We woke up early today to catch the combi (the "bus" - more like a glorified multi-passenger van) to Kachikau. We learned quickly that there are no such things as time schedules or reliability. In fact, the only thing that's certain is that the combi will be unreliable.
It was really cold and windy in the morning, but fortunately it warms up pretty quickly. The sun is so intense here...I've never felt anything like it. And I'm pretty sure there's negative humidity. You put lotion on and it's immediately absorbed and you feel like you never put any on. Amazing. Well, after waiting for a few hours, the combi finally came. But we didn't make it on because it was smaller than normal and only had 14 seats. So we were left with the options of waiting for the afternoon combi that may or may not come, hire a driver, hitchhike, or spend another night in Kasane. So we decided to spend another night in Kasane and try again tomorrow. Fortunately, Waterlily Lodge could house us for the extra night.
We recovered from sitting around for several hours and then went to the after-school center of Tori's fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Joan. The center is Joan's project during her stint, and had only been open for 2 days. The kids there are so cute! The kids come over the center in the afternoon, and get fed a meal before getting help with their homework and some recess time. They also get another high-protein meal before they leave - for most of them, this will be the last meal they get until they come back the next day because they don't have food at home. A heart-breaking and eye-opening thought.
We had dinner at the Chobe Safari Lodge along the Chobe River. The sunset was gorgeous! And we had our 1st elephant sighting...kind of. They were very off in the distance, so they looked more like rocks. Can't wait to seem them up close!
On a side note: white people here are called Lekgoa, which translates to "vomit of the sea." Nice, huh?
Day 5: Wednesday, August 11th
We woke up early again to catch the combi. Before heading for the bus station, we found an internet cafe and checked on the status of my parents' bags. Good news! They made it to South Africa already and are scheduled to arrive here in Kasane later today. We sat and waited for the combi in the freezing cold wind for over 4 hours, but it never came. As the Peace Corps volunteers like to say, WTA (Welcome To Africa)! We finally decided to hire a taxi driver Tori knew to drive us out to Kachikau for 500 Pula (~$70). We picked up some meat pies from the local bakery (which later became our favorite stop in Kasane) for lunch, and then headed out in the hot sun. You have to drive through Chobe National Park to get to Kachikau. We saw some zebras, elephants and small antelope along the way. Let the safari begin! :)
The road to Kachikau is only paved part of the way, so most of it is very bumpy and dusty. They've been working on paving the road the whole time Tori's been here, but it probably won't be done until sometime next year. After we got to Kachikau, we relaxed a little bit (Dad and I fell asleep) before walking down the road to watch the sun set. At night, the elphants walk through town on the same road. Maybe we'll hear them tonight!
I finally feel like I'm adjusted to the time zone, although I'm still a little out of it. Tori made us dinner in her little kitchen...roasted chicken, rice and greens. Her water isn't running at the moment, which I guess is a common thing. (We later learned that the construction from the road had broken the water line. No word on when it'll get fixed.) I learned how to flush the toilet with a bucket of water! And there are lots of spiders here, including ones that surprise you on the toilet! Yuck! I got to sleep in Tori's bed with the mosquito netting. Kind of fun - like the princess bed I always wanted as a kid. :)
It feels good to be here in Tori's village. Today we all felt like we'd never leave Kasane! Hopefully we won't have as much trouble getting back!
Day 6: Thursday, August 12th
For breakfast this morning, we made pancakes from scratch and without any measuring cups/spoons. They turned out pretty yummy! Tori even made us coffee in her French press.
We spent a good chunk of the morning walking around town. We met a lot of Tori's friends and co-workers and made friends with a lot of the local kids. They kept asking us for sweets and posed for pictures. We stopped by a local crafts store and I bought a basket woven by a woman in the village.
My mom took pictures of the girls' football (soccer) team that Tori helps coach. We also brought a new ball for them, although it didn't stay clean for very long. The dirt here is more like sand or silt, so everything gets dirty no matter how hard you try. They will get 4 more balls once my parents' bags get here, including a pink one! At first the girls were shy, but they kept hamming it up for the camera. They just got new shorts, socks, and cleats that Tori picked up in South Africa with grant money she received. They seemed very excited and proud to look official.
I just finished hand-washing my clothes, and they are hanging on the line in the yard to dry. Because it's so hot here, I'm sure it won't take long. It was kind of relaxing, but I can see how hand-washing would get old. I will never take washing machines for granted again!
Tonight for dinner we're having pasta with a creamy ham and mushroom sauce. Should be interesting. You have to make your own pasta sauce here with tomato paste, or choose from the odd assortment of packaged sauces. I think we'll be heading out to watch the sunset again soon. Maybe we'll see some animals tonight! Tori's friend Moxi is bringing us some freshly-baked bread from the bakery to go with our dinner.
Kind of sad that we have to leave already tomorrow. It feels like we just here. We will pass through here again on Sunday and pick up Tori as we start our safari!
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