New friends: G and M

      When I clambered into the car that had come to take me to my lodgings, I was surprised to find that it already had two passengers in it, two ladies of obvious European heritage.  They courteously squeezed together to make room for me and all my stuff and we began a conversation.  
      It turned out that the two women, to whom I shall refer as "G" and "M" in order to respect their privacy, were from Stockholm, Sweden, and that they were nearing the end of their trip.  They'd spent three weeks travelling around Botswana, and I was completely amazed at what they had done.  
     They had arrived in Botswana with practically no pre-conceived notions of where they would go, how they would get around, and where they would stay, but only a desire to see the country and an amazing amount of courage.  They also arrived with a healthy acceptance of an African basic truth, that being "This is Africa.  Don't expect it to be like home.  Don't expect perfect punctuality, perfectly reliable schedules.  Relax and accept it as it comes."  Man!  Is that a hard lesson for us westerners to learn or what?  It's absolutely engrained in us to expect things to happen when they're scheduled, dammit, as advertised, and there's hell to pay when our expectations aren't met!
      But G and M mastered this lesson and as a result, had an incredible vacation.  They travelled wherever it sounded interesting to travel and they took whatever transportation was available.  In Botswana, the main roads--and almost all the main roads are dirt--have a lot of little turn-outs every few miles, usually where there is a big tree providing plenty of shade to wait under.  Sometimes, buses come . . . . . . but don't ask "when?"  No one knows when.  You just wait.
     Sometimes, the buses DON'T come.  Sometimes, cars stop--people who are going somewhere and have some room in their vehicle.  They offer the people waiting in the shade of the big trees if they'd like a ride, and the waiting people choose to accept or not, depending on their destination, and all with the understanding that they will help out with the gas expense.
      And THIS is how G and M travelled, mostly, for their entire trip!!!  Sometimes they rode for hours with a car full of strangers, and sometimes they would rent a sleeping room from some one they met in the car, or some one recommended by somebody they met in the car.
      And here's the best part:  not ONCE did they have even a mildly unpleasant experience.  They were ALWAYS treated in a friendly, out-going, respectful, and accepting manner.  One time, as they waited along the road, a car stopped, and the white South African gentlemen inside were so very concerned for their safety.  They simply couldn't imagine that G and M would travel alone like they were--they wanted to protect them!  But G and M insisted that they didn't need protection and that they were doing fine--the South Africans were bewildered.  Frankly, so was I!  I wouldn't feel safe doing anything similar in Wisconsin!  What does that tell us about Botswana?

    


Well, these women were just wild, crazy, and reckless, you say?  Well, here they are, and if you can spot a hint of wildness, craziness, or recklessness in these women, I'll be very surprised.  It's not them, I tell you -- it's Botswana!    And what a fine thing to say about country.  More about G and M later!