TRAILER TROUBLE AND SAFETY ROUTINES

We left our campsite in the bed of the Hoanib River, grateful that neither the flash floods or the aggressive variety of elephant materialised, with plans to follow the river upstream for a few kilometers and then turn south and follow the Mudorib River, with the aim to come out at Palmwag after camping somewhere on route.

After a few kilometers down the track with two false (dead-end) tracks, an increasingly difficult trail to follow and "permit required" warnings on our GPS's, we caucused and turned on our heals back to the Hoanib, with the intention to follow the river up to Sesfontein.

However due to some obscure fear of aggressive elephants again, despite the fact that by now we had shed or eaten most of our oranges, somebody convinced us to leave the river and take a detour north towards the d3707 and then east to Sestfontein.

It would have been an leisurely afternoon of relatively flat driving through still isolated countryside, were it not for the two trailers being towed.

First we lost the bolt holding the leaf spring of the one trailer and then the leaf spring of the other gave up the ghost.

I found the running repairs impressive.  Between all of us (actually all the others except me), they produced just about every spare rod, bolt, spanner or tool that was needed and we had the first trailer on the go again within half an hour plus a few hydrating bears later.

The second breakdown, I can't comment too much about since I was too far ahead and out of radio contact (they will not believe me), and at the Sesfontein Fort Pub by the time they shed their first litre of sweat.  By the time they were again in radio contact, Ross (who joined me) and I were well hydrated and ready to go on.  Since, I wasn't there, I've included the video proof that they did in fact have a breakdown and did manage to repair it.  Impressive!

It was by now late afternoon and we needed to get to the campsite before dark.  We took instructions from Andrew and Natasha, as to where the campsite was and drove ahead with the idea to have the camp set up and the food on the fire by the time the others arrived.

This was the day our on which our carefully planned safety procedures were forgotten, but fortunately did little more harm than giving Alan a few heart palpitations and anxious moments.

Andrew and Natasha's directions were not completely unambiguous and we drove a considerable distance past the planned camp site before returning, with the result that Ross and I arrived after dark, make the camp preparation that much more difficult for us.

We did however pull it off, in time and we were able to return the favour from Opuwo of serving supper as the others arrived.

Over some splendid, chicken, lamb, dessert and 'jacques danielle', Alan amused us with his safety officer failure, resulting in him taking the wrong turnoff and getting hopelessly lost with no campsite coordinates or radio in the dark and preparing himself for a night of hunger and cold.  Fortunately he returned to the main road at precisely the same minute that Arthur and Andrew where passing by and was able to follow them home to a warm supper and warm bed.