Pictures

Here area the pictures of the house at last. I'm in an internet cafe in Gabs with a fast connection - at last! Sorry the layout is not the best..



The braii, as called locally - will be used! The house over the fence is where Nasa stays.





The side of the house. Some nice shrubs in flower just now. Hibiscus I think.

Note the bars over the window, and that's just the garage!
The front of the house and front veranda. You can just make out the concertina security grating across the living room patio doors.
The photos don’t really show the general finish of the house which is not great.



This is the view from the front veranda. The pool is green, but someone is coming on Friday to clean it. The front garden has been looked after and has some nice succulent plants – just like home, except here they grow outside!

To 21st June

Here are some photos of the house I tried to post earlier. I’m in the British High Commission offices in Gaborone where the connection is good..... but can't get access to programm to paste the graphics...so will have to wait until another day!

Friday 16th June

Not much to report, just a week at work. The maid of the previous tenant came round and asked if she could be taken on again. But I’ve had enough interest in the job elsewhere, and the estate agent Khatija did not recommend her. Seeing a couple of ‘contenders’ next week. The ‘pool’ guys came round and began to clean the pool, by putting in chemicals and getting the filter started. It’s now no longer green, but still not clear - they need to put acid in!

Sunday June 18th

Another go at the golf, this time in the club championships. You may be surprised to hear - I am not the club champion. After the game there was a braii, a barbecue. £2.50 got you a huge T-bone steak, large sausage, salad, rolls etc. It was do-it-yourself. Played with Johan again. He has moved around all over SA – he is a casino manager. He is divorced, and his ex-wife of Scottish decent, now lives in Kirkcaldy! He hasn’t seen his 3 children (all girls), since they moved there 3 years ago.

Phoned June tonight – she is off to Jamaica tomorrow on holiday to her conference. She was excited.

I’ve been asking about what to see and do when June gets here in July. We want to see the Victoria falls, but I think we will also ‘do’ the Okavango – it’s a bit expensive at £100pppn + the flight in, so it will just be for 2/3 days. To get to the falls we will have to travel to Kasane, and from there cross over to Zambia and the town of Livingstone. Apparently, the better view is from the Victoria Falls hotel on the Zimbabwean side, but that will be a no-no. The Makgadikgadi salt pans are on the way north, a part of the Kalahari desert – its a huge expanse of flat featureless salt pan, the remains of a huge lake present some several million years ago. At this time of the year, there is less to see in terms of wildlife, but it is still plentiful, better in summer when it rains (18 inches a year!). But, we won’t get far off the beaten track, its not too dangerous from a wild animal point of view – if you are careful, but a breakdown can mean you are completely stranded with no immediate means of help.

I’ll only be able to take a week holiday while June is here, but I may try to arrange a visit to one of the colleges at the southern end of the Okavango, in Maun (Ma oon), and make a long weekend of it.

Still no word about the car, I guess the tyres haven’t arrived yet.

Monday 19th June

Jan brought in another woman from his village who was interested in the maids job. Seemed very competent, if a bit wary of me. She is from Zimbabwe, her husband works on a local fruit/vegetable farm while their daughter stays with grannie back in Zimbabwe. She visits on school holidays. The receptionist at work also brought in a friend. A mid-twenty something, and gorgeous. She seemed very nice also, but I thought that the Zimbabwean woman would be the better choice. OK, I did think about what June would say had I chosen otherwise! So I will probably contact Avia, the Zimbabwean, later in the week.

The internet café I’ve been using is having problems – system very slow. I’m only getting in and able to read some emails, but not reply. So sorry Andrew, not able to wish you happy birthday! Also Garry, I’ll respond when things get better.

Wednesday 21st

I phoned Avia, the Zimbabwean woman and told her she had the maids job. She screamed! And was very happy. We will have a month trial to see how we get on and take things from there.

Went up to see if the Honda was ready – they have replaced the tyres, but it now needs new track rod ends, so another wait until they arrive from Gabs.

I’ve not been able to get online this week – I did try, but too painfully slow for me. I’ve been to the BTC, the Botswana Telecommunications Company, to see about getting a landline connection to the house. There is already a connection, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem if the copper is still there - there have been a lot of thefts recently of telephone wires because of the current high copper price! I could then get a dial-up connection to a local ISP. Even better news is that BTC are rolling out ASDL Broadband in Francistown at the end of July (its 4 months late). I should be able to get a 256K domestic connection, or possibly a 512K business connection. Its expensive compared with UK at twice the price, for 1/8th of the bandwidth. So perhaps by August, communications will have improved.

