Busride From Livingstone to Gaborone

Monday, July 26, 2010

We woke up at 4 AM and got ready for our long bus ride back to Gaborone, Botswana. We had already packed our suitcase the night before, so we only needed to brush our teeth and get dressed before leaving (no shower again). We walked to the bus station, only 10 minutes away, and bought our bus tickets to get to the Zambia/Botswana border. Bobby also traveled with us to Gaborone because he had a 3 week holiday from work, and he hasn't been back there in 4 years. When we got on the bus, we found that it was very crowded and the seats were quite small. There are five seats across each row on the bus, with two on the left and three on the right. The two of us had to share a row of 3 seats with a woman who was already on the bus, and she wasn't doing a very good job of sharing the space. The one-hour ride to the border at Kazungula was extemely uncomfortable. It was impossible to rest at all due to the cramped seating arrangements and the driver's awfully loud music. Also, it smelled like we weren't the only ones who decided not to bathe today.

We reached the border at around 6 AM and got off the bus to get in line for our passport exit stamps. It took awhile for all the bus passengers to get through, maybe 30 minutes, and then we waited by the riverside for the ferry. It took another 30 minutes before the ferries started running, but eventually the bus got loaded onto the ferry, followed by a large truck, and then all the people. Dena decided to ride inside the bus while the ferry crossed, this way she could get to the Botswana border station before the rest of us reached it on foot. She wanted to be the first in line to ensure we had more comfortable seats on our next bus. This plan proved to be very successful--Dena was the first one to get her passport entry stamp and managed to get two seats alone in the second row of the bus. We were still cramped, but at least we were getting elbowed by each other rather than complete strangers.

Resting on the next bus was still very difficult. For some reason, bus drivers in Africa like to listen to very loud and annoying music, and they don't seem to car about the comfort of their passengers. The ride was also very bumpy, but at least the driver went fast in order to cut down our travel time. There were a few checkpoints on the road where all the passengers had to get off and show their passports. We weren't sure why we had to do this, but it was a bit of a hassle. We eventually stopped for lunch, but the driver only gave us 10 minutes to get food. We had the choice of a fast food restaurant or a convenience store--imagine 50 bus passengers trying to get food with only 10 minutes to spare. We had to wait a while for our fast food to be ready, and we were nervous the bus might leave. Eventually, everyone got their food and made it back on the bus, and we did our best to eat on the road without making a huge mess.

When we reached Francistown, about halfway between the border and Gaborone, half of the passengers got off the bus. This meant that the remaining passengers could spread out and have their own seats. Before we could do this, many people came on the bus trying to sell food, drinks, and air time for cell phones (everyone uses pre-paid phone cards here). It was crazy to see twenty people crowding the aisles, pushing past each other, shouting "Chicken and chips! Chicken and chips!" Eventually, these people left the bus and we found a better seat where we could spread out. It was only slightly more comfortable than before, and the driver continued the same loud, annoying music he had played all morning.

We finally made it to Gaborone around 7:30 PM after 1000 kilometers (620 miles) and 14 hours on the road, and we were greeted by Tommie and his daughter, Chipo. It felt great to see them and to be "home." Earlier in the week, we had asked Tommie if he could arrange a place for us to shower, since his house doesn't have one, and he assured us when we arrived that he had taken care of it. We went back to Tommie's house and dinner was ready for us. We had Bream fish, beef, cabbage and pap. After dinner, we gave the family as many Burbank/Hollywood/California gifts as we could in order to make more room in our luggage. We also listened to the 8 o'clock news on the radio because they had a great piece about the Malaria Campaign, mentioning the participation of the high schools in Burbank, and specifically the two of us joining the campaign.

After the news, Tommie informed us that we would be checking into a motel for the rest of the week so that we would have a shower. We weren't expecting this--we just thought Tommie would find a neighbor or friend who was willing to let us use their shower. He promised us that this was a better option, and we loaded our suitcases into the car so he and Bobby could take us to our new living quarters. We were a little disappointed because we had been hoping to spend more time with Tommie's wife and daughters, but we were also happy to have access to a shower and hot water at our own convenience.

We reached the motel, and after walking past the outdoor swimming pool, we found out that our room was actually an apartment. There was a separate bedroom; a bathroom with the shower; a kitchen with dining table, refridgerator, oven/stove, sink, microwave, and washing machine for laundry; and a living room with couch, table, chairs and TV. There is also an outdoor patio was table and chairs, and a clothes line for drying the laundry. This was much more than we expected or needed, and we insisted that it was not necessary. But deep down inside, we were very satisfied.

We spent some time reorganizing our luggage and getting some laundry ready for tomorrow. Doug took a shower, which was the best shower he has had since arriving in Africa, and shaved his beard, which has been growing for over 8 days. We relaxed and watched some TV, wrote in our journals, and then went to bed.