Waiting

One of our excursions was to the Chobe National Park in Botswana.  As we zipped along in our bus we passed trucks and more trucks and more trucks, all parked on the side on the road.  We counted on the way back and there were 148 and we knew that there had been more in the morning.  The line just went for miles and miles.

                                          

Our guide told us that these truckers were waiting for the ferry across the Zambezi River.  The wait can be one to two weeks...yes that is right 7 - 14 days sitting by the side of the road waiting for their turn to finally go down the ramp....

And get on the ferry!  One large truck or two smaller trucks at a time, they finally get the chance to continue their journey. 

The ferry is open from 6 in the morning until 6 in the evening.  Why they don't stay open round the clock or at least until it is totally dark, I don't understand.  The truckers sleep in their cabs, cook by the side of the road, and use the 'facilities' in the bush.  We saw the local butcher making deliveries on his bike with a dead goat and a couple of dead chickens strapped across his basket.  Definitely fresh meat! Because of my time in Kenya I immediately wondered what impact this situation has on the young girls of the area.  It can't be good and I don't even want to think about the potential for the spread of AIDS. Truckers with a lot of free time and a little money in their pockets spell big trouble for teenage girls.

Why don't they build a bridge you might wonder.  Same question we asked and the answer was, the governments of Zambia and Botswana have promised a bridge for years.  Why don't the trucks go another way is the next question.  Other routes take them hundreds of miles out of their way and the cost of gasoline is just too high to add that expense.

I can not imagine truckers in America putting up with this.  There would be a riot or a strike or some type of protest.  My friend who has had vast experience in Kenya says that Africans have an amazing ability to just accept what IS.  So much of their lives are difficult that I think they just expect hardships and learn to make the best of things.  And our driver assured us that "This will be the year they build the bridge."  Eternal optimism!

And how did the American tourists get across, you might wonder.  In speed boats!  We had 4 wheel drive vehicles waiting for us on the other side of the river!!!  No long waits for us impatient Americans!