The stars are shining over Botswana

Kendall woke me up around 4:55am for our tour pick-up. We were shoving everything in our bags as the hostel owner, who kindly woke up super early to open the gate, came to grab us in our room. Kendall, her brother Conner, and I were the first passengers in the van. Our hostel was in Kensington not far from the airport and we had to drive to Sandton to pick up Kendall's parents. After picking up the other members of our party just outside Pretoria, we set out for Botswana. Today would be a day full of driving since we needed to get to Nata.

We passed through the Botswana border with no problems. Outside the big cities you can see more animals along the countryside since it is mostly a single lane each road each way and the housing is fairly sparse. The petrol stations are nicer than I had expected and we stopped a few times to get more snacks and drinks for the ride. At the border we exchanged money from the US Dollar to the Pula. I have since learned that the exchange rate sucked pretty bad, but our guide had recommended changing there. Anyways, our drive was pretty uneventful with much of the same scenery so most people rested and I listened to an audio book.

I could definitely get a feeling for how magical the sky would be if it was always visible in this way.

We arrived in Nata around 9pm. Looking up you could see the beautiful sky. More stars than I have ever been able to see. Jupiter glowed brightly above us and the Milky Way was clearly visible. I could definitely get a feeling for how magical the sky would be if it was always visible in this way. After helping to unload the baggage, I noticed that my NEW bag was not there. I asked the guide and she said, "Oh it wasn't the black one was it? I think we left it." I asked if she was serious and she insisted. A few seconds later she came clean on her wonderful joke with no laughs coming from my direction. I explained that my baggage situation is a tender subject with my first bag still missing. Luckily my bag was just packed in a different area and I was able to grab it and head to our Chalet.

We shared Chalet number 10 with Kendall's parents. The Nata Lodge was incredibly nice. I did not think any place we stayed would have been this nice. It definitely made the day's drive worth it. Inside were two double beds next to each other and a bunk bed after that. The sinks had painted elephants and the bathroom was lined with stone. Above the beds hung mosquito nets, but since it is winter we did not need them. Somehow Kendall and I got the beds and her parents took the bunk, haha.

The guide had originally planned to cook for us that night, but since it was so late and she was tired from all the driving she agreed to buy us dinner at the lodge. Like the rest of the place, it was very beautiful. They had a large bar area with two dart boards and several candlelit tables outside. You could see a bush baby jumping back and forth from a tree to a small table filled with food. After a nice meal getting to know everyone we went to bed in our awesome chalet.

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Today we are in Maun in Botswana just outside the Okavango Delta. Tomorrow we will go to the Delta and camp for two nights. It should be incredible. We are in town buying supplies. We are staying at the Situtanga Camp which is a nice place just outside town. I have to run and buy some things. Bye bye.