And now … we are home

As always … when we get home we take the chance to sit down and reflect on our adventure. What are our highlights, what are the lowlights, what did we achieve and what did we learn.

Starting off with highlights -

• Travel is an absolute must for us. It is something we value and will do as much as we can until we get to the point that the bodies won’t do it anymore. You learn so much from travel … the way other people live (and how similar we do at times); about different religions, foods and cultures; and you get to see incredible nature and architecture.
• Namibia was an absolute hidden gem. When Ian said he wanted to travel to Namibia I boldly went with him, not knowing what to expect, but looking for an African experience unlike what he had done 30 years ago. Namibia is beautiful. She is constantly changing. She is majestic. She is mysterious. Her landscape is unlike anything you have seen before … and yet familiar. Her people are friendly, welcoming and proud.
• Rovos Rail is an experience like no other. Incredibly luxurious, with old world charm. It is relaxing and forces you to step back from the frantic pace of life as the train slowly chuffs its way along … with frequent stops required to allow freight trains to pass you have no choice but to let time go and just be in the moment.
• Safaris are exciting. Looking for animals, trying to spot them, trying to get close to them … and the inevitable disappointment when you don’t get to see the elusive one. But that is how nature is. We live in a world where many of our animals are becoming endangered and so the chances of us spotting one in the wild becomes harder and harder, and therefore all the more special.
• Road tripping in your own vehicle is fabulous. You can travel at your own pace and you can take the road less travelled. Yes it can be slightly nerve wracking but the places you can go are worth it.
• We had some amazing guides on our trips … from safari guides in Chobe (Cobra) and Kruger (Chrissy, Luke, Mark, Nadine and Andy), our guide at the Siduli Hide (Eleman), to our river guide Lawrence and our fabulous guide and driver Werner in Sossusvlei. They were knowledgable, friendly, passionate about their field and went out of their way to make our experience all the better.
• You can find amazing natural phenomena in almost every country if you just go looking for it. We saw … waterfalls, rivers, dunes, deserts, canyons, gorges, mountains, boulders and forests. Our highlights were - Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River, Blyde Canyon, Table Mountain, Fish River Canyon, Quiver Tree Forest, Giant’s Playground, Dunes 1 to 45 (especially Dune 45 and Big Daddy), Deadvlei and Spitzkoppe.
• You can also find amazing man made phenomena - we loved the bridge over the Zambezi River, the two road passes in Namibia (Zarishoogte and Spreetshoogte), tunnels through mountains and the rotating bridge at the port in Cape Town)
• The incredible V & A Waterfront in Cape Town. A collection of shops, restaurants, old houses, a working port, statues, towers and even a cave!

The quirky - 

• Solitaire Roadhouse with its collection of old cars
• Canyon Roadhouse just out of Fish River Canyon … where you can have a cold beer (not us) amongst the thousands of pieces of motor memorabilia and even find a hidden geocache and an Ad Lab
• Rockets and cosmonauts riding tractors at the Rooi Dak Padstal

And then the lowlights - 

• To be honest there weren’t many at all on this adventure. The main one was that we both experienced some stomach issues, and not obviously from poorly prepared food. In the end though we both recovered and we didn’t let it affect us too much. I missed one game drive when I first got sick but managed to rally for the full day drive in Kruger. Luckily my second bout happened on the train so I was well looked after and able to sit in our suite and watch the world go by. Ian was lucky that his wasn’t the full version I had … and he rallied to push through and not miss out on our rafting experience on the Orange River.
• A “bleeping” cracked windscreen.

Achievements -

• 22 days … 2 travel days and 20 adventure days
• 4 distinct phases - Vic Falls, Kruger, Rovos, Namibia
• Countries visited - 5 (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia)
• 9 border crossings
• 7 air flights 
• 1 train journey (3 nights)
• 2 river cruises
• 8 jeep rides
• Photos taken -  J … phone 9878, I  … 1708, J … camera 1382
• Kms self driven - 2482 km
• Safari drives - Chobe (1 drive, 1 boat), Tremisanna (3), Kruger (full day)
• We saw 50+ species of mammals and 50+ species of birds … including the Big Five, the Ugly Five and most of the Little Five
• Steps walked - approx 195,000
• Sites … 1 of the top 3 waterfalls in the world, 2 of the top 3 canyons in the world, 1 modern natural wonder of the world (Table Mountain), the Namib Desert, the dunes, the Skeleton Coast, the Karoo Region in South Africa
• Sunrises seen - 5; Sunsets seen - 6.

Learnings -

• We were fascinated by the interchangeability of the South African rand and the Namibian dollar. It doesn’t matter which country you are in you can use either!
• Gravel roads in Namibia are often better than sealed roads in Victoria (Vic government … I’m looking at you!)
• Try and connect with the local people. Step outside the tourist routes and explore the places behind the main experiences. Visit the supermarket, the local pharmacy, the roads not on the main streets. Visit the dam where the locals walk their dogs and ignore the “Do Not Swim” signs. Go to the local restaurants … instead of the ones aimed at the tourists. We had wonderful meals at the Hungry Lion and the fast food mall in Victoria Falls.
• Sometimes just pay the money! On our first day in Victoria Falls we had been up early, walked nearly 16 km in 35° heat … we were spent! So we paid for the taxi to take us back … it was worth every cent! (And we helped the taxi driver out by exchanging some Australian money he had been paid in for US dollars … as otherwise he would not have been able to use it).
• If you have a long lay over … definitely consider an airport lounge. You can pre purchase lounge entries online at very reasonable prices. A shower, access to free wifi, cool drinks and lovely food, a comfy chair, the ability to charge your devices … make it worth the money.
• It doesn’t hurt to be nice. Tell the staff the food is good, thank the drivers (most have them have had a longer day then you), let the guides know that you appreciate what they do, be patient with the folk at the airport who are just doing their job. We don’t do this to gain anything … but some tourists are rude, some people are snarky and some can be condescending to the tourism operators and their staff. Without them though … our experiences would be compromised.
• Don’t expect everything to look like it does in a brochure! Those photos are manipulated, taken via drones, taken over several days. So you didn’t get to see a rhino … so be it!

And so … cheers to anyone who travelled along. If anyone would like our itinerary then drop us a line. 

Now to plan the next adventure!

❤️ I & J