£1 loan payments, orangutans and learning it doesn't all happen overnight...

Kepp

Thanks Emz So twitchy sat at my desk today, just want to get going!

postingalwaysposting

Have an amazing time Beccie :j

amber03

Have a great time, hope it does'nt go too quick for you.


My lot are all Navy, think we got beat.x

Kepp

I'm back!

Was absolutely fantastic!

Lots of job changes and stuff while I've been away so will be back to post a proper update once I've got things sorted there, plus a money update. The money update may not be quite as good as I hope

Emzilla

Welcome back Beccie . I'm glad you had a great time.

Emz xx

postingalwaysposting

Welcome Back Beccie :j Can't wait to hear some of your stories, hope your feet arnt too sore!

Kepp

Hi everyone

Finally ready to write a longer post!

So - the walk! It was absolutely fantastic and I would do it again tomorrow

Arrived on the 1st to meet up with my friend who runs the charity and the other 2 walkers as we were just a core group of 4. The other 2 were a guy who is a helicopter pilot and a girl who is a crime reporter so we were a mixed bunch!

After a couple of days to set up camp and enjoy the sunshine we set off on the 4th. We began by following the old railway tracks which was beautiful - cutting through the mountains and crossing old iron bridges, scaring the baboons who hang out on them who obviously weren't used to people walking past! After a couple of days we moved onto the trans-kalahari highway, a posh name for a tar road although it is the main road from Windhoek to Joburg, passing through Botswana. We had so many people stopping us to ask what we were doing - when we said 'walking to Botswana' I don't think any of them thought we were any less crazy :rotfl:

We moved camp every few days and drove back and forth in between, spray painting the road so that we knew where to start from again.

For our last few days in Namibia we were joined by about 15 volunteers from a wildlife centre that I also volunteered at in early 2010, and they left us before we crossed the border into Botswana. We had a few more days by ourselves before we were joined by the staff from a cheetah conservation place and the anti-poaching guys from Bostwana's goverment wildlife department. The anti-poaching guys in particular had some interesting stories to tell round the fire in the evening!

We actually finished 2 days early so had a couple of days to pass before some prior-arranged meetings with local farmers and school kids. So we went off to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve for some camping right out in the middle of the bush - leopard and hyena round the tent at night and lions roaring at dawn! Saw some amazing wildlife and got to watch the sun setting over the pans

After the meetings we set off back to Windhoek. The rest of the group had to head back to Pretoria so I stayed in a hotel. Luckily a friend from Norway is working in Windhoek at the moment so had some lovely days sunbathing and then plenty of beer and steaks in the evening

It was absolutely fantastic, it was so hard with walking so far and the constant temperature changes (35 during the day down to minus 5 at night :eek:), it was hard heating water on the fire to shower, cooking with not much food but I would do it all again so fast, every day was full of laughter. The only bit I wouldn't want to repeat is blisters! Mine got infected and I had to have them cut open and then put my feet in a bucket of methylated spirits - didn't know whether to cry or throw up :eek:

But, all in all, amazing

Emzilla

It's sounds brilliant Beccie. I'm so glad you had a good time . Yuck to the blisters though :eek:.

Emz xx

Tete_en_l'Air

Welcome home Beccie!! Really enjoyed reading that, it sounds amazing, just another world entirely! Those blisters though! :eek: xx

amber03

So glad you had a great time and are doing things some of us only dream of. Anymore trips like this in the pipeline.x