Worldtour diary- Part 12

World Tour diary part 12: 16 04 07- 10 05 07

It’s hard to write about things which seem to such a long time ago.
Especially, when things change so quickly…and suddenly everything seems different.
My last Diary dates already nearly 4 weeks ago, many countries away.

When I wrote last time, I was still under shock. Shock of South Africa.
A country which really moved me, tired me.
For the first time in my travel, I felt an urge of going home.
But…I knew…I didn’t want , I couldn’t finish my travel with an experience like that.
I need to finish ‘at the top’.
My mother leaving, I felt…strange…and finally decided to do sth completely new.
Going on an organized tour.
I knew, I needed somebody to push me. Somebody who takes away the pain for a moment, makes me laugh.
And…it worked ,-)
So, after a few last days in Cape Town a left with Nomad Adventure Tours and a bunch of people (in the beginning 8, at the end 11) people direction Namibia.

And…suddenly I had what I always wanted and what makes my travel something I do like so much. An adventure. And a totally different experience.
If I look back to South Africa…then I know…it’s not my country although it certainly has some kind of beauty. But…despite the ‘black’ experience…it is too much European, it has too much comfort. Too many forests like in Switzerland. And all this tired me.

“Adventure Travel’ with Nomad meant once again sleeping in tents, getting up with the sunrise, sitting around the campfire. Being close to nature…the thing I do love so much…because we forget about in sooo often in our ‘normal’ life.

The 20 day trip started with a ‘Bushmen-walk’ (recognizing spiders, salamanders, plants) in the Cederberg region in the North of South Africa and continued with a kayak-trip (ok, slow, very slow to be honest) on the Orange River, just right at the border between South Africa and Namibia.
And…then…we were in Namibia, the start of the ‘real’ Africa (although the few cities which do exist are still kind of modern, western), took a ‘cold’ bath in the hot pools (38degrees) of Ais-ais….Yes…in comparison to the outer temperature, the water WAS cold.
Though, Namibia was as well the start of my preparation for the next soccer season. Running even at sunset time can be demanding…when it’s still more than 30 degrees…and dry!!
After visiting the Fish River canyon (with 85km length nearly as big as the Grand Canyon I saw about 10 years ago in the States), we arrived in the middle of nowhere.
In the desert! Exactly in the Namib desert, the 2nd biggest desert in the world. My friend Lionel already told me earlier about the desert...and his stories very largely under value.
If you're sitting on a sand dune, in all directions for hundreds of km's only sand and sand, dark red sun, green bushes (cos it had luckily rained....about 4 years ago)...this is just amazing and peaceful.
After this silence I did my action part quadbiking over the sanddunes in Swakopmund an entirely German town in the middle of Namibia….and got played out by Swiss-girl Simone (definitely the best part of this tour ,-) )….means…she was way faster ,-)
After another nature experience (sleeping in a cave, lighted up only by candle lights) and climbing Namibia’s 2nd highest mountain range (Spitzkoppe), the cultural part took it’s place. Getting to know the Himba tribe (people who ‘dress’ up in red colour, wearing not much, and not using smoke instead of water to clean themselves)…was something nice, but didn’t entirely feel like in the real world.
Less surreal than the Etosha national park, game watching (lions, rhinos, zebra, jeapards etc)…and especially the improvised 3-on-3 soccer match in the middle of the Etosha pan (a huge sand pan in the middle of this national park, looking like a salt pan)…which ended with a bleeding Jochen ( Amazing tackle!!!).
Yes, some things will never change….as for example as well our dance contest in mini-village Rundu. Officially called ‘ tradional dancing’, Little Jochen rocked the dancefloor so badly that even local were impressed ,-) (My telephone number? Please…ask my manager!!)
This night event was followed by another party…..We still have to learn something in Europe. When Church is something FUN instead of boring…then you have to have some rhythm in your mind. Gospel for Go(o)d!!!
….
Another 10 hour bus (It’s no bus, it’s a not a truck .It’s Sid!!!) ride on the most bumpy roads of the world and we arrived in Botswana. Capital of ecotourism, hefty prices and national parks.
We only made it through two (Chobe & the Okavango Delta), but nevertheless I got bored a little bit at the end from the amount of animals.
The best part of those 5 days of game-walking, makoro-riding (boats like in Venice), hippo-watching..was….to be honest….-besides of the sleeping in tents, hearing the animals roaring right next to you- the soccer results ,-)…which changed my mind completely…but later more about that.
Enfin, finally the end of the Nomad tour with another border crossing.
Welcome to Zimbabwe, welcome to the Victoria Falls. Welcome to a country with a terribly bad reputation…and an inflation rate of 1500%.
Getting soaking wet at one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Vic Falls (I still prefer Iguazu falls) was one part, negotiating on the huge street markets another…
And I say…I can’t believe the hype about an unsafe Zimbabwe. If the rest of the country is like that..then every tourist is treated like god.

As I said, I needed those 20 days of ‘support’ from other people…but I knew…I couldn’t finish my travel like that…..and started to travel again ‘at my speed’ to finish my travel in the proper way.
Means…crossing the border to Livingstone, Zambia, ‘going local’ once again (letting the amazingly friendly locals show me around, getting an ultra-short African haircut)….and….pushing my limits for another time.
Before Tuesday 20 hours in a bus were my record….now I managed to double it,-)
>From the West of Zambia to the East of Tanzania, 2300km in 41 hours ,-) More than fun.
,-)
And…here I am now. Having taken another ferry …I arrived on ZANZIBAR.
But…more about this in my next and LAST travel diary.
Keep on rolling, Schalke!
Jochen’s back again!!