Disclaimer: This blog has been typed on a iPhone connected to wifi that is functional for 1% of time and during that 1% you would struggle to download a single email. So I hope this ends up on the website in full! If not please forgive us and rather direct any rage to so called African Internet providers. It is for the same reason that we can't upload any photos.
Disclaimer aside we have made some decent progress since we left the oasis that is Livingstone. Our initial plan was to cycle through the Caprivi Strip in Namibia and then cycle through a game reserve to a little used border and then cross into Botswana and cycle south next to the Okavango Delta. The problem was that you had to have a permit to go through the reserve to the border. This permit was free but we could not ascertain whether you could cycle through the reserve despite emails to all and sundry and those in the know. So rather than risk not being able to cycle through Botswana without some serious backtracking we decided to cross into Botswana by ferry at the Kazungula border and then cycle south next to Chobe National Park to Nata and then westwards to Maun. We would also have the added bonus of passing close to the Makgadigadi Pans.
Botswana is a flat country so we were expecting fast days in the saddle. We did expect the headwind! The ferry across the Zambezi was simple enough but we could not help but suggest that a bridge would be more effective especially when one truck takes up the whole ferry (it is actually a pontoon). We did our usual haggling with the money changers at the border. These guys got so irate when we decided to use a proper bureau de change but we explained to them that we will go for the best rate and unless they could match it, it was their loss. Cowboys!
From the border we had 300 km to the one horse town of Nata through an area nicknamed the elephant corridor by some. Everyone warned us about wild animals particularly elephants and lions. The fact that there are loads of warning signs along the road reiterated this. With water bags full to capacity we hit the road. We did not see anything except bushveld. After about 60 km we came upon an old abandoned road maintenance depot. It had cottage which was open and did not suffer from the usual mess that squatters would make. We felt this was the perfect place to spend the night. So like true squatters (the UK type) we let ourselves in without triggering the 'breaking and entering' law and set up our tent in what was the lounge. Just in time because as soon as we settled down to make some tea the heavens opened.
We were not so lucky the next night. Within an hour of being on the road we heard lion roars very close to the road and it was with relief that we saw some buildings up ahead. We stopped at the only petrol station along this stretch of road and enjoyed some rice and beef and stocked up on water before continuing south. We were in shock at this point because for the first time since Egypt the beef was actually chunks of meat rather than bones with some meat clinging to it. It also came with a bean salad and beetroot! And it came with serviettes and cutlery. We could not believe it! We thought back to all the previous countries were even being given a fork was highly unlikely and if asked for it takes on average half an hour before one is located. Two forks would be a miracle! With food in our bellies we did another 60 km into a strong headwind before we started looking for a place to camp. Our first attempt resulted in me walking into an elephant while it was tearing a tree to pieces. Luckily I was up wind so managed to backtrack without incident. We did another 10km before trying again. We found a comfy spot but unfortunately it was sandwiched between four game trails and had three watering holes very close by. We unleashed our tracking skills and examined the trails for any spoor. Not finding any we decided that we should be fine. We were until 8pm when a elephant made its way towards our camp eating as it went along. It was so close we could hear its stomach growling. You can just imagine the look on our faces. The elephant must have smelt us because it bypassed our little camp. We went to bed nervous. Justly so as we did not stop hearing various animals wandering very close to our tent, which is made of very thin nylon. None of this heavy duty canvas for us! Just after midnight there was one hell of storm, which kept the animals at bay. So much rain fell that the waterholes doubled in volume. We were happy to be on the road the next morning but the elephants siting did not cease. After passing through a vetenary checkpoint where we had to dip our shoes in chemicals, we spotted a further three elephants on the road one of which mock charged us before running away from our sweaty unwashed aroma.
We made it to Nata in good time and feasted on treats from the local shop. We enquired about campsites and there turned out to be one at Nata Lodge... Which was 10km in the wrong direction. It had a pool though so we made the effort and cycled out. It was definitely worth it. Pool, bar and campfire. We had the place to ourselves and were sad to leave the next day.
From Nata to Maun was another 300km. We decided to do it in three days as the heat was getting to us and Mark had a few saddle sores that were giving him an unpleasant time. So we did 110 km on the first day and camped at Gweta Lodge. Again we were the only ones there. We had a good chat with two of the guys there Darren and Max who gave us some tips on the road ahead. It turned out to be Darren's birthday so we were treated to some cake later that evening.
Disclaimer aside we have made some decent progress since we left the oasis that is Livingstone. Our initial plan was to cycle through the Caprivi Strip in Namibia and then cycle through a game reserve to a little used border and then cross into Botswana and cycle south next to the Okavango Delta. The problem was that you had to have a permit to go through the reserve to the border. This permit was free but we could not ascertain whether you could cycle through the reserve despite emails to all and sundry and those in the know. So rather than risk not being able to cycle through Botswana without some serious backtracking we decided to cross into Botswana by ferry at the Kazungula border and then cycle south next to Chobe National Park to Nata and then westwards to Maun. We would also have the added bonus of passing close to the Makgadigadi Pans.
Botswana is a flat country so we were expecting fast days in the saddle. We did expect the headwind! The ferry across the Zambezi was simple enough but we could not help but suggest that a bridge would be more effective especially when one truck takes up the whole ferry (it is actually a pontoon). We did our usual haggling with the money changers at the border. These guys got so irate when we decided to use a proper bureau de change but we explained to them that we will go for the best rate and unless they could match it, it was their loss. Cowboys!
