The 600 pula she earns a month is not enough to pay for rent, electricity, food for 8, and school expenses. In fact, it costs Shale about 2000 pula a year to pay for the school uniforms and supplies!

Shale is looking forward to moving into her Habitat house the second week of August because it is bigger than the one she is renting and will be hers once she pays off the mortgage.

Moiponi works as a cleaner at a meat inspection station, which is in one of Botswana’s strongest industries since they export large quantities of beef to Germany and other European Union countries. She has one child and a boyfriend who she plans to marry in December. Her boyfriend works for the water utility, and provides her some financial assistance when he can. Moipoini’s mother cares for her child during the week when she goes to work in Lobaste, a city south of Gaborone.

Moiponi’s job pays 1000 Pula per month, which equates to about US $170, but it goes out quickly. She rents a small place in Lobatse for 200 Pula ($34) per month, and she pays another 200 Pula per month to ride the bus to and from Lobatse each weekend. So, already she is down to 600 Pula to live on.

Food is usually purchased in quantity for two months at a time including maize meal, sorghum (a melon that is used to create a grits-like porridge), 5 kilograms of rice, tomato sauce, mayonnaise and sugar. The cost is 150 Pula ($25), which breaks down to 75 Pula per month.

Shale has other children, and will not be able to pay for her Habitat home from her own resources. Rather, she is depending on Moiponi to pay for the house. Moiponi has a younger brother who works, but she is doubtful of the support he will provide. The house payment will be 300 Pula ($50) per month for 5 years after which a final settlement will be calculated to cover the entire house cost. After the house has been fully paid off, she hopes to also come up with another 470 Pula ($80) to connect to the electric service.

The bottom line for Moiponi is about 225 Pula to live on after buying food and making her mom’s house payment. That equates to about US$ 38. Although she is a very cheerful and bright woman, Moiponi’s assessment is that “things will be very difficult”.

The Facts: As they were departing in the morning, the bell captain asked, “Is anyone missing a camera? This one was found in the puppies’ bed.” It was early. No one recognized the camera he held up, and the incident was forgotten amidst the hustle and bustle of an early departure.

The Dastardly Deed: Until, that is, they reached the departure gate at the huge Tambo International airport where Regina reached for her camera and discovered it missing. The seven travelers conferred together and, sleuths that they are, quickly deduced that indeed the camera the bell captain held had been Regina’s. And, that it was the puppies who stole it from their room the evening before.

The Loss: Unfortunately, the group had already crossed through passport control, so they could not return to attempt a recovery. Inquiries will be made to the hotel tomorrow as to the feasibility of mailing the camera to Molepolole, but no one is holding their breath on the chances of that.

The Bottom Line: We need help! We need the dog police. We need InterDogPol. We need YOU. Don’t let these dogs use their cute act on another unsuspecting tourist. Report them NOW!

The Columbus Global Village Team thanks you for your cooperation!

About half way to the Air Botswana transfer desk, a cheerful young man wearing a Swissport vest offered to help. He confidently and quickly herded us through the deserted corridors, but the look on the two Air Botswana agents’ faces as we breathlessly ran up confirmed that we’d already missed our flight.

The helpful Swissport employee stayed with us, moving us quickly through passport control, to baggage claim, through customs and to the Delta customer service desk on the departures level. Each step of the way he strolled around lines with us in tow to find available agents and otherwise avoided delays. Although rebooking while en route is never fun, this bright young man made it rather pleasant.

The advantage of having made all of our arrangements through Air Botswana (in addition to their low introductory fares) soon became apparent. Rather than flounder on our own as would have be the case if we’d booked the Delta and the Air Botswana segments separately, Delta took responsibility and expediently provided us with tickets for the 7:30 a.m. Air Botswana flight to Gaborone, and a voucher for dinner, hotel, breakfast and transportation to make our unintended stay in Joburg much more pleasant.

