Swakopmund ctd.

Hi everyone,

We're still here in Swakopmund getting caught up on laundry and internet. One of the tour members brought a laptop, so we're using free internet for over an hour--a real treat these days!

I thought I should say a bit more about what we're up to. It's an 'overland' safari, which means we go everywhere in our vehicle. There are all sorts of compartments and lockers for our bags, valuables, tents, and even a portable kitchen that pops out of the side. Our guide's name is Pilele, and he is from Zimbabwe. We also have a trainee guide who is from South Africa, and we've had some good chats--turns out he was homeless in Florida just a few years ago. Our cook, Nika, is also from Zimbabwe and I swear he has magical powers. He makes delicious foods out of few ingredients and very little space in 'Mama'. We've been eating well, which is good because it's a very active tour.

The group is an interesting mix: 4 Americans, 4 Germans, 3 Koreans, a Belgian, a Dutchman, and Rory. We'll pick up a few more people here in Swakopmund before we make our way eastwards (so 'Mama' might get a bit cramped). Everyone is kind and likes a good laugh, so the evenings are good fun. Everyone has a few beers and relaxes together.

We travel between five and eight hours everyday. It's bumpy, but still comfortable most of the time. I haven't read or listened to music at all because the views are so astounding. The only complaint I have at this point was the heat on a few of our early stops. On the worst day, it was 104 degrees IN THE SHADE. In the sun it was more like 112. We don't have air conditioning.


So the sea breeze is refreshing here, and we also get two nights in dorms. One of the girls whose tour finishes here just offloaded a bunch of unneeded clothing on me, which I'm very excited about. Nearly everything I brought with me is ruined in some way (usually holes from getting washed so much).


We had dinner out last night, and I had a springbok calzone. Rory had the game burger (we don't know what animals that might have included). Both were huge and we didn't come close to finishing. Zebra was on the menu, and apparently it was good. Rory and I thought it was too close to eating horse. We also had four beers apiece--it was a bit of a party.


I have so many photos I want to share, but getting them uploaded is a problem. I'll try to post the highlights every week and then post loads once we get to the UK.


That's it for now, a small chance of photos later on,
Ames