55 Kalahari Lane

Since returning from holidays, Roger is now working for the client, Saber Energy and enjoying working as part of this team. That makes me very happy, and I am also enjoying life at the south Saber camp.

We are still living in a tent (in an address we've dubbed 55 Kalahari Lane because of our tent number), but we have power and wireless internet access which are big luxuries for us. The camp has quite an infrastructure in place including trailers with offices and accommodation for some of the U.S. personnel, hot (well....usually) showers, and the always appreciated....flush toilets! There is even satellite TV in the dining tent and I get a kick out of seeing lots of the men watching African soap operas!

Above clockwise: Our tent, trailers, sinks, showers/toilets.

All the employees now live and eat together and spend time around the campfire at night. I’ve met fascinating young people from Zimbabwe and Angola – their grasp of international politics is remarkable – but as they say – their lives depend on understanding what is happening in their country and around the world.

I am in awe of the kitchen and cleaning staff. There are anywhere from 60 – 100 people in camp and 8 people do all the cooking and cleaning. And consider this:
· The kitchen has one small double sink to do all the dishes
· There are 6 burners and one regular-sized oven
· There is no microwave

The next time you’re making Christmas dinner for a fraction of the people, look around you and see all the appliances that help you! The kitchen staff is enthusiastic about learning North American recipes, so I’ve had a wonderful time finding easy recipes on the internet and then making them with the ladies. Getting to know them, and working along side them has been a very special experience for me. In return, they taught me how to make roti, and mayunga (which is like a Yorkshire pudding/donut/deep fried dough ball – also known as “Fat cakes” --- I wonder why?!).

Oh yes, and all the washing is done by hand and comes back neatly folded with no evidence of the mysterious single sock phenomena that used to plague me. And to think I had problems sorting out Brad and Roger’s socks, let alone trying to do it for all these people!

Many of the worker's Setswana names have beautiful meanings: Kabelo (a gift), Keipeile (I sit here myself), Oneilwe (she’s given), Tshegofatso (she is blessed), Kemmopile (I have created), and Otlaadisa (he who looks after cattle). Ironically they have a hard time pronouncing “Heather” and so are very patient as I try to learn theirs. I still try to speak some Setswana and am always greeted with big smiles – probably because I butcher the language – but also because they’re happy I’m giving it a shot.

I’ve heard Roger has been described as “a great and wonderful man who teaches me”, and “the old man who walks like a young man”! His gray hair (and mine) certainly stands out in a country with very few old people (current stats say that life expectancy at birth is around 50 years). And I’ve been told the guys in camp think I look like Hillary Clinton! Not sure what to do with that information...I don’t even wear pant suits!

So, 4 months have passed since I stepped off the plane in Gaborone and I have run the gamut of emotions from “what the hell am I doing here?” to feeling incredibly lucky.

I have gone so far out of my comfort zone, that I've created a new one.

I’ve become friends with people I never would have met in North America, and have come away with a much better understanding of this beautiful, complex and troubled continent.

I burst with pride when I hear the workers tell me how much they respect Roger’s work ethic, what a good teacher he is and of his kindness to them. They have not always been treated that way by whites, and it’s good they see not everyone is the same.

On June 3rd I head to Calgary and will spend a couple of weeks visiting and then head down to Idaho for the summer. Roger’s plan is to come home later in July and go to the lake as soon as possible. He was in Madagascar all last summer and really missed Idaho, so we are looking forward to lots of visits from friends and family while we get time on the water.

It is said that tourists return home from a trip with souvenirs, but adventurers return with stories. And boy, do I have stories.....

"I don't like spiders and snakes....."

The lyrics to Jim Staffords’s song from the 70’s is playing over and over in my head these days. As forewarned, snakes are getting ready to hibernate and April is an active month for them. One of the drillers brought by the dreaded Black Mumba that he had run over with his truck (twice – just to be sure he was dead) for me to see. Very big and very scary – even for a dead snake.

Then Roger came home from the drill saying there was a Cobra that was almost 2 meters in length killed beside the drill (above pic). I thought I was leading a charmed life by having only seen dead snakes – until I was sitting outside my tent one day and out of the corner of my eye, saw a yellow one swirl around just a foot away from me.

