No more dust, Please.

It’s June 24th and Will and I are still on the road, currently in Luderitz enjoying lot's of seafood and a lovely little self-catering apartment surrounded by our unbelievably dusty luggage and belongings. I think we may be getting a bit tired of being on the road as we are completely taken with this little place and how amazing it is (running water, refrigerator, stove, toilet just right there, nice beds and a table!). One thing for sure is that after living in a car, we're pretty easy to please.

The sights and experiences have been amazing but Namibia is mostly gravel roads and we often end up completely covered in a fine dust, down to our powdered wig looking hair. When we open the back of the car for camping a cloud of dust rises up, when we open the door the same, etc. Once you take a shower, you feel clean until you have to touch anything in the car. We are looking forward to hitting paved roads again, if nothing else so I don’t end up with permanent dread locks.

Namibia has been amazing. After Etosha we headed back to Caprivi to go to the border post in Botswana for new tourist visas and check out if the Okavango Delta flooding had subsided. Last time we passed through there many lodges were closed or only doing boat transfers due to the high Okanvango river. We also did a bit of tiger fishing and caught three small ones. The way the tiger fish fight, I’d hate to catch a big one! The lodges were opening again in Botswana and we got to take a mokoro canoe trip to some islands in the Delta. It’s a real water world and it was interesting to see the same animals we’ve been seeing wandering around in the desert completely surrounded by water.

After Caprivi, we headed to Sossusvlei and the NamibRand nature preserve. The scenery is so dramatic and beautiful that any you can just randomly point your camera and push a button can take amazing pictures. We did the obligatory climb the massive 300-meter dune for the sunrise and I think I swallowed lots of sand by people passing me by as I sat to catch my breath. Will made it all the way to the tippy top eventually but it was a hell of a climb. Did I say it was all in sand? Dead Vlei was a special treat and is as beautiful and otherworldly as the famous photographs of the area. I guess that’s not surprising but often a place isn’t as nice as you see in photographs – Namibia is actually just like the photographs.

We've been watching television here in Luderitz and getting the dirt off of our cuts and bruises, trying to look somewhat respectable again. We've been watching a bit of the world cup in preparation for SA and I'm amazed that the US is doing so well. The news states that most foreign ticket holders are Americans, which is surprising. The one frustrating thing is that the news tends to focus on England so we have to read the scrolling print news to see how USA is doing.

I’m also happy to report that Will has been eating his fill of oysters with no allergic reactions. He apparently developed an allergy to this favorite food when he was younger and decided to try it again while here in Namibia but only when we were in towns staying inside with hospital facilities nearby. Yesterday he did start feeling a bit itchy after about 13 oysters so we’ll take a break until Cape Town but they are really delicious here, especially in Luderitz where they have an oyster farming operation.

Next on our trip itinerary is Fish River Canyon then we finally head out of Namibia after more than a month of bumming around here. We're planning on crossing the border into SA through the Richtersveld transfrontier park then head to a little winery recommended by Scott - an American living in Namibia. There we hope to sort out lodging options in Cape Town, which may be scarce due to the world cup madness.

I have to say that we're a bit nervous about SA, mainly because we're worried that it's going to be crowded and expensive just when the weather is the worst possible for camping. We've bought thermal underwear in preparation but it's still really hard to get out of the tent when it's bitterly cold. We're looking forward to Mozambique and I'm really hoping it's going to be warm - even Africa hot would be welcome with a nice ocean to swim in nearby.

It’s been great to run into David Megill here in Namibia and keep in touch with the Sudan crew – two of whom are back in Sudan now! Although we’re very sporadic with email we do love getting news from friends so please keep writing.

Will added more photos to the flickr account. http://www.flickr.com/photos/photos_by_will/sets/72157624346262464/

Getting Colder

We left Swakopmund for Etosha National Park on Friday June 4th after having the car checked out by good mechanics and getting everything cleaned up from all the dust of Damaraland. We went on a buggy ride in the dunes near Swakopmund and saw 4 of the “little 5” – Chameleon, Gecko, legless lizard, and beetle – all native and unique in Namibia. The only one we missed was the ghost spider. During our nature drive we also went sandboarding, which is like sledding but on sand dunes, and Will got to do a little hot-dogging on the dunes. Will has started uploading photos on his Flicker site, the link is http://www.flickr.com/photos/photos_by_will/.
Swakopmund is a bit like Vic falls in that it’s an area of extreme/stupid sports. We’ve been pretty conservative with just an ultra light flight and sandboarding so far. I’m sure there will be more opportunities for extreme sports such as great white sharks in South Africa, plus all the soccer hooligans.
Etosha is a very large national park that is 100 years old. Most of the game comes to the water holes so it’s very easy to see animals but it’s much more sitting around waiting than the Kenyan driving safaris. We’ve seen lots of elephants, black rhino, black backed jackals, black faced impala, kudu (not sure if lesser or greater), mongoose, giraffes, mountain zebras and springboks. At first we stayed outside the park and drove in during the day since camping is much more expensive in the park. Then we moved to Halali lodge inside the park for two nights. There’s spacious camping and a great waterhole at Halali lodge. The main benefit is that you can stay up late game watching and we’ve enjoyed cooking out more and being less rushed.

