And the beat goes on - thanks to Bella

[Although I'm sitting here at my desk in Trenton, Bella has kindly provided another update - Spencer]

Wednesday July 27^th

Today we went into Gaborone like usual, but this time we made it back before dark! It's shocking, but we were home before 4:00pm. The first stop was Riverwalk Mall. However, due to a lot of construction and a few detours, we almost got lost. But when we asked someone for direction, we were only two left turns away. It was about time we had a lucky traffic break as we literally caught every single red light from Thamaga to Riverwalk except for one. When we reached the mall at around 10:00am, Aunt Binnie and my dad looked at housing design books. Some of the plans are actually pretty neat.

 The second stop of the day was the Gaborone Yacht Club. After travelling a long and very bumpy road, we reached our destination. The Gaborone Yacht Club does not actually open until 5:00pm, but the gate guy let us in anyways. Dad and I searched around the boats trying to find a rowing shell, like we had seen in a magazine ad of the club. Unfortunately it looks like it is a bring-your-own-rowing-boat type of club. All the boats are stored outside on racks. There are many canoes and kayaks, several windsurfing boards and a couple yachts. The water source is a dam, and the water was beautiful. It was perfect conditions for rowing. I was kind of bummed that we didn’t have a boat with us. We continued to look around the boats and found a pathway that lead to the clubhouse. It was on top of a hill and had a breath-taking view of the water and surrounding scenery. The clubhouse was not officially open but we went in and looked around anyways. There was a bar and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating as well as several couches, a TV and an open space for exercise. It was a pretty sweet club. If I ever move to Gaborone, I will definitely get my own boat and membership!

The third stop was Game City Mall. We hand lunch at the Mugg and Bean, after shopping for South African Rugby gear at Ackerman’s. Then the most shocking thing of all: Gordon booked a hair appointment! After lunch Gordon had a haircut. It looks very nice, less poufy with less leaves and suchlike stuck in it. We left for Thamaga around 3:00pm and made it back in time to go to the reservoir.  It was a short walk away and had another beautiful view of the village and all the surrounding hills and rock formations.

Botswana - over and out

Daybreak Africa!

It is just on 8:00 a.m. and everyone else is still sleeping.  Largely a reaction to the chilly overnight temperatures.  Why get out of bed until the sun has warmed the air and chased away the overnight temperatures.

As I walked from our little bedroom beside the main house to the kitchen I could see my breath.  I am sure some people in Trenton would take that right now!

We are going to have a leisurely day in the village.  After breakfast we will walk to the Co-op and get a hydro card to replenish Mma Binnie’s power supply.  Somehow the electricity meter has run way down during our trip to the north.  I wonder how that happened?  Then we will stop at the pottery and buy a few pieces of pottery to take back to Canada.

The rest of the day we will all take it easy and I will pack my 2 bags.  I’m not sure at this hour which 2 bags they want me to take back.  Hopefully once I check in at the airport in Gaborone I will not see the bags until I am in the arrivals area in Toronto.  Therefore weight and bulkiness are not a factor since the only time I will have to deal with them are at the check in and arrivals carousel.

I imagine the others will drop me off at the airport a little before 5 p.m. and head back to the village.  Driving at night is challenging at times and Dave has not driven after dark and I don’t think he is interested in starting now.  It also would be more reassuring to me that they were home before dark (ie: 6:15 p.m.).

In terms of the rest of this week, Dave and Binnie have decided that they will see about having the kids go to school for 1 day.  School is in and they will see if Iain and Isabella can tag along with my niece Thabang for 1 day to see how secondary school is in Botswana. 

As for Gordon he has permission from the school headmaster to go to school with his cousin Molly in Mochudi for a week if he wishes.  He is not too keen on that idea but I won’t be surprised to hear that he has gone for a couple of days.  It will help him get an appreciation for what school life is like here in Botswana and what his cousin does every day.

As well, believe it or not there is a yacht club in Gaborone.  There is a large reservoir on the south end of the capital and there are signs indicating the turn to the yacht club.  Dave read somewhere that they have rowing, so he and Bella are going to see about an opportunity to row.  Something to tell the rowing club back home.

The only other event planned is to try and attend Binnie’s former church in the capital on Sunday.  To see what a large urban church is like.