I reacted as I thought I would.....screamed like a girl and ran like hell! Obert couldn’t hear me as the generator is loud and he was across the road. But one of our drillers was in screaming distance and came to see what the commotion was about. A minute later, there were several of the workers looking for the snake – which slithered – I’m sure in fear – under our tent. Knowing there would be no sleeping if I thought he was still there, the guys took everything out of the tent – lifted it, and then killed the snake. It was only about 2 feet long – but it was my first encounter with a cobra in almost 3 months in Africa – and hopefully my last for awhile. I'm feeling executioner's remorse so decided not to post the picture of the 'little guy'.....

We recently saw huge vultures in a tree – and then saw why. A donkey must have been hit by a car or truck and was dead on the side of the road – giving the vultures and other birds a good meal. Then, on the way to Serowe yesterday for groceries, we saw a sign for the nearest “medi-clinic”....

Roger sees wildlife most days – mainly giraffes, ostriches, hartebeest and snakes – but one day a jackal ran along side of the truck and he was able to take its picture!

We’ve been inviting some of the workers for meals if they are in the neighbourhood and it’s given us a good chance to get to know them. Ask (seen in truck) and Moyo (eating with Obert) and are 2 truck drivers from Zimbabwe and are as polite, hardworking and knowledgeable as Obert and are very appreciative of the home cooking.

The black workers are given ration boxes (the size of 3 cereal boxes) each week and the contents (or lack thereof) leave us shaking our heads: First of all, there are no fruits, vegetables, milk, bread, toilet paper, toiletries etc. A typical box consists of: rice, maize, canned sardines, sometimes beef jerky, spaghetti, beans, soup, tea, coffee, powdered drink mix and packaged spices for casseroles – yet there is no meat to make a casserole. Oh yes...they seem to be getting a weekly can of shoe polish. Go figure.

The white drillers get the boxes too, but they also receive a food allowance and access to refrigeration. We are very aware that we have more than anyone else and although Roger and I can’t change company policy, we can at least help those around us eat a bit better and get treated with some dignity. Their life stories have made a profound impact on us and have given us a far better understanding of the real Africa.

Roger likes to make popcorn so we can eat it by the fire. Here’s a picture of Obert and me eating out of Roger’s ‘popcorn bowls’ which he made from water bottles! Obert used to be a landscaper in Gaborone – as you can see by the picture below, he put his gardening talents to good use in his ‘yard’ by his tent.

The ‘long drop’ is our outhouse, and on hot days it is like sitting in a sauna, so we’ll often keep the door open!

Brad and Anette’s “Magical Mystery Tour” of Africa begins on April 28th and we are very excited. Anyone who knows me will understand that it’s been excruciating keeping the itinerary a secret – but we think it’s going to make it even more fun for them as each day unfolds! After spending about 75 days camping in the Kalahari, I plan to wear sandals, take 2 showers a day, drink lots of cold, clean water and feel free to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night!

Sala sentle.

Birthday week!

Birthday week started off with a visit from Roger’s brother, Colin, and Andrew MacEwan from Kansas who were here seeing how the project was going. They joined Randy, also from Kansas, and came to our new camp for a braii. I love having people over for dinner (THAT has not changed!) although menu selections are much more limited than at home.

For my 51st birthday, as promised, Roger gave me sun, sand, starry nights and a gin and tonic. He also picked me some wild flowers (another first!) and we invited Obert for dinner. I made the two guys sing Happy Birthday to me, which they did – but laughing like kids while they sang.


The best part of the day was when the three of us sat by the fire and watched one of the BBC documentaries “Planet Earth”. Seeing Obert so enthralled by the world outside his own limited borders is a special experience for us. He has never been to the ocean, so when whales, dolphins and every sea creature you can imagine were shown – it was wonderful seeing his face light up, and hear the comments he made.


Over the last 10 days, we’ve learned much about life in Zimbabwe, and why the outcome of the elections is so crucial. Although Obert’s family has TV, there is only one state run channel as satellite dishes are outlawed. Mugabe has turned a once successful country into one in the midst of a human and economic disaster. I download BBC news stories on the elections so Obert can keep up to date and we hope their is a peaceful resolution to getting the opposition party in power.

