The three life bloods

Contemplating the complexities of life
Originally uploaded by camandkristin

** For Darcy, here’s the abbreviated version: We went to Namibia. We drove a lot. We ended up in Cape Town. It was good. **

Another long bus ride… another good opportunity to write. This time we’re heading south, from Windhoek (Namibia) to Cape Town- the trip is supposed to take 20 hours or so, and we’re 2.5 hours in and already ruined. This bus has a particular highlight of broadcasting “Christian Content” on the overhead televisions. “What happens when you die? Where will you go? In order to ensure you go to Heaven, you must do two things: 1. Turn away from the wrong in your life. 2. Surrender to Jesus.” Really… on a bus…?

Anyway, we returned our truck this morning, luckily with no real issues. We managed to avoid a shattered windshield and any flat tires, not to mention more serious trouble, which I think is pretty lucky. We had to fess up to destroying a zipper on my parents tent- but in fairness to them, it was pretty hooped when we got it and Dad’s fit of rage that resulted in its ultimate demise on night #2 was not completely unwarranted…

This bus trip is taking us to our last destination of Stage 1- Cape Town. Originally we’d planned to spend a few days there and then catch a train to Johannesburg for our flights out, but the sporadic train schedule would have broken up our time too much, and left us with too long in the less desirable Jo’burg, so we’ve booked a flight instead which just extends our already long trips to Gabriola (for Mum and Dad) and Beijing (for us two). Whoever said “it’s a small world” obviously didn’t actually go anywhere… ;)

We actually did have our own “small world” moment today- while waiting for our bus in the Windhoek parking lot, I turned the corner and saw my Dad talking to somebody who I immediately recognized. I had two feelings about him- one was that he taught at Uvic, and the second was that he only wears shorts. We asked him about it, and I was right on both counts! He’s Dr. Paul Lim, a physics prof who I may or may not have had, and has been traveling the world for the last 2.5 years, sailing all the way here from Gabriola himself.

As for what we’ve been up to- since leaving Etosha we headed to Botswana to sweat it out in the Okavango Delta for a few days. After having surprisingly comfortable temperatures the whole time we’ve been here (such that our -12C sleeping bags haven’t been too far overrated) we were pretty shocked with the blast furnace that we found in Botswana. The Okavango Delta is flooded by waters that come from Angola, and eventually drain into the land, never forming rivers that reach the ocean. In order to really “experience” it, the common thing is to head out into the delta in a mokoro (a dug out canoe) with a guide at the back who poles the boat through the reeds while you sit back and attempt to dodge the zillion spiders who have strung their webs in the reeds across your path. It’s really quite beautiful, and relaxing- but effing hot. Our two day trip started with a 2 hour paddle out to our campsite (on an island in the delta) followed by a 5 hour siesta because it was simply too insanely hot to do anything. Our thermometer was reading 37C in the shade. Fail. After setting up our camp (we were on the trip with a Dutch couple) in and around the massive elephant footprints, we tried to sleep in the shade to no avail. Finally we had our guides pole us to a swimming hole which, after persevering past the elephant dung at the shore and swimming in our clothes, turned out to be a gorgeous swimming hole that was exactly what we needed to survive the heat. That night we cooked our meal of beans, wieners, and sweaty cheese over the fire (so delicious) accompanied by the sounds of elephants in the water, heard but not seen… Fortunately the temperatures drop significantly at night, so sleeping was easy enough, and we woke up for an early morning paddle and hike on a larger island where we saw several elephants, 3 giraffes, 3 hyenas, and zebra and wildebeest- nothing we hadn’t seen before, but still special to see them up close while on foot. After another brutal siesta we set off for our 2 hour paddle home, trying to cover all bits of skin from the midday sun, and counting the minutes until we could have an ice cold Coke…

Mum and Dad opted (wisely) against the mokoro trip due to the brutal heat and sun exposure. For those of you who know Dad, you’ll know he doesn’t do well in the heat. At all. And Mum got a sun burn on her hands over a month ago that she’s still paying for (thanks to the Doxy) and so is quite gun shy about being trapped in the sun all day. Instead they enjoyed a couple of days where their daughter the dictator wasn’t commanding them to and fro and forcing them to skip their 10am coffee break J

