Had to go without breakfast today. Were up early but Adi and I had yet to get used to the pace. When Jojo came knocking at our door, we were still grappling with our packing.
We leave Citrus Creek at 7.00 a.m and ride the next 30 minutes in complete darkness. Pass the Olifants river, harnessed by the ClanWilliams dam. Drive through Namaqualand and stop for a lunch of sausages-no, Adi and I have not turned given up vegetarianism. Liz, our cook for the tour, assures us that they are vegetarian sausages. I am still not convinced but she shows me the packet and on reading the finer print, I realized that the ingredients are indeed vegetarian like wheat protein, wheat flour etc. The brand is Fry’s, a home-grown South African company run by a husband-wife duo. Hey, I could get addicted to these sausages-they are delicious!
Today is the day that we crossed into Namibia from South Africa. This is the first time that Adi and I are doing an overland tour and it is very exciting.At the South African border post, things go smoothly and quickly -except when we are directed to a cubicle to get our fingerprints done. Apparently, this is a new requirement that has been introduced-but the official only takes down my passport serial number. I later learn that from our group that Marie was the only one to have her fingerprints taken-when she put her finger on the fingerprint machine, it just conked off. She was the butt of merciless teasing afterwards as to how she was a “wanted” terrorist and once her fingerprints matched there was no need to take anyone else’s.
At the Namibian border, it takes us much longer- JoJo tell us to be extremely respectful towards the officials and always keep a smiling face…? My jaws are aching by the time my passport is stamped-trying to fake the smile.
Before we reach the border, we stop for some final shopping at “Springbok”, the last major town before the South African border and for hundreds of kilometers into Namibia as well. I buy a small tube of Nivea face cream for R 62 (approx INR 350)-have to compare the price in Cairo and Mumbai for the same tube. Feel right at home when we see a Tata Motors in Springbok-a slice of India in South Africa!
That night, we stay at Felix Unite -each of us are shown into independent “huts” overlooking the Orange River. An extremely cozy place but initially, there is a moment of anxiety for me when we spot a huge lizard on the wall in our hut but thankfully after some gentle prodding by Adi, it goes away on its own.
The sunset over the River Orange is nothing short of spectacular.
Dinner that night is special with Liz serving pap, a staple food of southern Africa, made from maize. The delicious dinner is conducive to some interesting conversation- “What are the number of continents in the world? Are islands a part of continents? New Zealand is part of which continent? Israel is in Asia or Europe?” –These questions maybe part of a geography lesson in school and they are now part of our dinner talk. No definitive answers that night.
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