23rd of September to 19th of October, 2018.
I got a lift to the entrance of the town. Four or five quilometres were between me and the centre. I would not mind keep walking and trying to hitchhike, if it was not for the sun frying my head and making the temperature hit the sky.
Luckily, just a few minutes after, two nice guys from Czech Republic stopped their Safari car. They were really nice people and thought my travel plans very interesting. They drop me at a busy mall and went to shop in the Spar. I told them about the church plan so when they heard me talking to a lady about directions and she said that all the churches were far from town, they offered to drop me in the one I choose. Oh, so nice of them! Although, I decided get some connection and check if my CS host, Jacqueline, had answered me about her address. I would call her and asked if I could arrived two days earlier.
Outside of the Spar mall, there were two security women guards. I was talking with them about the churches directions so I borrowed one of their phones. Talking with Jacqueline she said I could come. Her place was about three quilometres from town, going back the direction I came. I made a plan: I would leave The Hulk with the guards, go shopping for some food for the whole week, leave the food at the supermarket, go to Jacqueline’s house, leave my stuff there and come back to town to grab my food. I rather walking the way two times but with just a little weight at the second time, than almost die carrying everything together.
And damn I was lucky! Just after some hundred metres walking, a very nice couple from South America, Lu from Argentina and Antonio from Chile, offered me a lift because they were going to a Backpackers in that direction. They were so nice that they even pass their place to drop me at mine. Just lovely!
I met Jacqueline and she was nice. I loved her place. Some CS guests had wrote messages on the wall. Pretty cool. I take some rest and went back in town to grab my food. I was very happy.
Back at Jacqueline’s place she told me I would sleep on the couch because she now had a new roommate. I did not mind at all, I mean, I could sleep on the floor as you know, without any problem, and in this case, the couch were very comfortable. But looks like to her it was a problem because she want to make me more comfortable than that. I do not understand people, the name of the website it is Couch Surfing. What is the big deal than?
Anyway, on my second night there, she came out of her room saying she had found another place for me to stay. I had no clue, she had not talked to me or anything. So at beginning I though she had not liked me or something. But she insisted that was just about me having more comfort, so I guess I believed her. She posted a request in the Facebook town page, asking if anybody could host a Brazilian girls from CS. That night, she came to me with a woman called Lilian on the phone, and apparently she could host me. So I said “hi!”.
I was already intrigued by the name (also my sister’s name) but when Lilian started to speak with me in Portuguese I had to ask how she could speak my mother tongue. The answer was pretty simple: “Porque eu sou Brasileira!” (Because I am Brazilian!). We bough laughed. After just a few minutes of conversation everything was arranged. She would picked me up next afternoon and I could stay with her until the 1st of October. Great!
Staying with Lilian was just amazing! I still cannot believe in how lucky I was for her had decided to help me. We could talk about anything and have such a good time together. I met her son, Allan, this very cute and smart little guy who also love dinosaurs, so you all can imagine how well we went along. She had three lovely dogs, and one of them is the hugest dog I ever saw. And it’s so cute and friendly as it’s big. And the two beautiful cats with the fur much more fluffy than any human hair I ever saw.
We spend the nights talking about so many things and she gave me some very good advises, like about the blog, for example. In my last night with them, we made a surprise to Allan and downloaded the last Jurassic World movie to watch all together.
Last night? Yeah. So I spend five nights with Lilian but in the middle of the week we went to talk with the guy from my volunteer work, of course, Siyoka. When Lilian saw him she realize already know him, because they were kind in the same area of work. I think we both were quite relieve with that because before we get in there, we could not find any kind of information about him and his lodge.
