Well, all the details are set and we’ll be heading out of the capital in a few hours.\u00a0 We’ve hired a guide, Tsogo, who is 23 years old and teaches English at the University.\u00a0 He’s a bit shy and has only been working as a guide for a few months, but we get along well.\u00a0 Our first mission will be to find Tsogo’s wife, Dao, who is guiding a trip near where we’re going. He hasn’t seen her for a week and wants to say hi before he disappears for two weeks on his own trip.\u00a0 They’re newlyweds.<\/p>\n
We’ve also hired a car and driver.\u00a0 We haven’t seen the car yet, but it’ll be something fitting the description of “Russian jeep”.\u00a0 Our driver doesn’t speak any English, but seemed friendly enough when we met him two days ago.<\/p>\n
Yesterday we went to the store to buy groceries for the trip… rice, bread, vodka, etc.\u00a0 Their selection of spices is incredible!\u00a0 Incredibly bad, that is.\u00a0 There was salt & pepper, and then a bunch of “seasoning packets” that were in Russian which Tsogo couldn’t translate.\u00a0 I was hoping to find some cumin, but no luck…<\/p>\n
Our plan is to be on the road for 18 days.\u00a0 We’ll probably be in a town every few days, but the odds of finding an internet cafe are slim.<\/p>\n