My Matsieng memoirs :: Mmegi Online

Unlike most visitors to Botswana, when I arrived here I did not head straight for Maun or Kasane. My husband had recently landed a new job in Gaborone, so when my children and I flew out to visit him for the British summer holidays (July and August), our aim was to explore the capital city and its surroundings.

We were amazed by the number of shopping malls, shops, cafes and restaurants in the city, which reminded me very much of Phoenix, Arizona and other American cities in arid parts of the States. The restaurants are varied and offer great food. (Our favourite was The Abyssinian in Riverwalk Mall.) The cinemas are clean and show all the latest films. The quality and variety of goods for sale is certainly beyond anything available to me in my part of Britain. The two guide books I bought before coming here, namely the Lonely Planet and Brandt guides, provided plenty of ideas for interesting places to visit.

Being in a country for the first time is always a little nerve-wracking so we asked Precious, the maid of the house we had rented, and her daughter, Mighty, to come with us on our travels, which they seemed only too glad to do.