One of the great things about Johannesburg is its proximity to other countries. Since we were so close, we piled in the car (Laleinia, Alastair, McKee parents, and Connor), and drove over to South-Eastern Botswana for the weekend! One relatively long drive and a confusing border crossing later, we arrived in Lobatse. An unbelievable number of cows and goats, along with a few baboons, lined the roads as we left South Africa and traveled around in Botswana. While we were there, one of the main goals that we had was to play football with some local children.
About five minutes after crossing the border, we were able to reach our goal. On the side of the road, we saw a very African football pitch, about eighty percent dust/sand/dirt, and twenty percent grass scattered in little patches across the dirt. The pitch was massive and pretty flat, but it also was home to some smashed glass and the occasional cow pat. After separating into Alastair's shirts and Connor's skins teams, we played in the boiling sun for not quite ninety minutes. I (Alastair) quickly realized that as much as I love to play football, I liked talking with the kids much more. I was able to ask them about their favorite teams, positions, their parents, school, and their future aspirations. It was so fun to talk to so many interesting children. All in all, it was a great experience. It never ceases to amaze me just how universal football is. I love to see how easily football gives you something in common with complete strangers.
Next up on our agenda was checking into our hostel. We stayed at Mokolodi Backpackers, which was an absolutely fantastic place. While the parents and Connor stayed in the "executive" chalet (aka. bathroom inside the chalet), Laleinia and I stayed in our own chalet. The chalets were great, completely round and had thatched roofs which were really tall. I would love to build something similar one day! Laleinia was delighted with the air-conditioning. If you are ever in Botswana, we would recommend staying at Mokolodi Backpackers.
We hurried out of the hostel and rushed over to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, arriving just in time for the last safari of the day. We sat in the first row of the safari vehicle and listen to the driver share bits of knowledge about the animals. We were able to add a new animal to our list, the Giraffe. They really are a spectacular sight. Did you know, the male giraffe can grow up to 5.5 meters tall? Crazy! We didn't realize that one of them had photobombed us until after we got back to South Africa and checked our pictures! After our game drive, we went to Gaborone, the capital, for a bite to eat. Upon returning to our hostel, we slept like logs.
The next morning, we went back to Gaborone to attend church. We managed to find the stake center, and had a great experience. Everything was so wonderful. The members were reverent, the speakers were excellent, and the hymns were fun. We love to see how consistent the church is across the world, although we did agree that the hymns were much better here in Botswana, Count Your Many Blessings was actually sung cheerfully, instead of the slower, dreary way that we are used to.
After a very unsuccessful postcard hunt, we swung by Lobatse again. We were able to see some of the boys that we played football with the previous day, which was fun, and then headed home. It was great to see more of Africa. Botswana, at least what we saw, is quite different to Johannesburg. It is more stereotypical of what you think of when you hear "Africa," and it was a fantastic experience to be there and take it all in.