Charley Boorman in Africa, day 4

Posted on 20 August 2010

New horizons

Long stretches of N7 lay ahead as we left Springbok this morning, and similarly long stretches behind. Some say you can see tomorrow coming and yesterday leaving in your rear view mirror, the roads are that straight. Volcanic scenery greeted us under cloudless skies with burnt umber the nature’s colour of choice. It’s a tortured landscape formed over the millennia in an anvil of heat and we were riding into the furnace.

Border crossings can sometimes be a difficult affair and I was braced for the usual delays, queries and hiccups. But there weren’t any, not one. Efficiency was the maxim as 25 bikes and two support vehicles went through without a hitch. Lulled into a contemplative mood I trundled into Namibia in pole position when out of the blue a frenzy of noise and a bike on one wheel roared up alongside. Charley doing what he does so well – a huge wheelie over the border! Skills he certainly has, but just a tad further away next time Charley, I didn’t scotch guard my riding trousers!

It was a short day today, made slightly longer by gaining an hour when entering Namibia. We’re staying next to the Orange River tonight, a liquid border between South Africa and Namibia. Its sluggish movement belies its 2200km journey from Lesotho that ends shortly in the Atlantic Ocean. As the river burbles below in the moonlight, spirits and enthusiasm are high. I’m aware that the journey proper starts tomorrow, at dawn.






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