Saturday 24th

Left Francistown at 7.00AM for the 440km drive to Gaborone, down the ‘A1’. Its quite cool in the morning now, Jan had ice on his windscreen starting out this morning. Just 15 minutes into the drive and I saw my first vulture! It rose up from the side of the road – a huge ugly bird! The first half of the journey saw us pass many small rural towns and villages – no middle classes here! Or at least not obvious from the road. Lots of small houses and roundavels, donkey carts for transport. The road was good, certainly as good as our own ‘A’ roads. Passed the longest roadworks I’ve ever seen – they are building a new wider stretch of road alongside the existing one – all 100Km of it!. Road workers live in tents. The road is almost dead straight, and flat, with the occasional small hill to see. We crossed many rivers – all dry!

Arrived about 12.00 and went first to Jans house to meet his wife and 2 children, both girls aged 2 and 6. His wife is called Ntchudi, and the youngest girl is Thebo (can’t remember the other). Ntchudi’s sister, and a cousin, both of whom have a child. also live with them. They have a maid Tiny, with a young child. So that Tiny can do her chores, she has a ‘maid’ Mercy, to look after her daughter. Mercy also has a young child. I don’t suppose that life is dull in the house.

Just a note: the spelling of names and places is my phonetic interpretation; I reserve the right to correct them at a later date!

Jan has 3 other daughters by his first wife who died tragically in a combi (minibus) accident just a few months after arriving in Botswana many years ago. His youngest daughter Freida, who is now 30, lives in Gaborone, and she came round to say hello and deliver some tickets for a primary school Marimba (look it up!) concert this evening. I got a ticket.

Jan took me back to the Brackendeene Lodge where I’ll be staying for the week. I’ve only booked for a week, as I may move elsewhere next weekend if it means I can see more of Gabs. It’s basic, but clean. Jan picked me up again at just after 6.00PM and then to the primary school for the concert. It was fabulous! I was annoyed that I hadn’t brought my camera. Thomas, you would have loved it! As well as the marimba, there were lots of drums, the children were colourfully dressed and obviously having a great time. It was a marimba workshop/coaching event for about 10 primary schools around the country – one was from Francistown. They each gave a performance of three songs. Some were more practiced than others, but still good and very exuberant.

To 14th June

Sunday 12th June

Up at 7.00AM, felt better for a long night sleep. Did some washing (doing it all by hand) - using OMO washing powder! Not seen that brand name for a long time! Need to get a mop, some floors needs a wash. I’ve also got an ant problem. Tiny ants invade the kitchen worktop if I leave anything there. I suppose I should get a fridge.

Opened the gates (security grill) at the rear ‘veranda’ for the first time, and gave it a clean. There are about 20 keys for different locks and doors, but I’m getting used to what fits where.

It’s warm outside in the sun, especially if walking about, but in the house it’s cool. In the summer though, I’m told most people live outside, the houses get really hot, especially in the evening. I’ve seen lots of butterflies - perhaps about a dozen varieties so far. Lots of colour variations; most are of a similar size to those in the UK, although saw a large one this morning hanging out my money on the washing line (left it in the pocket of a washed shirt!). The bees I’ve seen are blue/black and white. Not seen that many different kinds of bird yet, mostly Sparrows, Doves, large Jays. Saw something the size of a blue tit with very similar markings but in an almost translucent blue. I need to get a book to tell me what all these things are. There are elephants in the vicinity. Klavs was saying that the person he rents his house from is now in a farm just 15Km from town and was recently visited by a lone bull elephant. Need to get that car and visit some of the sights outside of town. There is a dam somewhere close – The Shasha dam. You can fish there I’m told.

Talking of fish, there was some fresh fish in the supermarket yesterday; I’d only seen frozen before now.