From the border we had 300 km to the one horse town of Nata through an area nicknamed the elephant corridor by some. Everyone warned us about wild animals particularly elephants and lions. The fact that there are loads of warning signs along the road reiterated this. With water bags full to capacity we hit the road. We did not see anything except bushveld. After about 60 km we came upon an old abandoned road maintenance depot. It had cottage which was open and did not suffer from the usual mess that squatters would make. We felt this was the perfect place to spend the night. So like true squatters (the UK type) we let ourselves in without triggering the 'breaking and entering' law and set up our tent in what was the lounge. Just in time because as soon as we settled down to make some tea the heavens opened.
We were not so lucky the next night. Within an hour of being on the road we heard lion roars very close to the road and it was with relief that we saw some buildings up ahead. We stopped at the only petrol station along this stretch of road and enjoyed some rice and beef and stocked up on water before continuing south. We were in shock at this point because for the first time since Egypt the beef was actually chunks of meat rather than bones with some meat clinging to it. It also came with a bean salad and beetroot! And it came with serviettes and cutlery. We could not believe it! We thought back to all the previous countries were even being given a fork was highly unlikely and if asked for it takes on average half an hour before one is located. Two forks would be a miracle! With food in our bellies we did another 60 km into a strong headwind before we started looking for a place to camp. Our first attempt resulted in me walking into an elephant while it was tearing a tree to pieces. Luckily I was up wind so managed to backtrack without incident. We did another 10km before trying again. We found a comfy spot but unfortunately it was sandwiched between four game trails and had three watering holes very close by. We unleashed our tracking skills and examined the trails for any spoor. Not finding any we decided that we should be fine. We were until 8pm when a elephant made its way towards our camp eating as it went along. It was so close we could hear its stomach growling. You can just imagine the look on our faces. The elephant must have smelt us because it bypassed our little camp. We went to bed nervous. Justly so as we did not stop hearing various animals wandering very close to our tent, which is made of very thin nylon. None of this heavy duty canvas for us! Just after midnight there was one hell of storm, which kept the animals at bay. So much rain fell that the waterholes doubled in volume. We were happy to be on the road the next morning but the elephants siting did not cease. After passing through a vetenary checkpoint where we had to dip our shoes in chemicals, we spotted a further three elephants on the road one of which mock charged us before running away from our sweaty unwashed aroma.
We made it to Nata in good time and feasted on treats from the local shop. We enquired about campsites and there turned out to be one at Nata Lodge... Which was 10km in the wrong direction. It had a pool though so we made the effort and cycled out. It was definitely worth it. Pool, bar and campfire. We had the place to ourselves and were sad to leave the next day.
From Nata to Maun was another 300km. We decided to do it in three days as the heat was getting to us and Mark had a few saddle sores that were giving him an unpleasant time. So we did 110 km on the first day and camped at Gweta Lodge. Again we were the only ones there. We had a good chat with two of the guys there Darren and Max who gave us some tips on the road ahead. It turned out to be Darren's birthday so we were treated to some cake later that evening.
The next day we passed by a spur of the Makgadigadi Pans. We could not resist heading out onto the salt pans. Luckily the pans were not that soft and we managed to ride out into the barren expanse. It was incredibly hot and the glare kept our sunglasses glued to our faces. We got some awesome photos. You will have to wait for these I'm afraid. We did some good distance on that day, mainly to get out of the national park, before setting up camp in a dense thicket of thorn bushes. There was no one around so we were safe from wild animals and the other danger, human beings. It was one of the first nights we actually slept in our sleeping bags although this was from 1am till about 5am. Both our thermarest mattress are delaminating so we have large bulges on them in the most unfortunate places but despite this we both slept really well.
The next day we had a short (80km) ride to Maun, a cowboy like town on the edge of the earth. We had seen and stayed in far worse so when we saw a massive supermarket, ATMs and familiar take away chains we were in heaven. Our lunch was huge: bananas, apples, a pasty, drinking yogurt, a large doughnut with cream and custard, a slab of chocolate and 2 l of coke. Probably about twice your daily calorie allowance. Earlier we had worked out that going by the daily allowances for sugar intake quoted on a can of coke we had regularly consumed 350% of our daily sugar allowance. I suppose cycling for 7 hours a day was not taken into consideration when coming up with these healthy living values.
Once our bellies were full we did some enquiries about a good place to stay. We decided on the Campsite at the Sedia Hotel because it had a pool, wifi and was not expensive. It was also closer to town than the backpackers that has a reputation for extreme drunkeness, which would be fine if we did not have to cycle. Campsite confirmed we stocked up on some more food and more importantly beer before heading out for the 7km ride.
The campsite is lovely (we are still here!), the pool is amazing, the wifi is non-existent (see disclaimer) and the staff our super friendly. We feel that all accommodation (ie hotels, guesthouses, etc) staff in the rest of Africa should come to Botswana for customer service training. They really need it! We are taking a rest day today before tackling
the 500 odd km to the Charles Hill border to Namibia and eventually Windhoek. We have investigated trips into the delta but cant believe the cost. You could buy your own dugout canoe and poler for what the tour operators want to charge for a single day in the Delta. Its an excuse to come back though hopefully when we have traded in our bicycles for 4x4s!
We are getting closer and closer to Cape Town. The massive distances that lay before us when we crossed into Africa are a distant but happy memory. We have just less than 13000km on our odometers. Mark has less than me becuase he claims his cateye is more accurate. Im not so sure as it very old and has suffered a few breakdowns which Mark will deny! Arguments aside we have done some big miles and have about another 2500km to go. We plan to get to Cape Town at the end of March, finish line to be confirmed at a later date. Feel free to erect banners, lay out red carpets, etc.
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