Living the High Life in Botswana vA 141
(Kazungula, Botswana) - Hey! - Yeah? - Morning, my friends, from Kazungula in Botswana. And it's trike testing time. - You see? - Yes. Thank you very much. - I didn't take a... - You're welcome. Let's take a photo together. Okay. - Here goes. - With the cycle? - With the cycle.
- Nice. I'm going. Thank you very much for the...! - Thank you. We'll see you. - Thank you very much for the breakfast, Kumar! - Thank you. - Thank you very much for all these days! - Thank you. - And... - Have a safe journey. - Yeah, thank you. Yeah. - Just update me. - Bye-bye. Yeah, yeah, yeah. - From Panda. - Okay. - In Panda. - In Panda, I'll tell you. Okay. - Nata and everything.
- Okay. - Thank you! - Thank you very much! Yeah. Goodbye. Let's go, guys! From this very nice guesthouse. Look at that. - R&H. - R&H guesthouse with very nice Kumar.
Bye-bye! Thank you! You see? Very, very nice Kumar. He welcomed me like a king. He offered me a free breakfast this morning. Let's go to Pandamatenga today, guys! So it's 100 kilometers today. Quite... Almost completely flat, but with potentially a lot of animals on the way. Let's see how it is for this first ride in Botswana, guys! Let's go! Hello. - Hey.
- Hello. - Hey, hello. - Hello! - You're going to Nata? - Yes! A local shop. So you see "Beware of elephants". Botswana actually has the largest population of elephants in the world. I think I have already spotted the first elephant.
It's crossing the road just now. So it was just here. Okay, it disappeared in the bush, so I should be fine. The car waited for me, I think.
Hello! - How are you? - Good. How are you? - Are you okay? - Yeah, I'm okay. Yeah. - Hey, there are some elephants. - Yeah, I saw it. I was slowing down to give it space. - Okay. - And then, I accelerated after it disappeared in the... - Where are you going? - ...in the bush. To Cape Town. - To Cape Town?!
- Yes. - From where? - From France. - From France?! - Yes. - Are you from France as we speak? - Yes. I came from France with this. - We are police officers. Hello. - Oh, you are police officers. Okay. - Hey, we just wanted to alert you because of this. - Yes, yes, yes.
I know it's... There are many elephants. - And not only elephants. - Lions also. - Elephants, lions, buffalos. Dangerous... - Yeah, I know. Yeah. So I have to... I just... What's the distance I should maintain with the elephants? - Did you see it was charging to us? - Yeah, I saw one here. Yeah, just here. Yeah, yeah. - It was charging to... - To you? - Yes! - Oh, yeah. - We had to run. It was charging to us.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - So you must be a distance away from... - Like what? 100 meters? I keep a minimum… What's the minimum distance I should not get closer? - Like 100 meters. - 100 meters. - 100 meters? From here to the bush? - Yes. - If they are outside of the bush, I should not get... I should stop and wait until they go away, no? - Yes, yes, yes. - Okay. - But you'll never know because they can just come, sneak from anywhere. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I know. In the bush, you can't see them. Yeah.
- You can't see them. - Yeah, yeah. - So you're from...? How many kilometers have you traveled so far? - 17,000. - 17,000?! - Yes. - Are you doing this for charity or what? - No. I just do it because I like it. Yeah, I'm… Just for enjoyment. - Just for your sake? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. And to see the world by curiosity. - Yeah, you are just enjoying yourself.
- Exactly, yeah. - So if you want to sleep, you just sleep. If you want to tour... - I have a tent. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. - If you want to tour, you just tour. - Exactly. Yeah.
I go to Nata, then Maun. - Then Ghanzi. - Hunt? Ghanzi. Yeah. Oh, you said Ghanzi. Ghanzi. - Yes. - Ghanzi and Windhoek. And then down to Cape Town. - As we speak, you have traveled 1,700. - No, 17,000. - 17? 17,000 kilometers. - From France with this. Yes. - With this?! - Yes. - So you don't feel like driving a vehicle or something? - No, no, no, no. I like to ride this.
- Just by pedaling? - Yeah. It's electric. So it's easier than pedaling, but I need to pedal all the time. Yeah, so... It's an electrically assisted bicycle. - Okay. - Oh! - So it's a little bit easier than a bicycle. But still, it's a bicycle. - Okay.
