JANUARY 1, 2010: A rare BLUE MOON beamed over those last crazy days of 2009, and now the events of this new year are off to a wild start! Last minute preps are in order with packing and getting ready for my first 2010 WINSLOWART Radio Show on the day before I leave for South Africa! After a myriad of shots and boosters, today I took my first malaria pill and hoped for the best!

No problems so far, and let hope things go that way. It good news all around for a woman who does not eat meat and worships fresh fruit and vegetables: my niece in Botswana tells me that they can eat all those things AND DRINK THE WATER!

I have been warned by the TRAVEL FOOD POLICE against eating anything familiar and it put me off a bit, having spent plenty of time traveling in other countries. Regardless, I was prepared to eat a lot of rice and cooked gruel, and willing to do so. But I am getting ahead of myself, and you deserve the backstory of this journey, as they say in the movies.

I was a guest at the Yale Club along with the Botswanan party and many other friends of the family. Of course, the romantic story of Colleen and Kenny is storybook stuff, and here is taste of how it goes: she traveled to Botswana while on a sabbatical from her teaching job at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. The school sponsors these trips for their teachers, to encourage a happy staff and interesting lessons for the students.

I still not sure what it was the Colleen intended with her good works, having been in Honduras the previous summer building houses for the poor, but she went to a party while in Gaborone one night and the rest, as they say, is history. Kenny was wearing a pink shirt and very long dreadlocks, which showed little evidence of his position as a banker in the capital city, and Colleen was intrigued. The gods worked their magic and soon Kenny joined her on a trip around Africa. Apparently the banks in Botswana have fairly flexible schedules, so there was plenty of time for them to fall in love during the three weeks they spent together.

By Christmas, Kenny arrived in New Hampshire at the family home of my cousin John and his wife Lynn, completely shorn of his long dreds, which was a wise choice considering the events that followed. Soon Colleen was sporting an engagement ring, and when she drove him back to Boston for the trip home, the rest of the family was fairly speechless. Not in a bad way, you understand, just SURPRISED!

All of these events culminated with a beautiful Catholic wedding in New York City at a small church on 88th street, attended by one hundred people who all traveled quite a way for this celebration. I was the furthest away from home, and being from California, got the usual jabs about the fruits and nuts OUT THERE, but it was an academic bunch, well traveled and smart, and very interesting. We had a picnic at the beautiful old farmhouse in upstate New York owned by Colleen uncles, and a fabulous wedding dinner on the top floor of the Yale Club that went on until the wee hours.

The next morning was a wedding brunch, and I had a special table set up to sign my new book for the departing guests. What better than a copy of JASMINE DOGS (Mystic Adventures in Big Sur) to while away those long airplane hours? Little did I know it was the beginning of my Botswana Fan Club!

Meanwhile, the mother of the groom made it very clear that this deal was not done yet, until the family of the bride came to their country for the other half of the ceremony! We thought Micky was joking, but this is one very strong, fabulous woman who definitely knows her power and how to use it. There really was no discussion, simply some nodding of heads, and the question as we all returned home as to whether she was serious!

I met a man at the wedding who is a marketing representative for the country of Botswana and he jokingly asked if I wanted to bring my book to Africa and introduce myself to the people. Of course, this would take place during the time I was there for the 2nd wedding, which was one of those things that never really come to pass, so I agreed. It would be an exciting way to begin the new decade!

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If there is one thing you learn early on about the people of Botswana, it is that they take their sweet time about everything. No amount of prodding, hinting or threats, subtle or not so subtle, would pry any details about the ceremony that was being planned in Gaborone. Unfortunately, this is not the best way to chart a trip of several thousand miles, since the only way you get the goods is to book way ahead of time. I was sure that I could use the cache of frequent flier miles sitting in my account, but as the days grew shorter and the holidays approached, we still had no dates. My travel agent was frantic, and warned me that every day we waited would made the trip more costly.

When word finally arrived that they had chosen the second week in January, we all rushed into cyberspace to book a flight. Although we have less than stellar accommodations, we did manage to hook up in Atlanta so that five of us could fly to South Africa together. Nothing like a fifteen hour flight to get cozy, but we all are seasoned travelers and know how to do our own thing. No seats together, but it a miracle we are on the same plane! Of course, I can confirm that fact until I climb aboard on January 5th and stash my one allowed carry on. Never fear, it contains my laptop, at the ready for this adventure.

At first I had decided to nhook during this trip, and leave it all behind. No cell phone, no internet, no TV. However, one day while walking on the ocean road, I realized that there would be much to see and do and write about, and the keyboard is the only way for me. My handwriting is almost illegible, after completing two novels and many poems over the past years, and besides, people were already asking all these questions. Do you know how many people KNOW NOTHING ABOUT AFRICA?

Steady work with the Botswanan marketing pros has resulted in quite a book schedule for my visit. EXCLUSIVE BOOKS in Gaborone has expressed an interest in carrying JASMINE DOGS. They are a chain store (like the Borders of Africa), and hopefully we will work something out. In addition, I will be meeting with the Writer Guild of Botswana for my invitation to bring them back to Monterey for a cultural exchange!

My friend Celeste White at the Visitors and Convention Bureau suggested the cultural exchange when I first told her about the trip, and they have been very receptive to the idea. Everyone in Botswana wants to come to California, or at least that what they tell me. And Monterey, well, that heaven!

My job will be to entice their imaginations with some Central Coast narrative, which is so easy to do. Just think of describing our harbor and Old Monterey, and the Mission and the wineries and the restaurants and hotels.... and Big Sur! Like me, they will have to finance the travel, but once they arrive, the local hotels and restaurants and wineries are thrilled to entertain them.

We want them to go home with fabulous stories about this place, and bring some visitors from Africa to our coast. There are stories about BLOOD DIAMONDS and warring tribes, but remember that Botswana is a very large importer of diamonds, with fine beef as their second commodity. They are a young country with a well-educated young business population, and there are no wars, since they all come from one tribe. I was surprised at the depth of their knowledge about our country, and the pride they have in theirs. I imagine that these people who puff out their chests when speaking about Botswana are similar to our early patriots in the days when America was young and proud, and free from skepticism.

Go to PART...II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII