Frankie's Travels - Back to Site

So I find myself again on the road to Palapye. I dragged my sorry sad self out of bed at 3am this morning - this is exactly 24 hours after the time that I flopped into bed after a post-wedding visit to The Doors.

Coffee = Happy Juice

After all my complain complain complain complaining - I managed to get my pocket money from the bank And! And! And an apology for wasting my time. And then we arrived at the airport expecting to get a Yaris and the travel agent had managed to get us a 4x4 for our off road excursion! (I was intruiged to see what would have happened with a little car - the off road route has a ditch deeper than the height of a Yaris - we woulda got a lift along the route me thinks)

The rental car has dents and scratches, a rip in the seat and a windscreen that is cracked in at least three places - ooooh but the aircon is making for awesome frost inside the vehicle!

I have the both ears of both the substations and lines specialists for the next three hours - I wish I had prepared questions to ask while they have no escape! I could get soooo much paperwork out the way this morning if it wasn't too bumpy in the car to write! Perhaps in the driving break I shall ply them with muffins and apples and unanswered bid clarifications!

Amendment: this is a Late post -Network issues. It's too hot and humid to sleep or make a more current post.

Frankie's Travels - Jiggle jiggle jiggle

So we traversed our line route. We started off on a nice sandy grassy dirt road.... And then turned off onto a much more rough road (first passing through a river bed -Vertical down then Vertical Up!) The way we followed from slightly narrower by over grown bushes to driving over/around/under/through Thorn Trees! I think the guys who came with us are going to send us a big fat bill to repaint their cars! Of course the driving surface was no better - strewn with stones, boulders and ditches...with patches of soft sand... Nice sink-y soft sand. So after the first tense moment trying to navigate across the first soft patch in our heavy 4x4 vehicles, we started drive straight through the bos to avoid the next few soft looking patches ^ss-scc-ccr-aaaaaaa-ttttt-ch!

Oh did I mention we were doing some of this at 60km/hr?

We finished earlier than expected (surprise!) we shook hands, wished everyone well and parted. (French people are like SO funny :D )

After lunch of a very spicey Lemon and Herb Chicken Pita, I convinced the colleague that I would rather leave for Jozi tonight than beg borrow and plead for accomodation in Gaborone. So with some good luck at the airport... I should be sleeping in my own cosy (non-P500 per night) bed tonight!

On the road from Palapye to Gaborone in the meanwhile trying to drown out someone else's idea of good music with Yellowcard and Hammerfall...

Frankies Travels -Business Trip Day 3 Offroad!!

I almost missed breakfast again!! But not :). I have never liked scarmbled eggs but lately I seem to be noticing it disappearing off my plate into my mouth - Sshh don't tell my mum!

We're driving out of the town Selebi-Phikwe almost back to the thrilling 400/220kV substation to pick up the proposed line route to follow. I saw the towers and thought "Oh wow the towers are painted brown to blend with the landscape. How considerate!" When in actual fact I should have been thinking "Holey Moley the rust on these towers is bad!!"

I hear there is a copper mine down the way that uses Sulphiric Acid in the refining process. Can you say acid rain? In the Botswana wilderness nogal!

Here we go Day 3 Off road!! - I hope I can trust in the skills of the driver :/

Frankie's Travels - Day 2

I managed to survive without breakfast (aside from inhaling a mashed Jungle Oats bar I found at the bottom of my bag at about 12) all the way through to a very late 3pm lunch! (Spur makes crap chicken mayo toasties)

So after negotiating the Gaborone rush minute, we drove 240-ish km to Palapye. I saw lots of trees sand goats and donkeys. The animals look extremely fluffy and cuddle-able at 160km/hr!

