Monday, 1st October DAY 12
Today we begin the long trek home. After enjoying coffee at sunrise, we begin packing up which at this stage of proceedings we can almost do with our eyes closed. By 7am we are ready and after bidding fond farewells at the office we are on our way. We pause to view two magnificent Tawny Eagles feasting at the side of the road but I am feeling uneasy. You will remember when entering Zims I had trouble at the border because there was no further space left in my passport for the stamp. But I need not have worried. Dudley is in sparkling form and sings a Zulu love song to the girl behind the desk who swoons and stamps my passport without even looking. Likewise through the Botswanan side and we are on our way. Dudley is a master at breaking down unpleasant officials and every time we end up passing through with guffaws and shiny, white teeth.
Past Pandmatenga and we are on the broad main road south. I have developed another problem. In an unwise moment I drank some Long Life Milk this morning which my system reacts to with severe headache and nausea.
Many enormous ellies line the road and once we must stop to let them pass. We stop off at Elephant Sands with a forlorn hope that Chris’s lost bag would have been found and handed in. No such luck. Chris joins Dudley for a toasted cheese at the restaurant whilst I miserably wander about trying to feel better.
With no further mishap we reach Francistown at 4pm where we refill and then set out along the Plumtree road to the resort Tantebane which Dudley recommends.
He certainly is correct as the place is idyllically sited next to a large dam, a granite koppie and surrounded by a golf course. We settle down for our last night’s camping as tomorrow we are in beds at Dave McGaw’s home in Modimolle.