Back North to Kasane alone for the first time

I had been so lucky insofar as Terry had asked if I would like to deliver his 4x4 up to Kasane to the couple who manage the Lodge where I had been invited to stay. What a daft question!!! Would I LIKE????? Who could turn down such a fantastic offer? Certainly not me! It also gave me the opportunity to stay a night or two at Francistown on my way north, with the friends at the school I had talked at last October. I had with me close on 20Kg of gifts for the school and this gave me the chance to deliver all these. A lot was make up which had been requested to facilitate the Plays to be put on at the school complete with make-up. My friend just could not believe how much stuff I managed to reveal from my suitcase. There were about 50 knitted hats (yes, the Motswana (the collective name for those born in Botswana) love woolly hats!!!) then dozens of pairs of knitting needles, and about 50 balls of assorted wools, tapestry kits, embroidery threads, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, plus a lot of other things. She said it was just like all her Christmases rolled into one.

I stayed two nights there, then in was time to set off on the more interesting part of the journey. I know that Vic drives this road very often, but to me it was just wonderful. The chance of seeing animals I don't get to see in Gretna is an ever present challenge. The rivers which had been dry water courses in October, were now proper rivers with water, the land, which had been arid and totally barren looking, now wore a mantle of green. Trees had their leaves and looked completely different. The whole land was transformed into the most beautiful, unrecognisable landscape. Of course it was still flat, but this time I did notice there are small valleys and rocky outcrops (all of which are actually sacred sites in Botswana {Something I learned from my Francistown Friends!} and no-one is encouraged to build on them.

Every hundred kilometers there are Vet or Foot and Mouth Fences. This usually entailed being stopped, asked to show my driving licence, and then driving the car through a disinfectant trough and getting out and putting my shoes through a small sort of tin-tray arrangement that was also filled with disinfectant. I had a laugh and a joke with each official on my way north - they seemed intrigued by this mad Englishwoman driving on her own off up to Kasane. They are used to local residents driving themselves alone, but not many female holidaymakers do the journey alone. I loved every inch of that journey, I can tell you. I know lots of people hate Baboons, but I enjoyed seeing these playing in the roadside grass.






Eventually I reached the top of the hill that leads down to the Zambezi, and the view is Zambia in the distance. Indeed, the Mobile phone coverage on this stretch of the road is from the mast in Zambia, so it is always good to reach this point having been without any sort of communication for the previous 200 Km. The figures on the road in the distance are Baboons once again. By the time I drew level with them though, they had taken cover in the long grass at the margins of the road.




I was nearly at my destination, and would be very happy to drive into Garden Lodge's car park and see it's little path to the door.


It was going to be wonderful to have the chance to stay with Gabi and Phil for more than a couple of nights, as I had done last time. Since it was now low season for them, they would have more time to show me many of the things that most tourists just don't get to see. I could hardly wait for the morning! First of all, though, there were the really warm welcomes, both from Gabi and Phil, but also from the staff who amazed me by remembering me from my visit in October.