Watch out for the honey badgers

Advantages: Not many tourists
Disadvantages: Getting eaten by a lion, hippo, hyena, leopard, honey badgers

...I went on a camping trip to Botswana a few years ago, on an organized tour with Explore (www.explore.co.uk) feeling that it was safer to have everything coordinated and someone at least knowing whom to contact if I was eaten by a hippopotamus or honey badger. It turned out to be a wise precaution (no I didn't get eaten by a honey badger) We flew from London to Windhoek in Namibia via Frankfurt. Our baggage flew to Frankfurt, where it decided to stay. We stayed the night in Windhoek after quite a hurried shopping trip to Woolworths, which is an African shop selling clothes and everything else, with the £50 each, that our travel agent representative had managed to get for us (possibly from the airline) This turned out to be plenty of money and were able to kit ourselves out with enough clothes for at least a week, and the local...

AndrewPo 17.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of General: Botswana

The Charmer From Botswana

Advantages: Different setting; lovely dialogue
Disadvantages: Drags at the start; my daughter could solve the cases!

...WHAT'S THIS THEN? ------------------------------ It's the first in a series of books by Alexander McCall Smith about Precious Ramotswe, the only female private detective in Botswana. She is, by Smith's admission, overweight, overbearing and underloved but in Africa and especially Botswana this is a look considered sexy and desirable by men. PLOT --------- Precious Ramotswe's father left her an inheritance and, being a liberal man, said that if she didn't want to go and buy cattle (the only financial sure thing in Botswana) and instead buy a shop or a business then he would still be proud of her. The first quarter of the book lays the foundations of Precious' upbringing. A whole chapter is dedicated to her father's working history in the gold mines of South Africa; another focuses on Precious' teenage years and a third...

waynehorrigan 28.09.2004 · Read review
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Review of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

Bothering 'bout Botswana!

Advantages: Entertaining read, great characters, authentic setting, gentle humour
Disadvantages: Complex names

...About a year ago, I read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I enjoyed it and got the second book in the series - free through bookhopper.com - but I hadn't got round to reading it until recently. A week or so ago, I decided to choose it and began reading. It didn't take long before I was back in the world of Mma Ramotswe in Botswana, Africa and it was a world I was happy to revisit. Mma (Mrs) Precious Ramotswe is a black, overweight African woman who is a real heroine. She is the only female private detective in her country and she also manages to be kind, caring, generous, moral and an all round great woman. Unlike many heroines, she is someone you can try to emulate without needing to be young, slim, beautiful or rich. She's the sort of heroine I love! She is a mixture of old and new. While...

KarenUK 09.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Tears of the Giraffe - Alexander McCall Smith

The Hamster, Oliver & President of Botswana

Advantages: It's the Hamster, brilliant writing style
Disadvantages: Not a brilliant book, too much about the cameramen

...'s accounts from his crash and even till the day they were writing the book, about coping with a different bloke in their lives. In Top Gear they take different challenges and see who can get their first. In this book which was released for Christmas this year, Hammond talks about different events that happened in 2007 to him and about Top Gear. -------------- The Plot -------------- (A plot for each chapter, don't worry it doesn't spoil anything) The title of the book is 'As You Do- Adventures with Evel, Oliver and the Vice President of Botswana' so that shows you the great range of information that is included within the book. The book starts with Hammond telling us that he doesn't have the ability to say no, no matter what the situation he always finds himself saying yes and that's how he ends up in these weird situations. He...

DixieChick10 13.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of As You Do - Richard Hammond

Miss Marple From Botswana

Advantages: charming
Disadvantages: could be longer

...Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Browsing through Waterstone´s 3 for 2 offers I was magically drawn to ´The No. 1 Ladies´ Detective Agency´. The colours and the design have an ethno touch, the bush hut in the upper part and the crocodile in the lower part suggest Africa. Why is there an inlay in the beast´s belly containing a wrist watch? Mystery! Then the title; not short, not snappy, indicating maybe a slow-go, old-fashioned thriller. The blurbs on the back mention Botswana, a country which unto now hasn´t been on the world wide map of thrillers. Curiosity! The main character is Mme Mma Precious Ramotswe, called Mma Ramotswe, a 35-year-old ´traditionally built African lady, unlike these terrible, stick-like creatures one saw in the advertisements.´ On the first page we learn that she had a detective agency...

