Next morning, September 9th, we decamped, plowed back through the sand without mishap, shopped at the Choppie's in Kasane (where Vicki exchanged the remains of the 800U$D she had inadvertently obtained in
pulas earlier in the week; our serving as
pula-bankers became a running gag) and undertook the relatively short drive to Katima Mulilo, in Namibia. We were to be in Namibia the next two weeks. NB: while we were in Zimbabwe, and in view of the rough roads to come, Donnie let a few pounds of air out of all the group's tires. This, among several other things, proved effective.
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Leaving Botswana, our last baobob tree |
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Big Zambezi valley |
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Formalities, lines, uncertainties, over-charging for the vehicle
...the usual, nothing to complain about, really; the vet checks
were more of an issue, limiting what meat and poultry we could
buy and refrigerate between checks... |
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For much of Namibia to come, compounds such as these, sometimes small
(families?), sometimes large (villages?), many very poor, some few not |
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Our encampment on the Zambezi at the nice Zambezi River Lodge/Protea Hotel
(actually a Mariott) |
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Us, #9 |
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Crocodile warning signs all over; great river |
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And another braai |
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Back on the road the next day; so many of the people on foot |
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Free range goats |
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More compounds |
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Inequality: in this part of the world, you can reliably infer that
people on foot are black, people riding around in air-conditioned
SUVs, white; |
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Mongeese? |
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Interesting yellow-leafed trees (it's early spring here) |
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Arriving at Mahangu Safari Camp, our next evening's stop |
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Rough, sandy road |
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What these roads can d to your vehicle |
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I had to tear down a few dead limbs to get us a place... |