Anyway- we really enjoyed our Botswana experience, although it is a long way to drive for a single activity like we did. However, the other main highlight of Botswana (Chobe National Park) had to be dropped for lack of room in our itinerary, not to mention our already seriously notched bedpost of game park visits. We cruised all the way back from Maun (the staging ground for Okavango Delta trips) to Windhoek to set off on our southern Namibia excursion. At this point the animals were pretty much behind us, and it became more about scenery. And man, Namibia does not disappoint. The number one tourist destination in Namibia is Sossusvlei- a series of crazy red dunes and white pans in the middle of Namib-Nakluft park. If you’ve seen a picture of Namibia, you’ve likely seen these dunes. And they are beautiful- we’ve seen dunes before, but the red colour of these makes them unique. We slept at a campsite about an hour away (there aren‘t too many options closer to the park that won‘t break the bank), and woke early to arrive before sunrise. Unfortunately the park doesn’t open until exactly sunrise, and then you must stand in a painful queue and watch the best of African efficiency unfold before your eyes as permits are hand written, by a single staff member, for the snaking line of tourists who have traveled thousands of kilometers to be at that exact place for sunrise. Fortunately for us the frustration was partially offset by the fact that the morning was foggy, and there was no real sunrise to see. Instead we enjoyed a more unique experience of climbing the dunes in the fog. Eventually the skies cleared and we got to take in the whole vista. While there is no denying the beauty of that park, it was the two hours of driving south of the park that were our favourite. One stunning view after another- the road begged to be walked instead of driven so you could really soak it all in. Another time maybe…

The next day we drove further south and then headed to the coastal town of Luderitz- a town that exists because of diamonds, and not due to it’s less than desirable location on the edge of a barren desert. Luderitz itself is a neat town, full of German colonial architecture and a pretty sweet setting with the ocean on one side and a lunar landscape of sand and rock on the other side. It’s similar to Swakopmund, but more crazy. There are only two campsites in town, and they both happen to be at lighthouses. On this particular day (as with many days in Luderitz, we’ve come to learn) it was blowing a gale. A serious gale. It was clear that a night in the tent, on the roof of a truck, was going to be far from ideal. Turning to the Lonely Planet for an alternative, we learned that one lighthouse also offered bungalows and, miracle of miracles, one was available! A six bed ocean front bungalow with a full kitchen and bath for $57, or a freezing night in a tent for $39? Hmmm… tough call… (Apparently it was a tough call for my parents who opted to sleep in their tent, outside the bungalow, anyway. Their comment when asked in the morning how it went? “It was a bit noisy.” Shocking…)

After our night dodging the wind we visited Kolmanskop- an abandoned ghost town just outside Luderitz that was formed during the diamond rush in 1908, and lasted for only 51 years until bigger, better diamonds were found further south. It’s a neat town as it’s been overtaken by sand, and yet preserved in such a way that we can visualize what it was like to live there. Quite opulent for the times, with everything (literally, everything) being imported from elsewhere, much of it from Germany.

We left the sand and heat of the desert behind, with a quick visit to the Quivertree forest in Keetmanshoop, and then our final return north to Windhoek. Ironically up the exact road that we are now travelling south on again, only 30 hours later… Perhaps the one way truck rental might have been the better choice…

Anyway- that’s the Cole’s Notes. We’ve now been in on the road for 54 nights, and have spent all but 8 of them in a tent (and 2 of those have been on buses). With only 6 nights left on the continent, we’re essentially 25% done our trip. We’ve set foot in eight of Africa’s 52 countries and, if we’ve learned one thing, it’s that we’re doing a disservice by referring to the entire continent with blanket statements like “In Africa…” There is so much range and diversity to the culture, economics, wealth, geography, politics, etc and yet it’s so simple to lump it all together and make assumptions about the entire continent that are no more accurate than likening Canada to Mexico.

Oh- and as for the title of the blog- for the last 3 weeks as we’ve been on the road with the truck, we’ve come to rely on the three life bloods- gas, water, and Coke. We’ve been ever alert, keeping tabs on our quantities of each, and ensuring we never run out of any, for fear of the dire consequences…

And on that note, we shall sign off and learn more about getting ourselves to heaven…

Until next time,
K and C.

.By the way, for those of you who have been here, or for those of you who love Google Earth, our route with the truck as been: Windhoek - Swakopmund - Spitzkoppe - Kamanjab - Opuwo - Epupa Falls - Etosha - Grootfontein - Popa Falls - Maun - Windhoek - Solitaire - Sossusvlei - Betta - Luderitz - Keetmanshoop - Windhoek