On Thursday I had an appointment at the Department of Tribal Administration in the morning but we could not leave for Nata, en route to Maun, until around 2 pm when Leloba finished teaching. We knew that we were leaving late if the goal was to reach Nata by evening; indeed, the most optimistic scenario would put us into Nata around 8, four hours to Francistown and then two more to Nata, arriving in Francistown as it got dark and then driving in the dark to Nata.
Well, the drive on the A1 to Francistown was not bad; it is always a shame when already at Rasesa the four lanes become two and then all of the driving becomes about overtaking the mammoth lorries making their way from south to north (SA to Zambia or Zim) and slowing down to 80 km for each village along the way. Outside of the villages, the speed limit is 120 km per hour which is about what I was doing the whole way. Still I did manage to get a 500 pula speeding ticket in the way that everyone does in Botswana – by not slowing down fast enough when entering the next village. I was going 100 km in an 80 km zone. The police officer thought it was very funny that I am a professor.
Past Mahalapye and Palapye the traffic eased up a bit; the landscape changed – more sparsely populated and lots of Mopani trees – with lots of people selling the wood of the Mapani. We got to Francistown in the dark around 6:30 though it was well after that and a pit stop that we managed to get on the road to Nata.
At that point we might have been somewhat foolhardy. While we could have overnighted in Francistown we decided to push on to Nata. The road was the most narrow of two lane roads and seemed to drop off on either side. While there was not much traffic there was more than I would have liked, especially again the mammoth lorries. On the left where the road met the shoulder were inevitably deep potholes and on the right the trucks. And then of course the other nighttime driving worry: animals, in particular cattle. We found only one group in the road in front of us (black and grey to blend into the night) and for them we were given lots of warning from the drivers ahead of us. We found many groups grazing on the side of the road, enough to persuade me to slow down considerably. At Dukwi, home to a refugee camp and major truckstop, we were directed through a cattle dip; we had to wipe our shoes and then drive the car through. That was a first for me. Aside from some Kingfishers and Hornbills and hares (on the road to Francistown), we saw no other wildlife. We did, however, see an elephant crossing sign! There is apparently a herd around Nata, but that is more commonly encountered on the road out of Nata to Chobe.
Well, the drive on the A1 to Francistown was not bad; it is always a shame when already at Rasesa the four lanes become two and then all of the driving becomes about overtaking the mammoth lorries making their way from south to north (SA to Zambia or Zim) and slowing down to 80 km for each village along the way. Outside of the villages, the speed limit is 120 km per hour which is about what I was doing the whole way. Still I did manage to get a 500 pula speeding ticket in the way that everyone does in Botswana – by not slowing down fast enough when entering the next village. I was going 100 km in an 80 km zone. The police officer thought it was very funny that I am a professor.
Past Mahalapye and Palapye the traffic eased up a bit; the landscape changed – more sparsely populated and lots of Mopani trees – with lots of people selling the wood of the Mapani. We got to Francistown in the dark around 6:30 though it was well after that and a pit stop that we managed to get on the road to Nata.
At that point we might have been somewhat foolhardy. While we could have overnighted in Francistown we decided to push on to Nata. The road was the most narrow of two lane roads and seemed to drop off on either side. While there was not much traffic there was more than I would have liked, especially again the mammoth lorries. On the left where the road met the shoulder were inevitably deep potholes and on the right the trucks. And then of course the other nighttime driving worry: animals, in particular cattle. We found only one group in the road in front of us (black and grey to blend into the night) and for them we were given lots of warning from the drivers ahead of us. We found many groups grazing on the side of the road, enough to persuade me to slow down considerably. At Dukwi, home to a refugee camp and major truckstop, we were directed through a cattle dip; we had to wipe our shoes and then drive the car through. That was a first for me. Aside from some Kingfishers and Hornbills and hares (on the road to Francistown), we saw no other wildlife. We did, however, see an elephant crossing sign! There is apparently a herd around Nata, but that is more commonly encountered on the road out of Nata to Chobe.
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