Namibia Visa Woes

June 2, 2010

We are now in Swakopmund, Namibia after spending time with Will’s Aunt Barbara in Windhoek then heading out to Spitzkopf, Brandberg, and the Twyfelfontein area before heading into the Skeleton Coast Park at Torra Bay.  The scenery was dry and dusty with great reddish boulder formations piled in improbable heaps in the more southern areas around Spitzkopf.  We spent extra days hiking and photographing the beautiful views.  The scenery then changed to colorful scrub, grasslands and more traditional mountains in the Brandberg mountain area.  We had great campsites and really enjoyed ourselves, though the camping in these areas was the most rugged we’ve experienced so far. 

Then the inevitable happened – we broke down.  It was an electrical problem, the alternator, we were in the middle of nowhere trying to head from Twyfelfontain into Torra Bay.  Luckily we were on a route that is traveled by folks instead of one of the more scenic tracks that we’d been taking.  We had to wait a couple of hours. A nice couple stopped and helped us get the Range Rover to a good place off the road, in case we had to camp for the night.  Then more cars came including a driver from a resort nearby and a great man from Namibia Road Products and Services who is working on the Torra to Terrace Bay road.  These two guys gave us jumps repeatedly to get us to the only mechanic in the area – a donkey cart repairman.  We slept in the junkyard next to his home that night and the mechanic and Namibia Road Products and Services gentleman worked with Will to diagnose the problem.  Amazingly, the donkey cart repairman happened to have a working Land Rover alternator and we were able to head to the coast the next morning. 

The Skeleton Coast is amazingly desolate and rugged.  It was very cold and windy, which was a welcome change as we were fairly well coated in dust.  We stayed at the park B&B and took many long hot showers.  The main activity here seems to be surf fishing but the weather was so bad when we arrived, we decided not to try our luck.  However, most visitors were avid fishermen and talking to them made us regret not trying the sport, especially if we were spending time with these great folk.   We did walk to the dunes from the coast, like shipwrecked sailors and it’s true that distances are deceiving.  We ended up going for a 3 hour hike just to see the dunes. 

After two days at Skeleton Coast Park we headed down to Swakopmund to get the Land Rover checked out, shop, get cleaned up proper and do some adventure sports.  We’ve found some great guys to look over the Land Rover and we’re hoping to hit the dunes in some dune buggies before moving on.  Next on the agenda is to get our tourist visas straightened out.  Americans are allowed 90 day visas but we were only given a one month visa at the border. 

June 3, 2010

We found out that we either need to take our chances with Home Affairs to get a visa extension or head across the border and return.  Lesson learned – always ask for the maximum tourist visa possible when entering a country to avoid any hassles later on – TIA (This is Africa).  So we’re off to Caprivi Strip! 

We did a great nature drive on the dunes today with Outback Orange and our guide was Earnst.  We saw 4 of the little 5 and we did a little crazy driving so an all around winner.  Also we tried the sandboarding and it was like sledding but on good snow.  Stupid sports accomplished! 

Bush camping—not so bushy.

So, we got off to a late start on this trip, plus we found out why people who do travel blogs don’t update often – because Internet is hard to come by.  Anyway, we’ve passed through Tanzaniz, Malawi, Zambia, visited Victoria Falls, passed through Botswana and are now in Windhoek, Namibia.  And I’m finally adding to the blog for the first time (Rebecca).

One key we have learned so far is that lodges with camping sites rule.  On the road there are backpacking places, which can be cool, and overland camps that have good facilities but very crowded camping.  Backpackers are usually individuals or small groups traveling using public transport.  Overlanders are large bus-like trucks that transport about 20 people touring sites during the day and camping at night.  Lodges that do camping usually have quiet campsites in great locations and you can use their facilities including restaurant, pool, lounge areas, laundry, Internet, etc.   We’ve basically adapted the method of using travel books to find backpacker/overland camps where we ask for lodges with camping.

