Day 4

Being a first time visitor to Africa, I had an idea of what to expect from television documentaries and travel shows. In honesty, Botswana hasn’t disappointed in any way.

As with all of Africa, all of life is here. Women on the pavement with their grills cooking meats and selling fruits at 8 o clock in the morning. Business men in suits preparing for their business meetings in the banks and government offices. People going about their daily business, unaware of the activities of four men from the United Kingdom with their own personal mission.

There is an understandable absence of the colour green at ground level, with all the greenery being found on the branches of the trees that scatter the vista in the towns and villages alike. Coloured metal railings break up the landscape between the areas of barren scrubland. “Independent” businessmen run their companies at the roadside, be it creating items from wooden pallets or guarding a pile of tyres. Large Buildings showing familiar brand names appear next to government department centres. Everything is busy and bustling.

The population of Gaborone seem to be perfect hosts with friendly, if not confused, faces to be seen everywhere. We have our own “personal shopper” accompanying us around the local supermarket in our search for bottled water and bags of ice. However everyone seems less concerned when presented with their own blue and white CWB wristband, as a gift.

To be honest, the business side of our trip has not been a smooth one. Previously confirmed schedules have gone out of the window, almost before we touched down on Botswanan soil (Note that the Botswanan government especially opened the new airport the day before we arrived). In the Gaborone area, schools seem to be less interested in our programme.

Project Manager Vards has been on the phone more often than the government businessmen in his attempt to sort out the difficulties that seem to be besetting us. We arrived at a great looking school, with a lush green playing field, only to be turned away for no consistent reason. However recamping back to our base at the Gaborone Oval meant that I did get to be presented with my Botswana National playing shirt and had time to hit a few balls wearing my new sky blue shirt.

Vards and our BCA contact Vusi managed a masterstroke in the afternoon finding us an orphanage to visit at incredibly short notice. Following our fifth curry of the trip, we soon found ourselves in the distinctly barren surroundings of the SOS centre in Gaborone. Despite an initial lack of children, an impromptu game of catch played with the house mothers created the interest from some inquisitive children “hiding” about the site. With school lessons still taking place at the local school, we still attracted a collection of 30-40 excited children.

In the dust bowl that was the children’s playing area, a game of quick continuous cricket broke out with balls flying and smiling faces seen everywhere. The house mothers weren’t to be outdone however, with their own game of “three ball, three cone” creating a very competitive atmosphere. With Malcolm’s “ring master” like skills, he created a high intensity close catching game, based around the A, B, C, T message of CWB. Very quickly the house mothers started showing catching skills that would make Ian Bell blush.

An evening filled with birthday celebrations brought the events of the day to an eventful end. Taxi jousting, a bar with no beer or capability to cook anything that wasn’t steak, ribs or pizza was in keeping with the eventful experience we have already received in Botswana.

Note to all at CWB, the accommodation in Gaborone, the Stay Easy Inn, are helping to reinforce the ABCT message with its guests. On getting ready for our evening out, I discovered, much to my room mate Vards concern, two condoms in the bedside table……I think I will abstain this time.

Ali