Anyway, the lodge was a private project to him and right now it was not fully working. So I had not a place to volunteer? Again? I mean, in Zimbabwe I was also in trouble in the people from the volunteer work I supposed to stay. They simply abandoned me. But that would not be the case with Siyoka. I would stay with him and his family (he also does CS) and middle time he would look for some institutions where I could do a volunteer work. It was not the best plan, because I would go to a random place, that I not actually choose to volunteer, but at least I would have a place to stay. I just cannot understand why he did not tell me that before, by message. Why keep me in the dark until I get in here?
The thing i, I would be able to stay with him just from next Wednesday on, so he asked Lilian if it was OK I stay with her for more a few days. She said it was fine, of course, but I keep thinking: and if I had not a place to stay? If I was not lucky enough to have found Lilian, then what?
During that week, Lilian and I went to visit a friend, Monica, this lovely Canadian woman who is living in Africa for some long years already. Talking, she told us would be needing someone to house sitting for her one week from now, because she had some business in Gaborone and her wife would still be travelling in Zimbabwe for more a few days. They had a cute cat called Pax, which needed to be fed and also the garden would need some attention. Next Saturday, she would go for a short trip so I also could come and help her if I want and after that we could decided what to do. I rather stay with her, even that I would be alone and not in a Botswana family learning more about the culture, because I liked her a lot since the beginning and she was in need of someone to help. So I decided to stay.
Even knowing Lilian just for a few days it was hard to leave her place.
Monica’s house it was so cosy and with a big and beautiful garden, which attracts all the birds. She also had a nice fresh vegetables place and it was good for me could practice how to take care of it, you know, for my future one.
So we spend one week together before she had to travel. I was trying to help her as much as I could in the house or in the office, but unfortunately there was not too much I could do. At least not that she told me. Again, I had another great week, cooking together with a friend and learning a lot from her.
After she left, my days alone we not completely alone. I had Pax for company and it was so lovely that sometimes could even scared me. Laugh. Seriously, when he came to try to hug me the first time, he jumped into my neck and I thought he was mad with me or something, but them Monica explained that it was how it shows its affection. After that, I would always let him play around my neck and sleep in my lap. A love story. And also Sapina, the maid, would come three days per week and spend most of the day at home, so…
I went for some walks most of the days but just around here. I did not go to the town just because I had not a reason. By the opposite, is always so busy and full of people and safari cars everywhere, that I just prefer stay in the peaceful of the house.
Pax sleeping in a very comfortable position…
When I was still staying with Lilian, I also met another lovely lady, Hilary. She is from England but is leaving in Maun for a long time too. She has this really nice place called Hilary’s Coffee Shop but she also gives some ballet classes. I helped her at the Coffee Shop for two times, just doing simple things, and it was really nice. In my first Sunday at Monica’s house, Hilary invite me to come for a boat ride on the river. We had some snacks and drinks and a good time.
When Monica came back, Christiane came with her too. I was a bit nervous to meet her, because I was staying in her house for the last two weeks and she did not even know me, so… But everything passed as soon as we met. She was also a really nice person and we had more in common that I could imagine.
I think they are putting something in the water of Maun, because all those amazing women that I met in there, did not appear at all their real age. They were so beautiful and full of energy to do anything, that I felt I might should stay there for longer and maybe grab some of that to myself.
In my last night, Monica and Chris invite me and our friends to a movies session. We had dinner at this amazing place, Motsana Centre & The Arts Cafe and could catch up a little before the movie started. It was there that I said goodbye to the good friends I did here.
So about Maun, there are some great views at the river, mainly of the sunset, and there is a Museum called Nhabe, that is in a nice building and you could check because there some local crafts, which you can also find on the streets. You can also check the famous old bridge, the only one people used to take to go to town (and you will not believe that it was possible when you see the bridge…) until a few years ago. You can walk around the river then. It is nice! And if you want to catch a movie watch some art performances, Motsana Centre is a nice place to do that. But apart of that, Maun is a common town, where mainly people come to go to the Okavango Delta. It is developed? It is. On the malls you can find anything you want, from simple things to the fancy ones. But that is it. I think the best thing of Maun are the people.