On that note, we have some favorite places to check out:

• The Old Farmhouse, Kisolanza Farm – Iringa, Tanzania
  This is a old working farm that belongs to the Ghaui family, which has lived here for over 100 years.  They serve the camper, overlander, backpacker and luxury traveler.  The key is the food that comes from their farm.  We had the best T-bone steaks in a long time here.  www.kisolanza.com
  
• The Mushroom Farm – Livingstonia, Malawi
  This is a great rustic site set high in the mountains overlooking Lake Malawi.  The food is good and the guacamole was the best we’ve had in Africa.  At this time the menu is vegetarian but now they’ve got a fridge and will be adding meat to the menu.  We got a room that was built of mud and straw in a Scotland style with built-in furniture because the camp is down a narrow path over a bridge and we couldn’t drive there.  The people we met here were very cool as was the owner.  A great place to relax with fantastic views.  www.themushroomfarmmalawi.com
  
• The Ngala Beach Lodge – Ngala, Malawi
  This is the place that turned us onto lodges with camping.  We were directed here by a predominantly overlander campsite with a gate guard who told us upon arrival that there were, “more people than necessary.”  Upon prompt departure, we told him he was right.  The Ngala owners (Judy and Chris) are great hosts and great fun as is the cast of regulars who stay and visit there.  The food is good and the grounds lovely and relaxing, right on Lake Malawi. www.ngalabeach.com
  
• Maramba River Lodge – Livinstone, Zambia
  This place was recommended to us by a backpacking place listed in Lonely Planet.  It’s a lovely lodge with some great campsites; we are by a tributary that runs alongside the lodge, which is full due to the high Zambezi River.  We had hippos, elephants, monitor lizards and baboons nearby.  We can pretend we’re not campers but we pay about $10 a night for lodging – crazy cheap. www.maramba-zambia.com

Ok, we haven’t done that much yet because we’ve been driving to Namibia and trying to make time.  The Range Rover is fine except for the door locks that are now funky and only the driver’s side works but we hope that we can get this fixed in Windhoek, where they have great shops and mechanics.  Mostly during our non-travel days (3 so far), we’ve reorganized the car, the computer, updated GPS maps and established Internet connection.  The phrase “This is Africa (TIA)” helps a lot in realizing how long it can take to accomplish seemingly simple things.  But then again, some borders have been amazingly easy.  No real problems with borders having a Carnet and Comesa insurance (thank you KAA).

We did a sunset cruise on the Zambezi on the African Queen that was nice and relaxing.  We did a morning ultra light flight over the falls, then walked the falls before driving along Botswana’s Chobe National Park to the Caprivi Strip in Namibia.  We also visited the Tsodilo Hills in Botswana - more tales of these adventures to come.  The falls are at their peak right now with the Zambezi River at the highest it has been in a very long while.  The rising mist looks like smoke and is visible from miles away.

We hope to have better Internet access in Namibia and South Africa, especially as we slow down and stay in places for a bit, so hopefully we’ll be better about posting more often.  Bottom line, we’re great, the car is great and we’re moving along.  

Victoria Falls

We arrived at Victoria Falls this afternoon, after another long day of driving. We've been driving non-stop since Lake Malawi. We'll take a few days to rest here. We found a lovely lodge on the shores of the Zambizi River just above the falls. I took a nap by the pool with hippo's in the river just feet away. Zain doesn't work throughout Southern Africa so it looks like we'll try to get hooked up in Namibia which we should be in in a few days.

-Will

We're in Malawi

Having some trouble getting internet sorted out. Hopefully we'll have wireless internet soon. We hear a rumor that Zain works throughout Southern Africa. We hope to be in Zambia tomorrow evening. Right now we're camping at a lovely spot on Lake Malawi called Ngala Beach Lodge.

Getting ready to leave.

We'll be leaving Nairobi Friday April 30th. Will is busy selling off most of our household stuff, and Rebecca is finishing Sudanese work from Nairobi.

Saturday we will be busy. We're having a yard sale in the morning and a farewell BBQ in the evening. There may also be a softball game or two for Will but that has to be negotiated. BBQ moved to Sunday. Softball and yard sale Saturday

We've had many calls about the yard sale, Will thinks it's due to his brilliant advert. Kenyan's seem to love yard sales. Many have insisted on seeing the items before the sale. We've sold at least half the stuff before the sale. They even buy stuff that's broken. We've sold two broken folding chairs and a broken step ladder (for good prices, things can be fixed cheaply).

Frankie (the Rangie) still needs some work. The air conditioning system isn't holding gas.  The engine is overheating when pushed hard on long uphills. We're adding an oil cooler and have removed the thermostat and changed the water pump to increase water flow. We haven't been using coolant so that may help too. Will thinks we should be fine the way it is but would like to have it fixed if possible.  We're also putting the finishing touches on the interior. We removed the back seat,  put in tie downs for our refrigerator and other stuff, and installed a safe.