Lastly, I have tried to keep the blog going as best I could but time constraints and technology limitations (ie: the ability to upload pictures and text) have limited what I wanted to write.  I have kept a little sheet with a list of subjects to write about and I am going to do so just to have a complete record of my thoughts.  Thus, although the writing my originate from Trenton on the weekend when I get home the subject matter and pictures will all be about Botswana and the trip.

On the paper I have listed: directions, Victoria Falls, economy, back house, Makaleng, Sedia Hotel, weather, church and the lands.

Photos: A reminder

I just uploaded 38 of Iain’s photos from the trip north.  Just a sample of all the photos we have taken.  Bella and I have 1.9GB of photos each, Binnie 4GB and Iain 9.4GB.

The joys of digital cameras!

I have also uploaded 5 pictures from yesterday’s police stop.

When I get back to Canada I will try and make sense of all the photos and put together a representative slide show.  At the same time, all the photos are backed on multiple DVD’s and you are welcome to look at the whole shooting match or not, depending on your inclination.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hutch

Almost time to flee the scene

Good Monday morning. It is hard to believe that this is my last full day in Botswana.  As any holiday where has the time gone?

Tomorrow I start the long trek home. I fly from Gaborone just after supper and if all goes to plan I arrive in Toronto at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening and then back to work Thursday morning.  With the 6 hour time change it probably means I will be getting up at 2 a.m. Thursday since my body will say it is 8:00 a.m.

Brother Dave, Iain and Isabella fly out a week today so they have a bit more time to relax and see things in southern Botswana.  Binnie and Gordon stay until August 11^th.

I have enjoyed the trip and done a few things I have never done before in Botswana.  I got to visit the “lands”, fly over the Okavango Delta, take a boat cruise on river near the Delta and take a cruise on the Chobe River through Chobe National Park.  Each one of these events captured with vivid memories.

The starkness of the lands and how difficult it is for Mma Binnie to farm; the beauty of the Delta from the air; the sheer abundance of wildlife in Chobe Park and to be literally feet away from crocodiles on the river bank, hippos feeding on the grass at the water’s edge and a line of elephants big and small walking/swimming from the shore to an island.  To see a baby elephant completely submerged except for the tip of a trunk sticking out of the water.

On the other side of the coin, as I said to Binnie I doubt if I will head to northern Botswana again.  It is a long haul, and not to be high minded, once you have seen the Delta and Chobe and Victoria Falls, what is the rush to see them again?  How many times do you visit Niagara Falls?

At the same time, if there was someone who was going and wanted company I would not hesitate to join in, in a flash.  In the end, I don’t think I will initiate a tour of the north but will tag along if someone else does.

The other reason for my thoughts about the north is that Makaleng no longer holds the interest it once did.  It now holds a better place in the mind than in reality.  In 1985 I went to Makaleng to help start Pelaelo Community Junior Secondary School with 3 Americans and Dudley Senabye, the local headmaster.  We became part of the community for the next 2 years.

In 2011 the school is still there, albeit looking quite tired after a quarter century and most of the local people who I knew are no longer around.  The Chief has passed on, as his wife and his son Comic who had become chief.  Another son is now chief.

The head of the school board Rev Moyo has died, as well as the owner of the local bar who we all got to know very well!  Even the staff at the clinic where Binnie worked have all gone except one person. 

Naturally enough the people in Makaleng have moved on and thus the village no longer holds the same interest for me.  It is always the people that make a place what it is, whether it is here in Botswana or in Canada.  As a result I don’t think there will be the inclination to visit Makaleng again.

Driving - Part 3: Famous last words!

Famous last words.  Who says that it is impossible to get a speeding ticket in Botswana?

Yesterday (Sunday) we undertook the long haul from northern Botswana back to the south.  Time to get back to Thamaga and run a few errands before heading back to Canada.  We had concluded our tour of the tourist hot spots of Maun, Chobe and Victoria Falls.

Thus we got up at 5:30 a.m. washed, had breakfast and loaded the van.  Just as the sun was starting to brighten the day we pulled out from Kasane.  A short jaunt east to Kazungula (10kms), a stop to fill up on petrol and then a 300km run south to Nata.  Another petrol stop and then 200km drive easterly to Francistown.  A stop for lunch at Wimpys and then the turn south on A1 heading for Gaborone.  200kms later a brief stop at Palapye to refuel and a quick visit with Ivy and the oldest daughter who was away when we stayed with them last week.  (They met us at the filling station).

