Shh, do you here that?

That's right you don't, because out there, there is no background white noise; no 'beemers,' 'benzes, volvos, or range rovers that are driving too fast on too narrow roads with "performance exhausts". I am in the middle of the Kalahari, sleeping, away from the light and noise, and couldn't believe my good fortune.

I took off from home on Saturday and almost made it to Tsabong. As it was getting dark it came to me that I wasn't in a rush (or "damn hurry; rush-rush-rush" as Dad would put it) so I pulled over into the bush and camped in the vehicle that I had borrowed from Matt. Picture an SUV on steroids.

Off I went, found a place to settle about 500m from the road and then stood resting against the car for two hours as I watched the sun set. The colors went through the entire spectrum of white to yellow to crimson to blue to violet to black, all within a background of pure silence interrupted by the call of evening birds. I slept in the back of the rig with knees bent the whole night (too short a bed), and freezing (-8C) and loving it. Oh and the stars! The Milky Way was a gray streak occupying about 40 degrees of arc in the sky.

The next morning I stood again for about two hours as the previous night's spectacle was spun in reverse. I moved on to a village and waited for a small tuck shop (picture a 7-11 with a gas station Botswana version in the middle of the bush on a rutted dirt road) ) to open. There was a queue outside the shop with three cold cars and guys and lots of guy talk. The pumps didn't work "because they are cold". Apparently the pumps are keyed to magnetic switches that were indeed too cold to release the pump. So being the desperate white guy that I am I breathed on the switch plate and used my watch to reflect some light onto the plate to the laughter and glee of all the guys. They were gesticulating and laughing and in general having a great time at my expense in Setswana. That is until the switch freed up and the pump worked. Well...high fives all around and more laughter. I was able to get a tank of gas for how much I have no idea. Hey I was on fumes! Then off to Tsabong.

There is a new, and the village’s first, grocery store in town where I bought some water. While I was in the checkout line I noticed that the back ground music (I know, a touch weird in a village) was gospel as I heard the work "jeso", pronounced "jayso", Jesus. As I was pulling out pula to pay, the guy behind me started to sing along with a marvelously deep base voice. Soon the rest of the store; check out girls, stock guys, everyone, joined in four part harmony with clapping and stomping, free of inhibitions and worry about what others might think. In a grocery store!