Who is the guardian angel that guided us through Tambo so expertly? Bongani Masuku grew up in Joburg, has a girlfriend and a 2 year old daughter, and is proud to be working hard at the airport even as he searches for a better job that will make him feel secure enough to get married. It took a bit of arm-twisting to get him to talk directly about money, but we finally agreed that a $20 tip would be appropriate. He said it would help him on his way, and we felt it a good value for saving us at least 1/2 hour. In fact, we have become so used to airlines dropping us summarily by claiming immunity due to weather and other conditions out of their control, I’m not even sure we would have even remembered to ask Delta for vouchers without his expert assistance.

What makes this story even more fun is that Bongani was only one of many, many helpful people we have encountered in Africa. Gate agents laugh and smile. Security guards cajole and joke as they relieve us of the apple juice we are not allowed to carry through the checkpoint. Air Botswana provides so many bright, cheerful attendents that we got two cups of coffee on the short, 40-minute flight. John from the transport company met us at the Gaborone airport, patiently waited for us to exchange some Dollars for Pula, and cheerfully told us about both Botswana and his native Kenya on the drive to the hotel. Irsaat, owner of the Kgale View bed & breakfast, met us at his gate, welcomed us graciously, and repeatedly told us to ask the staff for any need — and to totally make ourselves at home.  Julia and Muongo, the Kgale View desk attendants, worked patiently through details of housing 24 teammates here 3 times. Tumisang David was as cheerful and entertaining as any ice cream server I’ve ever met. And last, but far from least, Phatsimo, the GV Coordinator for HFH-Botswana, spent an evening reassuring us of all the arrangements for our teams to be safe and productive.

We certainly have a warm feeling as we reflect on our first day in southern Africa. With all of the cheerful, helpful people who seem to be on our side here, I already sense a tinge of regret that it will be only be 47 days before our eventual departure from Tambo on the way home.

Then started repeated attempts to get the scanner to read our passports, as it seemed not to like the plastic covers that protect them. After removing the cover, Susi scanned her passport and the kiosk asked for our destination. Final? Next? It wasn’t clear, so again the helpful Delta employee gave us guidance. We entered Atlanta, and it displayed both of our names the itinerary through to Botswana.

Then it was time for more passport fun, as we, and the helpful Delta employee, repeatedly tried to scan Dave’s passport. Eventually the helpful Delta employee removed the cover and threw (well, dropped) it on the floor. Finally the machine believed that we had both presented our passports, and asked about our checked baggage. We indicated 2 bags each, which is the limit that we can take without additional charge on these flights.

Next the screen told us, “Sorry. Kiosk can not check you in. Please see an agent.” Dave (seeming just a bit huffy?) immediately took his two bags and went to the end of the now much longer agent line. Susi wisely asked for help, and an agent came to her assistance at the kiosk. Meanwhile, Dave, with his luggage, navigated his way back through the lines of people to rejoin her there.

We put each bag in turn on the scale so that the helpful Delta agent could affix baggage tags and return them to us to take to the TSA inspection point. The agent looked at us with puzzlement as she began helping another passenger and said once again, “Please take your bags to the TSA for inspection.” We inquired if the airlines still use boarding passes, to which she pointed toward the recalcitrant passport scanner and replied, “Yes. The kiosk will print them for you.” We waited expectantly as we glanced back at the queue of people eagerly eying the apparently available kiosk in front of us.

Soon another helpful Delta employee came by to encourage us to move our 4 bags to the TSA. When we asked about boarding passes, he said, “What? They didn’t print?” and then proceeded to begin the check-in process at the kiosk again. Soon he gave up in an huff and moved behind the counter to what I guessed was a more powerful kiosk for helpful Delta employees.

A few minutes of behind the scenes magic worked wonders, and the helpful Delta employee very cheerfully brought us our boarding passes and made sure we understood everything. We thanked him, shook his hand, and were soon on our way.

After this brief encounter, our hope is that the helpful Delta employees get a chance to give a seminar to the Delta information systems. It sure would be great if the Delta computer systems were as effective and cheerful as the helpful Delta employees!

Over lunch a few moments later, having already passed through the TSA security checkpoint, Susi and I reflected that the little bumps we encountered are very minor compared to the knee replacement surgery that our friend is experiencing right at that moment. Our best to you, Terry! Hopefully this knee goes as well as the first one did!!