MALU 11.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

Visit Bots to avoid the tourists

Advantages: Relatively tourist free, unique.
Disadvantages: Dust, dust, dust.

...Compared with other African countries, Botswana has a lower profile among foreign tourists. Say safari and most people think of Kenya, which means you end up seeing 25 trucks around every lion. Go to Botswana and you may have the whole pride to yourself. The Botswanan government has tried to encourage lower volume, higher price tourism in an attempt to keep away the flocks of backpackers who add little to the local economy. Yes you can get around independently, but car hire can be expensive and don't expect to turn up at the gates of the gamepark and be able to get in. They only allow a certain number of passes per day, which are mostly pre-booked by organised safari companies. By car hire I mean 4x4 - there aren't that many tarmac roads in Bots so a four wheel drive is essential. The official language of the country is English, but...

Phil_P 24.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of General: Botswana

The No. I Review on A No. I Botswana Lady

Advantages: wonderfully simple style, funny, charming
Disadvantages: none, honest

...and meaningful, without any hint of verbosity. Above all, it?s also very funny. I loved it instantly. Precious Ramotswe, a Botswana lady who has been left some money by her late Daddy, uses it to set up the The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. Like so much in the novel, the name of the agency is exactly what it says it is: no more and no less: Precious is Botswana's only female detective. She has no experience, but she does have intuition, common sense, intelligence, and a personality that commands the respect and trust of those around her. Her initial needs seem sensible enough: an expert secretary, (in order for the agency to be taken seriously), a large supply of bush tea, a little white van, and a premises from which to work. All she has already are her old typewriter, a chair, some teacups and a book about detective work, but that?s all she...

molelover 26.02.2004 · Read review
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Review of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

A Beauty from Botswana

Advantages: A great read
Disadvantages: Not for those who want all action on every page

...I first became aware of Alexander McCall Smith when I was scanning through the top forty books for that particular week as a break from doing (not very well) the Guardian prize crossword. We were at my sister's and I asked if she had heard of this A McCall Smith who had five books in the top forty - all with very high sales. She immediately came up with three of the series of five featuring that beautiful character Mma Precious Ramotswe - the only lady private detective in Botswana. Described as 'traditionally built' or 'the fat lady detective' this happy lady in her mid-thirties starts the agency with money left by her late father, Obed Ramotswe, who was born near Mahalapye in 1930 and died after a long illness in 1990. After working in South Africa in the diamond mines, he saved enough to start a cattle farm - a highly...

BlackCatProm 09.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

Baby Africa

Advantages: Plenty to do
Disadvantages: Transport can be a problem

...About four years ago I went to work in Gaborone, Botswana. I spent two wonderful months in what's known as 'Baby Africa' by the majority of the ex-pats living and working there. The people I met whilst working in this beautiful were very friendly and helpful and helped to make my time there most enjoyable. Being based in the capital, Gaborone was a lot of fun. There is plenty to see and do even if you're not working, and there are some great restaurants. The Bull & Bush is the main hangout on a weekend, but I can definately recommend 'rib night' on Monday night. The Bull & Bush is a pub out in the middle of the bush (with an Indian restaurant next door), so it's all quite weird, but good fun! The Swiss Cottage is a very upmarket restaurant, and right next door to Crash! bar (this is where the owner, Lawrence, crashed his plane...

Pobs 25.09.2000 · Read review
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Review of General: Botswana

Visit to Francistown

Advantages: Peace, tranquility and good service
Disadvantages: May lack sophistication for certain travellers

...and African dishes and there is sufficient choice for the vegetarian. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this hotel for me is the wonderful garden. Situated in a very dry and almost desert-like town, Francistown, the Marang is an oasis of tall trees with lush green grass and foliage. Quite a delight to sit in the garden and enjoy an evening drink and watch the large variety of local birds which also inhabit the garden. The hotel offers accommodation in chalets with bathrooms, in log chalets on stilts and also has camping facilities for campers en route to the game parks further north. Any visitor to Botswana would be well advised to plan a stopover at the Marang in Francistown en route to Chobe or the Okavango. I'll be back there soon!...

dacherry 03.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Botswana - Francistown - Marang Hotel