On the road

We've hit the road...finally. It has been a little over 5 weeks since we arrived in Cape Town, wide eyed and unfamiliar with the rhythms of this beautiful city. Yet once we begin to feel like locals, it is time to move on. Cape Town was a wonderful home base; we are now able to navigate through the city, we now know where to buy what, and we've met some wonderful friends whom we dearly hope to see again...maybe even on American soil where we will have the pleasure to return the gracious hospitality we received. 


Initially we decided to take the newly registered Land Cruiser on a 'test drive' that took us up the west coast of South Africa to the Namibian boarder. We spent a few days in the picturesque desserts of the Richardsveld National Park adjusting to the heat, working out the kinks of our new home and soaking up the beautiful African sun. But sun without wind and waves is a little bit of a tease, so we pointed it toward the south east coast and took off through the mountains heading toward the garden route where the surfs big and the wind steady.


So here we are, two weeks later, wi-fi hot spotting it up at a darling little internet cafe in Port Alfred. Although the surf was up and the wind blowing when we arrived, the future forecast isn't promising. So we are taking the morning to catch-up on correspondence, wrapping up the insurance policy for our car so we can move 'freely' between countries and 'planning' our route; not so much for ourselves, but for the insurance company that will provide coverage for 'some' of the countries we'll be calling home. 


We still don't know where tomorrow will take us, and probably won't for the next year, but all roads lead somewhere. And we like the adventure of not knowing where we'll end up, sleep or even in what form our next bath will take. And I must say, as far as baths go, we've had some good ones. The best has been a perfectly round swimming hole (with frogs!) bored out of the bedrock by a huge year-round waterfall. We just happened upon it as we pulled off the road to get a shot of a beautifully thatched Rondavell. Such luck. But the funniest dip was during a lunch stop; as we were waiting for our sandwiches to arrive Glenn (who had been eying a shimmering pool just beyond the restaurant's terrace) asked the waiter if we could take a pre-lunch dip in their pool. He agreed,so we did. Good stuff, we were fed and bathed all in one stop. Ah the joy of being on the road. 


We've had a nice time in South Africa so far, but are ready to shed the 'Colonial Lifestyle' and head north. I think we'll duck into the mountains of Lethoso, a tiny country surrounded by South Africa like a little island nation. From there I think we'll head NW into Namibia. We've been told that we can take a brief paragliding lesson before being set free to soar above the enormous sand dunes of Swakopmund, along Namibia's west coast. Stoked! If we can't kite surf, at least we'll be able to fly.


I'll post again soon. We miss and love you all like crazy!


Big BIG love,
CP + GP