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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
289km |
Meals
Steak!! |
Weather |
|
Ondangwa, Namibia |
12 May, 2004 |
Ondangwa Rest Camp |
17°54.726’S
15°58.493’E |
Odometer: 20974km |
Sunny, 88(F) degrees |
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Some locals came to our camp this morning and
gave us some eggs, which we boiled for lunch. We gave them some t-shirts
and some aspirin (they complained about various maladies, apparently
thinking that all white people are doctors) in return. We departed at
about 830am with Rafiki towing the Pinzy. The road at first was good and
we were able to make about 60 km/hr. It soon deteriorated though, and we
slowed back down again. We stopped at 11am to change tow vehicles and were
able to spend the last of our Kwanza on fuel so we could enter Namibia
with as much cheap Angolan fuel as possible. Toki took a turn at towing,
and just before the Namibian border Sid took over again. We hit good road
at Ondjiva and made it to the border by 3:30pm. We went through Angolan
and Namibian customs and immigration and left the border area at about
5pm. Knowing there was a commercial camp ground in Ondangwa, we decided to
press on and found the campsite by 6pm. The transition to Namibia is
shocking. Shops and grocery stores, good roads, ATM machines, functioning
traffic lights (and drivers that obey them!) and good roads all make it
seem as if we are back in the developed world. We feel like we have
successfully completed our goal of crossing Africa by road and had a
celebratory dinner at the campground restaurant. We enjoyed steaks, good
South African wine, and beer, and even ice cream and Don Pedros for
desert. Our rashes are still there, although everyone is getting better
except Witt, whose sore behind his knee is making it difficult to walk.
There are two doctors offices near the campground that we will visit in
the morning. |
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Updated Information
|
Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
0km |
Meals
Braai’d
boerewors, Rosti, salad |
Weather |
|
Ondangwa, Namibia |
13 May, 2004 |
Ondangwa Rest Camp |
17°54.726’S
15°58.493’E |
Odometer: 20974km |
Sunny, 88(F) degrees |
|
Witt and Graham visited the nearby pharmacy
this morning, hoping to sort out their rashes. The pharmacists here are
empowered to prescribe medications and actually receive more training than
the doctors. She looked at our maladies and prescribed “bactoban” which
seems to be a generic anti-bacterial skin cream. This is simple and easy,
not to mention much less invasive than amputation, and we’re hoping it
works.
Next we went to Oshakati to visit the
internet café and shop for food, which we desperately need after finishing
nearly all of our reserves in Angola. The internet café had only one
functioning computer, and even after connecting Graham and Vicky’s
computers to the network, it took all morning to get all of us some time
checking their email. Afterward we went to the much-touted Nandos, a South
African fast food chicken chain for an excellent lunch. Next we went to
the shopping center and visited “Game”, a small version of Wal-mart, and
afterward the “Pick-n-Pay” for groceries. Shopping for nine is always an
adventure, and three hours later we emerged with two shopping carts and
$200 worth of food. The early evening hours was spent dividing and stowing
the food in the cars. Graham cooked the boerewors (sausage) on the braai
(grill) and Urs made rosti, a swiss fried potato and onion cake. Together
with Elza’s salad, we enjoyed yet another wonderful meal. Nadine and David
have re-joined us following a beautiful drive down through Ruacana. |
Graham cooks up a mean sausage Graham and Connie tag-team flip the Boerewors. Don’t try this at home.
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Updated Information
|
Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
0km |
Meals
Braai’d boerewors, |
Weather |
|
Ondangwa, Namibia |
14 May, 2004 |
Ondangwa Rest Camp |
17°54.726’S
15°58.493’E |
Odometer: 20974km |
Sunny, 88(F) degrees |
|
We had all planned out to go and find the
Laundromat which we have heard was in town. Jen, Krissy, and Connie
emptied out the back of Rafiki and stuffed it with their washing and
headed off. They had difficulty locating it and stopped at a Shell gas
station for directions. Krissy hopped out leaving Jen and Connie in the
car. A couple of guys approached the driver’s side of the car and started
talking to Jen. In the meantime, Connie noticed another guy at the
passenger window reaching into the car. In an instant he grabbed Krissy’s
shoulder bag and was gone. Connie leapt out of the car and started running
after him, shouting “stop thief!” Virtually all of a nearby market emptied
out as people started running after the thief. Before the chase began, he
had had the time to open the bag and empty a wallet of cash. He ditched
the bag and threw the wallet to one of his accomplices. The thief escaped
with the cash while the other two men, who had Krissy’s wallet, were
apprehended by the police. Meanwhile Jen tore off in Rafiki in pursuit of
Connie and the crowd. Krissy emerged from the gas station in time to see
Jen drive off in a cloud of dust and knew that something was up. She heard
two gun shots and ran in the direction of crowd to find Connie. The
gunshots were the police attempting to stop the thieves. Someone returned
Krissy’s shoulder bag to her and the police gave her the wallet. Jen came
back to camp to retrieve Slade, who went to the scene with her. Jen,
Krissy, Connie & Slade, along with one police officer, all piled into
Rafiki and they drove to the police station. They spent about an hour
giving statements, and the two accomplices will spend at least the weekend
in jail. A couple staying at the campground (who have also lived in
Namibia for a long time) told us that crime is rife in the area, and that
we need to always keep our guard up. David and Nadine reported a similar
attempt to rob them in Oshakati yesterday. The experience has rattled the
whole group. We felt so relieved to leave the “dangerous” section of the
trip and enter Namibia, where tourism is well established, but the fact is
that we are probably in more danger here from petty theft than we ever
were in the Congos or Angola. |
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Next, we visit Etosha National
Park.... |
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