastic.

5. Kasane to Maun, Okavango, Makgadikgadi, Kalahari
gateway.  Maun is the gateway for tours to the Okavango
Delta.  You first take a 3-hour bus south to the town of
Nata, then 3-hour bus west to Maun.  The buses depart
Kasane at 6 and 7 am, the 1st one may be filled instantly. 
At Nata there is usually a bus waiting to Maun--whereas the
bus you were on continues south to Francistown (from there
to the capital Gabarone, pronounced Khabarone).

a) Makgadikgadi Pan. Lonely Planet describes this "there is
no place quite like this anywhere on earth," disorienting
and ethereal, heat mirages destroying all sense of
direction and space, with imaginary lakes, flying
ostriches, where stone seem as mountains floating in the
air . . .  Well, the place, while ethereal and all that, is
not all that unique.  You will experience the same in the
NAFUD Desert in Saudi Arabia, as also seen in the movie
Lawrence of Arabia, especially the scenes where Lawrence
goes back alone on his camel to rescue an Arab friend who
was lost somewhere back.  (The movie was probably NOT made
in Saudi Arabia, which shows that there are yet other
similar places, as also in the Western movie with James
garner "Duel in Diablo Canyon.")  I took a 1-day tour from
Maun and slept under the stars.  I should note that in
these parts, instead of the reddish brown color, the ground
color is whitish semi-arid land you see in the Mideast. 

b) The Kalahari Desert.  The Kalahari is very much like our
Mojave and Sonora deserts in USA.  It is mostly a flat--no
dunes--desert covered largely with bush to tree-size
Camel-thorn, wild sage, and other desert plants.  As we
crossed it, the temperature was like thru Yuma, Arizona in
Sep.--seasons being reversed in the southern hemisphere;
that is, still very hot, but dry, not like in Miami.

c) The Okavango Delta. Upon arrival in Maun, I checked into
the Audi Camp, 14km out of town, where everything is priced
for rich suckers.  My ready tent with 2 stretchers inside
cost 105 Pulas ($25), plus 25 Pulas for the bedding.  I
stayed there 2 nights, for 16.50 Pulas the camp will bring
you to the bus station.  The one-day Okavango tour is
priced at 390 Pulas ($100).

A large all-terrain jeep picked us up at 7:30am, and we
meandered about 1.5 hours (half hour on asphalt) into the
Delta.  On the way, we saw 3 elephants, one going thru the
motions of charging us.  Those were the only animals we
saw.  We arrived at a pond-like place with about a dozen
maccoros (canoes), made of sausage trees, and about six
natives waiting for us.  This is the southern fringes of
the Okavango River where the river is just swallowed, in a
huge delta, by the heat in the Kalahari.  For about one
hour we meandered thru narrow water channels, took an hour
of walk into the bush, walked back the same, meandered back
and that was it.  It was scenic and interesting, but I
would grade this at 5, compared to the Chobe tour.  You can
also fly over the Delta for 200 Pulas (one hour), if you
can find 2 other persons.  (Most planes are 5 seater, but
one company offers 3 seater.)  I could not find anyone, so
this was it.

6. Maun to the border.  The Audi camp could not take me to
the bus station for the 6am bus, so I took the 8:30 bus to
the town GHANZI (27 Pulas = $7), about 3.5 hours drive to
the west, where the Trans-Kalahari highway from Gabarone to
Namibia passes.  The border town of MAMUNO, my next
destination, was still 3 hours west and I was worried about
finding a connection to there.  Indeed a bus (20 Pulas) was
waiting and we left at 1pm, arriving at 150 meters from the
border at about 4pm, situated in the middle of nowhere.

7. Hitching to Windhoek.  You walk the 150 meters to the
border station to get the Botswana exit stamp, walk another
500 meters to the Namibia station, get the entry stamp, and
then be on the lookout for any vehicle that might take you
the 300km to Windhoek, while walking to a gas station and
shop about 1km away on the road, where it might be easier
to hitch a ride, they said.

8. A Jewel in the middle of Nowhere. Don't fret if it is
getting dark and you have not found a ride yet.  Pass the
1st gas station and walk to the TOTAL station 500 meters
further, the only 2 buildings besides the stations you
passed.  Next to the shop is the EAST GATE Camping facility
that also has independent cabins for those with no tents,
and the price is just 70 Namib Dollars ($11).  And they
exchanged my remaining Botswana Pulas to Namib Dollars. 
The place is immaculate, as also the room and baths, with a
grill in front of each cabin besides.  It turned into a joy
that I did not find a ride by the time it got dark.  I
stayed there for the night (Cabin 10), and met Nicco
staying next door, who gave me a FREE--normally you should
pay the going bus rate--ride all the way to Windhoek next
morning at 7am.

The reception is in the shop.  The shop also has very cheap
but excellent food.  I had all of shoe-size fish, chicken,
and sausage.  The place is an oasis in the middle of the
Kalahari, which is not mentioned in Lonely Planet.  (And I
have another to tell in next report.)

Sirman