Day 16 in Botswana with Bruno. We started in Francistown, crossed through the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, spent a few days in Gweta on route to Maun, where we parked ourselves for 6 days before heading on the road again toward the border of Namibia, via D’kar, Ghanzi, and Tshootsha.
Sound like a lot?
When traveling, I often feel happy to return home. After living out of a backpack for a few weeks, taking buses and trains, and generally being on-the-go almost constantly, traveling becomes tiring. At day 16, I would usually be dreaming of my ownbed, my own bathroom, my own home with my own closet and drawers. Over time, I’ve begun to call this the Dorothy-syndrome, after Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. When the fatigue of travel hit, I’d find myself chanting “There’s no place like home”, while clicking my heels three times.
I haven’t chanted or clicked my heels yet, and I’m starting to wonder if I will. It is, after all, day 16, and by this time I am usually at least feeling a wee bit Dorothy-like. “What is different about this trip?,” you may be wondering. And the answer – just like Bruno’s chosen lifestyle – is simple.
We aren’t “traveling”, per se. We are living, but it just happens to be on the road.
A typical day starts early, with the sun. The birds are my alarm clock. Bruno and I sit outside to a lovely breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, and homemade muesli, with coffee, tea and juice. As we eat, we watch the birds peck at grains by our feet and invent dialogues to go along with their interactions. We breathe in the fresh, crisp air and soak in the early morning sun rays. After breakfast, we may go for an early morning walk to explore the surrounding area or to pick up some groceries for the day. Or, we may do a few “chores” – laundry, cleaning out the camper van, looking at the guide books or GPS to plot our upcoming route. If it’s a travel day, we’ll be on the road by 8am, driving lightheartedly, with music playing and frequent breaks, unworried about the distance that must be covered that day. It’s never more than 300km anyway. Sometimes we’ll even see wild animals on the side of the road, like the ostriches or giraffes I saw a few mornings ago!
Lunch is Mediterranean – salads, cheeses, bread, or leftovers from last night’s dinner served cold; olive oil always drizzled over the fare of the day. Even if we are on the road, we take the time to stop and eat. Bruno sometimes even has a cup of coffee or a little kip, which shows that he’s really not in a rush!
In the afternoon, we are always at a campsite, even if we have been on the road. So, we are either setting up camp or relaxing and enjoying the space. I’ll read, write, respond to emails, go swimming, or go for a bike ride. Once the heat of the sun dissipates, Bruno and I may go for another exploratory walk, visiting dried salt pans, islands filled with baobab trees, dry, rocky Kalahari desert spaces, or marshy river beds.The walks help kick-start the appetite, so after showering off the dusty day, we will prepare dinner and dine to a setting sun. Digestion happens while watching the stars, playing a game, or talking. Tired but happy, it’s early to bed in order to be up with the sun again the next day.
With days like this, it’s no wonder I haven’t felt the Dorothy-syndrome. I feel like I’m home – sleeping in the same bed, my empty suitcase packed away, and performing the same chores and hobbies I would in my “regular” life. Yet, life doesn’t feel mundane like it does at home, for I am in a new place every few days. Filling life with adventure and newness is what I love about travel because it makes you feel more alive and it keeps you perpetually learning. Right now, I feel like I have the best of the travel world and the home life.
As Bruno likes to say, our home stays the same, but our garden is always changing. It’s clear that he also feels that this lifestyle provides him with the best of both worlds. And after over a decade of living this way without getting the Dorothy-syndrome, I may as well stop expecting it to hit me!
Our campsite in Maun along the river, with donkeys grazing beyond. We also saw horses and many birds here, and heard the sounds of a lost hippo!
Me preparing lunch outside, as a hornbill bird pecks at the ground beside me.
One of the many campsite swimming pools; this one with a water hole behind it which attracted warthogs and eland antelopes (pictured in the background)
