Manganese

Manganese. Ever heard of it? Me either. Until I came to Botswana. 

About two or so years ago, Phil and I met with the baMalete (baa-maa-let-ee) tribe in a village called Mogobane (mo-go-baa-nee) to discuss an old and unused dairy which had been set up by the government about 20+ years ago, and due to some political infighting, never got around to fully functioning. We were interested as an additional place for cows, and / or, part of our Outgrower programme, which includes small-holder farmers. While there for several meetings, we became friendly with a man I'll call "Horse Guy" because I can't remember his name. (Incidentally, we saw him a few months ago at the BDF military base training zebras. Yes, zebras. Training them. For the parades and such at the Botswana 50 Independence Celebration.) 

Back to the story. While in Mogobane, we noticed in the hills a huge area of dugout earth that looked like a very large cave. We decided to return and investigate on our own time. We went home, prepared for the hike, and drove back to Mogobane (it's about 20 minutes outside of Lobatse). The hike was difficult, it pretty much felt like we were heading straight up, and the ground was rocky. As we neared what we thought was the mouth of the "cave", the earth had enormous grooves and erosion, and the climbing became more treacherous. A few minutes of navigating the clefts, Phil froze. Goosebumps up and down his arms, he said sternly, Go down now. I did, quickly. 

Once at the bottom, we both agreed that we should always trust our gut - never press on if it feels wrong, so relieved we made it down safely, we were nonetheless disappointed that we didn't get to see the "cave", even if we suspected a giant leopard, or ancient black mamba inhabited the space. 

A few weeks later, we stopped to chat with "Horse Guy" and asked him about the cave. He said it was an old Manganese mine that a company came in, starting mining without permission, until they were booted out. As the weeks and months went by, and we'd pass the hill, we'd think about the fact that surely, there must have been a road to the mine - it was started in the 1950s after all. 

Well, wouldn't you know, over Easter holiday we found that road!! Right in front of us all along, as we'd driven past the entry way a thousand times back and forth from Lobatse to Gaborone. 

Easter is a very big, celebrated holiday here. Everything is shut down Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - most people travel, visit family, and holiday in general. To pass the time, we decided to drive along the Cecil John Rhodes Railway service road, which started for us in Lobatse all the way to Gaborone, to see if we could make it. We didn't. We got stuck in Otse (about 20 miles outside of Lobatse) and had to pull out onto the highway - that's when we saw the sign, really noticed it, for our long lost road to the Manganese mine. 

Herewith, the glorious pictures. Enjoy! 

First: The "Service Road" along the railroad. Not to worry, I started wearing sandals, but brought my hiking boots just in case. "In case" came about a bit soon. 

Along the Cecil John Rhodes / Cape to Cairo railway line. This one goes to Bulawayo, eventually, in Zimbabwe. 
For now, I'm pretty sure it's only going to Gaborone in Botswana. 

Got side tracked. Phil had to stop to take a phone call, so I explored the flora and fauna. And bugs. 

And then, we got stuck when the road was damaged beyond repair in Otse. Time to turn onto the highway. 


And the sign to the Manganese Mine that we've managed to miss off the side of the main road. 
See it on the left? 

This giant thing decided to surprise us. First, Phil thought it was a dog (it was a lot further down the road at that time), I thought it was a goat. Low and behold it's a giant warthog. Holy CRAP, Pumbaa!

The road got a little more difficult.

And after a bit of upward climbing, we arrived!

Beautiful to look over the town of Mogobane!

And finally, heading back down. A grouse, a cow skull, and manganese, what better way to spend a holiday drive? Passing the hill next to the Manganese Mine, "Lentswe La Baratani".

Made it back to the farm to watch the sunset. 

That's it for this week, one day's worth of a drive - 20 kilometers away from home. Pretty cool way to spend a holiday. :)

Much love,

Karen

Distractions

I've been especially distracted this week by sort of mundane things, like words. And Ancestry Dot Com. And the news. And a meeting in town. And the dogs and cats. And etc. Meet my distractions:

One doesn't realize how different American English is until you press it up against the Queen's English, and that doesn't usually happen unless you're exposed to an unfamiliar dialect on a daily basis. I imagine that it works like that just by crossing our own borders - Canada and Mexico each have a brand of the English language different to the US, eh? And then, there is also Iowa English. For example, I have been called out this week for saying "wheel barrow". What?! That's wrong?! Just because it took me until recently to stop saying "acrossed" (as in, it's acrossed the street) doesn't mean I can't speak proper English. Learnt it from the guy who calls that one store "WalMark" (thank you, Dad, xoxo).

But, words, right? Can have lots of meanings, especially in a foreign country. English is not always American English. And many times, things do get lost in translation.

I'm reminded by the line in the "Princess Bride" movie: Inigo Montoyo, "You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means."

As example: not sure what's "romantic" about a supermarket...

