Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Day 9: Botswana Border to Witvlei Namibia

Witvlei, Namibia - They really don't make it easy. After riding 207km yesterday you would think that we might have an easy day or two. But no... I had to complete two more centuries before I am done.

Today's distance was 162km. It was tough - really tough. Usually the morning flies by quickly but today I was struggling before lunch. I was temporarily revived by lunch, and I enjoyed a really nice ride to the town of Gobabis (cow capital of Namibia - moo). There we enjoyed a long break, complete with chocolate milkshakes. Alas, after Gobabis we had to make a turn and it felt like the wind was against us for the rest of the day.

But it's fun to be in a new country and the landscape is definitely changing. Today as we rode into Witvlei we could see mountains in the distance. And we even had a few hills to climb (more promised for tomorrow). I never thought I would say it, but I actually enjoyed that climbing and coasting.

We received a very warm welcome in Witvlei, complete with dancing provided by the local children.

The owner of the lodge promised us a peaceful night... which was ironic considering the storm that hit in the middle of the night! My tent was blowing all over the place and I had to go out twice to restake. Meanwhile, the rainwater collected on my groundcover and slowly but surely seeped into my tent. I was protected only by my air mattress, which kept most of my body off the wet ground but everything else - sleeping bag, tent and clothes - were a soggy mess. Not exactly what I expected from the Kalahari Desert!