Then one last run south to Mochudi to spend the night with Tonic and her family.

All in all 935kms of driving in 11½ hours.  Not something that you really wanted to do but something that had to be done to get back south.  I drove to Nata and Dave drove from Nata to Palapye.  I then drove the rest of the distance to Mochudi.

By late afternoon I was getting a little punchy and not totally focused on the road ahead.  Just wanting to get to Mochudi.

Drivers in Botswana commonly warn you of things ahead.  Thus oncoming cars normally flash their lights to indicate something of note ahead such as animals on the road or a police check.  Very helpful once you begin to understand what all the flashing of headlights mean.

Anyway I was sailing along and for no real reason the speed limit changed from 120kph to 80kph.  I slowed down a bit but was not going to slow to 80.  Lo and behold who pops out from the side of the road ahead but a police officer waving me to the side of the road! Apparently I was going 102 in the 80 zone.  The pick-up truck behind me was also waved over.  The lady was doing 105.  As the 2 of us stood beside the road a transport truck was flagged over.   As I had indicated earlier, like shooting fish in a barrel!

My brother was kind enough to photo the whole encounter which I have posted to Flickr.

The officer sitting in his lawn chair on the shoulder of the road, speed detector on a tripod pointing north and hooked to the back of the detector a video camera to record the speed and the video of the on-coming vehicle in case you went to court to appeal your ticket.

The officer was kind enough to play back the video and there is a nice shot of me about 1.5kms up the road with a red square box centered on the car and the number 102 at the bottom of the screen!  (Just like the nice red dot on your forehead when you are about to be shot in the movies). Then the video showed the lady’s truck and the number 105.

The officer directed us to go over to the police car hidden behind the bushes farther back from the road and report our speed.  As I wandered back I thought maybe I will say I was going 95 or 92.  It was up to my honesty to relay the speed I was going to the 2^nd officer.

At the police car which was a fancy Volvo all kitted out sat an officer listing to music on a USB key plugged into the car radio system.  Having a relaxing time sitting in the bush!

He smiled and asked how fast as I was going.  I said 102.  He then asked for my driver’s license and looked at it.  The plastic credit card sized one we have in Ontario.   I asked him where he was from.  He said Kanye which is near Binnie’s village.  I indicated that we were here for 3 weeks visiting family and I was flying home Tuesday night and therefore it was not worth processing the paperwork.  I knew I was not going to pay the fine and was going to keep the ticket as a souvenir.  He knew as well. 

The tickets are handwritten and about the size of an 8½ by 11 piece of paper filled in in duplicate.  One for the speeder and one for the police.  On the back seat he had about a dozen or so tickets and he said that they had only been there for 20 minutes!

Anyway we smiled at each other, shook hands and off I went – no ticket.  As I approached the officer seating in the chair I pulled a piece of paper out of my pocket on which I had been writing down the mileages during the day as we travelled south and folded it as if I just got it, trying to make like I was folding my ticket.  It fooled Dave who asked to see the ticket but I said I did not get one and was just folding a piece of paper for effect.  Thus I joined the others in the van and we pulled away.

Another memory of life in Botswana and a reminder that your words will always come back to haunt you!

Kasane

Greetings from Kasane in northern Botswana. We have now gone as far north as you can in Botswana.  To the north of us lies Zambia, to the northeast Zimbabwe and to the northwest Nambia.

This is the 2^nd most popular tourist destination in the country, or possibly the first.  The reason is the Chobe River and Chobe National Park.  The park is full of wildlife and arguably the largest concentration of elephants in Africa.

From Maun and the Okavango Delta we retraced our steps and spent last night (Wednesday) in Nata.  A village of no great merit but it breaks the trip to Kasane into 2 manageable sections.  I guess the equivalent of Wawa in northern Ontario.  A place on the way to somewhere else.

I should add we did not leave Maun until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday because we spent the morning on a boat tour of the Thamalakane River at the fringe of the delta.  This gave us a feel for the delta from the water’s edge and countless birds.  Probably not as exciting at animals but spectacular in their own right.

From Nata we spent the morning driving north to Kasane.  300 km’s of very little and not helped by the fact that 130km’s of the road were under construction and we had to take a detour road parallel to the main road. Our speed was limited to 60kph.

The one bonus of this section of road is that we passed numerous ostriches and elephants beside the road.  It got to the point we no longer slowed to take photos because we already had enough!  You see 1 ostrich you have seen 100!  Same with the elephants.