Arranged a chat session with June at 1.00. She is back from Barcelona to a garden full of weeds. She is likely to come over mid July. I’ll take a holiday and we can get up to see Victoria Falls (about 500Km away). I’m told its best to see from the Zimbabwe side, but I’ve also been told not to bother going into Zimbabwe. As a British passport holder I’d be charged a £50 entry fee and apparently it’s a hassle. It’s a hassle for most people trying to get into/out of Zimbabwe. I was prepared to think that the British press were biased about the state of the country, but apparently not. Francistown has many Zimbabweans. They cross the border, often illegally, and buy basic items that can no longer be obtained in their own country. Lorries arrive and buy fuel in drums, to take back to sell at a profit. I’ve been told that the ordinary people are having a difficult time. The ZM dollar was at one time equal to the US dollar, but now it’s worth fraction of a US cent. The local press here write about it; they say nothing much can be done, it is problem for the Zimbabwean people to sort out.

Had a visit from Peter the painter foreman this afternoon. He still has some work to do on the garage door, and there is a water leak which will need the drive digging up (paving blocks). It’s important to get this fixed; it’s on my side of the mains, and water is metered, so you pay for what you use. Gave him a key to the ‘pedestrian gate’ so he can get in tomorrow. He advised me to get an additional padlock for it, and another for the gate. I suppose I will.

Just watched Holland V Serbia-Montenegro good match. I’ll watch another couple of episodes of ‘24’ on the laptop – thanks Thomas, great TV! Got an email from Thomas. Someone at the Vodaphone shop in the new RBS headquarters paid with a Jack Nicklaus limited edition £5 note, only issued at the Open last year. So he kept it for me – great! (I presume he substituted it for one of his ownJ).



Monday 12th June
After work went up to the Auto-Lot sales again. They had got the Honda out in the yard and I was able to start it and get a proper look at it. Engine was smooth and clean, it needs new tyres, brakes checked, wheel alignment and the radio repaired, all of which should be done this week. As with a lot of things here, the tyres have to come from Gabs (Gaborone). Anyhow, they will contact me later in the week and I’ll get a test drive with everything done.

As I got home tonight, passing my next door neighbours house I took the opportunity to say dumela, and introduce myself as the ‘new next door neighbour’. The woman replied an elongated OKAAY. She didn’t seem to want to continue the conversation, so I smiled and walked on, wondering if I’d broken some social norm that I was unaware of. However, after I’d had my tea, I heard someone calling from the gate. It was by this time dark, just after 6.00PM It was Nasa, my next door neighbour. She had a pen and paper and quickly wrote that she had suffered a stroke and it was then obvious that one side of her face was paralysed. Clearly, this explained her reaction earlier. She can say some words clearly but has difficulty with others.

She had come to ask if I needed curtains and that she would make them for me. Obviously I said OK and she went home again to fetch her tape measure then proceeded to measure up the 3 windows that I still needed curtains for. She stayed for about an hour and a cup of tea and a biscuit! Conversation was a bit stilted, but I showed the pictures I’d brought of June and the children, my brothers etc. Nasa Myengwa, stays with her Mama, her Papa is dead. She has a 17 year-old son Kunta, who is in form 5, the last year at secondary school here. She has a sister Bintu or Binta (I think), married to Ben. Ben is a golfer so I’ll keep that in mind although they live in Gabs (Gaborone). Her sister is a lawyer. Nasa didn’t go into her own background much, I didn’t ask, nor did she volunteer, any information about a husband. She doesn’t work and earns money where she can making curtains etc. She asked if I had a maid, and I told her that I may have one which a colleague has contact with. She seemed disappointed, and made it clear that she would have liked to have been the maid, it would have been extra money for her I suppose. Anyhow, since I don’t have an iron yet, I asked if she would do my ironing in the meantime and she was only too glad to oblige. I felt strange asking this woman I’d only just met to do my ironing. I asked if I was being rude, but clearly she was pleased that she was to get some work. I’ve no idea what will happen with the curtains, she did ask about what material I would like, but apart from saying neutral/sand/beige/cream that was it. So we shall see want transpires. I’ve to drop my ironing into her house just after 7.00AM tomorrow.

Finished the wine to-night. A bottle of wine can last three days! Whoever would have thought it?

Tuesday 13th

Tiring day. About 11.30 the previous night the dog chorus got into full swing. Many of my neighbours have dogs, and on occasions they all seem to get excited at the same time. The barking went on for about an hour. About 3.00AM the thunder and lightening started – most unseasonal! There were a few heavy bursts of rain. Very noisy on my metal roof. The electricity went off, and was still off when I got up, but it came back on just as I was about to leave for work. Suddenly the alarm went off. I’d no idea why, nor how to turn it off. The code you need for the controller is safely kept by the previous tenant. Resourceful as ever, found the Klaxon and ripped the wires out of it! The controller was emitting a high pitched whine, so dismantled that and removed the power from the circuit board – silence. Dropped the ironing off next door and off to work late!

