Today has been a pleasant change from sand and corrugation. The first 30km of the dirt road was rather smooth and hard. Then, from Bethanie onwards, it turned into perfect tarmac. A nice (coffee) shop in Bethanie provided a welcome break from our routine. And with a bit of tailwind, we were flying until lunch. Thereafter, we’ve...
Day 110: Better safe than sorry
“Should I also carry some wet wipes?”, I pondered in the morning while inspecting my diminishing supply of tissue paper for the road. “No, I never need much anyway”, I decided. However, I didn’t consider that I had over-eaten on our tinned fruit salad last night, and—as I realized not long into my ride—that...
Day 109: Don’t be shy to ask for help
Today would be a difficult day, Tallis had warned us—lots of sand and corrugation. At least the road turned out to be wide enough to choose a path of least pain—deep sand and gravel versus pronounced corrugation. Since I’d gotten the hang of cycling through sand without falling, my choice was clear. However, the resistance...
Day 108: Rest day in the Namib desert
If the photos of the past days haven’t convinced you yet, hopefully today’s shots will: Put Namibia onto your bucket list! This is an absolutely stunningly beautiful country. Come and visit! Photos showing: Sunrise at Dune 45 in Sossusvlei area Dead trees in Hiddenvlei area Sesriem Canyon
Day 107: Dare to get naked and live without regrets
Today has been the day of the (in)famous Naked Mile—a TDA tradition, the origins of which no one seems to know. “No way, I’m not going to participate”, I’d said over the past weeks, and even just yesterday evening. This morning, I’ve changed my mind. Would I regret it if I don’t? I didn’t...
Day 106: Sharpen your saw
Today has been absolutely spectacular—unexpected so, for most of us. The morning started with a scenic ride through a countryside that reminded of Arizona (so the Americans say), or cowboy-land (as I would call it, using western movies as my benchmark). At one time, well-nourished horses were running alongside us as we sped over the dirt road....
Day 105: The obstacle is the way
We’ve said goodbye to tar this morning. For most of our remaining 2,000km until Cape Town, dirt roads and hills will be our final challenge. If you’ve been following my blog, you know my attitude on that—bloody hills, bloody dirt! I can push up on hills rather fast even though I don’t particularly enjoy...
Days 103–104: Beautiful Windhoek—modern, clean & green (and very German)
We’ve had two wonderfully relaxing rest days in Windhoek. What a beautiful modern, clean & green city in an absolutely stunning setting surrounded by rolling hills and blessed with a benign climate! Highlights on my end: Chilling for hours at the Craft Café inside the Craft Center—great food, great service, fast Internet, nice ambience...
Day 102: Ups and downs are more fun and rewarding than endless monotony
I wasn’t looking forward to this afternoon’s ride into Windhoek. 900 meters of climbing, the Whiteboard had announced—this after weeks on almost perfectly flat roads, and after a sequence of very long cycling days. “Forecast of rain—dress warmly”, the whiteboard further warned. Brrr, no one was looking forward to another difficult, cold and rainy day....
Day 101: The more Western, the more hazardous the drivers
Entering into Namibia has been quite an eye-opener for me. This is no longer the Africa that I had expected to see and experience on this tour. We are back in civilization. There are lots of signboards in German and Afrikaans, evidence of Namibia’s colonial history. Gobabis, the first town we’ve passed today in Namibia,...
