What a trip!
Had to go to Windhoek last week for some business and my treatments again, nothing serious this time though, just the routine stuff. The world is bright green, and having a pitstop (pissstop?) was like getting lost in a jungle - so lush and green! The elephant was spotted while busy on "stop", wandering into sight just a few hundred meters up the road, about halfway in the Bwabwata National Park.
They started making the bridge over the Okavango at Divundu stronger and broader, I noted when arriving there. The bridge was built in the early 1970's and replaced the ferry that was normally used to cross. With the amount of traffic - especially trucks coming over the "new" bridge between Zambia and Namibia at Sesheke, an upgrade is required urgently to accommodate the heavy trucks.
From just after Divundu, it was rain, rain and more rain. I had to stop in Grootfontein for some business, and took a photo of this old Marchall, which gave new meaning to the name STEAMROLLER. Brother has such a keen interest in anything "steamy", and the enthusiasm is quite infectious... I am bitten as well, but more by the nostalgia than the working parts as with him. Driving to Windhoek from Grootfontein was rain and rain again...
I was quite cross-eyed from concentration when I finally reached my other home - my brother's house. As usual he greeted me warmly, gave me a drink, and showed me what little engine he built since I was there last. He use old computer and printer parts to create the most wonderful small parts, gears, pistons etc on his lathe to build these little engines with - and make tools on the lathe as well to be able to create the little parts! This time it was the "Flame Eater" - it sucks in flames to make the little engine run. When I finally find out how to compress video enough for a blog, I will post a clip! Well, My Goodness Me! What an extraordinary little creation! Congrats on him winning Project of the Month as well in the Home Model Engineering World!
Just sat down for a chat the evening when Obelix's Alarm went off, something very rare. Happened once in the night as well, so I just left it off. Had a nasty surprise the next morning though... While driving in a luckily half empty 4 lane street, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw this HUGE spider on the headrest by my head... Pulled to a screeching halt in the lane next to the side walk, jumped out! No way! A man came and pulled behind me, asked what was wrong, took one look, screamed like a grade 2 girl and was in his car and away before I could even say Baboon Spider! Then came a woman and her son, about 12. He immediately took the spider and asked her to keep it as a pet! Which Brother also said later - if he knew, he would just love it for his garage!
Rain fell very heavy that evening, sliding Obelix and me to the Club, where I had a good few laughs, good business dealings (a friend used to say the best deals comes from a pub!) and a drink or two...or three... but not quantity enough and fast enough to get me in trouble. Windhoek boasts some very active traffic officers....
All went well, except for the dentist, who had a bit too much! Rain that is.... He had some flooding and give me a raincheck (haha) on my drillings and more time to walk about. Sister and I spent time in the Crazy Store in Maerua Mall - playing Star Wars Swords with foamolite bats - untill we saw we are next to the Glassware! I then aquired my new budgie babies, Sysie and Kriek (Blue waxbill and Cricket - from the sounds they make!). Had been looking for babies for a while now...
Coming back to the Caprivi I had the 2 baby Budgies and 2 little Hyenas in the car - 2 X 8 week old doggie pupps looking just like hyenas - the colouring, longish hair on the back.... Quite well trained already, and no problem with carsickness this time! Extreme heavy rain with strong winds fell just south of Rundu, making my trip very slow. Crossed very full Okavango and Kwando Rivers and was quite shocked to see the whole guard post at the Kongola gate was collapsed! When I gave the pupps off, I was told an armored security vehicle drove into the little post at full speed, and alcoholic containers flew over the whole area...
Condolences to the family of the policeman who lost his life in this very unnecessary happening .
Found a whole heard of elephant about 40 km east of Kongola, a rare sight, telling that the Kwando will rise a whole bunch still. And as they say, most accidents happen 40km from home... I nearly had a big one. It was just past dusk, and this truck with 8 mounted spotlights came charging toward me, not dimming, and blinding me quite bad. I slowed to about 70 and kept my eyes on the edge of the road on my side - and when I glanced up, found the truck is in MY lane! Swerved to the left, off the road, narrowly missed the truck, which just roared on, missed a tree due to the extreme muddiness of the roadside, pulled on the tar again just to go off the other side, quick turn to the road and I was on my way home again, to reach it still trembling but in one piece.
Well, back at work, very ugly reports about the flooding possibilities coming in, and a lot of frustrating meetings this week... Eish!