Left work at bit early and got back to the house only to find I couldn’t get in. The electric was off again. I didn’t have the key to the pedestrian gate because I’d given it to Peter the painter. Had to phone Ashan the landlord and then Peter, and wait for an hour until Ashan came with the key. That didn’t stop me trying to climb the wall. I reasoned that if the electricity was off, then so must the electric fence. Wrong! I touched a wire and no shock, so tried to climb up the wall using the gate grating as a foothold. Next thing, I’m lying on my back having been shocked and thrown back onto the drive. Won’t try that again – the fence has a battery back-up!

Got into the house, but no electricity, so an electrician was called. His name was Chris, from Malawi. He picked up my Scottish accent very quickly, he loves going on holiday to London and its multicultural population. He also worked in the mines in Zambia and there were lots of Scots there. Anyhow, he quickly established that the fault must be on the pole outside. He rang some contacts and then another wait, but at around 7.30 the guys from the ‘electricity board’ came, got up the pole, did some work, and I had electricity again just after 8.00PM. Chris gave me the numbers to ring if it should happen again.

Wednesday

Our request to visit Gabs at the end of the month is approved. I’ll spend the week there, a good chance to see the capital sights.

Had to go to the Water Utilities and the Electric Company to open accounts in my name. Went quite smoothly, although it took 1.5 hours and .5 hours respectively. Went to the bank to change some £. Systems down again. Used Visa.

Spent some time in an Internet café this afternoon, the best connection I’ve found so far. Still slow, but better than elsewhere. I may try again tomorrow, and even try to post some pictures.

On my way home stopped to get some takeaway seswaa (boiled beef) and rice. You also get some potato salad and coleslaw. A meal for me and just for a £1. It is cheaper to eat out!

Nasa came round with the ironing and one of the curtains. Not to our taste, but typically African I think. A very heavy cream net curtain with blue frills and tie backs. I’ll grow to love them. Nasa wanted just a P10 for the ironing, but it was about 10 shirts and 2 pairs of trousers, so gave her P50. She was pleased. She didn’t stay, but asked what material I would like for the living room. I showed her the ready made ones I’d bought and hoped she understood that I didn’t want net again.

About 6.30, another shout from the gate. It was Kunta, Nasas son, come round to introduce himself. A very handsome boy, and very well spoken and polite. He is ‘nearly’ 19, He said his mother forgets his birthdays. Left school last year, but still not working. He would like to be an architectural technician (he didn’t say that, but that’s what he meant). I asked if he had a girlfriend – he has – and a baby son called Owen. Owens setswana name is Thabang which means be happy!

He stayed for about an hour, I showed him some of our photos – his eyes popped when the ones June took during the winter of the heavy snow, came on screen. He has seen snow before, in SA.

Here are some photos of the house: Sorry, tried this a couple of times and its just not working. Taken me 20 minutes to get logged in, so trying again with just the text…

Saturday 3th June
Up and out by 8.00. Did my shopping list at ‘Game’ a big hardware/household supermarket. Met some guys at the golf section – turns out that I’m playing with one of them tomorrow! Went to get a bed and they could deliver just then, so I jumped in the van and the bed was in the house 15 minutes after I bought it. How’s that for service! Wish it was like that elsewhere; trying to open a bank account is a nightmare. They don’t have sophisticated customer service arrangements. On 2 occasions I’ve waited for an hour then gave up. I may not bother; I can get 4000.00Pula from my visa card at a hole-in-the-wall. They need all sorts of documents even when I have a so-called exemption certificate, which is only issued if I have presented all the necessary documents to immigration. Apparently, even when I go to get the electricity connected, I have a to have a copy of the house title deeds! What’s that all about?
Klavs came with his car to Game and took all of my ‘shopping’ to the house. I got a table and chairs, bedding, kettle, brush, dinner set, mugs and other odds’n’bits. I’ll also need a cooker and fridge, but I may leave them and see if I can get thm second hand. At the notice boards in the supermarkets there are often notices from ‘ex-pats’ leaving and clearing their house.

