Out of Africa and our minds

We crossed the Botswana border yesterday after three weeks in South Africa (really just Cape Town and surrounding area) and Namibia. We managed to hitchhike a ride at the border from two amazing South African guys all the way to Maun.

It turns out public transport is really thin or doesn’t exist on this route. We were crossing two very thinnly populated countries – and the least populated areas in those countries. Anyway, they had a sleeper van so we spent six hours lying in thier bed in the back – the most comfortable ride so far. And the cost was a few beers at our hotel at the end.

Here are some quick thoughts about the trip so far in South Africa and Namibia:

• SAFETY – Crime is pretty prevalent in the places we’ve visited. More serious than any other place we’ve visited. My second cousin in Cape Town had walls, electric fences and an alarm system at her house – and that seemed to be the norm at most places. Her daughter’s home has laser beams. We’ve been advised not to walk at night and have done so – catching cabs to and from restaurants when needed. In Swakopmund, Namibia, one of the tour vans was broken into while we were sandboarding. However, these criminals weren’t the sharpest since we were standing on a huge dune in the desert and could see for 10-15 km around us. So the head guide just called the local ATV company and provided directions to where the criminals were running so they could be rounded up. We found it interesting the ATV guys were called, and not the police.
• SUPPER – We’ve sampled a few local dishes – a few traditional braiis (bbqs) of lamb and sausage, and some pork schnitzel (Namibia was once a German colony).  But otherwise, we must admit most of our meals have been like back home, including Japanese, Thai and Italian.
• SUN – We enjoyed only sunny days in Namibia; however the temperature has been mild in the day and chilly at night. We actually had to buy blankets in Namibia’s capital because we froze in our tents (with two single beds) the night before. In Cape Town, we had a few nice days, but the last three were very wet. The rain came down so hard that water was gushing from manholes like fountains.
• SCENERY – The landscape has been pretty sparse with lots of shrubs, small trees and sand/sandy soil in Namibia. With the exception of the north area, the country doesn’t get a lot of rain.  There are some nasty thorn trees and bushes that have nabbed us a few times. The dunes is Soussesvlei and Swakopmund were amazing.
• SAFARI – We really enjoyed our first safari in Ethosa National Park. But we’ve also spotted giraffe, baboons, warthogs and springbok off the side of the highway while zipping past.
• SILLY – We went sandboarding in Swakopmund. This involved lying down on a piece of cardboard and flying down big sand dunes. Certainly not for the faint of heart. Gillian was the record holder in our group – clocking an impressive 70 km/h. She also took a hard landing at the end of one ride – bruising her chins and taking a good bite on her tongue.