Closed or Now Open?! Mummy's Take Away. Mummy means Mommy, and Take Away means Carry Out. See what I mean?

Or this, "Feel at Home". In my bumble-bee-yellow-caravan-without-wheels-food-truck.

And then, "Pimpin". Get a t-shirt, sign, tintin, and pimpin. I have no idea...I think this vendor wants to pimp your ride, or your fashion sense. Or a sign.

And, who wouldn't want a ride on the Tee Pee Transport?

Behind these lovely church ladies is the Watershed Pre-School. Where do you take your kids to school? Oh, the Watershed, of course!

And, the Five to Seven Power Filling Station. Where you can get fast food, chips, pap and something I can't read. Open two hours a day? Or fourteen? Where are the gas pumps, or is it about "filling" your stomach? Help! (And "pap" is not a gynecological test, it is a food - starchy, mealie-meal.)

Why would a tile company be named after a Native American Tribe? What do Apache's have to do with tiles? That reminds me, there is a sort of fast food restaurant here called Spur's. Their brand is also a Native American Chief. In the U.S., pretty sure that would be politically incorrect.

And, the most appealing? This place is only for Happy People! Because who would go to the Sad People Bar?!

 Which brings me to these lovely wine goblets that I picked up on a Sunday afternoon leisurely drive through the countryside. These are hand-crafted by the ladies at Thamaga village, sponsored by their local Catholic Church.

And then our meeting with the Mayor of Lobatse, and our Kgotla meeting at Woodhall in Lobatse. A Kgotla meeting consists of members of the community and their chief. This meeting also included the mayor (I'm in her office in the picture below) and the member of parliament for Lobatse (which is equivalent to a Senator - and he is also the Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology, and Energy Security), so it was kind of a big deal. We were there to reassure the citizens that MilkAfric, despite our unforeseen challenges and delays, are still here in Lobatse, and ready to get started. It's a bit intimidating at times. I am wearing my traditional skirt, which is also called a "German Print".

In case you don't see me, I'm sitting in the front. Hahahaha. The meeting is held in Setswana, not English, and is televised by BTV, Botswana Television. As I said, it can be a bit intimidating. I'm listening intently like I understand every word.

Kgotlas can be used for various purposes, sometimes for meetings such as this one, and other times for doling out punishment to a community member who has broken a law (caning or lashing still exists). Or, there are times when we have driven past a particular hill and wanted to climb it, or wanted to explore a certain area, it's an unwritten rule that you must go to the Kgotla and ask the Chief for permission first. Nuances that are incredibly important here.

And my last distraction of the week? Grocery shopping. I hate to grocery shop in the U.S., and I have to say, I don't much like it here, either. Foods are basically the same, but can be called something different. Even now, it takes me a long time to navigate the store, the brands, the foods. I'm getting better at it, but I still don't like it!

"Eeny Meeny Miny Moe...."

An example: Icing Sugar = powdered sugar; Brown Sugar = raw sugar; Tomato Sauce = ketchup; Full Cream Fresh Milk = whole milk (skim and 2% do not exist here); German Mustard, Hot = yellow mustard (and it isn't hot); Cucumbers Sweet & Sour = bread and butter pickles; NutriDay Double Cream Plain Yogurt = kinda gross, but I eat it. Greek yogurt isn't on the supermarket shelves, unfortunately. And the bread? It comes fresh like this loaf, straight out of the oven. There is a slicing machine you can use to cut it, I'm still a novice with that thing, plus it's difficult to slice when it's warm, so my bread comes home un-sliced.

My last distraction of the week? Ancestry dot com. Eish! (pronounced eeesh! and means "gosh!" or "geesh!") Addicting!

So, for my relatives reading this, most already knew that James L. Canaday (Ada Grace Baird's father) was a Civil War Veteran. He served in the Union, 30th Regiment, Iowa Infantry. Several years ago, we visited the Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, here are a few photos depicting the Iowa Memorials. Side note - imagine, three months into your military service and your first real battle is with Sherman in Vicksburg. This is an interesting read for any Civil War buff regarding the 30th Regiment from Iowa: 30th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry and this is a cool website from the National Parks Services that allows you to search for soldiers: Soldier Details

A fourth great-grandfather, on the side of Jane Artimiss Wallis (wife of John Bell Baird), served as a farrier and private on the Union Side of the Arkansas Calvary. He actually served while in his 60s.

Somewhere along the way, I also watched a couple new episodes of "Grace and Frankie" on Netflix, and finished Season 10 of "Friends" on T.V.

Life is good. May you find as many pleasing distractions as I have this week.

Have a joyous Easter, missing everyone, sniff sniff. Fondest memory of Easter is, Grandpa Holets flying a kite across the street from 301 Lemon in the empty lot, before there was a "neighborhood", with Nick and Ashley. I have a picture somewhere...

Love to all.

K