Whereas paying a tour company to guide us on a prearranged itinerary through some of southern Africa’s major attractions seems ideal to most inexperienced travelers, Camille, Giulia, and I decided the “free-balling” approach to discovering a few of the lower continent’s gems would be a bit more audacious. No, we didn’t exactly “go commando” the entire trip, but by free-balling I mean our plans were flexible and not at all set in stone, we were just out to blaze our own trail. The plans for getting from place to place and arranging activities at each destination were a bit fuzzy. After reading in travel guides lines like “The public bus from Maun to Nata runs infrequently, on unstable road systems, and will leave once the bus fills completely”, you are kind of left wondering if you’ll end up stuck in some sticks town in Botswana (which almost happened) – not the most reassuring guidelines to say the least. The never-ending streak of logistical difficulties that we dealt with (which are otherwise taken care of by professional tour companies) including modes of transportation, currency issues, security precautions, and accommodation decisions, although stressful, were quite rewarding and afforded boatloads of experience for traveling solely with a backpack. Spontaneity was unavoidable and uncertainty often clouded each leg of the journey. I can unhesitatingly say our trip was completely fulfilling and surprised me in unexpected ways. Here’s a small sampling of the chaos:
We took about eight different forms of transport: Large and small airplanes, public bus, minibus, taxi, various hitchhiking cars, mokoro, and speed boat.
Our math was put to the test using four different currencies (South African rand, US dollar, Zambian kwacha, and Botswana pula)
Crossed international borders five times (also with an unofficial landing in Namibia)
Stayed at five different hostel/lodge/campsite accommodations
Hitchhiked from the first time (and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th time)
The numbers are daunting given the trip was only 11 days, but the real benefits came from the personal encounters and immersing ourselves in some of the facets of daily life in each country, notably transportation systems and their operators. I can look back and remember calling Tokololo in Botswana or Bison in Zambia for taxi rides, or Thomas and his wife who were nice enough to hitchhike us nearly three hours, or our mokoro guide Simon in the Okavanga Delta. It was our first encounter with “real” Africa – not as real as the child soldiers of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, but also not as developed or Westernized as Cape Town and much of South Africa. Our first destination, Livingston, Zambia, the tourist hub for Victoria Falls, was the perfect example of what I’m talking about. Here, roads were in disrepair - full of potholes, covered in dirt - and informal exchange and the taxi service seemed to dominate the economy. You don’t drink the tap water, you need a yellow fever certificate for entry, and malaria is still a threat. After spending a day here, however, you realize that your fear of theft is unwarranted and the place is safe and security not a major issue – unlike Jo’burg, which is “the murder capital of the world”, and theft is prevalent.
Traveling with Giulia and Camille was both a blessing and a curse, and that’s me being mild in my judgments. First, their inclination to get down and dirty camping style is not really one of their main features as human beings (as it is for me – the sketchy spot being case in point), and they can often be disagreeable with nature. Although, I must say they handled the tent life (no mattress) rather admirably, with few occasional rants of displeasure. Secondly, with Giulia outpacing Camille, they are literally some of the cheapest, most heartless bargainers/travelers, and have little shame in haggling a cab driver to reduce a fare from 6,000 kwacha to 5,000, even if it is equivalent to only $0.20. We may not see eye to eye on the ethics of free market capitalism, but the savings I incurred from these shrewd calculators saved me a pretty penny without burdening my conscience. Lastly, both are socially conscious humanities majors, with vocal feminist beliefs (as any human should have), again exemplifying the case of the double-sided coin. On the head’s side, we discussed and thought about social phenomena in new and interesting ways atypical to everyday conversation. On the tail’s side, I could easily be judged by using one of my many common phrases like “You chug water like a girl”. All in all, bitchez got jokes for days, and there was never a dull moment between the three of us.
If I had to sum up our trip in one title, I might call it “The Beautiful Disaster: the endless streak of make-or-break moments” or maybe “Tangled Up in Tokololo”. I trust this preface hyped you up as much as the Hunger Games preview, Oh Em GEEEEE!
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