It’s really quite pleasant during the day. I keep getting told by most people I meet (when they get to know I’ve just arrived) how hot it will be in the summer – that’s about October through to February. August and September will see things hotting up, but apparently its also dry and windy with lots of dust/sand storms. Not looking forward to that, or the heat! Its really pleasant just now, the nights are cool, easy to sleep, and the days are warm and sunny. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a cloud since I got here. So, for anyone planning a visit, May/June/July might be the months to do it. We shall see.

Took some photos of the house, but no chance to upload them. Trying any kind of attachment just grinds everything to a halt.

Sunday 4th June
Big day at the golf; the sponsored event. Tee-off at 6.57. But! I’ve jinxed the weather! Woke up to overcast skies and a distinct dampness in the air. So much for not having seen a cloud. Still warm enough to play in a tee-shirt, but it got colder and I had a jumper on by the second 9. Played with 3 South Africans, Nico, Gary and Johan. They all work at the mines. Played OK, same as last week, better 2nd 9 than 1st. A free lunch followed, cooked by local Asian Indians, members of the club; delicious. A free bar for an hour followed, so a bit wobbly getting home.

Monday 5th June
Went to change some £ to Pula to-day. First bank, the systems were down, so no joy there. Initially queued at the foreign exchange desk, then told to go to the ordinary tellers, who told me I should have been told that there were no transactions taking place. Next bank, again queued at the foreign exchange teller, but quickly told that I should just be in the ordinary queue. 30 minutes later, at the teller, he was not happy that I had £800 to change - too much. After some toing-and-froing, eventually got to change £300.

Moved into the house to-day. Got some curtains for the living room at game – well I thought it was curtains. It turned out to be just one curtain, they don’t sell them as pairs! Will go back and get the other one tomorrow.

I would like to get some local craft stuff to decorate the house with, but so far I’ve not seen much at all.

Tuesday 6th June
Tried again to open a bank account again. Gave up after an hour.

Thursday 8th June
Landlord in touch, he wants to paint the house so arranged for them to come tomorrow (I need to be there to open the gate).
Special deal on TVs at Game, so again, Klavs came with me and took it home in the car. 20” RINEX, I think made in SA - cost £80. I’ve decided to get a satellite dish and the local version of SKY TV – MultiChoice, a SA company. Most of the local electrical shops seem to be owned by Indians. I’ve had good service from them, they know how to deal with customers. They will come tomorrow morning to install it.

Chatting again with June this evening. She is in Barcelona with Vicky for a week. The chat is much better than email once you get connected. It took me 17 minutes to get logged on to my gmail account to get the chat started!

I’m going to see if I can get a landline at the house. It won’t be fast, but at least I can be doing other things while waiting!

Friday 9th June
Painters arrived this morning at 7.30 and proceeded to get about the job. Peter was the foreman, a big guy. He didn’t seem to do much, just made sure the other 3 got on with the job. Satellite man arrived and got about his job also.

Went to the MultiChoice offices to register my satellite decoder smart card. Systems were down so had to go back later. Home at 5.00PM.to a newly painted house and satellite TV working. Will get to see the World Cup games ! Had some spiced pasta and veggie samosas for tea.

At work, submitted a proposal to visit Gaborone for a week, at the end of the month. Need to meet with a variety of people from a number of institutions and thought it best to try to do it all at the same time. If it is OK’d, then I’d travel down with Jan on a Saturday and stay until a week Monday (a public holiday). A good chance to be a tourist for a few days in the capital.

Saturday 10th June
Out to get my shopping about 9.00AM. Visited the ‘Auto-Lot Sales’ – Klavs got his car from here. Looked at a Honda CRV, 4WD, a Japanese import. 1996, 64K, looks in good condition. Arranged for a test drive on Monday. Took some stuff home and then walked back again into town. Need curtains for the bedroom, and some other household stuff.
Since I’ve no cooking facilities yet, I’m eating a lot of fruit and the ready-made food you get in the supermarkets. Its OK - beef stews, oxtail stews, chicken with rice or chips or the maize porridge. I also tried dumpling – heavy but OK. I’ve not eaten out since I moved into the house. Its dark by 6.00PM and the street lighting isn’t bright, so prefer to be home by then.
It’s just a 10 minute walk to the golf club, so I thought I’d go there to watch the England match. Most members are SA, so the Scotland V Springboks match was on. Prefer the football, so went home again – I could flick between channels. Stopped watching the rugby though, when the Springbok score began to mount up…

Bought my first bottle of SA wine. A red Shiraz (2003)from Tulbagh Winery. Cost £3.35, but very good (I’ve only had one glass!). I’ve decided that I need to have a hobby; so becoming a SA wine connoisseur might be an option!

