Botswana & Zimbabwe to Pretoria (weeks 24 to 27)
One of the highlights of the overland we booked from Cape Town to Vic Falls was supposed to be the Okavango delta. My impression of the Okavango was that it was teaming with life; animals from all around gather here once a year to bask in the 18 000 square km of the delta, which experiences its maximum flood level between June and August. Somehow, we ended up on a stretch where, as our guides admitted, there was basically no chance of spotting any wildlife other than a few birds and crocodiles. They said the motor boats scared the hippos away (though that was not the case anywhere else we saw them, even in high-traffic areas), that any hippos would stay under water for over an hour (they can only hold their breath for about five minutes), and that the only place to see wildlife on the Okavango was the Moreni reserves farther south (though we saw plenty of wildlife upriver in Namibia's Caprivi strip). On top of it all, the nature walks were in the heat of the day and only marginally interesting. Our whole group was sorely disappointed; this optional two-day activity was a complete waste of money.
Regardless, we did get to see all the wildlife we were hoping for in Botswana's Chobe National Park, and a side trip to visit a San community was welcome. The San is a wide term for a variety of indigenous peoples, and while they no longer live how they used to – nomads hunter-gatherers, they wore soft hides and wielded small bows with poison arrows – they seem happy to share insights into their traditions.
In Chobe, a boat cruise got us close to more crocs, hippos, buffalo, a myriad of birds, and elephants sinking into the marshy grasslands. We were lucky enough to get right into a herd of elephants and to spot a mother jackal with her three cubs on a morning game drive.
In Chobe, a boat cruise got us close to more crocs, hippos, buffalo, a myriad of birds, and elephants sinking into the marshy grasslands. We were lucky enough to get right into a herd of elephants and to spot a mother jackal with her three cubs on a morning game drive.
The last day of our overlanding adventure brought us to Victoria Falls, the largest falls in the world (when combining overall volume and size). Even in the dry season, when the water volume is much lower, the falls were beautiful and impressive. Many areas of the viewing trail get showered in a fine mist, a perfect way to cool down in the afternoon heat!
We said goodbye to our group at the Vic Falls hotel; the next day, we bravely crossed through a scavenging troop of 30+ baboons to get to the train station ticket office. Luckily, internet research paid off: the train was running as planned, and that evening we clambered into our two-person sleeper berth in the old grungy carriages still decorated with Rhodesia Railway's logo. The lights had broken, so the entire train was drenched in darkness as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon (no complaints from our cockroach friends scurrying around the carriages, I'm sure!) |
We had a handful of brief, random interactions with Zimbabweans, and in all of them we were thanked for visiting and spending some much needed money in the country. Zimbabwe's economy collapsed; its money is now defunct. Everywhere hopeful vendors try to sell their 1 billion and 1 trillion Zimbabwean dollar bank notes. "One trillion Zimbabwean dollars! I will exchange for dollars! How much do you think it is worth?" The unfortunate answer to that is: nothing.
After a fitful sleep we arrived in Bulawayo and waited for our second overnight journey, this time on a greyhound bus, to take us back to Pretoria so we could apply for our Ethiopia visas in person at the embassy and prepare for the next leg of our trip in India.
After a fitful sleep we arrived in Bulawayo and waited for our second overnight journey, this time on a greyhound bus, to take us back to Pretoria so we could apply for our Ethiopia visas in person at the embassy and prepare for the next leg of our trip in India.
A whole lot of good that did. We had tried calling ahead many times, but they never answered the phone. We also lost a business day due to a surprise public holiday. When we finally made it to the embassy, we were shocked to find out that they would get it done in a day and a half, no problem. Luckily, the fact that we were foreign came up just as we were leaving to go get the money transfer (could she not tell by our accent?): it turns out that the Embassy of Ethiopia in South Africa will only process requests made by South Africans. She told us to apply in Kenya, the next closest embassy, which we could have done had they picked up the phone to tell us they would not process our request. We had run out of time. I wonder what they tell citizens of neighbouring countries who traveled to their embassy: fly to Kenya instead?
I was very much looking forward to visiting Ethiopia. If only they'd made this information available anywhere online, we would have saved ourselves a good deal of time and money...oh well; we did some research and decided the most sensible plan was to hop off our next truck in Samburu County and grab a local transport back to Nairobi.
Even though the stop in Pretoria ended up being fruitless, we had a lovely time at our AirBnB apartment and made new friends: our hosts and their very friendly Boston terrier.
I was very much looking forward to visiting Ethiopia. If only they'd made this information available anywhere online, we would have saved ourselves a good deal of time and money...oh well; we did some research and decided the most sensible plan was to hop off our next truck in Samburu County and grab a local transport back to Nairobi.
Even though the stop in Pretoria ended up being fruitless, we had a lovely time at our AirBnB apartment and made new friends: our hosts and their very friendly Boston terrier.