In Africa - Botswana

The country reminds me of our Southwest - dry, broad taupe plains sprinkled with sage  green shrubs and small trees and big expanses of blue sky with hazy  mountains framing the horizon.  This flat land is punctuated occasionally with rock outcrops that look like pimples from the air as you approach the airport.

Botswana is not a place you would vacation.  It is land locked and, as I described above, not particularly beautiful.  However, once here, you will find the people are kind and welcoming.  The pace of life is calm, but not lazy.  There is no sense of urgency, but people are attentive to time and schedules are kept.

The food is good.  Hoved animals graze the countryside.  Many cuts of grilled meat, roasted vegetables and salads fill menus.  Breakfasts are English as this country was once a British protectorate (not colony).  Their squashes are terrific smashed or roasted.  And, to our surprise, favorites include pizza and italian dishes.  John tested the pizza  twice.  His assessment was "tasty toppings, but the crust, despite the wood fired ovens, needed work".   We followed the basic outsider eating rules -- don't eat raw veggies,  drink bottled water only, and eat fruit if it has been peeled.  We both continue our trip without gastro-intestinal issues.  Thank God!

The money is called Poula.  There are 8 P to the dollar.  That makes Botswana a bargain for tourists, especially if you venture outside of the hotel.  Even then, a great bottle of South African Cabernet-Shiraz blend  is only 179 P or about $22.50 in the hotel restaurant.

There is no sense of fear or tension amongst people, although neighborhood theft crime is up.  The locals blame refugees coming across the boarder from other countries experiencing turmoil.

Gaborone, the capitol, is a small city or a big town depending upon where you came from.  It has a growing middle class.  Autos abound.  They are proud of their manufacturing industrial area, modern malls, and good roads in the city but the foundation for the country of only two million people is diamonds - the right kind - not blood diamonds.  People still have small stands by the side of the road at intersections and across the street from the small mall shopping areas.  You can buy groceries, lunch, clothing, and get a haircut.  Each stand is shaded by a tent like cover on four poles.  Houses and housing complexes for rich and poor are walled for protection.

My meetings went well.  We stayed at the upscale Lansmore Hotel in the center of the new downtown in Gabarone. John toured during the day with two other spouses, hosted by the wife of our Botswana post.  The small group drove into the bush a bit - off the pavement onto dirt roads to find crafts and lunch locally.  They also visited a local museum and generally "saw the sites", what few sites there are.

It's time to board the plane for Manzini, Swaziland.  We transit through Johnessburg.  That airport is a sprawling place, full of shopping opportunities.  It is the "big city".

Date line:  Arrived Manzini missing two of our bags.  Seems the young lady at check-in in Gaborone only checked them to Johannesburg.