Johannesburg, South Africa to Maun, Botswana

 The Airport Lodge. I stayed in crews room above that car.

 The Sedia Riverside Hotel in Maun.

 A beautiful jacaranda tree at the Riverside Hotel.

Sorry the pictures are not very exciting, everything else was.

Saturday, October 7^th.

Happy Birthday Christopher.

Celebration of Don Gray's life happens today.

Sorry this is so long, but it was a crazy day with lots going on.

The plane landed at about 2:30 Kenyan time, but luckily South Africa is one hour behind, so 1:30. Getting off the plane, through customs, picking up my bag and finding my pick up driver were all easy. But I noticed that the sign the driver held up with my name on it said GAdventures, but the tour I am taking is with Intrepid, so that was strange. He drove me swiftly along the highway to the Airport Game Lodge where we had to wake up someone for reception, who couldn't find my name anywhere on his list and told us we were at the wrong lodge. He sent us to the Airport Lodge, about five kilometres away. There again we had to wake up someone who was very unhappy about that and chewed out the driver for not being warned that there would be a late drop off. Again he could not find my name on his list of expected people. He did confirm that the Intrepid trip Okavanga to Victoria Falls leaves from here. He thought I should be at the first lodge, but after we explained we had already been there, thankfully he did not send us back. I thought that I might have to wake up a room mate, which would not have been very nice either. He gave me a room which is usually used for tour crew. Anyway, no sooner did I get into my room than it started to rain. I charged up some equipment and got a fitful few hours of sleep before the seven o'clock breakfast. It had stopped raining but it was quite chilly.

When I went down the manager, who I met last night, said that the only tour he had leaving was a GAdventure tour through Mozambique and the leader said I wasn't on that (correct). I talked to the G guide about my situation and then the manager came back in and said he was in touch with the first lodge from last night and the tour and leader I am supposed to be with are there. They know that there was some sort of mix up and they are going to pick me up here at eight. Problem sorted, hopefully. The manager told me to have breakfast and I got talking to the G guide about their tours, the Mozambique visa issue, and the YOLO designation, which he said they have just rescinded to 18 to 30 something, with no top age. Gotta check that out. The Mozambique trip was probably the one I had booked but pulled out of when I couldn't get the visa. I sat with two Canadian girls who told me that Mozambique does issue visas at the border now but that the Embassy in the US doesn't tell people that because then they lose the visa processing business and money. What's with that??? Anyway, all good and I'm not disappointed about Mozambique and quite happy to be going where I am going. I'm sorted and getting ready to go.

Okay, things have changed. I was picked up at 8:00 and taken to the Airport Game Lodge. The lady in reception said that they had no record of me on the GAdventure tour that was leaving for Victoria Falls tomorrow. I told her I am booked with Intrepid not G. She said that Intrepid does not use that hotel! So I got out my computer and found out I was supposed to be at the Holiday Inn on the other side of the city. I had the reception lady call G and they could do nothing to help me. So I looked up an emergency number for Intrepid (in the US) and they gave me a local South African Intrepid number. I explained the situation to a guy named Justin and he told me to stay there and he'd find out where the truck was. When he called back he told me they were already four hours away at the Botswana border and they obviously wouldn't come back for me. He wasn't sure what to do, but I told him that I had five trips booked with Intrepid from now to December and he needed to do something to get me on that trip. He told me to sit tight and he'd check it out.

When he phoned back he told me that he tried to find a driving company (that they trust for safety reasons) but none of the drivers had a passport and therefore couldn't drive me into Botswana to catch the truck. So the only other option was to fly ahead to catch them. I was already checking flights before he called back and saw that I could fly to Maun Botswana. So I asked him to explore that, an extra night at the lodge the group was going to and a pickup at the airport. He said he'd call me back in an hour. Then the reception lady told me I needed to go back to the other hotel to pay for the room I stayed in as they couldn't charge it to Intrepid as they don't deal with them. So the hotel driver said he's drive me there to pay. Half way there he got a phone call and said that I had to go back, get my stuff as I had a flight to catch to Maun in two hours. So he took me back and I paid for the other hotel from here (they work together – why didn't they tell me to do that the first time?). When I got back I phoned Justin again and he told me to go to the South African desk at the airport, purchase a ticket for the 11:45 flight, and phone him when I was about to board so he could organize the transfer to the hotel.

So the driver took me to the airport on the shuttle and told me where to go to get to the South African Airlines desk. I went in and told the lady I wanted to buy a ticket to Maun. She asked me when I was returning. I said I wasn't, I was catch a tour and not flying back. She said her boss said no one way tickets. I almost blew a gasket, but after I explained what I was doing for the year, she said she understood and went to talk to her boss. He listened and gave the go ahead. She issued the ticket and told me to go quickly to checkin and drop off my bag. When I got there I saw the it said desk closed, but she took my bag. My next thought was, will it make the plane...

From there I went quickly through customs, passport control and walked ten minutes to my departure gate. When I got there I had to ask a lot of people if they were South African, and when I found a couple I asked them if they could make a local call for me to Justin the Intrepid guy to tell him I was about to board, so that he knew and could arrange the hotel pick up. About a half hour later they boarded us up and I flew to Maun.

A two hour flight and they served lunch, go figure. We arrived on time, but it took forever to go through customs and it was really hot, 30+. Interesting fact that both South Africa and Botswana asked to see my yellow fever inoculation record, in 2010-11 no one ever asked.

When I exited the airport there was a driver with my name who took me to the Sedia Riverside Hotel. I was told the room was paid for and all I had to pay for was the extras, dinner and drinks. I guess Intrepid is picking up the hotel for me, but the flight will be my responsibility. I was taken to my nice room, but some company has rented the place for the day and they are having a big party around the pool, complete with loud dance music, games, bouncing castles and lots of kids and people.

So, what about the tour? I checked the tour on the internet to see what I was missing, and basically I'm missing two long driving days of about 8 hours each on the overland truck. The only activity that I'm sorry I will miss is a visit to the Kama Rhino Sanctuary, where they have both black and white rhinos and the group will take an evening game drive. I will also miss meeting all the other people on the trip. So that's too bad, but at least I will join them here for the rest of the tour. So, I have today to rest and relax and most of tomorrow as well before the truck arrives here.

I spent the day in my lightly air conditioned room relaxing, hiding from the intense heat, listening to the music from outside and catching up on my notes and blog. I ventured out to the local service station to use the ATM to get some Botswana pula for tips and to have an ice cream. Later I had a stir fry dinner at the hotel restaurant and retired to my room. I managed to fall asleep before the music ended and slept pretty well throughout the night in my comfortable bed.