Botswana is a quickly modernizing country.  Its economy is centered on beef exports, tourism, and diamonds.  These pillars are sometimes in conflict.  Ranchers get annoyed with animals like wild dogs, who can kill a herd of cattle given the chance, and will shoot the dogs on sight.  That’s why they are endangered.  Farmers think elephants are pests, because they can devour an entire crop in minutes.  Only electrified fences keep them out, which means your farm must have electricity.  Tourism folks want conservation because it keeps rich tourists dumping their money by the plane full into the country.  In the middle of all these groups is the government, and like all governments it is slow to initiate change.    

And of course the Okavango is under threat for human activities.  Angola wants to build a hydroelectric plant, which will affect the water flow into the delta.  How much, nobody knows.  Proponents say nothing will change.  Opponents say the entire delta could dry out, killing millions of animals and destroying an entire ecosystem.  Climate change has locally reduced rainfall in Botswana, which puts even more importance on abundant floodwaters to keep everybody hydrated.  Understandably, desertification of the region and continual access to water for humans is an ongoing concern.  Numerous, complex issues overlap here, and as we know, humans are not great at tackling interlocking, complex issues.  

So we end where we began:  things are more complex beneath the surface.  The lesson from these two trips is that Africa is not a monolithic place.  Botswana’s story is just beginning, even though her people have inhabited this land since the dawn of Homo sapiens.  The Okavango Delta is superficially stunning, but beneath lies a ruthlessly efficient machine where nothing goes to waste.  Southern Africa is rapidly modernizing, and that causes friction for some and opportunity for others, just as globalization has rewarded some areas of our country while neglecting others.  Coca-Cola is delicious, with a rich and fascinating history interwoven into American history, even if it nukes your pancreas and liver.  Beneath the obvious lies something closer to truth. 

RBD and I donate money, when possible, to local charities of the places we travel.  Please consider sending a few bucks to The Africa Foundation if you are able.  If you do, I will send you an 8×10 print of your choice for FREE.  (I don’t need to see receipts or anything.  Just tell me you did it.)  

Our time together has come to a close.  If you are departing us here, thank you for joining us.  I hope we meet again and, please, keep in touch.  Of course you’re welcome to stay on for the next trip.  We have a house booked in Palermo for Christmas and plan to spend New Years in Rome.  Also in the works is a trip to British Columbia in Fall, but that’s still very amorphous.

Thank you for all your comments and notes back.  I enjoy hearing from you and appreciate the validation very much.  I am flattered by your continued participation.   

As for me personally, I return to NYC ready to apply to Physician Assistant school.  My premed requirements are completed; I did it with a GPA of 4.0.  For the GRE I was in the 40th percentile for quantitative reasoning, 80th percentile for qualitative reasoning, and 95th percentile in writing, receiving a near perfect score.  Hopefully my verbal skills will outweigh my “math” skills.  I apparently cannot quantitatively reason, though I am not entirely sure what that means.  I apply to Cornell, my first choice, in a few days.  I will be working at New York Presbyterian over the summer, so please reach out for coffee or drinks.  I will likely be available and would enjoy catching up.   

Thank you to my lovely wife, editor, and producer, RBD.  (When you see a dumb error, it’s because she didn’t check it.)  She is a wonderful traveling companion, and I am lucky to have found someone interested in seeing the world instead of collecting useless shit, or children.   

Also, thank you to another fantastic woman, Seranne Slaverio, from andBeyond.  She has been in contact with us for — I think —  4 years planning these trips with us.  She has been an excellent partner through all this, and RBD and I are immensely grateful for her guidance and knowledge.  She ensured these experiences would be ones we remember forever.  

Lastly, thank you to you for coming along.  I look forward to the day we meet again.  From Air France flight 22 somewhere over the North Atlantic, good day.