Last week Fly Airlink sent Anna-Belle from shesaid.co.za and me on a whirlwind 24-hour trip to Kasane, Botswana, as part of a campaign to promote Airlink’s flights around Southern Africa.
Kasane – which is approximately 90 minutes by plane from Joburg – is a tiny town whose main claim to fame is Chobe National Park. (Read my 2013 post about another whirlwind trip to Chobe.) We stayed at the Chobe Safari Lodge, which is just a few minutes outside the park on the banks of the Chobe River.
I was skeptical about signing up for a day trip to Chobe National Park during my visit to Victoria Falls. Everyone knows that wild animals sleep during the day and the best times to see them are early morning and late afternoon. I was afraid that paying $175 to visit Chobe between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. would be a waste of money.
Joe died yesterday.
His real name was Jon. He was a gifted photographer. He was sensitive, intelligent, opinionated, and loyal. He had green-gold eyes and a mischievous smile. He was my best friend. We loved each other as much as two people are capable of loving. I can’t fathom a world without him in it.
Joe’s brother Jim lives in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. I’ve been looking forward to visiting Jim as I’m a huge fan of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels, which are set in Gaborone (“Gabs” for short). I started reading the series after my first trip to Africa and have been hooked ever since. I think Mma Ramotswe, Botswana’s number one lady detective, is a total bad-ass.