Since it is a long ride to the south camp for Obert to join the other crew members on their weekly Sunday trip to town, he comes with us while we go for groceries. Last week it was a 7-1/2 hr roundtrip to Mahalapye and even then, the only good grocery store did not have some of the basic food we wanted to buy. One of the Saber guys found another road near our north camp that led to a large town called Serowe. We went there yesterday and were thrilled when the road was much better (only 75 kms on sand/rock and the other 50 kms on a tar road) and we got there in 2 hours. Along the way to Serowe we saw several small villages and Serowe itself is lovely and had a large, clean grocery store so we were able to stock up.

The days are still warm, but the nights are getting downright chilly! We bought blankets for Obert and us when we were in Serowe and they are coming in handy. The leaves are even starting to turn yellow as we head into Fall.

Yesterday I told Roger that I am having fewer ‘helicopter days’ since moving to the north camp (after 2 weeks of conserving/hauling water, we finally got a water line to our camp!) and I’m feeling more settled. Of course, we’re still counting the days until Brad and Anette arrive – and will treasure each and every moment they are with us.


So birthday week was celebrated in a much different way than last year. But in the end, the memories of both make me break out into a huge smile.


Sala sentle.

Northern Exposure

I’m not sure when 15C turned cold for us...but it did. Out came the jeans, sweaters and jackets, and for about 3 days we shivered in the rain and wind. Equipment got stuck, birds took shelter in our shower, but the good news was for the most part, the roads improved as the sand became packed down.

The drilling area is large, and even going 50 kms can take an hour or two, so the decision was made to move us to the north camp. While the crew took 9 days off for Easter, Roger and I packed up our gear and over a period of 2 days, looking like the Clampetts, we headed north. The area has more wildlife, and we’ve seen giraffes, ostriches and Roger has seen a leopard.

Despite not having water hooked up yet, I really like this camp. Below you can see the before and after pictures --- thanks to my McGyver-ish husband! The chain link fence is to keep the cattle out as we are in the middle of ranch land. One of the best parts of being here is the close proximity we are to the Saber camp where I’ve got to know many of the local staff – and if I hold my right leg at a certain angle, and sit at the end of our ‘driveway’ – I can access their wireless internet!!

On Good Friday, I was talking to some of the Saber staff and they were sad not to be with their families. It was really a joy to be able to let them phone home on my internet phone – the truck felt like a telephone booth as word spread around camp and several people came up to me and asked if they could use it.

Obert, the worker we brought from the south camp has been wonderful to get to know better. Today he excitedly came to get me saying there was a scorpion outside! With my zoom lens, I took the picture and he captured it to show Roger tonight. He grew up in Zimbabwe (where his wife and 4 children live) by a national park, so he is knowledgeable about everything from the bushmen and how they survive, to plants and animals.

We went to Gaborone for a couple of nights this week to stock up on food. A site that never ceases to give us shivers is the way locals travel in the back of trucks. Below is a picture of a school bus – chock full of students. No wonder the country (with only 1.6 million people) averages 500 fatalities a year.

A helicopter flew over our camp this week with guys from Saber, and I waved at them in my usual, quiet manner..... It buzzed quite low and I heard later it was because the pilot said, “Hey – there’s a white lady down there!” Others described me as the “little brown lady with yellow hair”!

My birthday is this week, and Roger has promised me sun, sand, a star filled night, and a gin and tonic!

Until next time,
Sala sentle.

Drilling and Grilling

I tagged along with Roger as he went to work on Saturday so I could see the drill in action. Here are some of my pictures....

The main road --- deep, soft sand makes driving sometimes a challenge and seeing big trucks stuck is an everyday occurrence.

Sunday is a day off for DeWet workers, so Roger and I drove to the nearest grocery store (100 km each way!) to get the makings for a Sunday braii (BBQ). We invited fellow Canadians Kelly and Ray, and Randy from Kansas (wearing the cowboy hat and boots!) who all work at Saber Energy to join Roger, Scott and me for dinner. The other two drillers from S. Africa got home later but enjoyed leftovers.
(left to right) Roger, Kelly, Ray, ScottScott (left) and Randy (right)

Roger helping with the cooking!