Our intent was to sell the RV as we hit Colorado on the return - which we did - but we enjoyed this form of travel so much we  bought another RV that provided us with much more living space without increasing our length!

So, for those of you who have visited this site in 2009, we’ll be back on the road this coming January - headed to work for Habitat for Humanity in Tucson, AZ - I always wanted to paint the desert!

You can also check out our summer 2010 plans to lead 2 Habitat Global Village teams to Botswana. Although we won’t be floating across the ocean in the RV - we look forward to learning how Habitat houses are built in Molepolole and Mahalapye!

Blessings for a happy holidays - Dave & Susi

With no trails and some pretty steep and overgrown banks along the way, I walked on the road for a while and then cut back to the river once I got past a swampy looking area. Needless to say, I was on the lookout for moose, since they seem to enjoy standing in the water and eating — as I was lucky enough to capture this one doing. It was quite a thrill to see him because the wolves and bears have driven almost all of the moose out of Yellowstone and we were hoping our chances would be better in Teton.

My trek proved rather fruitful as I closed on the river and saw these three pelicans come in for a landing. They continued swimming my way, and then eventually took off and soared away. I also captured a couple of cormorant and thistle photos that you can see in the album titled 09-01 Grand Teton National Park at the right.

Eventually I began working my way back south, and, not wanting to get too far away from the wildlife action on the river, I pushed a bit further before turning back to the road. With no trails, I was relying on the sounds of cars on the highway to give me a general sense of direction, and, after a bit, I found myself looking across this swamp. The reedy grasses hide an array of dry land fingers interspersed with wet areas and small streams. The willow bushes are very thick along the ground and nearly impenetrable. Everywhere there were moose prints, sometimes sunk 3, 4, or more inches into the soft ground.

After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to retreat, I moved gingerly toward the sounds of traffic. Finally, I came across what appeared to be a last little stream, this one a bit better formed than most. I worked my way toward it’s apparent source and what seemed to be some firm ground at the edge of a willow patch. “One wet step in the stream and I can reach the other side,” I thought.

With camera and tripod on my shoulder I took the plunge — and my foot just kept going down into the muck. Quickly I took the next step and tried to pull free, only to leave my shoe buried about 18″ deep as my second foot sunk into what felt like quicksand. I lunged for a piece of log with the stocking-clad foot, and, as I pulled myself onto it, I nearly pulled my foot out of the other shoe as well.

Needless to say, there are no pictures of this part! I capped the lens and did my best to keep the equipment out of the muck as I balanced on that log and tried to think my way out of the mess. Slowly I was able to push one foot back into it’s buried shoe and then very gradually pull it free. With both feet on the log, I could reach back and pull the first shoe free. Once I put it on, you can bet that I tied the laces very tightly and doubled the knots!

From there I was able to stay on dry ground by hacking a path through the willows and a short while later I finally reached the road. Susi was good enough to “record the moment” as I walked up to her painting spot.

Was I scared through this little adventure? Well, not really, once I realized that the log would support me and the sounds of cars were not far away. I sure did wonder, though, what possessed me to take a few thousand dollars worth of photo gear into the swamp?!?!

Although road hazards here in Wyoming aren’t quite as large - we do get the idea of how intimidating it can feel to be surrounded on all sides by the local traffic. So, here’s a little video to let Kevin know that we empathize with him, and are glad to hear that he and his banged up car are back on the road.

Unfortunately, I have very few memories of our time in Yellowstone or the Tetons because the severe headaches I experienced every time we changed elevation a few hundred feet, which was a precursor of the brain surgery I underwent when I returned home.

The upside is that I’ve been having a blast exploring this park this time! I have particularly enjoyed the area near Fishing Bridge - in spite of the bison road delays. This is a part of the park that doesn’t have trees  ravaged by either the 2003 or 1988 fires and the pine beetle. There’s plently of open grasslands that support a diverse animal population - wolves, elk, bison, and deer are all easily seen by visitors along the road. Check out all the photos in the albums titled 08-29 Yellowstone National Park and 08-30 Yellowstone National Park at the right.

To say nothing about the upper and lower falls, Yellowstone river and lake…