Gaborone, Botswana
Meaning “does not fit badly” or “It is not unbecoming”
Oh, I have been looking forward to G! I am such a fan of the Ladies Number 1 Detective Agency and was excited to visit Precious Ramotswe in her hometown, Gaborone.
Woohoo! Zebra Drive, here I come!
Gaborone was built from a small railway stop in 1966 in preparation for Botswana’s independence- it literally grew out of a desert. (As opposed to growing from dessert which I can relate to). And grew it did!
You know what they say though, never meet your idols.
Gaborone, no offence, but you weren’t what I expected…
Firstly Gaborone, you are much bigger than I thought you would be. And much shinier.
I’m embarrassed to realised I’ve been mispronouncing your name (you really should have said something). From now on, I’ll call you Ha-bo-ro-neh (the first H is one of those throat-clearing H’s), but in secret I’ll stick to your nickname, Gabz.
If you are a fan of The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency like I am, you might want to join a tour (and there are lots to chose from). But at $200 USD, the tour might be a little disappointing. For one thing, there is no Zebra Drive but you can be shown a street sign for Zebra Way.
You can no longer visit the agency, the mechanics, and the orphanage. Oh.
Luckily, I found these pictures on the web to satisfy me. And I just saved myself $200 USD!
All is not lost though; wild Africa is not far away. Located within the city is the Gaborone Game Reserve.
This 5 square kilometre reserve is home to impala, zebra and wilderbeest. Yes please!
Botswana is a flat country so they get pretty excited about a hill. This is Kgale hill, which takes an hour walk to the top and an hour back down.
(Excuse me, but doesn’t this look like Freycinet??)
Kgale Hill is home to ubiquitous baboon troupes. People love to view sunsets to rock climb and to have picnics on Kgale Hill (presumably with bitey little monkeys and baboons).
Now, we’ve mentioned desert and land locked but actually there is a huge dam in Gaborone, the Gaborone Dam complete with a yacht club. Now that is a surprise!
The dam is located at the edge of the city, set amongst hills and dense bush. It’s not easy to get to but with a permit you can sail and fish. Best to avoid falling in as there is the occasional crocodile and a healthy bilharzia population: a cheeky little parasitical worm that can burrow into your skin and keeps going until it reaches your liver. Erm. I might stay dry.
What else can you do in Gabz?
Why not visit the Three Dikgosi Monument – Three Chiefs Monument
In the late 1800’s Botswana was under threat from a bloke called Cecil Rhodes. He wanted to run his British South African Company in the territory.
Three senior chiefs of the time, Cheifs Khama, Sebele, and Bathoen travelled to London and petitioned the queen and she granted them protection. Incidentally this monument was sculpted in 2005 by North Korean artisans.
Gaborone has cultcha too. There is the National Museum and Art Gallery to visit.
But if you’re not seeking cultcha, why not visit Lion Park Resort with its wave pool and water slide. There is also Ferris wheel and a lazy boat ride. You can brave the “Gwazi” roller coaster – the tallest in Africa.
And as its name suggests, you can see lions. Now, they mostly just feed them, and you can watch from behind the fence, but if you ask them, you can go into the enclosure if for some unfathomable reason, you fancy getting into a lions pen.
Gabz, it’s fair to say I’m feeling a little disillusioned. I’m pleased to hear you are still known for kindness and friendliness. And that your culture hasn’t been truly buried in concrete. At the markets, you can buy a mobile phone and at the next stall, some phane worms.
Phew.
Honestly, you’re not in my bad books, Gaborone, but I will be shifting my perceptions of you a little until I can come and meet you in person one day.