An African Safari - Day 11 – 20 March 2022 - Ghanzi to Gaborone - 716 km

I woke up to a most brilliant sunrise. The colours of the sky, the serenity, the incredible air, the chirping birds, the occasional ringing of bells from the goat pen and a 120 year old house is a heady cocktail to warm the cockles of any person. The satisfaction of almost having completed the 15th edition of Record Drive, only the last leg of driving to Gaborone to return the car remained, was enhanced by the salubrious surroundings.

I walked the dew laden grass to the goat pen for a better look at the sky on fire. Inside the goat pen was a dog that was so protective of its mates, the goats, that it first started to growl when I neared the pen. Appreciating that I had no intentions but to soak in the divine views and sounds that rent the air it started to wag its profusely hairy tail. I noticed that despite a separate kennel like enclosure for itself the protective canine was with the goats in their area of the pen. Last evening I had found him goading the goats back from the pasture with a mild push here and a dash there. I found that interesting and maybe therein lay a management lesson for managers and bosses.

A hot bath and fresh clothes got me into the mood to start the day. Once the bags were deposited in the car Morlen announced breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, butter and orange juice. Sumptuous to last me till dinner. Morlen had been exceptionally kind and friendly. Most importantly he gave me a whirlwind tour of the farmhouse and its history. I took leave of him, reminding him to pass on my enquiries to the quick witted Trudy.

In a while, after getting on to A2, the data connection got restored. Just 15 km down the road lay Ghanzi village. Last evening Morlen had told me that normally the Puma filling station in Ghanzi keeps game meat in its store. I drove in and asked the attendant to fill the tank. In the meanwhile, I went to the store and bought a packet each of Eland and Gemsbok. When I got back to the car the attendant was still filling the tank. I had thought the tank would not require more than 15 litres. The attendant had filled almost double that. He stopped when I started arguing with him that I was been cheated. All protestations were water off the duck's back. An important lesson, never leave the car when it is being fuelled.

I took the route via Molepolole to Gaborone. For that I had to turn off A2 at Morwamozi, which had been superb all through from the entrance of Ghanzi district. The route from Morwamozi to Molepolole largely plied through lonely roads, with curious Ostriches being disturbed by the lone traveller. Molepolole is the gateway to the Kalahari desert and is said to be the biggest village in the country. The place also has a connection to David Livingstone, the explorer. He had established a Scottish Church here, which expanded its activities to a hospital. The modern Scottish Livingstone Hospital seemed an excellent multi-speciality facility for the region.

It was just another 60 km to Gaborone. The excitement of completing yet another drive successfully was palpable. As I turned into the car park of my daughter's apartment I had clocked over 3000 kms in Botswana in 11 days, experiencing some of the most beautiful places on earth and meeting some of His finest creations. A thing to note is that there were no tolls on any of the highways I had used in Botswana. The VW Polo gave a mileage of nearly 19 km to a litre, despite high speeds.

My vote for the best highway in Botswana goes to A2 followed by the A1. The most surprising aspect, of course, was the speed of 120 kph permitted on single carriageways in the country. They are neither grid separated nor fenced. I must mention that I did not find a single accident on any of the highways I had used for 11 days. And, it is not as if people were always within the speed limit prescribed. I saw many zipping past when I myself was on the 120 kph limit. Therefore, the condition of the road is a critical factor in ensuring safety – all the blame cannot be laid on speed. Moreover, disciplined use of the road is another contributing factor, intemperate overtaking and ‘jolly rides’ are fatal at times. 

While I was negotiating a tough traffic jam while entering Gaborone - nobody either honked or broke the snaking queues - I was called by Ronaldo from Hertz rental wanting to know if I would be returning the car that evening as per the contract. When I affirmed that I would be he told me that he would be away from the airport counter between 4 and 7 pm. He further told me that if I were to return the car during that window I may drop it off at the Hertz car park, take a photo of the odometer and leave the keys in the drop box. 

I preferred to personally hand over the car so that the condition of the car is accepted in person and, therefore, I told Ronaldo that I would meet up with him at the counter after 7 pm. The fuel terms for the rental was ‘full to full’ and hence, I would have to tank up prior to handing over the vehicle. Kiron had 20 litres of petrol in stock which we first put in before driving to a Shell outlet to top up the balance. While the tank was being filled a swarm of Shell employees descended on the car and gave it such a super soapy rub and dry that it gleamed as if driven out from a car wash. In a short while after 7 pm we reached Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and handed over the car to Ronaldo. He went around and inspected the car thoroughly before being satisfied that the deposit of 2500 BWP could be returned without any deductions. The rental was thus closed without any hassle.