Tjo! Tjo! Tjo!

Well, after leaving the office on Wednesday in a foul mood, Philip eventually convinced me that it would be a good idea to leave for Botswana on Thursday morning - we would never have made the border post by 6 anyhow. I was not a happy camper and had a headache (thanks to the tears) from here to Gaberone anyhow! We went out for a quick bite to eat, and hit the road at about 05h15 in the morning. It was quite cool, but warmed up considerably the closer we got to the Botswana border. We went through at Romatswe. By 09h30 we were sitting in the Mokolodi Game Reserve on the banks of this huge river with the cry of the Fish Eagle calling to one another - I know I have said it before, but I will say it again - that must be the most African sound you could hear! While sipping on our gin and tonics in the heat of the African sun, cooled down only by the leaves of the Fever and thorn trees, we suddenly heard the grunt and blowing of hippo. Of course to Philip this was an opportunity too precious to be missed and he went off on a walk, coming back to tell us that there were two hippo just 25m from where we were sitting. I will try and post some pictures for you next time - blondie over here needs to learn how to do it!! We had the most amazing day .... bad weather though, was to follow and it rained for the rest of the week-end!

On Friday evening we went to a place in Gaberone called Moghul Indian Restaurant. What a wonderful eating place. We had the BEST Indian food I have ever tasted - they put Karma in Sandton to shame. We were introduced to a dish called "Ants on a tree" - tiny deep fried bits of meat and vegetables with crispy noodles wrapped up in a lettuce leaf - DELICIOUS!! There was a Philipino called Pat who sang and played the guitar - he kept us entertained ... as did Philip ... took to the stage and told his "I can see Clearly now Lorraine has gone" joke ... very embarrassing! Gill and I did a disappearing trick and missesd it!! Hehehehe!

Not sure how many of you know, but the local African people do not eat any meat unless it comes off the bone. Their WORST is beef fillet and it is extremely cheap in Botswana. We went on a Fillet Hunt on Saturday morning and visited some of the local butchers. We managed to buy 22 kilo's of beef fillet and paid the princely sum of R42.00 (app 3.60 Euros) a kilo - cheaper than dried dog pellets!! The trick was getting it packed into our cooler bag and bringing it back into SA - although Philip said we were allowed to bring in 24 kilos so we were not over the limit - however I felt a bit guilty!! Our deep freeze at home is FULL of beef fillet and we are looking forward to putting one on our "braai" soon!

Tjo! Tjo! Tjo! We had a wonderful time in Botswana. The people are peace loving and very friendly - the quality of life is so much better than what we have. Despite the fact that its quite rural, they have some super malls and can get all their shopping done in the centre of Gaberone. I would move there tomorrow. We have decided that we are going to plan a trip to Chobe and to the Okavango swamps next. The abundance of wild life and the peace and tranquility of the locals made it a week-end to remember - a holiday haven, and I look forward to going back!