Which city are you from in France? - Soissons. - Okay. - Soissons. A small city near Reims. Not so far from Paris. - Okay. Have a nice day. - Okay. - Please, be aware of these... - Yeah.
I'll be careful. Yeah. - Be careful. - Thank you very much! Yeah. - All right. - Have a good day! - Okay. - I love Botswana. Oh my God, I'm enjoying it so much so far.
This road is really smartly made. It's really good that they cleared 20 meters on each side of the road, so you have good visibility to spot the elephants or whichever animal coming towards the road. You can spot them before they are actually on the road, which is much safer. Hello! - Hi, brother. - How are you? - How are you? - Good, good, good. - So, how far are you going? - Cape Town. - You are going to Cape Town? - Yes.
- With this bike? - Yes, with this bike. Yeah. - Do you know how far Cape Town is? - Yeah, I know it's far. Yeah. It's like 3,000 kilometers maybe. - I'm going to Joburg. - You're going to Joburg? - Yeah. - Okay. You will be there much faster than... - I saw you there.
I thought you were going near. Now, I saw you in the bush again going. I said, "No, let me stop and find out where this man is going." - I'm going to Cape Town. Yeah. - Really? - Yeah.
Today Pandamatenga. - And you're enjoying it. - Yes, I'm enjoying it. - Aren't you tired when you do like...? - Yeah, I get tired. Yeah, yeah. But it's okay. - I saw you there. - Nice. Yeah. - Now, I saw you here. I said, "No, let me stop. I must find out."
- So you found out I was going to Cape Town. Yeah. - Yeah, is it safe for you because there are a lot of lions here? - Yeah, there are a lot of animals here. Yeah. I'll see. I'm watching all the time to see if I can spot something. - And what if it's coming at you? - I'll give them space. If they come, I'll just stay away and hope everything goes well.
What else can I do? Have a good day, man! - Yeah, for sure. - Bye-bye! Some termites. Look at that, guys! An elephant skull. Wow, look at that. Incredible. Incredible.
Whoa! Strong teeth. Wow! Oh my God! So now, I'm riding across really completely empty areas in terms of human beings, because Botswana is as big as France in terms of size, but there are only 2.5 million people who live in the country. So most of the countryside is completely, just completely, empty. No humans. Hello. - Hi. What's up? - Hello! Look at this beautiful baobab tree, guys.
Hello! Time to stop for lunch, guys. I'm so hungry. Let's use the shade of this tree. Hello! - How are you? - Good. How are you? - Fine. Are you still okay? - Yeah, I'm okay. Yeah. - Yeah. - I'll just have food. - Okay. From here to Panda? - Yeah, to Panda today. Yeah. - You're all right, man? - Yes.
I'm all right. Yeah. - Thanks. - Thank you! Have a good day. As soon as you stop, people stop to see if everything is fine. That's really nice. Let's go to eat, guys. And I'm lucky because for once, I'm at the right time in a country. So it's a dry season, so I think there should be fewer animals around the road.
And it's not so hot also. So I've got a couple of apples. I've got a little bit of bread. A bit of bread.
And a big can of sardines. That's gonna be my lunch. What is it? Pilchards in tomato sauce. No chili this time because they put way too much chili in the chili sardines here.
I'm so hungry. It's good to be hungry because, in the West, you never eat when you are hungry. So, eating doesn't make any sense anymore, because you're never hungry. It makes so much more sense to eat when you're really hungry. Let's have a bit of the sardines.
Oh, it's good. Look at that. Really good. Oh, this seat is unbelievable! Let's go! 50 kilometers left to Panda, Pandamatenga! Wow! Beautiful birds. Guys, there is a group of giraffes. Whoa! They're a bit far off the road on this side. Hahaha! A nice free safari. Haha!
Hello! Hello. There's an elephant just here, guys. So I'll rush. You see? It's just there. But it's turning away. That was a quick adrenaline rush in a quite boring afternoon, actually. Not much happening. There's just nobody on this road. It's incredible.
A bit of farming on the way. Hello! Wow, look at that! Hello. - Hi, hi. - Panda Lodge & Camp, here I come. And we're arriving in Panda. Well, there is not much around. Look at that. But the village... I'm gonna stay in a camp just before the village.
And I guess the village is not big because we are already in the suburbs, and the suburbs look very much like in the middle of the bush. Panda Lodge & Camp. Nice. And nice ostriches.
