You’ll never guess where I’m typing this entry, so I’ll tell you shortly.

Yesterday saw a full day driving to Gweta and my next stay for the following two nights. I was hoping to get a full day + lunch on the pans today but luck was against me. There was nothing going at the Gweta Lodge. To give the lady credit she had tried everything. So I finished yesterday at the bar with the owners of the lodge. I was the only guest in residence so I received special treatment.
I had a great chinwag with a Brit who is one of the investors in the lodge and the manager, a South African. They gave me some great tips on seeing the Makgadikgadi and also regaled me with tales of their travels. I will definitely consider hooking up with one of their treks around the place in the future. He also gave me some information on motorcycling through Botswana. These guys actually caught up with the Top Gear team when it came through!

Today started out OK. I booked a Gweta village tour with Planet Baobab (just down the road from the Gweta Lodge) which included a traditional lunch. I got to eat Mopane worms and all the other fare a normal rural Botswanian family would eat. Lovingly prepared by a local lady. It was absolutely fantastic and I was the only one doing it. Again I had an audience with everyone wishing to see the look on my face when I chowed down a worm. They’re excellent.. I ate the lot!

That took me to lunchtime which brings me to now. I managed to tag along on a tour of the pans this afternoon. This was excellent and I got my first live view of Meerkats, lots of photos ensued. The very best part is this tour includes a sleepover out in the Ntwetwe Pan. So I am now typing this up with a blaze of stars above me and the only lights still shining are the glow of my macbook screen and the campfire behind me, about 4 kms onto the Ntwetwe pan, not another thing in site.

A long drive back to Gabs tomorrow that will start late because of my delayed return from the Pans. Do I care.. hell no!

Update: The Yaris happily sits on 160km/ph for extended periods of time. I was actually passed by another Yaris as I was doing 160km, and it disappeared into the distance.

Tags: travel