We turned off the A1 and found our way through the Blink-and-you-might-miss-it town and got on with another meeting with some bigjobs (some from france and india) and some very cool calm exchanging of business cards. (left mine behind in my desk drawer :/ not cool)

Then we shot across the road to the opposite side of the A1 to visit the power station. We signed in and drove around the fence to inspect the switchyard and the clusters of steel lattice and wood post towers hanging their strings of conductor around the place. The Power Station itself was Enormous!! With very tall candy stripe chimneys.

Then we drove another 150 km to the other end of the project. The green scrubby bush changed into sand and wooden stick-ish thorn trees. We followed the power lines to a 400/220kV substation. I climbed out the car to the hot red sandy dirt road to the chorus of cicada beetles and the buzz of the 400kV equipment. Highlight of my Trip!! I say!

I mean I love nature and the outdoors and aside from the heat, the area was really pretty in a dry african way. Clear blue skies, fine dry red sand, brown thorn bushes with white thorns and the occasional hairy wiry donkey. :)

Then I find the High Voltage switchyards extremely impressive. The tall lattice steel, The enormous insulators for clearances, the glass string insulators that look too heavy to stay hanging from the gantries 20m off the ground.

Anyway enough engineer-nerd talk for now....

We found time to drive around the area when we were done for the day and I managed to snap some pretty pictures of the bush and the sunset and a really tall impressive anthill. Top prize tomorrow will be a picture of a happy hairy wiry donkey as we drive off road along the line route. Thrilling!!!

Frankie's Travels - Day 1 complete onto Day 2

So we arrived in Gaborone on a thrilling bumpy flight. We took off a little late too. The plane taxied the entire runway and then I think the pilot said "there is this funny flashing light here - we're going to get some one to take a look at it"... But I am sure what he actually said was a lot more professional .... Right?...

Anyway, Gaborone may look small and peaceful and spaced out but the traffic is a NIGHTMARE!!! Imagine a highway with big traffic circles every few km's... Bad Traffic!

Anyway we booked in at our coushy hotel - I used my cunning engineers intuition to drop my bags off in my room (swipe the card in every possible orientation until the cleaning lady helps you :D ) and we zipped off (or first geared for 30 min) to our meeting.

After all the horrendous traffic, we decided to go to the hotel restuarant and half a bottle of SavBlanc and a three course buffet - I was ready to rest my weary travellers head.

Anyway we stayed in an awesome classy hotel - palm trees, free shampoo and pretty white towels included! And a kettle and free coffee in my room Awesome!

Slept like I was dead... Woke up, got packed, drank my free coffee and hurried downstairs.

I happened to misunderstand my accompanying colleague and I missed breakfast. So our intrepid traveller is now embarking on a 3 and a bit hour journey on a cup of strong coffee and sheer beginners enthusiasm! - I am going to probably want to die soon.:.. Until I see the switchyards of course!!

Frankies Travels - Botswana Business Trip

So I have done this several times already but it's about time I add Botswana to my travelogue....

So this time I am jet-setting off there for 3 or 4 days (I am disturbed that even I don't know anymore when I am coming back... I think it's Thursday evening - alert the police If I am still missing this time next week)

So we're popping over for a progress meeting this afternoon - there are high hopes of pinning a senior bigjob down to sign some paperwork so we can finally issue some invoices to them. Yaaaay Invoicing! (frankies to do list grows faster than she can cross stuff off of it some weeks)

Then tomorrow we're driving to the next meeting and visiting a power station and substation. Weather report points to the warm side of mid-30's day time temps. But the sheer awesomeness of 220kV and 400kV switchgear will surely drive all yucky I'm all hot sticky sweaty thoughts from my head. Double Pole Centre Break Isolators!!! Ceramic Post Insulators!! CT's!!! VT's!!! CVT's!!! Surge Arrestors!!

Moving along.... On the next day we'll be doing some offroad driving along the line route - Bring your own 4x4 and wheel preessure pump Style!!!

Secretly I am way way excited for this - under my cool reserved proffessional of course.

Will have to try take pictures like a crazzy snappy happy person - all for the good of the business right? :D