Botswana with Michela

Botswana with Michela We cross the border in a red hire car rented in South Africa. After a stretch of gravel road we join the main road that runs north from Gaborone as far as Francistown. Here we stop in a small town to change money into the local pula and grab a bite, plus a banana split. In Francistown, just out of town heading for Nata, right after the level crossing, the police catch us for speeding, and we pay the fine. But damn, what bad luck. In a country of 3 million people, it had to be us, right at that spot and that moment? We reach Nata, fill up, and in the late afternoon head for Maun, which we reach in the dark. Since I'd been there before, I knew where to sleep that night. The Island Safari Lodge is about 10 km from Maun.

Here we decide to take a little tour and stock up on food and petrol, including the spare 20 l jerrycan we have, which we'd use later that same evening. For the road we've taken toward Namibia has no filling stations. The road we chose runs to the left of the Okavango Delta, brand-new tarmac. On the map it was marked as gravel road. We reach the border between Botswana and Namibia, a spot lost in the middle of nowhere where I doubt many tourists pass. A hut with a barrier where a couple of black customs officers happily accept 2 Italian magazines to help pass the time. Bye