Don't Always Trust Your GPS

Day 3

Distance travelled: about 600km

photo (c) Che Overmeyer

 

Canon Road House. What a magnificent place! The grounds are littered with vintage cars (which, if in working condition would be the stuff of my dreams) with plants of all descriptions growing in and around them.

The bar / restaurant is also finely decorated with incredible vintage cars, a vintage ambulance, and a vintage fire-engine (not pictured here)

The bar has number plates from all over - except Botswana, and for some reason Ashley wasn’t that keen for us to steal theirs off their car?

This was to be a momentous occasion for the Bundu Bashers – our first night camping! I am very proud of our effort that night – for 2 girls who don’t camp (Marissa is an old-hand) we did superbly. I cannot recommend a roof-top tent enough for those like me who are not so keen on camping (even if I did almost lose a finger and half a litre of blood to the ladder the first time – LESSON LEARNT!).

 

We treated ourselves to a restaurant meal and explored the amazing relics.

Every so often a huge siren would go off somewhere, and I thought it might be their unique way of telling the kitchen staff that food is ready.

We later were enlightened to the actual origin of those sirens.
 

located in the men's toilet

located in the ladies' toilet

   

Basically if you’re nosey as soon as that box opens the siren goes off in the bar, so when you come out of the loo everyone knows what you just did!
 

I retreated to bed early (all that excitement of overtaking the Landie!) while Zo and Marissa bonded with their sippy bottles and some of the other teams into the early hours.

 

We were up early after a freezing night, packed up (again, excellent job ladies) and headed off with SlowZu, dressed like snowmen to see the incredible Fish River Canyon.

photo (c) Che Overmyer

 

Words really cannot describe the Canyon sufficiently. It is HUGE – as in so big that it makes you feel more than a little insignificant. We learnt how long an echo can carry for – thanks to Brendan’s impressive lung capacity. If you ever get the chance, go see it! It will blow you away.

 

On our way out we found HQ and a soggy Bruce – the mad creature had gone for a SWIM! 

We hit the open road with SlowZu, heading for our pit stop for the night – A Little Sossus Lodge. The road was magnificent! At a point I decided we needed fuel (the level was at a panic-inspiring ¾) and plugged ‘nearest fuel = Engen’ into the GPS. This is where he took us. (I say he because he obviously doesn’t like asking for directions). 

Maybe it was once an Engen? I hope some poor Terrorist isn’t on fumes and heading for this Engen! They will be sorely disappointed.

We pushed ahead of SlowZu after a stop at a real petrol station, driving really slow so that they could catch up.

After a long while, when they still hadn’t caught up I got a bit worried and we pulled over to wait. The following are the result of boredom.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two teams (who I won’t name and shame) drove straight past us without stopping to check if we were ok (we were ok, but that’s not the point) and I was highly disappointed. What happened to ‘never leave a Team behind’?

Luckily SlowZu were just being slow and there weren’t any major troubles.

I really loved that stretch of road – you push up clouds of dust behind you as you glide along the surface. In the far distance you can see clouds of moving dust, and you know there’s someone up ahead. I wish I had a photo to share with you!

photo courtesy of Marissa

 

We did a solid day’s drive and arrived at A Little Sossus Campsite just before dark.

HUGE THANK YOU to NALEDI MOTORS for sponsoring this leg of the trip!

Wind & Joe’s…… NEXT

Yours in adventure,

Rox