KalahariLog

The traffic goes the wrong way here, as it does in most former British colonies. As Tanya is from one of these former colonies, she is a natural here. The mysteries of the round-abouts have been explained to me many times, but you'd be surprised how hard it can be. It doesn't help that many drivers don't follow the rules, such as "do not change your lane while in the roundabout" or "do not turn left from the right lane", and so on. Another complication arises from the fact that people don't take speed limits seriously and it's not uncommon to see someone going at over 100kph in a 60kph zone and passing other cars in maneuvers that have to be seen to be believed. The worst offenders are the "combi" drivers. The pull in and out of traffic without regard to the flow of traffic and they either have no working blinkers or consider using blinkers below them.

The combi is at the heart of the public transport. Almost all of them are Toyota Hiace minivans modified so that they can carry up to 15 passengers. Most towns and villages have a combi routes covering most of the inhabited areas. They even go between towns but for this kind of travel there are also regular buses. The cost for a combi ride is 3pula in Gaborone (which is about $0.50) and can cost a few dollars to go from one town to another. The rates are controlled by the government and while people complain left and right about how expensive it is, everybody uses them all the time. As a result, I would guess that about 15-20% of the cars on the road in the capital are, in fact, combis. Another way to get around is a taxi which will set one back 20pula (or about $3) and several people we know neither own nor rent a car but instead get around with taxies.

In the afternoon and evening, many drivers have had one too many drinks adding a russian roulette feeling to driving. In fact, driving at night puts one at a serious enough danger that the US Embassy forbids its employees to do so. Fortunately, most of the places we have to go to on a regular basis (work, supermarket, etc.) are within walking distance and we use our car mainly for sightseeing during weekends and on days off from work when paying attention to the road and other drivers is usually enough.

It is quite fascinating to see what kinds of cars people own here. I can count over a dozen people form the US -- professors at the University, or University administration employees, or Fulbright students -- who all own and drive Toyota Corollas. On the other hand, I can count about as many expat people from African countries who drive Mercedeces. It is possible that the Americans are just being practical and have opted for a reliable and common car that would be easy to sell at the end of their stay. It is possible that many of the fancy car owners brought their cars with them from wherever they came from. But as I walk past the fifty or so University flats, I can guess unerringly where the University employee came from by the car parked up front.