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Try it, it's easy, one meat-free day a week!

A donkey in the shower? (up-dated version)

So I have just returned from my first dry run of my travels. Boetie (brother) and I went on a massively epic trip through Botswana up into Namibia. In a very full 1992 model navey blue mazda. My mom's old baby. And boy did she do us well.

Phillip (boetie) qualified as a commercial pilot (with 225 flying hours) at the end of 2010. So he decided he wanted to take the gamble that is Namibia, and go and apply to the various charter companies in Windhoek and Swakopmund. I was asked to come with, to be there to help with driving, moral support, another person support, as well as taking the opportunity of seeing that part of the continent that I havent seen since 1999 (and 1995 for Botswana). We crossed the Skilpadshek/Pioneer Gate border post in the early morning of the 31st of Jan. We had to make a (very long 3.5 hour) stop in Lobatse to renew my mom's car registration (my family only returned to South Africa in 1994, so the mother's car was bought and reared in Gabarone).

Our stop that night was Kang (+267 651 7294 or ultrastopkang@yahoo.com; R40/adult/night camping), about 350 km from the Botswana/Namibia border post. I have to say, in all my travels and odd places that I have been to, Kang makes top in two things: one, it consists of an Ultra-stop, a BP petrol station and a capsite/chalet over-night stop for travellers. That's it. Only there because between Jwaneng and Manuno (at the border), it's the only place where travellers can get their car's refilled; two, Kang has THE BEST water! There is nothing in Kang excpet the above mentioned petrol stations and campsite. Not much to pollute the tranquil water table, not much to muddy up the water as it lays still and clear, deep under the hot desert ground.

Botswana is hot. So very, very hot. And the mazda was hot, very, very airconditioner-less hot. But with all the rain Botswana has been getting she was beautiful and green and lush and just spectacular in her expansive savannahs. Now Botswana has no fences on the side of the road. So donkeys, goats, cows and horses joined us as we travelled the road. Beautiful, plump, shiny-coated animals they were. They looked cool and fresh, standing in the heat of the road. A lot of them here were in the road. Not moving much. Mostly the stationary animals decided to use the road as a base of non-movement. So in our heavily loaded 1.6 engine mazda it would take us a fair few minutes to reach a nice cruising speed only to have to slow down to a 1st gear spead while the animals turned their heads to survey the on coming blue thing... register that they are in the way... consider their options of either staying were they were or moving... decide that they should be polite to tourists and move... turn their heads back to the direction in which they want to move... take a step... check once more that they really do need to move... and eventually move off. Slowly.

That was until Jwaneng. At the petrol station I noticed a white car with the words "Botswana Highway Patrol" written in blue lettering along the side. There was an odd sound systen contraption on the top. Didn't think much of it to be honest. Cars are not my speciality so I couldn't even identify it. We left Jwaneng and a few kilometres outside the Highway Patrol car came flying at us out of no where, swerved around us and disappeared into the distance. Phillip remarked that it was a very fancy R300 000 subaru. On we drive and catch up to said vehicle. Said vehicle is on the opposite side of the road. Said vehicle drives slowly on the wrong side, right on the edge and above mentioned animals quickly scamper out of his way. Said subaru vehicle is the highway patrol vehicle in charge of chasing animals off the road. The sound systen above emits a low pitch rumble. This coupled with the ominous approaching of a fast vehicle gets animals to quickly skedadle. If that fails, out comes the arm of the driver with a long horse riding whip to crack in the air and sufficiently get the animals gone. We watched one particulaly stubborn donkey being chased for a fair few metres along the side of the road until he gapped it. Ah Africa! I might have been cheeper to fence the roads, no?

And so we crossed the Botswana/Namibia border on the second day and entered the desert, good and proper. Well, really good and proper desert was actually only enterd into when we left for Swakopmund (apparently I was reading because when next I looked up there was only sand. Not even one stunded bush attempting vague livingness). Windhoek is a city. Nothing much to comment there. People are quiet in Namibia, no raised voices. Damn, even the cars are quiet. I stuck out like, well, a very loud person in amongst very quiet people!

I bet you're wondering where the donkey in the shower comes into the story?

Ah, fear not. He enters last. We stayed in a campsite 15km outside of Namibia, called Elisenheim Guestfarm (+264 61 26 4429 or awerner@mweb.com.au; R70/adult/night camping). A river trickled slowly past the entrance. It was silent and surrounded by hills. Horses lived close to the campsite and so their soft snorts were added to the lazy calling of birds.

It was here that we encountered the donkey - the pot bellied stove that needed to be heated up in order for us to have a hot shower in a bamboo fenced shower that opened up the sky above us. I loved it. Boetie was not very impressed. There was an open toilet as well. A flush toilet on a concrete slab, surrounded by bamboo with the view of tree branches above. Ah the freedom. I could have stayed there forever. But we left soon for Swakopmund, to a slightly smelly coast (due to the harbours), but none-the-less pretty place. Swakopmund is also full of very quiet people (!).

Highlight of Swakopmund? On the last day, not 10m from us, in the waves in the surf, a school (or pod? What is the collective noun for...) dolphins joined us in playing in the waves. They surfed them almost as professionally as I did;-) They jump through the air, rolling over in mid jump, landing on their backs again, with the ever present dolphin grin on their faces. Oh man, do I want to be a dolphin when I grow up!

I have to say, the sunsets at Langstrand (our campsite) weren't that shabby either...

A thought on sleeping bags...

Except for those going to icy places, camping or who have a lovely landy in which they are going to be travelling, few have place for a sleeping bag in their bags. I realised this when I went on my meditation retreat... takes up the whole bottom portion of my backpack. Into this space I could instead pack : 1 x pair of hiking boots; all my socks and underware; 2 x shors AND 2 x skirt; an assortment of toiletries and other odds and ends... there may have also been food in their.

