Ed'sLEttEr6 |^ Caravan & Outdoor Life Magazine July 2019Call of the desert
Y
ou never forget
your first time
travelling Namibia.
My first visit to our
neighbour to the north was
many years ago when I was
still in Grade 7 (or Standard 5
as it was known back then).
The big adventure took
place during the June school
holidays – a great time to
visit Nam, as the desert is
not unbearably hot, but the
weather is still a welcome
escape from the winter in
the Cape.
We were four families
travelling together, each with
two or three children.
As with any travel
adventure, the three-week
long journey left us all with
incredible memories.
Thinking back on that firsttrip to Namibia, I found that
it’s not just the incredible
sights that have stuck with
me all these years. In a big
way, it’s the unique little
activities and experiences
that I remember best.
We camped for the entire
trip, and since we moved
aroundquitea bit,therewasa lotoftentwork.Ourfamily
hada biddometent...a
canvastent.It weigheda ton!
Especiallyfora scrawnylittle
kidnoteveninhighschool.
Forthefirsttwocamps
it wasa sweatystruggletoget our home set up, but
by the end of the holiday,
it took only a few minutes
to go from stopping to full
setup. Each member of the
family knew what to do and
when to do it. I’m sure many
campers can relate.
Another funny little ritual
thatdevelopedoverthecourseofthetripwasthe
playingofourmorning
“themesong”overthetwo-
wayradioseachfamilyhadin
theirvehicle.
Mostdayswewereheading
outofcamp,seeingthesights,etc. With much to do each
day, we usually got up early.
The theme song for getting
everybody in the mood for
adventure and on the road
was nothing other than “I like
to move it” by Real to Real,
which we played on the car’s
tape deck from my Now That’s
WhatI CallMusic 27 album.
Ridiculous?Sure.Terrible
song?Alsotrue.Butforsome
reasonit justhappened.It
makesfora funmemory.
Anduntiltoday,anyone
fromourgrouponthattrip
stillremembersandjokes
aboutthesong.Wealsohave
a goodlaughabout“Yellow
Submarine”bytheBeatles,
butthat’sanotherstoryfor
anothertime.Francois Huysamen
I don't see the desert as barren at all; I see it
as full and ripe. It doesn't need to be flattered
with rain. It certainly needs rain, but it does with
what it has, and creates amazing beauty.- Joy Harjo