The road north terminates at Kazungula where you run into the mighty Zambezi River.  A fascinating place since there is a rather primitive ferry that provides the road connection from Botswana on the south side of the river to Zambia on the north side.

This is the route that takes goods from South Africa via Botswana north to Zambia and even countries further north in Africa.  As a result there was a very long queue of over-sized transport trucks lined up waiting to board the ferry.  The ferry could take 1 transport and 1 car or regular sized vehicle.

In addition to trucks, there was a crowd of people waiting to head north to Zambia with a wide range of goods that they could use or re-sell across the border.  Either these goods such as laundry soap or plastic meal containers that you would get at a fast food restaurant were hard to get in Zambia or must more expensive.  Consequently, there was a lot of pedestrian traffic getting on the ferry to head north and they carried all sorts and sizes of bundles.

From Kazungula we turned west a short distance to Kasane.  A very small and dusty place with very little in the way of stores but a lot of lodges (hotels) primarily catering to the higher end tourist.

We are staying at a guest house up on the ridge overlooking the Chobe River and Zambia.  The owner is a cousin of a friend of ours from Botswana who lives in Ottawa.  Three bedrooms, 2 showers, a living room with tv and a fully kitted kitchen with everything except the food. We shopped at the Spar grocery store for food for the next 3 days.  However, for supper we did break down and got a bucket of 21 pieces of chicken from KFC.  Yes KFC!

Just before sundown we went to the Chobe Safari Lodge to watch the sun set over the river and have a drink at their riverside bar.  Not cheap by any standard and the place was over-run with elderly European tourists (mainly women).  I would hate to guess what the daily room rate was or what supper would cost in the lodge’s restaurant.

We also inquired about a boat cruise on the Chobe River.  We have tentatively booked a 3 hour cruise for 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Tomorrow we are going to attempt to get to Victoria Falls either through Zimbabwe or via Zambia (and the ferry). It will be interesting to see how feasible that jaunt is going to be?

I have posted 7 more photos on Flickr which I believe are self-explanatory (?).

The Okavango Delta

And still more photos can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hutch

Sorry about the lack of lengthy commentary but as the photos attest we have had another outstanding day in Botswana in Maun and over the Okavango Delta.

At 4:00 p.m. we went for a 1 hour flight over the delta in a small Cessna.  We flew at a height of 550 feet and it cost $90 for each one of us.  A bargain as far as I was concerned and something I don’t think the kids will ever forget.

There are countless little companies that provide these flights as attested to by all the planes lined up at the airport.  All pretty laid-back and informal as seen by the walk out along the flight line to the plane.  Derrick the pilot used the tail to lay out a map of where we’re going to go.  Dave had the co-pilots seat up front and Gordon had the lone seat at the back.  Everyone had a window seat.

The delta is full of hundreds of waterways and small islands. Criss-crossing the waterways as indicated by the lines in the reeds and grass are the trails the animals such as the elephants and hippos make.   You could clearly see where they were moving to and fro.

The reason for the flight was two-fold.  One to get an appreciation for the delta and what it looks like from the air and second to look for wildlife.

As the photos indicate we were not disappointed as we saw elephants and giraffes on various islands.  Although no one seemed to have captured in a photo we also saw zebras, hippos and 1 crocodile.

As difficult as these animals are to see on the ground they are equally difficult to pick out from the air, even at 550 feet.  Compare the photos that show an animal with the photos that just show the terrain.  At times hard to determine if you are seeing an animal or something else.   In addition the Cessna does move fairly quickly and if you are not ready for a photo your sightlines change relatively quickly.

Quite the amazing terrain.

You are also allowed to camp in the delta on any island that you wish.  In Maun you can book a mokoro (traditional canoe) and be poled through the waterways by a guide.  You can choose how many days you want to go out for and away you go.  There is a picture of several tents on one of the islands.  However, don’t forget you share this space with all the aforementioned animals. 

25 years ago I did a camping trip with 3 other Canadians and there is something amazing about sitting beside a campfire at night listing to the sounds of the African night and knowing that there is no much between you and the wildlife.

Flights were taking off all the time but in the hour we only came across one other Cessna in the air.   Apparently there are a total of 60 pilots flying the delta and you get the impression that it is one big brotherhood out in the middle of wide open Africa.  We engaged in a bit of playful flying with the other Cessna with first one up and to the side of the other one and then they would cross over and we would dip below the other Cessna.

