Joburg to Namibia

We left Johannesburg (and our amazing friend Gavin) on Sunday, with the goal of reaching the town of Kuruman in the early afternoon.

On the road to Kuruman through the Southern Kalahari

One of the biggest challenges we had before we left was not really having a clear understanding of how long it will take to drive from camping spot to camping spot. Yes, we researched the distances but this is Africa - road maps mean nothing! Sometimes you come to a road and it doesn't exist anymore, or you find a brand new road that's much faster. We've been running into a LOT of construction - Asa has been doing an incredible job of maneuvering considering that this is a huge, heavy vehicle, the cars drive on the left, and the driver's seat is on the white. There's been a little bit of white knuckle driving in the dark (because there are people, bicycles and animals walking along the road) but for the most part we've been doing great.

Asa's been doing most of the driving but I took a turn learning how to drive stick with my left hand.

Me trying to figure out how to drive (it's harder than it looks - I kept drifting to the right side of the road since that's where we drive at home.

After an overnight stop in Kuruman, we drove to Augrabies Falls National Park - the sixth tallest waterfall in the world.

We found a campsite and settled in, then went for a walk along the falls.

The bed was pretty comfy, even if it was a little small. The nights are really cold here - you can see your breath, so we're heading out to get more blankets and fleece jackets today.

There were at least 6 viewing platforms for Augrabies Falls - it's a pretty fancy campsite with a reservations only restaurant, laundry facilities, and even a bathtub in the bathrooms.

Augrabies Falls with Kalahari in background

It was a full moon night, so we headed back to the falls and the viewing platforms after cooking dinner so Asa could play with his new camera.

Moonlit waterfall

In the morning, we wanted to get up early and hit the road, but ended up sleeping in until 9! It was the first morning we were able to relax a little, and we both really needed the sleep. We got up and made camp quickly because baboons were starting to head into camp (a common problem in this part of South Africa) and we didn't want them messing with our food or stealing our sunglasses.

Our goal was to reach Namibia by the end of the day, but that plan was derailed when the turn signals in our car stopped working. We called the rental company who told us to stop at the Toyota in Springbok. When they couldn't figure out what was wrong, they escorted us to an electrical specialist. The mechanic looked at the car for about 2 hours, and then said that he couldn't figure out what was wrong. Believe it or not, when we tried the signals again, they all worked! He must have knocked something into place.

Our LandCruiser at the mechanic

We're heading to Namibia today to check out the Fish River Canyon and to spend an evening at the Ai-Ais Hot Springs - we're ready for a nice, hot soak in the 60 degree celsius springs.

Internet has been spotty and not very strong signals, so we'll do our best to post when we can. We're having a GREAT time and can't believe we are so lucky to get to do this. Love and miss you!

Julia and Asa