Felt a bit tired this evening, probably a combination of all the walking I did to-day and the glass of wine. So to bed at 7.00PM.

Friday 2nd June
Busy week. Monday to Wednesday was the staff training event held at the hotel across the road. This was my first chance to meet some of the people who will work at the new college. The big announcement was the appointment of the Principal, who is currently the Principal of Gaborone Technical College. Everyone seemed pleased.

I had my first visit to the new college site on Monday afternoon. There is still a lot of work to do. Handover was meant to be end July, but it will be later than this. Even then, all the equipment will need to be delivered and installed, so I doubt whether we will be moved in until November or December, with students following early in 2007. It is a very impressive campus. Not one like it in Scotland. It’s huge! Perhaps as big as some of our Universities. And it’s only for 1500 students! It will also be extensively equipped, again, no expense spared. It has tennis, football, basketball courts (outside), a crèche/nursery building, student hostels, hospitality suite (where guests can stay), a training restaurant, a bar, a clinic building, and all the other usual teaching rooms and labs/workshops. All contained in what will be a landscaped campus with a water feature. Very nice working surroundings.

We also toured the staff accommodation, which was not approved by all. The only housing available in the first phase will be 2 bedroomed maisonettes, and there are of course, staff with larger or extended families.

But! The big news of the week is that I’ve got a house. It’s in block A, very close to town, 15 minute walk. It’s also very close to the golf course! But that didn’t influence my choice at all ;) I’ll post some pictures next week.
It has 3 bedrooms (master ensuite), 2 other bathrooms, large kitchen and living/dining room and utility room. Double garage, maid quarters, garden shed. It has a good-sized garden with a barbecue area and a small plunge swimming pool. It is walled and has an electric fence, security system. Automatic (remote) sliding gate - I’ll have fun with that. Most importantly, it has aircon in the living room and main bedroom. I would have liked to go without the security stuff, especially the bars on the windows, but all advice suggested otherwise. The finish is not great – vinyl tiles in the living room, but it’s reasonably clean. Kitchen units are metal, so if you are watching Alan - a kitchen job to do here! The rent is 4500Pula per month, about £470. I’m told this is a reasonable price for what I’ve got.

I signed the lease this afternoon and then went to the house where I met the owner and got the keys. Ashan was very pleasant and we established a common interest – he is a member of the golf club and plays every Sunday moring! So, I’ll perhaps be seeing him more frequently than the once a month I go to pay the rent.

Its unfurnished, there is no furnished accommodation here, so its off tommorrow to buy a bed, some camp chairs and other bits and pieces. I’ll probably not move in until Monday. Klavs will take me with my cases from the hotel in the morning.

Because its so near to town and our temporary offices, I don’t need to get a car urgently. Found out to-day – petrol is about 46p a litre! Half the price back home!

Douglas, one of the team had the afternoon off. He was off for a 600Km drive south for the unvieling of his father-in-laws head stone.

I’m still not connected to the internet at work. All this is being done at internet cafes in the town. The speed isn’t great, probably a shared 64Kb ISDN line!

Friday 26th May
At work all day. Working on a presentation we have to do at a staff conference next week in the hotel just across the road. I’m finding out more about their VET system and how it works. There are 6 other colleges in Botswana, already up and running. From what I’ve heard so far, they are run from the central ministry, just as ours where by the councils pre-incorporation.
Finished at around 4.45 and back at the hotel. I’ll eat early and get an early night after watching some movie or other – I have two movie channels on the TV. Had a veggie burger, but won’t do so again – not wonderful. Meeting more Motswana people – they are friendly and helpful. Smile a lot.
Jan has invited Klavs and myself to visit his roundhaval – a traditional thatched round house where he is currently staying, about 25Km from town. Looking forward to seeing the country outside of town.

Saturday 27th May
Not up until 9.00. Had some tea and toast, and then took a longer walk up Blue Jacket Street and some of the streets parallel to it. Busy, lots of people around. The queues at the bank ATMs are huge – 50 to 60 deep!.Its the end of the month - when most people get paid. I was going to see about opening a bank account, but even the queues inside were too long for me. I’ll try Monday.

