Botswana is a very interesting country: 581.726 square kilometers and 2.317.233 inhabitants (2020). Botswana became independent on 30th of September 1966: after a large period of droughts the rains fell on the same day of Independence, a great blessing for the Botswanian people. Some year later there is the discovery of diamond mines and the economy began to grow. Besides Botswana has an important wildlife: in 2014 the hunting was banned : about 260.000 tourists arrive each year to visit the parks: an organized tourism with small camps.
I enjoyed very much this journey in Botswana: Jérôme has lived three great moments observing the wildlife: in Macatoo camp with Bongwe Makate, his guide and John Sobey (zebras, giraffes and buffaloes and the legend of the baobab), in Selinda Game Reserve with David Murray , the wildlife photographer (hippopatamus and buffaloes) and then the excursion with John Ramsden and the girl and boy scouts to the Moremi Game Reserve: a very nice moment because they could see lions walking quietly around the vehicle, then impalas, buffaloes , a leopard going down a tree and walking quietly through the bush and then a tour on canoes on a river to see hippopotamus (a very.unpredictable animal).
When Jérôme was flying over Maun , Bastien Rossato said: "that is the great village of Maun": 60.000 inhabitants but it's looks like a village because animals such goats are crossing quietly the streets: there Jérôme meets Garmain Marquis, a French Cook who manages a restaurant and is always training young Botswanian cooks who later can work in the hotels and the safari lodges as professional cooks. Besides in a Hambukutshu village Jérôme meets women producing wickerworks with grasses and palm leaves: one of this women has won several wickerwork competitions in Botswana.
II enjoyed also a zoom about elephants: a British researcher Jess Isden and her assistant are studying the behaviour of the elephants which sometimes destroy the crops of the farmers and they are testing a mixture of hot chili and oil as repellent against the elephants.
I appreciate also the chapter about the dynamic youth of Botswana: Gaone Mathidi, the fashion designer and the Sklinflint, this Afro-heavy-metal-band (interesting talks about the good relationships between white and black people-there was not apartheid in Botswana after the independence).
We can see also a touch of social life in the visit of a remote village where the village council deals with local justice (small thefts, quarrels between neighbours,etc) and we saw a traditional wedding : the family of the broom was bringing the dowry to the family of the bride: the uncle and the aunt of the bride are receiving them and decide to agree with the marriage.
A very interesting and nice journey with encounters with very kind Botswanian men and women.