Tuesday, July 28, 2015

July 19, 2015 - Sunday, Leaving Botswana Days 13 & 14

I end up on cooking duty on Sunday for both lunch and dinner. I did not have to but they asked if I wanted to do that instead of the morning project, road repair, and so I did but a part of me regrets not going out on the one last work detail. But at the same time I think my body is just as happy I did not. I have come to the realization that I am now old and I don’t much like it.

Sunday afternoon is largely spent hanging out. We play some volleyball, drink coffee with Philipp, Théo pops a whole apple into his mouth to try and eat it whole, the girls and Léon pull mattresses out into the sun and take a nap. It is nice and while my body is not so ready to do the labor tasks any more, I am going to miss being around the others in the camp. Since about the middle of the week I have grown comfortable hanging out with everyone and as Philipp and Théo have started calling me an old man or grandpa, so I take that as they too have gown comfortable with me. In this respect two weeks is not nearly enough time which makes me glad that I am spending longer in both Cape Town and Peru.

There is a simple rhythm here that I am going to miss.

On Monday we pull out very early, 7:30, for the airport and in some ways I think this is good. I am not exactly sure why we are leaving this early as we don’t fly out until 3:00 pm, but it leave less time for goodbyes to drag out and become uncomfortable. As I don’t much like long goodbyes it is good. But I still find it sad driving out of camp in the truck, passing the landmarks that I have become accustomed to over the previous two weeks, knowing that it will almost surely be the last time I will see them again.

Not much else to report other than the restaurant in the Polokwane Airport is a total 1975 African shag pad. Mirrors on the ceiling, gold and silver everywhere, all kinds of crazy furniture and even a BMW 5 series, or half of one anyway, with the plate Millionaires on it I half expect lines of coke to be delivered with the food. Total pimp.
 

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