Lots of stalls selling fruit and vegetables. Nothing exotic (it is winter), although there were stalls of beans and pulses and other things I’ve never seen before. I wasn’t sure, but one basket looked to be dried insects or larvae. Maybe try them at some time! I have to be careful walking about. I’m looking around trying to take it all in, while avoiding the ditches/holes in the pavements. I spotted what could be a local eatery off a side street in some shacks. Might be worth a venture to next week. Most of the cafes/eating places in town are takeaways. I also found an Indian restaurant, I’ll try that as well. Lots of Indian/Asian/Chinese shops selling all sorts. There are no public phones so there are enterprising individuals sitting at stalls on the pavement with phones that you can use if you don’t have a mobile.

In the afternoon Jan picked me up and Klavs followed in his car, as we went out to the roundhavel. Its on the banks of the Shashi river, a tributary of the Limpopo. The roundhavel, although of traditional design is a modern construction with breezeblock painted walls, several windows, and wire mesh inside to support the thatch. The native roundhavel has mud walls and no windows. It is very cool inside, apparently even in the height of summer. It is in a small walled compound which Jan’s wife was entitled to having been born in the local village. They had to ask the Chief for this when they married. We took a walk on the river – yes, on the river. It is of course dry at this time of year. However, water still flows at about a metre below the sandy river bed and I saw several hose pipes sunk into the sand with pumps taking water to storage tanks on stilts to get pressure when needed. Jan is staying here by himself until his rented house in Francistown is ready – his wife and children remain in a house on Gabarone. Their plan is to construct a house in their compound over the next 2/3 years. Jan looks forward to his retirement there. We had a long walk and because it was over sand and then the bush, my ankle was quite sore at the finish (I wasn’t wearing my splint). After a couple of cool beers, Klavs and I returned to Francistown. I ate early, barbecue chicken + chips, a couple more beers. Bed at 9.30, looking forward to the golf tomorrow.
Sunday 28th May
Up at 6.30. Out of hotel by 7.00 not sure about getting a taxi, but one came along quite quickly. I could have walked, but I was wearing my splint and didn’t want to get too sore before playing. Taxi, 10Pula, just over a £1.

I met my caddie, Aubrey. He is not from Francistown, some place between here and Gabarone, although he was in Gabarone before coming to Francistown. He plays off scratch! The first few holes showed that I hadn’t played at all in the last 6 months - poor stuff. But my swing gradually came back and by the finish was quite happy with the way I was playing. My playing partners were Graham and Tony. Graham was born in London, but has lived in Botswana since the age of 3. It was cool at first, I was in short sleeves, but very hot by the finish at around 12.00. I’ve already got a bit of colour on my face and forearms, even though I’ve used my factor 15.

The course has just 9 holes, but there are several tees at each one and different tees are used for the 18 holes. A couple of holes have alternative ‘browns’. There are of course no greens, no grass anywhere in fact, at least not what we would call grass. Local rules allow you to tee from the fairway, or use a mat. I’ll get a mat for next week, I couldn’t get used to playing off the tee, although at one long par 5 I did try the driver (with some success!). Playing stableford, 9 points first 9, 14 points second. 4 lost balls - the rough is difficult. I’ll get better. I’m entered for a sponsored competition next Sunday. Free lunch!

Tony dropped me off back at the hotel after a couple of beers at the finish. Felt hungry, so took a walk to another shopping centre not far away. I’d not tried to go there before because I need to dodge more traffic. Found a ‘Portuguese’ place and had chilli chicken stir fry. OK. Met some boys in a khaki uniform at the next table. They were from a church mission. I guessed it must have been something like the Salvation Army. They invited me to go there, but I declined. There is some kind of church (gospel?) near to the hotel and it appears quite well attended. Religion is important for many people here. On Friday mornings in our office, people gather to pray and sing a hymn. I was invited, but again declined. The singing was excellent.

Found a Chinese restaurant at the shops, and an African takeaway that was closed. Some of the food was still out but I had no idea what it was. Did a little shopping in the SuperSpar for diet coke (they brand it ‘light’) and some banana bread. My afternoon tea.

I’m watching the Grand prix just now, but I’ll try to get my Blackberry handheld setup later. Too hot to venture out again, so I’ll just watch television tonight and perhaps work on my conference presentation before bed.