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Fri Jun 06 2003 (Maun to Sepupa)

Rained overnight, loads of cockerels woke me up then dogs joined in. Up and shower in open air, get packed and check out. Walk back out to main road (after going wrong way back into camp). On main road not sure which way to go. Convice myself it is left and start walking, pack vheavy. After a few hundredyards walking past shacks on side ofroad, ask a bloke coming other way. Going wrongway, waits with me until mini-bus arrives. His name Mike and has a brother working up at Sepupa. Catch mini-bus (P1.25)Ihave to pay double as pack is taking up space of person. Arrive bus area just before 11am, bus due out at 11 to Shakawe. Chaotic, market stalls at side of road, small bus looks pretty full, not sure what is going on but eberyone gets off before I get chance. Bigger bus behind is due to go soon, so everyone moving onto that. It went at 12.30. In meantime I got seat at back, 4 boxes full of chicks a few rows in front of me making a racket.Blokebehind with casio keyboard. People coming onto bus selling water, bananas, oranges and sausages. Eventually I'm told to put pack underneath bus and I lose my seat. End up sat facing backwards with day pack on engine cover next to driver. Bus by now is rammed, feels like half of humanity is on bus, then we stop at the fork for Ghanzi and the other half gets on. Has been raining again. Water on road and animals are drinking, slowing us down. Someone has Ngami Times, headline is first rains in June for decades. We make a stop conductor tells me to buy him a Coke. I refuse. Buy biscuits and water. Conductor tells me I've forgotten something- the Coke. Tell him I don't want a Coke. Dead donkey at Gumare. I get a seat after almost 3 hours. People selling sugar cane at Etsha6. Get to Sepupa. Need to walk in on sand road. Colin gives me a lift. He's working on water pipeline from Sepupa to Maun where they have no water. Arrive Sepupa Swamp Stop. Great place right on water's edge. Quick chat with Charlie, originally from Kirkstall, been in Africa for couple of decades. I'm right next to the water. Put tent up for first time in failing light. Works outOK and enough room for both packs inside. Back to bar, owned by Phil, born in Manchester but moved around world all his life. Used to work for Zambian diamond mines. Been in Botswana for a long time, knew Sir Seretse and Lady Ruth. Tim makes spaghetti bolognese and buys me a drink. Had elephant in camp last night. Hippo lagoon is less than 100 metres away through papyrus. Mokoro hanging from roof. Record of 6.5 secs to climb along it, 14 people in it at once. Overlanders in, bloke from Cardiff who doesn't want to go back, group of Kiwis and Aussies. Liz from Aussie Air Force (admin). Colin now in, buying whiskies. End up all in Mokoro, swinging over bar. Generator switched off at 2am, people drift off a bit after. Photos from today