Day 12 - Up a bit. Right a bit. Quite a bit.

06:15
I’m asleep well before 22:00, and sleep through until 04:30. I wake up needing a pee, but realise that’s not what’s woken me. There are some fairly feral wild animal sounds somewhere nearby. Now - Namutoni is a fenced camp, so I’m *fairly* confident they’re the other side of the fence in the park, but I can’t be entirely sure of that. I try to get back to sleep, but I’m far too awake. I womble over to the ablution block, and find one of the bins tipped over. Hmmm… It transpires it’s largely my rubbish that’s been ripped through. I had some bacon that’s been open for a week that I put into a rubbish bag. The packet (sans bacon) is on the grass by the tipped over been. I sheepishly tidy up the rubbish and the bin. I don’t think anyone else has noticed, but it does make me wonder whether the animal noises and bin situation are related. The noises sound to me like hyenas, scavengers that they are…

I do my usual dance of trying to make a coffee silently, and am getting better at it. Fewer clangs of metal on metal, and i’m more attuned to when the kettle is about to start whistling loudly. LONG drive today. Nearly 500km, and probably 7-8 hours in the truck. Couple of towns to stop in along the way, but it’s mainly an A to B sprint. I think much of it will be on paved roads. Hope so, at any rate…

15:30
Yeah - LONG drive. Topped out at just over 500km, and a shade past 7 hours. I stopped briefly in Tsumeb for groceries, fuel and cash. Really cool little farmshop with a whole range of different Boerewors. One I’m pretty sure is made with fresh beef liver. One, I’m really sure what it is, so jot down the name to check later.

The roads are long, straight - and honestly, pretty dull. The scenery doesn’t change much along the way, at least until I get close to Rundu, the second biggest city in Namibia. Along the side of the road are - not villages, homesteads I guess? Basic wooden structures, occasionally a corrugated iron structure of some description. It’s kicking out time at school as I’m driving through, and hundreds of kids line the road waving at me. They all look so joyful. I spend a delightful 20 minutes cruising along the road and waving back. I do my best not to wave as I imagine the Queen would have.

Another beautiful room, this time at Kaisosi River Lodge. The Kavango river runs right past my balcony on its way down to the delta, and on the other side of the river is Angola! Apparently you *can* swim to the other side, but you’d need to make very good friends with the crocodiles first - so, I’ll pass.

21:30
Snake! The sausage I saw earlier that looked super strange is made of snake. The name I jotted down was pofadder, which turns out to be the Dutch name for a puff adder. I’ve eaten snake before, but not in sausage form. I’ve dodged a bullet.

I decide to join the sundowner river cruise. I’m very conscious that:

1) I’m now in the wetlands in the North of Namibia, the focal hotspot for malaria, and
2) My anti-malaria medication renders me very prone to sunburn

I’ve taken Doxycycline before for malaria prevention, but back when I tended to be more tanned. I avoid the sun as much as possible these days, so am super aware that my alabaster white skin may get a kicking. Now, it’s often said that the best way to avoid malaria is not to get bitten in the first place. Seems legit. This leaves me with a dilemma - should I plaster myself in sunscreen, because burn? Or should I plaster myself in bug juice, because bugs? It’s sunset, so the sun should be much weaker. Ergo - bug juice. I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me, so to speak.

The cruise is wonderful. We gently putter down the river. I note a distinct difference between the Namibian and Angolan sides of the river. In Angola, there are families enjoying bathing time. There are some kids just splashing around and having fun. There are some folks fishing. Have they not been given the same crocodile warning as I have? Should I shout to them to let them know?! I ask Melissa, who works at Kaisosi Lodge why such a difference. She says, “People are willing to take their own risks.” Wow. I sense intrigue.

The sunset is doing beautiful sun-setty things in the distance. Oooh, there’s a baby crocodile! When they’re only 60cm long, they actually look pretty sweet. About 20m down the river, we meet Mum, who looks anything but. Maybe 4m long? She has a malevolence about her. I’ve commented on this before, and specifically the difference between alligators and crocodiles. It comes down to the teeth. On an alligator, when the mouth is closed, the teeth are hidden from view. On a croc, they are not. Alligators = cute and cuddly, crocs = mean and dangerous. Fact.

We also encounter a hippo, who seems to want to get on land, but there’s a boat in his way. At one point, he looks like he’s going to hump it. He gives up eventually - on both the dry land, AND the boat. As we approach Kaisosi, some kids on the Angolan shore start throwing stones at the boat. One of them nearly hits (but doesn't hit) one of the passengers. There is something approaching a hoo-ha. I ask Melissa whether:

1) They don't like white people
2) They don't like Namibian people, or
3) They're bored, and just wanna fuck shit up

She reckons it's a combo of 2 and 3. There's some animosity between the people of either side of the river, which I find saddening, but also completely predictable.

Back at Kaisosi, it’s dinner time. There’s a Bobotie on the menu, so I order it. Bobotie is kissing cousins with Cottage Pie and Moussaka. In Bobotie, beef or lamb mince is curried, and topped with a gently spiced egg custard. It’s banging. My v cool waiter, Henry, brings me a bottle of Namibian chilli sauce. He has a glint in his eye that means yes, of course I must try it. Fuck me - it’s volcanic. I ask him how it’s made - and it’s basically roasted and puréed chilli, salt and vinegar. Wow. It’s super tasty, for about 3 seconds - then the chilli heat kicks in. My Bobotie is delicious, and I’m really pleased to have had something a bit different for dinner. I’m back on the braai tomorrow night, so am taking advantage of it while I can.

I’m planning an uber sleep tonight. I’ve only got 3 hours on the road tomorrow to get to Ngepi, which I’ve been SO looking forward to. Means I don’t need to get going till maybe 11:00, so a lie-in is both deserved and called for. LET’S GO!Read more