The Makgadikgadi Pans

With the lowest of expectations, I planned one last long weekend getaway before our mission ends in late July. Low expectations due to the fact that the pans of central Botswana are not exactly what tourists pay thousands of dollars to visit. It's the wrong time of year to visit the pans, I didn't have much time to do so, and I haven't been able to find much intriguing information about the pans. But there is a stand of baobab trees I was dying to visit there, and well heck, a long weekend in the bush sure beats 70 hour weeks in the office. So off we flew expecting little more than a reprieve from rewarding but endlessly tiring office work.

Then we reached the Makgadikgadi Pans, and our socks were blown off.

The Pans refers to a massive 6200 square miles of salt flats in the Kalahari Desert bowl in central Botswana where millennia ago there existed a shallow lake. Today, seasonal rains flood the pans for a short period bringing hundreds of thousands of flamingos. When the pans dry and the flamingos leave, vast multitudes of zebra and wildebeest make their annual epic migration in search of water and feed. It's extremely tricky to gauge exactly when the migrations will occur, if at all, as it's dependent on rainfall and evaporation. As well, thousands of tourists flock to the area attempting to time and witness the spectacle, and lodging prices soar. Not having a clue as to exactly where or when the great migration would occur this year, I booked us for 3 nights in the Pans to sleep on top of a 4X4 which is my favorite way to explore Botswana.

Our camp wasn't even half full, and we arrived to find only a small number of safari vehicles with hardly a tourist aboard, but our camp host reassured us that our trip had indeed been perfectly timed as we had entered the dry Boteti River Basin at precisely the perfect season for the zebra migration. Man, did we ever luck out.

The Boteti River fills up and begins to run as the Okavango Delta overflows into it. I'd hoped there'd be enough water flowing so as to adventure our way across by ferry, but alas the river was bone dry with not a single animal in site at the beached ferry crossing other than a pathetic donkey on a sad dusty track. Our effervescent camp host, however, told us the real gold was to be found at a watering hole called Hippo Pools not far distant, so off through the deep sand we trundled and amazingly stumbled upon thousands of migrating zebra as well as a plethora of elephants and other wildlife.

Not exactly the rapidly flowing river we'd hoped to cross on a dilapidated and grounded ferry.

Wildebeest haven't a brain in their ugly heads, but they do sense that safely comes in numbers, so they hang out with zebras. Or perhaps they just wanna be zebras which are incredibly cool creatures. Wildebeest numbers climbed each day we visited as they migrated off the pans and into the half dozen or so watering holes dotting the otherwise dry Boteti Riverbed. We were completely bedazzled.

The Hippo Pools contain 36 hippos and about a dozen crocodiles, and we enjoyed breakfasts lounging near the water for an hour or so hoping to see if a zebra would wander too close to the patiently waiting crocs. Sadly for us spectators, not even the idiotic wildebeest were clueless enough to get too close. However, teenage hippos did entertain us with their playful sparing.

Two days on the Boteti River was not enough time to enjoy the migration spectacle, but we were on a tight schedule and the baobabs called, so off we journeyed to a camp at Baines Baobabs for a night.

Getting to Baines Baobabs was an hour-long dusty turbulent trip, but warthogs and baobabs completely fascinate me, so I reminded Kasper how the terrible cross country journey would surely be worth the effort. After a few hours of dreadful bush four-wheeling, we arrived to find ourselves completely alone for the day and night with only the stunning giant baobabs and the spectacular southern night sky above. I have rarely been in such a state of ecstasy. The sunsets beguiled, the ancient baobabs mesmerized, and I was brought to tears with all the beauty my wee heart could hold. With great reluctance that the day could not last forever, I finally fell asleep atop our warm and cozy 4X4 with memories to last eternally.

You might wonder if we are actually serving an LDS mission instead of simply enjoying the wonders of southern Africa, and indeed we are. But since most of our days and evenings are spent on the computer managing the comings and goings and lodging and funding of 75 young adults, there aren't lovely pictures for me to snap nor fascinating stories to tell. Now don't get me wrong; as our time winds down and we sadly realize how little of it is left in Botswana, I tear up easily over the thought of leaving the beautiful young people whom we serve and have come to love deeply. The people of Botswana are precious, and I can hardly conceive how I've been blessed with this most incredible experience to work amongst the world's best and most faithful youth.

A sweet elderly woman who spoke no English wanted to pose for a picture with a white woman. She doesn't own a phone, but the daughter shared the picture with her. How odd it feels to be such a rarity. Children frequently stare, teenagers want to pose with us, and we are constantly watched with curious eyes. Too, they want to stroke my hair or touch my white arm. Batswana are just a lovely gentle people.