Shakawe, Botswana
May 20, 2024
Tucked in the northwest corner of Botswana are a few rocky outcrops that rise from the otherwise flat plain. These are the Tsodilo Hills, considered a sacred ancestral place for the San and Hambukushu peoples. There are paintings on the rock faces of these hills that intrigued me and I had to visit.
I set off from Maun on the minivan that runs up north to Shakawe, the closest large town. In the usual way, the van was stuffed to the gills with people, boxes, bags, pots and pans. It was only missing a basket of chickens or a live goat. At Nokaneng, about halfway to Shakawe a seat opened up in the cab and I was courteously given the seat so I could take photos. I had a grand view of the dirt and sand road and villages through the cracked windshield as we jolted along.
Most of the villages are barely more than ten huts with donkeys hobbled by the rad or under a tree. The largest ones boast a couple of cars. I got a better look on my way down part of the same road later on my way to Tsodilo Hills. The same round mud huts that I’d seen in Zambia and even stayed in one eight years ago, the same thatched roofs. Once in a while I saw newer huts made of cement and painted, but built in the exact same style.
There are elephant droppings dotting the roadside and birds nest in the telephone poles and other structures. The common mode of transport is a donkey cart as it scatters the goats who wander at will.
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 