We got back to Maun at 5:00 p.m. just at the sun was heading for the western horizon.  Thus this necessitated going to the Crocodile Lodge for a couple of sundowners on the bar terrace that overlooks one of the waterways at the edge of the delta.  Needless to say while the cold drinks went down extremely well as the sun set over the water I couldn’t stop thinking about how did last Thursday’s Committee of Adjustment meeting go?  I wonder if the Committee approved all of the severance applications?

Wednesday we are booked for a 2 hour boat tour through the delta to see what the delta looks like from the water’s edge.

I have also enclosed several photos of our hotel and grounds.  Note the ever present dusty terrain in the parking lot.  The hotel had a swimming pool and the typical pool side chairs and bar.

Our room had a little “balcony” that faced the interior of the property.

For a night’s accommodation and breakfast the following morning it was about $125 for a room for 3 people.

Last but not least I have included a photo of the “mobile hotel” that does the trans-Africa safari.  All kitted out like a cross between a bus and transport truck with horizontal bedrooms at the rear.  (Like rows of coffins if you ask me.  Needless to say these vehicles are built for off-roading and dealing with all sorts of terrain.  This particular vehicle had German license plates.

How hot did you say it was in Trenton this week?  I think I could easily take a week or two camping in the delta.

My apologies!

My apologies.  Somehow technology or human error entered into the equation this morning and the 39 photos did not get uploaded as I thought.  They appear to be there now.  (I just uploaded them a 2^nd time).

By luck it appears we are enjoying much better weather here in Botswana than back home.  Downright pleasant during the daytime albeit a little chilly at night.

Who would have thought that?  Ontario blistering hot and Botswana cooler.

I’ll probably stay up late tonight and try and get this blog back into gear.  Six of us and everyone wants to either check their email or facebook and the hotel’s WIFI is a bit flaky.

More Photos

I have just uploaded 39 photos to Flickr.

These photos show:

·         our trip to the Khama Rhino sanctuary outside Serowe;

·         Sam’s (Binnie’s brother) house in Francistown;

·         The village of Makaleng where Binnie and I first met.  The clinic where she worked, the school where I worked, her house and my house;

·         Wildlife beside the road from Nata to Maun.  Zebras, ostriches and giraffes.

We are now in Maun probably the tourist capital of Botswana.  Gateway to the Okavango Delta.

Our trip has switched gears.  The first 2/3’s was given over to visiting with Binnie’s family in and around the capital.  In that we were very successful and have met all 10 siblings and their families.

The last 1/3 of the trip is doing the tourist thing and visiting the northern part of Botswana where the national parks are and the main tourist sites of the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls (actually in Zimbabwe) are situated.

This also means we switch from staying with family and now are staying in hotels/chalets and guest houses.  Each has its own merits but it is nice to unwind in your own space (and I am sure Mma Binnie must be thinking the same thing after having 6 Canadians at her house for countless days!)

So from here on it, it is going to pictures of wildlife.  Sorry about that!

Driving - part 2

As is almost a certainty, as soon as you write something, very shortly it is contradicted.

In Botswana there are speed traps and like everything else the Batswana have had the good fortune to by-pass old technology and jump to the latest technology.  For example, no need to string telephone wires all across the country, just go right to wireless or cellular telephones.

Similarly the police here have the latest laser speed guns that can see an extremely long way off and much further than a human can see.

Yesterday we started the trek to northern Botswana to visit Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park and the village where I taught for 2 years and met my beloved sooo many, many years ago...

The vast majority of the population of Botswana is concentrated along the eastern side of the country from the south east to the north east since the vast western 2/3’s of the country is given over to the Kalahari Desert.

In the southeast corner is the capital Gaborone and the largest concentration of population.  In the northeast corner of Botswana is Francistown, the 2^nd city (!) of the country.  Connecting the two is the A1 road, the only real north/south road connection in the country although in recent times they have constructed the Trans-Kalahari highway and other road links further to the west.

Thus the A1 is the main artery of the country and akin to the 401 connecting Toronto and Montreal.

The trip between the 2 cities is about 440 km’s with a scattering of other towns along the way.  However, for the most part the road runs straight to the horizon with very, very little in the way of things to look at.

Similar to the Canadian Prairies but instead of grain elevators you look to the distance to the next cell tower.  Reach one cell tower and off in the distance is the next cell tower and on and on for several hours on end.

