On Saturday we crossed into Namibia where we have been since (and will be for another week or so). The landscape is constantly changing here - at certain points is looks very much like the Australian Outback with red sand and distant horizons, but at other times there are rolling hills, mountains, and pastures/fields. It changes quickly. We've started to see some animals as well - springbok, oryx, ostrich, lizards, jackal, and some massive birds (all black with a white vest). On our second night in Namibia we were able to try out the safari seats on the roof of the truck as we made our way to Fish River Canyon - amazing! (And very, VERY dusty.) We are currently in Swakopmund where we have a three-night break in small A-frame buildings (which is a nice break from camping). The days have been very hot and the nights very cold - unfortunately, the showers along the way have been closer to the latter. :) BUT, the food is amazing (!!!), the people are great, and we are really enjoying our experience.
A little bit about how our lives work day-to-day out here...
We travel by an ancient overland truck called Helena. Our crew - Dave, Tom and Mash - have told us that the company keeps such old trucks because they can be fixed by hand out in the middle of nowhere...more on that in a second...rather than having to be plugged into a computer like the newer models. In the last few days poor Helena has hit some rough patches - we had a small engine fire just as we were parking up at our last campsite, which required us to spend an extra day/night while the boys worked on it. Truthfully, everyone was happy for the break - the weather was perfect (as it has been every day) and there was an absolutely ice-cold pool on the campsite property (which was in the middle of a mountain range in the Namib desert, btw). We spent the day exploring the surrounding area, lying by the pool, and getting to know our travelling partners a little better. (As previously mentioned, most are European - actually, the vast majority are from the U.K. We have some travel agents, teachers, veterinarians, and..."temporary retirees" like ourselves. :) We are really enjoying their company - comparing notes about where we've been and where we plan to go, tips we've picked up along the way, and things we wish we had known. Thankfully everyone gets on quite well.) We got Helena up and rolling on Friday morning so that we could check out the sunrise from Dune 45, which was pretty awesome. Sadly, as we made our way out of the park towards the road, Helena started to have some issues...the first of many for the day. We took an hour off to try and get her back on track, but further down the road she conked out again (after we sat and had a nice lunch at the Tropic of Capricorn). We passed the time by playing soccer, drinking beer, and chatting with our new friends. Though it wasn't part of the plan initially, it wasn't too bad.
So, Helena is now in the shop and will hopefully be up and running by the time we need her on Sunday. *fingers crossed*
But, back to a typical day.
We usually get up before the sunrise and start packing up. Court is on the locker crew, which means he puts everyone's packs into the locker at the back of the truck - no small feat, especially when it's freezing cold and dark outside. Our tents are old, but very sturdy - they help to keep the heat in and the cold out. It can be challenging to unclip them with frozen fingers, but it gets easier every day. Once the locker is packed with our bags, we all load our sleeping mats and tents into lockers underneath the truck, or pass them up to the roof. When all of that is done, we set up for breakfast. (Each person is a member of a two-person cook team. On our assigned days we help Mash chop veggies, boil water, do dishes, etc., although everyone pitches in at every meal so this goes quickly.) There is a huge emphasis on community and teamwork here which is great - since there are 22 of us travelling together we really do need to help each other out and pitch in however we can. After breakfast we clean up, pack the kitchen away and hit the road (sometimes headed towards an activity before reaching our final destination). We swap seats in the truck every morning, which is always interesting. There are two tables bolted to the ground near the back with four chairs around - the rest of the seats face forward. The roads are a mixture of dirt and pavement and can be QUITE bumpy. The windows roll down (hooray!) so we're always cool enough, even without AC. (Thank God Africa is so dry - if it were a humid heat in the desert we'd be cooked.) We're enjoying the overland experience - the views are spectacular, and it's nice to be so involved in every aspect of the journey (cooking, setting up/packing up, etc.).
That's all for now! :)
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