The pool at Khorab Lodge
Monday 15th Cont'd
We had a rather difficult night at the campsite. As soon as the sun went down the air was filled with mosquitos and other insects and we had to shut ourselves in the truck from 6.30pm. This meant we hadn't had time to air it and cool the inside, so even with the aircon on, we had to sit there in our undies, doing internet things until it cooled down enough for us to sleep. We also found that in these extreme conditions, mosquitos were able to get in. We sprayed with "Doom", but still got bitten during the night. The worst night of the trip.
Tuesday 16th October
Sadly, the storage guy didn't have any brilliant ideas for us, so we decided that we'd run out of options and would have to store the truck in Windhoek 1500km away. We set off with our hearts in our boots, too dispirited even to go and see Victoria Falls. The journey was uneventful, although the guys at the Zambian border were surprised to see us again so soon. At Katima Mulilo it took an hour to find a working cashpoint and then get fuel, so we stayed at the campsite of the Protea Hotel again. After cooking our supper the insects drove us indoors to eat it. Inside the box was still hot, so one of us had to eat our dinner without any clothes on!
Wednesday 17th October
Katima Mulilo to Rundu. 510km. We almost stopped after 430km, but the campsite we tried was a bit tired and already had lots of insects around at 3.30pm, so we drove on. The receptionist at Kaisosi River Lodge was extremely surprised to be seeing us for the third time! We cooled off in the pool and watched a thunderstorm over Angola. In the end we also had dinner in the restaurant as cooking after dark has become a bit of a chore now the insect season is here.
Thursday 18th October
Third day of travelling hard. Rundu to Khorab Lodge, just south of Otavi. 350km, with a lunch stop at the Purple Fig Bistro in Grootfontein. We both had "avogado" coffees, which were fabulous! They served ice-cream and a flake in the mug, with a separate jug of espresso to pour on top. Definitely the best coffee of the entire trip. This afternoon/evening we seem to have found ourselves at a lodge with a very nice garden and lovely pool, super staff and a well-thought-out camping spot. The drinks are cheap too. There's almost no-one here, so we had a very peaceful couple of hours swimming and reading by the pool. Saw a gorgeous new sunbird, which I still have to look up. Hoping to reach Windhoek tomorrow.
On the technical side - the axle mod is working well, the right front portal is using no oil at all (it's the one with the mod applied, the left one is "pumping as usual"). A more permanent solution will be built soon - watch this space.
We had a rather difficult night at the campsite. As soon as the sun went down the air was filled with mosquitos and other insects and we had to shut ourselves in the truck from 6.30pm. This meant we hadn't had time to air it and cool the inside, so even with the aircon on, we had to sit there in our undies, doing internet things until it cooled down enough for us to sleep. We also found that in these extreme conditions, mosquitos were able to get in. We sprayed with "Doom", but still got bitten during the night. The worst night of the trip.
Tuesday 16th October
Sadly, the storage guy didn't have any brilliant ideas for us, so we decided that we'd run out of options and would have to store the truck in Windhoek 1500km away. We set off with our hearts in our boots, too dispirited even to go and see Victoria Falls. The journey was uneventful, although the guys at the Zambian border were surprised to see us again so soon. At Katima Mulilo it took an hour to find a working cashpoint and then get fuel, so we stayed at the campsite of the Protea Hotel again. After cooking our supper the insects drove us indoors to eat it. Inside the box was still hot, so one of us had to eat our dinner without any clothes on!
Wednesday 17th October
Katima Mulilo to Rundu. 510km. We almost stopped after 430km, but the campsite we tried was a bit tired and already had lots of insects around at 3.30pm, so we drove on. The receptionist at Kaisosi River Lodge was extremely surprised to be seeing us for the third time! We cooled off in the pool and watched a thunderstorm over Angola. In the end we also had dinner in the restaurant as cooking after dark has become a bit of a chore now the insect season is here.
Thursday 18th October
Third day of travelling hard. Rundu to Khorab Lodge, just south of Otavi. 350km, with a lunch stop at the Purple Fig Bistro in Grootfontein. We both had "avogado" coffees, which were fabulous! They served ice-cream and a flake in the mug, with a separate jug of espresso to pour on top. Definitely the best coffee of the entire trip. This afternoon/evening we seem to have found ourselves at a lodge with a very nice garden and lovely pool, super staff and a well-thought-out camping spot. The drinks are cheap too. There's almost no-one here, so we had a very peaceful couple of hours swimming and reading by the pool. Saw a gorgeous new sunbird, which I still have to look up. Hoping to reach Windhoek tomorrow.
On the technical side - the axle mod is working well, the right front portal is using no oil at all (it's the one with the mod applied, the left one is "pumping as usual"). A more permanent solution will be built soon - watch this space.