The Batswana have created a fairly generous road allowance with remnants of the old road beside the newer road that you travel on now.  So to the left and right side of the road, a fair way back are two wire fences to help reduce the wandering of animals onto the road.  Inside the fence line on either side are 2 wide grass shoulders, in the neighbourhood of 90 feet wide.  The road itself has one lane in each direction with a centre white line and there are generous paved shoulders, ¾’s the width of the driving lane.  The paved shoulder is marked off by a yellow line along the side of the driving lane.

In theory the object is to point the car to the horizon and stay between the white centre line and the yellow shoulder line.  Much easier in theory since over the course of several hours with nothing to look at but the horizon and numerous cars passing and disappearing into the horizon or oncoming vehicles going by there is nothing to do.  A few times I momentarily found myself wandering over one or other of the lines before I realized what was happening and altered course.

Unfortunately this is one road race that I am not going to win.  Given the age and state of our borrowed vehicle I am limiting our speed to 110 kph.  Everyone else is driving in the neighbourhood of 120 to 150.  The posted limit is 120.

Thus there is a constant blur as countless BMWs or Mercedes blow past like we are standing still.  Not that the Corollas and VWs are not doing the same thing.  The only things we manage to pass are the transport trucks hauling goods to northern Botswana and into possibly Zambia and other countries farther to the north.

The faster cars seem to move in packs and you will be passed by 4 or 5 cars together and then there will be a bit of a lull and then another pack will pass by.  It is entertaining to watch since it like being lapped in a Formula One race as the passing pack jockeys for position and while overtaking us, the pack in turn is overtaking each other.  Thus you will have a car passing us and a car on the shoulder further over passing the passing car.  Since you can see kilometres ahead there is no worry about oncoming cars.

I should add that if I had the ability I would be travelling at 140 or 150.  It would cut almost ¾’s of an hour or longer off the trip from north to south.

Then we come to the matter of speed traps. 

Twice in our trip we came across speed traps.  This consisted of a police officer sitting on a chair beside the road with a laser detector mounted on a tripod in front of him.  Nearby was a couple of other officers and a police car.  It must have been like shooting fish in a barrel.  His laser would greatly outdistance a person’s sight line and there was no question no one was adhering to the 120 speed limit. 

The only drawback is getting people to pull over and stop since in a blur they would have been out of sight and gone past.  A police chase is not in the equation.  In addition, with the travelling packs of speeding cars it would be quite difficult to pick out which car was actually the one that was being recorded.  Thus I would think the implementation of the strategy needs a bit of a refinement.

For us the speed trap was not an issue. 

The other thing to note in our trip north was the fact that we encountered a roadside safety station.  At first I thought we had come across another police spot check.  However, on all long holiday weekends on the major roads, the police and Ministry of Transportation set up safety stations.  (Monday and Tuesday are national holidays for President’s Day.  Thus this Friday was the beginning of a 4-day long weekend).

Nine out of every 10 vehicles was waved over to the side of the road and the drivers had to get out.  Everything was well organized with cones down the centre of the road and numerous individuals in well marked vests directing traffic and helping people park.  There was a row of about 8 parked vehicles along the side of the shoulder.

Beside the road was a huge marquee tent with the side facing the road open.  Inside the tent was a row of tables lined up parallel to the highway and in front of the tables were chairs and on the other side of the tables were the safety people also sitting at chairs.  The ground was sand so when you pulled your chair out, the legs dragged through the dusty soil.  Rather an interesting visual picture.

Anyway, I like all the other drivers were provided with a brief lecture from a safety officer about road safety and given a pamphlet to read (once we got to our destination) as well as a sticky label with additional safety information to stick on the dashboard, back of the seat or some other suitable surface.

All very informative and the safety officer I spoke to was very pleasant and spoke English very well.

The bottom line is that 500 people are killed each year in road accidents in Botswana and the police and government want to reduce this.  Thus, the creation of these safety stations.  Interesting how the people here are willing to tackle a problem that we in the west would probably not even attempt since we are a car based society and how dare you interfere with me getting from point A to point B in the fastest possible time.

All in all the stop took about 5 minutes and we were on our way again.

Now stuck to the rear passenger window of my brother-in-law’s car is the safety sticker with some of the following points:

Leaver early when setting out on a long journey.

Observe the speed limit.