The Border

 

You have to love the informality of Botswana and the friendliness of the people.

I have never had a problem striking up a conversation and nattering on to whoever is in sight.   I don't know what they think of this old guy who wanders up and starts asking how the day is, and how long they have to work until and where do they live (meaning their home village).

However, I have to think that they appreciate someone taking an interest and taking time to inquire how things are.  Many people have long tedious days.

So on Friday our nephew Jamie arrived from Toronto.

He flew Toronto to London overnight, 8 hours or so hours in Heathrow and then overnight flight onto Johannesburg.  From the airport in Johannesburg he took a 5 hour bus right to Botswana.

The bus got to the border around 5:30 p.m.  See above.

Binnie and I got there about 25 minutes early and wandered around.

In the picture above we are standing inside Botswana and not bothered by customs or immigration.  The fence and red brick building in the background is the last border check by the Batswana.  You can see a couple of cars ready to drive through but first the border agents inspect the car and make everyone get out and walk through a tray of liquid anti-foot and mouth disease to make sure that you don't accidentally bring the disease into Botswana.

Then you drive or walk through the archway and you are off into Botswana.

Further back in the picture is the no-man's land between RSA and Botswana and further back the RSA border post.

As noted, we got there early and so I wandered up to the archway and wandered through.  Kinda like into the security area.

There were 5 Staff going about their duties and I just said I was there waiting for my nephew.  I asked how the day was going and how busy was it.  I stood and watched 3 or 4 cars being searched.

The Staff were in a wide array of uniforms or not and it was hard to tell who was official and who was simply a person transiting the border.  Part of the typical backdrop of Botswana. 

Eventually the bus from the airport showed up and everyone had to get off with their luggage and walk past the officials who randomly checked bags, step into the chemical tray and walk through the archway.

Everyone except Jamie got back onto the bus once it came through the archway for the last ride to Gaborone but we grabbed Jamie and headed to the car for the ride to Thamaga.

As soon as I saw Jamie I wandered up under the archway and welcomed him to Botswana and told him to step into the tray and come across, which he did.  Nobody said anything to either of us.

Yes, 1,000 times different than landing in Pearson Airport in Toronto or crossing into the States at the Ivy Lea Bridge at Gananoque or any other border crossing in most parts of the world.

The joys of Botswana that make living here so fascinating and easy going.  

Just don't come here and expect things to move with any urgency.

Hospitality

 When it was decided to built our winter home in Botswana it was always part of the equation that the house was to be used by friends and family.  To share the place.

No, it doesn't have the benefit of water anywhere near by, like on a more traditional cottage but if you wanted a place to enjoy the weather, take a break and explore Africa it is a good base.

And of course, if we do have guests, although I don't see him that way, since Jamie is here until early April, Binnie labels everything so that you can quickly find stuff to eat and accommodate yourself .

Not to be rude but you are to make yourself at home and look after yourself.  You carry on as you please and there is plenty of space in the way Binnie designed the house that you have your own area (bedroom, bathroom and sitting area) and we have our own.  Two spare bedrooms in fact.

So there is plenty of space to spread out and have your own  area without bothering anyone else.

So come over and drop by sometime....

"Rain Day"

 Well in Canada we are used to “snow days” when schools are closed or the school buses do not run here in Thamaga were are having a “rain day”.

It has been raining since last evening and it has been coming down steadily and with an intensity that is quite remarkable.

Thus when we got up around 6:30 a.m. the yard was flooded with the water rising noticeably.  It was just about at the height of the main floor.

The problem is that our property slopes slightly from west to east.  So any stormwater that is created on the property (all the paving stones don’t help with water infiltration) runs to the east and is blocked by the back wall of the compound which acts as a dam.

Luckily there are 4 drainage holes at the bottom of the wall but they can get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water.

More detrimental was the fact that the stormwater in the “street” in front of our house was acting like a river carrying water to the east.  However, there was a grade difference that meant the water instead of simply running past the house was coming in through our front gate and running east along the north side of the house.  A real rushing stream carrying sand with it!

Binnie with a hoe and the Tenant and I with shovels created a swale to divert the water back along the street outside our wall.  We also created 2 small sand dikes to re-route the water.

Once this was done and the path for water through our yard was blocked, the water inside the yard has started to drop.

However, I bet you there was a good 9" of water ponding behind the house and 3 or 4" inches in front of the house as the following pictures will quantify.

The next problem is when the rain stops and the sun comes out, we will have quite a bit of silt all over the yard.  Not bothered about behind the house but the courtyard is gong to have to be washed.

We used to have a long hose, but just looking now, it seems to have disappeared... 

I assume “borrowed”.  So we will have to get another hose.

The other precaution we will have to take is to get a collection of sandbags to be able to utilize quickly when, or if, we have to divert stormwater again in the future.  We can store them in the garage in the meantime.

While talking about our own stormwater issue, don’t forget this rain and running water is happening all through the village and looking at the skies I would suggest in a quite large geographic area.

Thus, all the “streets” have turned to muddy rivers and everyone simply stays put in home.

Because of the predominantly warm/hot climate, Botswana is essentially an outdoor country.  As long as you have shade you can function outside.  Cold temperatures are not an issue.

Thus, all the informal shops and vendors really cannot deal with too much rain and everyone essentially sits tight until the rain stops and then evaporates or disappears into the ground.

In the same vein, the 2 kids next door did not go to school although they were ready to go.

Throw in that the power has been off and it is quite gloomy and dark inside the house.

