My new discovery: Flora Grubb in Gaborone?!

I have discovered a little bit of paradise in this otherwise dreary, dusty town of Gaborone. What I have stumbled upon is an oasis, quite literally—a native plant nursery next to the Gaborone dam with the most lovely tea garden that I delightedly found myself in today. It’s called Sanitas, and it happens to be a stone’s throw away from where I am currently staying. I’d seen signs for it on the road, but somehow hadn’t gotten around to stopping by until today, which happens to be a holiday (in the middle of the week?!) in Botswana, meaning that my regular coffee shop, Café Dijo (see post below), is closed. Thank goodness, or I might never have discovered this place!

It’s a little like Flora Grubb in San Francisco, only better. There are all sorts of native succulents for sale, as well as an incredible assortment of ornate pots, planters and other garden decorations. There’s a small farm stand in front selling fresh home-grown produce like red lettuce, tangelos and Mexican limes (mm margarita anyone?), though this place is so big I haven’t exactly located their vegetable garden yet. As you wind your way through shaggy palm trees along a brick and stone pathway, you suddenly arrive at…the tea garden. Today I couldn’t believe how busy it was—apparently all the families who are in the know come to this spot on holiday days and, I would imagine, lazy Sundays. It was also a window onto a very culturally diverse slice of life in Gabs—a group of ladies sat playing Mah Jong gabbing away in Chinese, several Indian families (including one celebrating a child’s birthday) were enjoying pitchers of freshly made lemonade with their lunch, a Batswana family munched away on delicious-looking burgers, and an elderly white couple quietly sipped their coffees in the corner. And then there was me!! The most content, happy American girl to be found in Botswana today!! I have got two weeks left in Botswana, and as I wrap up my interviews, I would really like to use my last days here to transcribe them all from audio tapes to word documents so that I don’t have that pesky task hanging over my head when I get home. And what better location to do this boring task that a tea garden with all sorts of greenery, homemade juices, numerous espresso drink options, absolutely delicious food (lunch today was a creamy sweet potato garam masala soup with a huge fresh green salad straight from the garden accompanied with home-baked whole wheat giant bread roll, yum!), and NO wireless to distract me?! I have found my little piece of heaven here in this boring, Phoenix-like city, and I think it will keep me sane as I count down my last two weeks here in Botswana!