So final decisions... I shall not insert sleeping bag into said backpack for said walkabout. Apparently what I need it a travel sheet. Now I want to know, wont a normal double bed sheet do??

Packing List :: One Bag

Packing List - Wardrobe :: One Bag

http://www.onebag.com/packing-list-repairs.html

http://www.onebag.com/packing-list-health.html

http://www.onebag.com/packing-list-paperwork.html

...the bellow extract from http://www.onebag.com/packing-list-documents.html

Thoughts on Wallets: Once you've safely stashed your passport, visas, driver's license, vaccination certificates, health insurance info, travel tickets, charge/ATM cards, cash, and cheques in your security pouch, do you still need a wallet? It's really up to you. Whether or not to use a wallet is a personal decision in any case; many people choose never to carry them. A modest amount of cash — no more than you can afford to lose — for the day's casual purchases scarcely needs a customized receptacle (especially one that is a prime target for theft).

In my experience, most people who do carry wallets cram them with far too much stuff ... items that they really don't need to be carrying around in their pockets every single place they go. It's not unlike overpacking suitcases, although the motivations may not be identical. But even "at home", carrying too many official documents is a very unwise idea: in these days of rampant identity theft, losing a wallet can be a seriously life-changing event (and not one that you will remember fondly). In any event, never carry anything that includes any sort of national identifier (such as a U.S. Social Security number) in a wallet.

the following ectract from... http://www.onebag.com/packing-list-specialty.html

Cameras as "Visual Notebooks": Don't overlook the fact that modern digital cameras can also function as a quick and convenient means of recording things that you might find helpful. As most cameras allow you to zoom in on images to read the details, even fairly complex documents can be usefully preserved. Possibilities include:

the location of your parked car your hotel room number the sign on that interesting tourist attraction you visited information about places you'd like to visit (or otherwise recall), from brochures, signage, and even the yellow pages recipes and interesting restaurant menus the contents of your luggage, for insurance and other identification purposes should it be lost or stolen "before" and "after" views of rental vehicles, to prove that they were already damaged, or that you returned them intact

the details of any accident you're involved in, to expedite insurance claims maps and other directions (when using a computer lacking a printer, simply take a photo of the screen) when exploring areas where directions can be confusing (central New Delhi, say), photos of intersections where you change direction can help you find your way home (and are much more reliable than dropping bread crumbs) a photo of your own smiling face, to check for spinach bits (or how you look in that new hat) when you don't have a mirror handy

But perhaps the single most useful item you can record in your camera's memory is a "This camera belongs to ..." sign — handwritten or computer-printed — listing your name, contact information, and perhaps the promise of a reward, to improve the chances that a wayward camera might eventually find its way home to you. Lock this photo (i.e., make it read-only, which is possible with most cameras) to make it permanent, and place a copy at the beginning of each memory card.

SOME NOTES ON EXERCISING... http://www.onebag.com/packing-list-specialty.html

jump rope

If you eat healthily, travel frequently (instead of being perennially parked in front of a TV), favour stairs over elevators, use public transportation, and walk (without trailering your belongings), you are already well ahead of most when it comes to personal fitness. But you also need cardiovascular activity, and this can appear challenging to travellers who don't frequent high-end hotels with elaborate exercise facilities.

Fortunately, there's a simple exercise regimen that can be done almost anywhere, in any weather, indoors or out, in minimal space. There's a good reason why professional sports trainers consider rope jumping an integral part of any fitness plan, and the best way to develop overall conditioning. They have called it "the ultimate exercise" because it works the arms, legs, heart, and lungs, developing coordination, agility, and stamina. It's much easier on the joints than running, as you land on the balls of your feet, not the heels, and from a mere couple of inches of drop. Finally, unlike many exercise programs, it requires minimal investment: a compact, lightweight, high-quality leather jump rope (as pictured at left) can be had for less than $10.

Make sure your rope is the appropriate length: when you stand on its centre, the handles should reach to your armpits. You can shorten an overlong rope by tying knots near the handles, or by cutting (don't be in a hurry to cut, though: as your skills improve, you may want to lengthen the rope a bit to enable more varied skipping styles).

The necessary skill is easily within the reach of most, but it will take some practice before you develop the proper technique, and achieve maximum benefit, especially if you haven't tried it since kindergarten. So don't let yourself get discouraged in the early stages. The trick is to skip from foot to foot (not jump up and land on both feet at the same time), remaining as close to the ground as possible; eventually you'll develop the necessary side-to-side rhythm to do it properly. Remember that rope exercise is about timing, not high jumping. Good technique means that: your shoulders are down and relaxed; you are turning the rope with your wrists, not your arms; your wrists are slightly below your elbows when you jump; you are jumping only once per rope revolution; and you are landing softly (visualize a glass floor). Once you're accomplished, you can vary the motions to avoid boredom: you'll find considerable depth to the sport should you become sufficiently interested.

A good workout (and a lot harder than it sounds) is:

• 90-second warm-up
• 2-minute rest
• 3 minutes jumping rope
• 2-minute rest
• 3 minutes jumping rope
• 2-minute rest
• 3 minutes jumping rope

It's not a bad idea to occasionally check your continuous jumping limit: if you can manage six minutes non-stop — approximately the equivalent of a one-mile run  — you are doing very well (professional athletes can go 24 minutes straight without missing a beat). Add in some push-ups and sit-ups and you'll be one of the fittest travellers on the road, with almost no impact on your ability to travel lightly.

In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry