first days

Yesterday was the start of the little adventure!  Michelle and I met up in Joburg airport, and fly across to Maun via Gabarone.  We were told that our plane was just stopping in Gaborone, but when we got onto the plane, the air hostess who took our passes said "You're going to Maun?  How are you getting there?" 

So in Gabarone we eventually figured out that we had to board this little 20 seater plane to Maun, where we grabbed cokes from the pilot's cooler box during flight. Everyone is super chilled here, with the biggest smiles on their faces, as if to say "Yup, we know we live here. It's awesome."

Maun is super tiny, but I bought a sim card that works, some air time. We picked up our massive landy (that one of the camp managers had brought up for us and left at the airport - so safe, keys in the ignition, doors don't lock) and off we went down the long road to the game management area.  We gave a lift to 2 guys that work here, one Tsitsi, and another who's name i can't remember - SO glad these guys were with us, because we got one flat on the tar road, and then the spare went flat once we were in the management area at sunset.  Thankfully all the vehicles have radios  (cos cell phone signal is non existent unless you're standing right up against the cell phone tower) - so we radio-ed in for help on our first day in!   Sven came through to help us with two wheels stolen off a car from the camp next door (the wild dog camp).  Anyway, long story short, most of our tyres are messed up, we got in last night at about 9, and we have to chance the trip back into maun on Thursday to get some more tyres.  We had a quick dinner, met everyone, and crawled into bed.  I couldn't stop thinking of scorpions, and it took me forever to fall asleep...

Since we couldn't exactly explore the concession today (with a landy standing on jacks in the workshop), we spent the day exhausting ourselves with unpacking all the equipment and luggage, scrounging around for cardboard boxes to fashion into cupboards, and making our rooms a little more homey.  Jamie made me the most amazing calendar, featuring his many handsome faces, and it was the first thing I put up.  :) I even went as far as to hammer in some nails and make a little cardboard shelf for my girly things!  it's attached forever, but it's awesome, I'm sure no-one would ever want to take it down.  that was Michelle's amazing suggestion. :)  We found a rusty old tressle table and scrubbed it down nicely for Michelle's desk - gonna keep looking for one for me, but my room's looking fab already!

We're being super chilled now, had a yummy lunch (food's good here!), and about to have a swim in a bit.  You can't see the bottom of the pool with all the murkiness, and Michelle says you get lionesses drinking from that pool at night!

It's not easy to skype in the office, as jamie and I found out.  We can chat easily just typing notes, but as soon as you switch on the video, it dies (internet too slow here).  Chatting with the microphone works ok if it's quiet in here, but there's often people working in here, so it might have to be an early morning thing.

It seems that there is a fundraiser planned for the buffalo project, on my birthday, 6 March - Emily is planning to have a human foosball tournament in Maun, getting a bunch of teams together, having a braai, and mainly having a good time.  So we're thinking about going - that would be a pretty cool way to spend a birthday in the bundus, I reckon!