The riding from Keetmanshoop to Grünau was epic in ways only Namibia can be - the dusty oranges and mountains seemingly built out of thousands of giant boulders flank the sweeping roads as they climb and fall. We had an interesting night at a guest farm just outside Grünau, where the owners had some unpalatable (to put it lightly) beliefs. It’s hard to imagine that such ignorance and stupidity can still exist. They were perfectly nice to us and I guess we knew idiocy like theirs was a potential hazard of our travels. The absolute opposite was what we found in Grünau at the Country Hotel. Stefan and his wife managed to completely take care of us without us even staying there for a night. Our plan was to drop the bikes at Grünau (they found a happy and welcome home in the garage of the Country Hotel) and then to hitchhike into Fish River Canyon - there are only a few roads in and surely people will pass by and be happy to squeeze in a couple of car-less travellers? Not so much. In the three hours we sat by the side of the dusty road, one entirely uninterested car drove past.
We wandered back to the Country Hotel to ask around and see if we could pay for a lift in. Stefan to the rescue - no fee, no fuss, just a friendly ride to our lodge. Oh wait. Not actually our lodge, we got the wrong one. Cue a call to another incredibly helpful bunch - The Gondwana Collection and after a beer in the sunshine we were whisked to our sleep spot for the night: The Canyon Lodge, set in the rocky terrain with boulder mountains rising around the chalets. A truly epic spot. After climbing a hill to watch the sunset over the park we set down to a few drinks and a delicious dinner. The next morning we were up early to head to the second largest canyon in the world -Fish River Canyon. It was a cold a breezy morning on the back of the open safari vehicle, so we wrapped up in blankets and head out. Fish River Canyon is a sight to behold, a giant ravine running for almost 100 miles. Standing on the edge of the precipice felt like being on the edge of the world.
After whizzing back to the lodge, we decided to give the mini golf course a run. After a cocky start (as ever) Charlie thought he was on for a sure thing. However, he was flummoxed by a couple of holes, and much to Charlie’s distress - Naomi took home the trophy. A proud moment. We were a little concerned about how we were going to make our way back to Grünau as all of the cars seemed to be headed north. Once again, Gondwana to the rescue. They ferried is back to the Country Hotel to be reunited with the bikes for our final day of riding in Namibia. The ride to the border was 140km of scenery summing up the month in Namibia - we had dusty plains and scrubland, mountains and rocky terrain as well as sand dunes and red earth. It was beautiful. And then we crossed the border. Our sixth border, our seventh and final country: South Africa.
The first day to Steinkopf was one of the toughest yet: gale force cross/headwinds made the riding brutal and unnerving as the wind felt like it might whip the ground from under you at any point. It took over 5 hours to do a tiresome and frustrating 70km. The hills didn’t help matters. Oh, and neither did Charlie’s bent rear disc rotor. We discovered the issue whilst doing a routine clean up and tried to fix it ourselves (thanks for the know-how Cytech!) but needed special equipment. The next day we only managed 50km in the same conditions. It was the first time since we started almost 4 months ago that we have hit less than our predicted riding. The wind just saps all mental and physical energy right out of us.
Thankfully, we found a little oasis in Springbok at Annie’s Cottages. After having Charlie’s bike all fixed up we made ourselves at home (Naomi had a hot bath to combat the wind chills!) in the quirky and comfortable room. After a hearty breakfast at Annie’s Cottages we set out with our fingers crossed for better weather. Our prayers to the cycling gods were answered and the wind was finally at our backs. The mountain passes were peddled through were tough, but the good kind of tough. The kind of cycling that we’ve craved for days - we don’t want an easy ride, just not an energy sapping/frustrating/screaming at the gales ride. And our climbing today was rewarded with some great descents (even if some were a little sketchy with the sneaky cross winds around the bends). And now we are back on track to finish in Cape Town on Sunday.
A lot of people have asked if we are ok after the last few blog posts detailing the tough riding we’ve had to overcome. And this one doesn’t read too differently - horrendous winds and days pushing us to the edge, to wanting to throw in the towel. But that’s what it’s all about: we didn’t embark on this adventure expecting or even wanting it to be a walk (or I guess ride) in the park. We’ve had to push ourselves mentally and physically, we’ve had to cheerlead one another and give pep talks by the side of the road. It’s been really really hard. But that’s why it’s such a big adventure. Even now, whilst still on the journey, it’s all worth it. The things we’ve seen and done, and the pride in pushing our limits - it’s totally worth it. So when you read how tough it’s been, don’t worry. We’ve got this. 4 days to go. •••