Luckily my laptop was fully charged up, so I can work away in the meantime.  However, I don’t have access to the internet until the power comes back.

And also luckily I didn't encounter any snakes floating in the water or hiding in the "pond" in front of the house. Thanks to Binnie to warn me to watch out for snakes!

In front of the house

Diverting the water

Before

After!

Silt/sand washed in

"Street" to the left of house or floodway

"Street" in front of the house

"Street" to the east of the house

Projects

Well, we continue to work away through a list of projects.

This week, we got all the cracks in the house fixed and patched up.

 All that is left is for the better half to match the paint colour and touch it up.

Then it will be a matter of seeing if the house settles any more in the next 7 years as it did slightly in the previous 7.

The other project was to put an awning over the back door.

Rain was coming into the kitchen and leaving a large puddle on the floor.

Instead of putting a rubber gasket under the door, we opted to try the awning.

The reason being it was felt that the rain was falling, hitting the top step outside and then running in.  With the awning in place hopefully the top step will be kept dry.

It took us 4 stops at builder supply centres in Gaborone to get a 1.2 metre wide awning.  Even after that the awning we bought was crap.  Cheaply made Chinese product.  All plastic.

2 year warranty?  Right!

Anyway I got my crack team of building assistants to assembly the awning.  

They then used my drill and cement bit and drilled four holes and lag-bolted the awning to the back wall of the house.

Yes, Steve and Ed, it is symmetrical over the door, the angle of the photo is deceptive.

If you look at the steps, you will notice the top step has tile.  At the top of this vertical piece of tile, the tile continues, in big squares, right through the house to the front door. 

As noted we are hoping to keep the rain away from the top step and out of the house.

Testing has yet to occur, but I for one am hoping for a good outcome, since I have a better half that wants action!!

ZOOM meeting

 This past Thursday I had a ZOOM meeting for a difficult planning project in Belleville.  Meeting with the applicant and his lawyer.

8:30 a.m. - Belleville time; 3:30 p.m. Thamaga time.

The technology worked quite well and no lack of audio or breakup of video.

Unless it was stated, you would not know where any of us were?  Belleville, Trenton or Thamaga?

The only problem, and I have seen this happen once or twice in meetings in Belleville, is when the power goes off.

So 50 minutes into our meeting, the power goes off in the village.

As seems almost automatic, if there is a heavy rainstorm, the power goes off??

Sure enough a shower was passing by and it knocked off the power to my router.

Not much you can do about that?  

My laptop was not affected since it runs on battery but the internet connection was lost.

 It is truly amazing to consider when I first arrived in Botswana the internet really didn't exist and one relied on mail.

Today there is an excellent internet service especially in this corner of Botswana. 

Rain = temperature

Every day this past week it rained.  One day a lot, others an hour or so.

In talking to Binnie and our tenant this is not normal.  It didn't use to rain in February.

Thus like many places around the globe the weather patterns are definitely changing which makes living here trickier.

As seen on the climate classification map above, Botswana is either warm desert or warm semi-arid.  That doesn't leave much scope for getting hotter or dryer.

Anyway when the clouds are out, the temperature never really rises.

Thus, this past Thursday I had a warm shower for the first time.  Previously I simply turn on the shower and turn the tap to cold.  The water coming out is quite mild and far from cold.  I never have turned the tap to warm or hot. 

Don't forget we don't get frost here and so pipes are not buried deep in the ground and surface water storage tanks run by the government to supply water to the village are on the surface and subject to the sun.  Not elevated water storage tanks but tanks on the highest ground in the village.

All in all, this contributes to water coming out of the tap to be relatively luke-warm.

We do have a hot water heater but it is fixed to the back wall high up on the outside of the house.

You will also notice that all the copper piping to supply the house with water is attached to the outside wall.  As are the drain pipes.

So on the far right are the pipes for the master bedroom, tub, shower, sink and toilet.

To the right of the back door is the plumbing for the kitchen. 

Sorry for the diversion.  The water heater is powered by electricity and there is a switch inside to turn it on and off.  It does not run continuously.

So because of the cooler water temperature I finally reverted to utilizing the water heater.

I should note that the better half uses the water heater every morning and night for her shower or bath.  Softy!!

 
  

Mr. Bean - the cartoon

 So I have 2 new friends who live in the house next to Binnie and I.

Angela and her brother Shalom.  Both in primary school.

Monday through Friday they head off about 7 a.m. and get back around 1 p.m. or so.

Angela usually has some homework to do and her brother tends to get out her bike which he proceeds to ride in circles around the courtyard.

They like chatting and they help translate for me when there is an older person around.

Earlier in the week, after school, it was raining and so they and a friend were standing on the front stoep watching the rain.

Shalom then asked asked if they could come in and watch cartoons!

Like tv service in Canada I get about 70 channels on the dish.  News, sports, comedy, religion, movies and kid's programming.  Needless to say I jump over the dozen or kid's channels since I am not the slightest bit interested.

Anyway, the 3 kids made themselves comfortable on the sofa and then Shalom said 302, Mr. Bean.

302 being one of the kid's channels.

I tuned it in and watched for a minute for so.

The cartoon version of Mr. Bean.

They clearly watch it and had  a feel for the show.

I left them to it and went off to play on my computer.

It never fails to leave me a bit jaded about what tv shows get beamed to the world.  Is that the best we can offer the kids of Botswana?

Technology sure makes the world a much smaller place and we send images and stories around the world.    However, growing up here you sure get a westernized version of what constitutes success.