sights and sounds

Well, I thought it would be interesting and useful to find out about some of the cultural, geographical and zoological references mentioned in No 1. 

Straight away, on the first page we have a reference:

"Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill."

Kgale Hill 1 by Athena Lao

Kgale Hill 2 by Athena Lao

Kgale Hill - this is located in Garbone and means in Setswana The Place that Dried Up, it's also known as The Sleeping Giant. It's 1,287 metres high.

Botswana - in southern Africa, it boarders 5 countries: Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia. Mma Ramotswe also refers to its former name Bechuanaland Protectorate, as it was known before it became independent from the British Commonwealth. Here is the Wikipedia entry for Botswana.

A Motswana is either a citizen of Botswana of any ethnic background, or someone from the Tswana ethnic group of southern Africa.

Gaborone - capital of Botswana, Ladies no 1 Detective Agency is based here. This is the Wikipedia entry. 

"To the front, an acacia tree, the thorn tree which dots the wide edges of the Kalahari; the great white thorns, a warning; the olivegrey leaves by contrast, so delicate."

There are over 700 species of the acacia in Africa...

Photo by Birdman1'White-browed Sparrow-Weaver nests in an acacia tree in Okovango Delta, Botswana.'

Acacia Thorns by Angela Sevin

"In its branches, in the late afternoon, or in the cool of the early morning, one might see a Go-Away Bird, or hear it, rather."

Grey Go-away-bird (Corythaixoides concolor), Okonjima/Namibia by Hans Stieglitz

"...there were just the acacia trees, and the river-bed in the distance, and the Kalahari over there, so close."

Here is a link to the wikipedia page on the Kalahari.

The Kalahari Desert (shown in red) and the surrounding Kalahari Basin (in orange) by Jc86035

"He had owned a big herd...including the white Brahmin bulls whose grandparents he had bred himself..."

Brahmin Bull by José Reynaldo da Fonseca

Brahmin cattle are extremely heat tolerant and live longer than other breeds. 

Listen to Radio Botswana, where Mma Ramotswe was interviewed prior to setting up her agency.

Bush tea - Rooibos tea, Mma Ramotswe's regular brew for herself and clients. You might like to try this brand or this one.

Biltong - spiced, dried meat.

Sliced Beef Biltong photo by  Delia du Plessis

Maun - Happy Bapetsi, Mma Ramotswe's first client is from this, the 'tourist capital' of Botswana. Here is the Wikipedia link.

Bulawayo - Happy's Daddy went to work here, the second largest city in Zimbabwe.

Lobatse - the small town where Happy's cuckoo Daddy really lives.

Mahalapye - Mma Ramotswe's father, Obed, is from here.

 Mahalapye by pmecologic

Mochudi - Obed goes to live there as his mother's people are from there.