Had to go to Windhoek last week for some business and my treatments again, nothing serious this time though, just the routine stuff. The world is bright green, and having a pitstop (pissstop?) was like getting lost in a jungle - so lush and green! The elephant was spotted while busy on "stop", wandering into sight just a few hundred meters up the road, about halfway in the Bwabwata National Park.
They started making the bridge over the Okavango at Divundu stronger and broader, I noted when arriving there. The bridge was built in the early 1970's and replaced the ferry that was normally used to cross. With the amount of traffic - especially trucks coming over the "new" bridge between Zambia and Namibia at Sesheke, an upgrade is required urgently to accommodate the heavy trucks.
From just after Divundu, it was rain, rain and more rain. I had to stop in Grootfontein for some business, and took a photo of this old Marchall, which gave new meaning to the name STEAMROLLER. Brother has such a keen interest in anything "steamy", and the enthusiasm is quite infectious... I am bitten as well, but more by the nostalgia than the working parts as with him. Driving to Windhoek from Grootfontein was rain and rain again...
I was quite cross-eyed from concentration when I finally reached my other home - my brother's house. As usual he greeted me warmly, gave me a drink, and showed me what little engine he built since I was there last. He use old computer and printer parts to create the most wonderful small parts, gears, pistons etc on his lathe to build these little engines with - and make tools on the lathe as well to be able to create the little parts! This time it was the "Flame Eater" - it sucks in flames to make the little engine run. When I finally find out how to compress video enough for a blog, I will post a clip! Well, My Goodness Me! What an extraordinary little creation! Congrats on him winning Project of the Month as well in the Home Model Engineering World!
Just sat down for a chat the evening when Obelix's Alarm went off, something very rare. Happened once in the night as well, so I just left it off. Had a nasty surprise the next morning though... While driving in a luckily half empty 4 lane street, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw this HUGE spider on the headrest by my head... Pulled to a screeching halt in the lane next to the side walk, jumped out! No way! A man came and pulled behind me, asked what was wrong, took one look, screamed like a grade 2 girl and was in his car and away before I could even say Baboon Spider! Then came a woman and her son, about 12. He immediately took the spider and asked her to keep it as a pet! Which Brother also said later - if he knew, he would just love it for his garage!Rain fell very heavy that evening, sliding Obelix and me to the Club, where I had a good few laughs, good business dealings (a friend used to say the best deals comes from a pub!) and a drink or two...or three... but not quantity enough and fast enough to get me in trouble. Windhoek boasts some very active traffic officers....
All went well, except for the dentist, who had a bit too much! Rain that is.... He had some flooding and give me a raincheck (haha) on my drillings and more time to walk about. Sister and I spent time in the Crazy Store in Maerua Mall - playing Star Wars Swords with foamolite bats - untill we saw we are next to the Glassware! I then aquired my new budgie babies, Sysie and Kriek (Blue waxbill and Cricket - from the sounds they make!). Had been looking for babies for a while now...
Coming back to the Caprivi I had the 2 baby Budgies and 2 little Hyenas in the car - 2 X 8 week old doggie pupps looking just like hyenas - the colouring, longish hair on the back.... Quite well trained already, and no problem with carsickness this time! Extreme heavy rain with strong winds fell just south of Rundu, making my trip very slow. Crossed very full Okavango and Kwando Rivers and was quite shocked to see the whole guard post at the Kongola gate was collapsed! When I gave the pupps off, I was told an armored security vehicle drove into the little post at full speed, and alcoholic containers flew over the whole area... Condolences to the family of the policeman who lost his life in this very unnecessary happening .
Found a whole heard of elephant about 40 km east of Kongola, a rare sight, telling that the Kwando will rise a whole bunch still. And as they say, most accidents happen 40km from home... I nearly had a big one. It was just past dusk, and this truck with 8 mounted spotlights came charging toward me, not dimming, and blinding me quite bad. I slowed to about 70 and kept my eyes on the edge of the road on my side - and when I glanced up, found the truck is in MY lane! Swerved to the left, off the road, narrowly missed the truck, which just roared on, missed a tree due to the extreme muddiness of the roadside, pulled on the tar again just to go off the other side, quick turn to the road and I was on my way home again, to reach it still trembling but in one piece. Well, back at work, very ugly reports about the flooding possibilities coming in, and a lot of frustrating meetings this week... Eish!
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