Botswana Time

Well it didn’t take long to get re-introduced to “Botswana time”.

Right on time at 10:50 a.m. Thursday our South African Express Dash 8 landed at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and taxied up to within 40 metres of the arrival’s doorway.  It was short walk across the concrete apron and into the arrival’s hall.

Inside we had to fill in a landing card and pass through immigration.  A process that took all of 10 minutes since there was about 14 of us in the line.

Just pass the immigration kiosk was the carousel with all about 7 bags going around.  Lo and behold there were are 4 checked bags and they were quickly loaded onto a trolley and we headed out through the sliding glass doors into the main hall of the airport.

Time to see Binnie for the first time in 5 weeks except she was nowhere to be seen!

Being a large hall with very people inside it was clear we were not missing her.

Gordon asked what we should do, and I said we would head to the drop off/pick up area in front of the terminal.  Out we went and stood in the shade of the building’s overhang.  Again, no sign on Binnie.

Across the road from the drop off area was a little parkette with trees and concrete benches in the shade of the trees.  We wandered over there and parked ourselves on the bench.  Probably 30°C out but pleasant in the shade.

For being an “international” airport, it is not a very busy place and every few minutes another car would come along and drop someone off and drive away.

After about 25 minute a couple of taxi drivers came over and asked if we wanted a lift into town (e.g.  City Centre).   I declined since that was not going to solve anything since, we had no idea where Binnie was and no back up plan to meet up. 

Finally, just before noon, (e.g. 1 hour late) Binnie drove up and we wheeled the trolley over to the drop off area and loaded the trunk and jumped in.

Apparently, she had decided to run a couple of errands before picking us up and each stop didn’t go as expected.  Thus, she got to the airport when she got to the airport.  No harm, no foul.

Thus, not one hour on the ground in Botswana and one was reacquainted with the notion that things may not go as scheduled and you just have to go with the flow.  No need to worry about it or get stressed since things will get done in their own time.

Next up “Botswana time” at the Omang office.

Home!!

Home!

Well after 36 hours in motion Gordon and I are safely home.

The 3 plane trips all went well and no difficulties along the way and more importantly our 4 checked bags came out onto the carousels in Gaborone.  Everything accounted for.

Although we have only been on the ground for 9 hours there are countless stories to tell already.   However, I am feeling zonked out right now and will sit down with the laptop on Friday morning.  Gordon went to sleep at 7 p.m. which must be a record for the last 12 months.

As for our house it is simply amazing, and Binnie has created a gem.  Damn it, if in every dimension it is bigger than our house in Trenton.  Large kitchen with a wrap around counter with 3 bar stools; large dining room/living room with 10’ ceilings; 2 huge 2-seat fully reclining “lazy boy” chairs; huge master bedroom and ensuite bathroom; 2 smaller bedrooms and washrooms in Gordon’s “wing”. And for those of us who my have joint issues, all on one level at grade.  No steps except out the back door.

As far as I am concerned there is only 2 problems.  Somehow the master bedroom got painted a light purple??  Not my cup of tea.  Secondly, the chandelier in the living room plays music and changes colour.  Like a disco hall!!  Interesting not an incandescent light in the house; all LEDs.

Needless to say, the aforementioned comments have not been verbalized since it falls under the category of designer’s choice and I have zero input on design, except monetary, on this whole endeavour.

Lastly, I must be honest that we are living in our new house illegally since the building inspector yesterday came and wouldn’t issue an occupancy permit!!

Why you ask?  Because the interior wooden doors have been primed but don’t have their final coat of paint; some of the door frames are not painted; 1 shower stall is not tiled (but has concrete walls) and something about the septic system pipes?

Well as far as I’m concerned none of these are health and safety issues that impact living in the house.  Mostly cosmetic items although we have to follow up on the septic system pipes.

So, there you have it at the end of Day 1 at 23°S.

Tomorrow stories of Botswana “time”, Builder’s World, parking garages, broken microphone on Gordon’s cell phone; Sunday’s wedding and no municipal water.

Good morning London.

Just sitting in a cafe inside Terminal 2 at Heathrow finishing a good solid breakfast.  Stayed away from the traditional British breakfast with blood pudding, sausages and everything else that will clog your arteries.

Instead egg benedict, organge juice and cafe Americano.

So local time is 11:30 a.m Wednesday morning but body time it still is 6:30 a.m. Trenton time.

Our flight through the night was smooth as glass.  Boeing 777-300 with seating for 450.

The bonus was the flight was only 2/3's full so plenty of empty seats.  A lot of people took the centre 4 seats and put up the arm rests to make a bed.

Gordon and I shared 3 seats and sprawled out.  From what I could see he was multitasking between his laptop, IPad and games on the screen on the back of the seat in front of him for the whole night!

Thus 6 hours in the terminal and then the overnight SAA flight to Johanesburg.

I will upload 1 photo that is a more current picture than the current house picture at the top of the page.  Only a month ago.

 Onward and upward.

 

What was that John Denver hit, Leaving on a Jet Plane.  

Our 4 bags have disappeared down the rubber conveyor belt and hopefully we will see them in 36 hours in the carousel in Gaborone.  At least we don't have to worry about them for now.  

Binnie pre-packed one before she left so I assume full of either kitchen or bedroom gear.  I packed one full of a basic list of hand tools along with a min-stick hockey set (2 sticks, 2 nets, 3 balls and a carrying case).  I am about to introduce hockey to a young family friend and develop the first Botswanan professional hockey player.

Travelling with an 18-year is interesting.  I figured he is old enough to get himself organized and left him to pack his own backpack.  It will be interesting to see what he pulls out of it when he arrives in the village.  

I do know his carry-on is crammed full of electronic devices?  He has a laptop, IPad, cell phone and digital camcorder and digital external hard drive.  Again it is going to be interesting to see how this all comes into play.  Maybe he knows more about internet access in Botswana than I do.

Moving In

It is hard to believe that the last post was from March 2018 and now it is almost the end of March 2019.  However, an amazing amount of work has been accomplished by Binnie.  This week is when the three of us finally move into our own house and the hard almost continuous task of building a bungalow in Thamaga is finished!

Back in January 1985 I, along with a handful of Canadian colleagues, landed in Botswana for the very first time to help open new secondary schools across the country.  Not a flicker of an idea I would end up eventually with a wife, a plot of land and a house....

It makes me pause and wonder where Gordon will end up as he prepares to head off to the University of Guelph in September?