Waving at Angola, Zambia AND Botswana
Trip Start
Mar 17, 2007
1
212
401
Trip End
Ongoing
Katima Mulilo,
Namibia
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Dr T shops for some ice, coke and beer before we leave. I stay in the car with our expensive computers. The town is very lively. I could sit here for hours. 100s of people walk buy, lots of them selling 'stuff' in the front of the supermarket. A woman is walking buy with a bag of 20kg salt in her arms and a baby on her back. In the pharmacy, where Dr T went, a man needed medicines but was half a Euro short. The pharmacist gave him the medicines anyway. A truck is standing next to m, loaded with people. The man, sitting next to the driver keeps on fainting: he looks very sick. Finally, he falls out of the truck. Some people pick him up, put him on the seat and close door. Men are drinking big bottles of beer. And old lady picks her nose. There are big bags of 'things' everywhere. A guy is selling cigarettes by the PIECE. A girl baked sausages at home and sells them out of a plastic box. An organ plays the same tune, over and over again.
We start our 500something kilometre drive at 10h30.
People are moving their whole household, animals are crossing the street (no elephant, as promosed) and we are at the Zambia border.
We find the Prothea (aka Zambezi Lodge) straight away. But, it is a building construction! Everything is being redone, it is very noisy and the swimming pool is closed. It looks like a ghost hotel. The 4 year old at the reception does not understand/care that the 60 Euro for a night is too expensive for the state the hotel is in. We ask a better price and she says that the singles are 50: GRAAAAAAWL. Dr T has a theory about most of the people here, in businesses. He calls them: the 4 year olds. That theory has been very helpful. They do not know, do not understand, do not care and are not educated, so completely useless. We ask for the manager, who went to town and no, she does not know when she will be back. NEXT!
Another lodge, the Caprivini River Lodge, recommended by our tour book: beautiful views on the river and Angola:. Which is true. Here they ask 70 Euro, for a small room, without A/C. This time, we have a 2 year old. The manager went to town (what is it with those managers and the town?) and, no, she does not know when she will be back and cannot ring her. I can see the benefit of employing 2 to 4 years old at 1 buck a day but do you leave them in charge of your business, without saying when you will be back or a contact number? They do. We leave, although we were VERY charmed by a beautiful pussy cat chasing a crocodile in the garden: no kidding!
Then, we find the well hidden Mukusi Cabins. This time our Lonely Planet is right. It has a nice bar restaurant. The cabin is uninteresting and overpriced, still 50 Euro but, there is nothing better. We have a pleasant evening in the bar-restaurant. There is a good menu, nice wine, the locals came out for diner, Dr T has a couple of Jägermeisters. Cats have good sex above our heads. So, we are ready for: Botswana tomorrow!
