Feb 3, 2010 - Palapye, Botswana

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 Here we go again. Pack up the tents, eat breakfast, pack up the truck and we're leaving Palapye by 7 am. I'm glad we wore ear plugs last night. I did so for the sounds of cow bells, donkeys and dogs but apparently a large number of the group partied well into the night and we slept through their return. Impressions of Botswana; much wealthier than the rest of Africa we've seen. Apparently they've used the wealth they've accumulated from diamonds well. There are very few vendors selling curios, some selling fruits and...

Mar 28, 2008 - Lions, Elephants and markets, Oh My!

Today we woke up ridiculously early (4:15) to go to the elephant and lion park. It was well worth it, however, because the lions are really active in the morning. So we go to the park, and they bring out 3 lions. We basically walked around with them for an hour, just petting them and hanging out. It was really cool. After that, we had a delicious breakfast on the waterfront. It was great. After that we went to the elephants, and went for an elephant ride. It was alright, definitely not a personal highlight. It felt a lot like riding a...

Jan 19, 2008 - House of Hope Day Care centre for Orphans

After a week 'acclimatising' in Palapye, on the morning of the 8th we got up early, or at least earlier than previously, and made our way to the House of Hope Orphanage. We were introduced to the staff there, and then me and Chloe split up and went to help in different classrooms. For the first week, the children were just playing and getting used to the place, as for a lot of them it was their first time there too. Me and Chloe both did a lot of playing ourselves, thoroughly enjoying the thrills of lego puzzles again. We did TRY and make...