Head over Heels 2014

We, Emma and I, have been frantically busy getting to this point. 18 months of preparation, planning, training. For Woocash, 3 months of working every night on the car.

We’re almost there. We’re almost at the 31st August. We said we’d start in August and we like to do what we said.

27th August: Mike and Emma are exhausted from their flight. To make sure that their luggage was under the restricted weight limit, Emma wore all her clothes (leggings and trousers) and transported a small baby’s worth of CLIF bars in her pockets.

As soon as Emma and Mike arrive, I whisk them off to the best Sushi Restaurant ever. It hasn’t even opened yet. We’re allowed in as its run by our lovely new friends Barbara and Keletso Nyathi. Either its very cheap or they give us a whopping discount for such delicious food.

The first night we are all together, we sleep 4 of us in the 2 man roof tent. Top to toe like sardines. Surprisingly, comfortable and warm. But no wriggle space. And the wind catches the tent and makes it flap all night.

28th August: we have our first TV interview with One Africa TV and a radio interview at Radiowave.

Turns out loads of people listen to radiowave we go on to meet people all across Namibia who have heard about us.

We, also, drop off Cleo to have her extra fuel tank fitted. But when we go to collect her and pay, at the end of the day, their card machine isn’t working. The owner insists on a passport as a guarantee. I can’t leave mine as I need it to get that amount of money out the bank, so we have to leave Emma’s.

Then its off for the best First Aid Training I have ever had, at Maerua Medical Centre. We learn how to put a drip in anyone who starts to dehydrate. Emma insists its not going to be her.

28th August is a 5.30am start. Emma’s passport has been stamped well short of 90 days. For no known reason 30 days is all she has, which puts a lot of pressure on her to run fast! If we can, we want to get that sorted.

7.30am we pick up Emma’s passport from the 4 x 4 centre and leave Mike’s in its place.

8am we’re at the Namibian home office to resolve the visa issue. They say it will take until next week and cost about 580 Namibian dollars. We decide to find another solution.

8.30am I’m at the bank asking for a bank transfer but there is no agreement between the UK and Namibia bank and so its impossible. Luckily, someone advises me to keep putting my card in the ATM until I have all the money. There’s a maximum you can withdraw at any one time but not a maximum to how many times you can do this.

9am Hand over the money to Mike and Woocash to pay for the car.

9.30am Meeting at the British High Commission, who sets us up with a meeting with the Mayor of Henties Baai. Emma writes a press release whilst I chat to the Mayor’s office. She’s skilled like that.

Then rest of the day is running about getting kit for the car and trying to find an internet cafe. It seems everyone has a smart phone except us and no-one needs an internet cafe. Robert, from the SEED Project, flies in from Harare, and Gunther picks him up from the airport for us again as we run out of time.

Its a late night again.

30th August
We have last minute items to get before we head for the coast and a water container to return that’s leaking already. We finally set off and 6 hours later we meet the Mayor of Henties Baai, who turns out to be lovely. She wants to have us round for breakfast before we start but there’s no time. (Henties Baai, looks gorgeous to me, I like it a lot)

31st August

We’re HERE! We’re at the coast and Emma’s about to start!!