- Hello! - Hello! Hello. - Can I ride this, too? - Can you ride it? - Yes. - Later, later. I need to remove my bags first. - We're gonna ride. I'm… Please, can I ride? - Wait, wait. I need to see if I stay here first. - Is this a car? - Is this what? - A car. - It's a bicycle. - A bicycle? - Yes.
- Why? Why? Why is it a bicycle? What kind of the bicycle? - It's a bicycle. Yes. - What kind of…? - It's nice. At first, let's just... - Wait, wait. Yeah, the... But be careful. Don't pour your drink on the seat.
It's okay. You can... Hello. - What do these things do? What do these things do? - It's for the... It's for the end... The motor. - Does it have a motor? - It's electric. Yes, sorry. - Can you ride it? - This way. - Can you ride it? - Oh, there's a little horn! Can I see? - Yes, there is a little horn.
It's not working. - Can I see? - It's not working for some reason. - Can you...? - Sorry. - ...drive with the motor? - Yes. Wait, wait, wait.
- Oh, you can drive. - Man, can I ride here with the motor? - You're too small. You don't reach the pedals. Do you have rooms? - Yes. - Yes? Or a tent or a...? - Yes, we do have rooms. 860 per person per night. - Ah? - 860. - 860 per person per night? - Yes. - And camping? How much is it?
- 190. One person. - 190? Okay. - Yes. - And if I camp, I have access to electricity, no? - Yes. - Yes. - We do have a campsite in the back. - Okay. And you have a restaurant as well here? - Yes, there's a... - Okay. - ...restaurant. - So it's 860 for a room? Yeah, I'll go for the campsite, I think. - Campsite? - Yes. - Okay, let me show you. - Okay, thank you.
This is the what? - Ablution for the campsite. - Ah, okay. The shower and... Okay. This is the camping area. - Yes. - Okay. - You choose which site you... - Okay, I go anywhere? - Yes. - Okay. - Anywhere. No problem. - Okay, great. - Yeah. - Okay.
- You can just come across with the bike. - I can come across here with the bike? - Yes, no problem. - And... Okay. And I'll come back when I pitch my tent, all this. - No problem. - Then I'll come back for the check-in. - Yes. - Or do you want me to do the check-in now? - You can check in now. - Okay.
It's on. - Ah, you do the video. Hello, hello. - Hello. - I'll show you after. - Man, can I ride with the motor? - Wait! No. Let's go. - Go on your bike. - I cannot go fast here because... - Okay, okay. - Hello! - Don't push too fast! Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Because I need to pass here. - Go! - Oh my God. - Hey, man! So here I am in the campsite.
Let's see what I... - You, stop! - Yes, yes. I need to stop in the shade. Wait. - Oh, you ride faster. - Can I drive with the...? - Can I ride it now?
- Can I...? - Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I need to remove my bags. And then you can try. - Can I just try now because we're going? - Oh, you're going. - Yeah, yeah. Like this, like this.
- You know where the brakes are? - Where? This one? - Yes. - Boy! - You go! - Ah, awesome! - End of... That's the finish. I need to pitch my tent now. - Okay. - Okay? - Can I ride now? - No, no. I need to pitch my tent. I have... The sun is going down. I need to... - Can I please ride?
I want to try it now. I can be very fast now. Okay. - Yeah, but... You're too small. - Can I…? - No, but... Yeah, it's not working like this. No, no. You're too small, you're too small.
No, I.. Okay, I need to pitch my tent now. Let's... Okay. Finish. - Can my friend just have one turn? - No, no, no. Finish. I need to pitch my tent. Tent is pitched already.
No need for cover because there is a 0% chance of rain in the coming week. All my bags are here. My bike is parked here. Let's go to see how the... Let's go to have some food here.
Let's go to enjoy the food in this lodge. You see? There are the chalets there. That's a swimming pool. Quite a funny one if you notice. It's the first time I see... It's the first time in my life I see a penis-shaped swimming pool.
It's perfectly shaped. Look at that. Strange. Funny. So the only downside of Botswana, of course, is it's quite expensive: the rooms were... The same rooms would probably be $25 in Zambia, and here it's like $70. - Something to drink? - Yes. Do you have Coke? - Yes. - Yes, thank you.
Yeah, I'll get a Greek salad and 400 g T-bone. I got the salad, guys. It's getting chilly at night here. So good. And here is my T-bone, guys. Oh, it looks nice. Very buttery.
But that's what I need. Good.
2024-10-13 12:34
