19th of August, 2018.
Her name is Collete M. Her mother, Leseto M. They first pass by me in the road but they returned.
The lift it would be very short, just until the Motloutse River, which I would follow to finally find some San Rock about a few kilometres from the road.
It is a pleasure talk to them. Collete has the same thoughts as I about getting married and Loki knows how much more about everything. And her mother totally support her.
She also became vegetarian but unfortunately she lost a lot of weight. According to her, is quite difficult to be vegetarian in Botswana. I tried to give her some tips and I really hope she finds a way to keep healthy and vegetarian.
We have the same age and are both from April.
As I said, unfortunately the lift is too short and soon I have to say goodbye. Thank you very much for the pleasure to meet you both, my dear friends!
Sometimes I remember what I asked Adrian, long time ago, back in Carlisle, based in his traveler experience: Do we ever stop make mistakes? Never, he said. He was so right.
After Colette and Leseto drop me at the Motloutse River, I thought that would be such an excited thing to follow the river until I get in the San Rocks. Honestly, it is not a bad plan if you think. I would have to spend the whole day walking, but at least I would find the place for sure and would be by myself for a while. I just did not count with the soft soil of the dry river (as you can see in the featured photograph). I have no base to walk faster, my feet keep sinking into the sand, not giving me the push back to keep walking easily. I am exhausted just after a few metres and all the time I have to stop to rest. It was a good plan, I just got stuck for one obstacle. What should I do then?
Checking on the map I see that there is a dirty road, not too far, which would bring me to Shashe, a village from where I could try a lift to the San Rocks. While walking, I find a cattle man and he tells me it should be 10 minutes walking. I make my decision and it seems better then simply going back to the road. The road! Even after walking for about two hours, I still could hear the cars on the road. They sound so close. So it would not be better if I try to reach the road instead of a secondary dirty one? Of course it would! After a couple of minutes I find it! I have to jump a fence to have access but it is fine.
After a few minutes a car stop. The guy is going to Francistown and accept to drop me in Shashe. Unfortunately he has no idea where Shashe is. I mean, at least the entrance. We passed! I saw the entrance actually, and I had the feeling I should warned him but I did not. Why I did not? I am not in the mood of getting a lift back so I just decide to go to Francistown.
The plan is to change some money at the first Exchange House in town, finding the library and check again for CS answers or churches around. I could not find the Exchange House so I go to the library. After no answers from CS, I choose the closest church and go to by some food. Chips. I sit down in the sidewalk without caring with all the weird looks coming from everybody. Everybody. That gives me two reflections…
The first reflection it is about changes. You all know that I do not mind some changes. Not any changes. For example I hate when they change the package of products that I like. Why? Why do you have to change? It is working, I am buying! Please stop changing the packages. Or the interfaces of emails and computer programs. But I like the big changes of scenery I have been done in my life right now. And I am not just talking about countries. Take a look on this: I can be in fancy houses, working in a routine with nice families and having good meal everyday; then I can be sleeping on the streets for a night and camping in the mountains and cooking my own simple food; staying in good guest houses; staying in rural and very simple farms, using pin latrine and having my dairy showers in a river; or spend three weeks in a fancy Cottage, having Italian food almost everyday; but I am now sitting in a sidewalk, eating chips and receiving weird and pity looks from everybody. Is not this amazing?
The second one is about status. Even simple and poor people would look at me with a contempt look. As only because I am not a homeless person (apparently) I shouldn’t do that. The society is so deep into the levels, where you should remain stactical. It does not matter in which one you are, since you follow the rules for that level, it is fine. You can move from one level to another but do not behave between two of them.
I start to look for the church. What a nightmare! First I go in the wrong directions, then when I finally got in the right one, not in there. Again, the map give me wrong directions. While I am looking, a man offers to help me. I decide not to trust on him. A lady directed me to a Mosque. I decide I would come back there if it did not work with the church. The church is closed. I go back to the Mosque. Just men coming out. I keep walking. A young man who saw me in the library before asks if I need help. While he is saying I could put my tent in his house, a man arrives in the house just where we are in front. There are some trees so I thought I might ask to put my tent in their garden. If it is a family I would feel safer than with the young man.
Talking to the man, he tells me not to live in there but would speak in my favor with his friends. I first meet Shamim, and she is lovely and welcome. Than her brother, Khalled, who is also with a welcome smile in his face. They allow me to stay. I put my tent near to a light but in the sidewalk because the soil of the garden is too hard. Shamim say I do not need to cook because I could eat with them. Inside, a beautiful and comfortable house, I meet Fatima, Khalled’s wife. She is also a lovely lady and her fist sentence when she sees me it is: “God bring you here!”. I tell all of them what I am doing and everything. We have a delicious dinner with chapati, beans, sweet potato, pizza and a delicious date’s cake prepared by Shamim. I am already not believing in how lucky I am when Fatima kindly insists that I spend the night not in my tent but in their spare bedroom. I accept.
Some visitors arrive and I take the opportunity to have a shower. It feels so good having a nice shower after one week of hiking and camping. After some more nice talking I go to sleep. A nice, warm and comfortable bed waiting for me.
In the morning after an amazing breakfast with cereal, eggs, toasts, coffee and date’s cake, I decide to go to the library, search something about Zimbabwe and a possible route, following some tips from Khalled. After, I go to an exchange house, thinking about exchange money to the Visa and get some change to by food. I should have brought my pepper spray because some one was trying to mug me. The woman from the exchange house! I ask her how many Euros should I give to her for 35 Dollars and she said 41! Are you fucking crazy? Euros are stronger than Dollar! Her excuse it is that she has to convert first to Pula and then to U.S. Dollar. Well, hello! I did the same in Kenya, and they gave me the right price! No excuses for corruption, lady! Luckily, my dear Fatima had gave me 200 Pulas that same morning and could not accepted a ‘no’ for answer. She said that in the moment she decided to give me that money, it did not belong to her anymore. Because of those 200 Pulas and the other 100 Pulas Peter had given to me a few days before, I could have my 35 U.S. Dollars for the Visa. That was all. How I would buy food? I have no idea. But I could not lose money like that. I would find a way.
Back to Khalled’s house, I really feel they would not mind if I asked to stay for a few more days. Fatima actually said that they would be happy having me around. And even that I needed to stay, I mean, it would be better if I could stay a few more days because my volunteer work in Norton it would start on the 1st of September, I could not ask them. Last night I asked for one night, just one night and in the morning I would be leaving. How could I change that now? It would be failing with my word, would not be?
Fatima prepare two cheese sandwiches and a big bag with food supplies: fruits, sweet potatoes, juice, date’s cake and even candies! That is so sweet! I would not need to worry about food for the next two days at least.
I am quite sad for have to leave them.
Before go to the border, just one hour driving from Francistown, I go to the Supa Ngwao Museum, which even being so small, it totally worth the visit. Of course is much better if you can go there first and then go around town to check the historical spots. I would love have done that. Oh, by the way, to get in there, a man offered to help me with the food bags. It was nice of him because it was so hot and the bags were so heavy. I gave him the seven Pulas I had in coins as thankful.
Out of town, it takes just a few minutes until someone gives me a lift. He is going to the boarder to pick up somebody. It is after midday already when I get in there.
