Part II civilization

The rest of the day was seven hours in the car, all desert- absolutely nothing around. Apparently there are 1.8 million inhabitants in this country and much of it is desert, so not much action. We see a few cars every 100 km or so. I was pretty excited to cross the Tropic of Capricorn, though, although according to Casper’s GPS it is actually 3.7 miles past where the sign is. But that’s OK- we took pictures anyway. Then we arrived in this beach town. It is the first town in Africa I have seen where there is no razor wire all over the place, no bars on the windows, few gates. It feels nice.

And you should see the supermarket- all the fresh veggies you can imagine!!! So exciting. I felt like I was in Disney land when I was wandering around the Pick-n-Pay. Oh, the simple things in life.

Last night we talked to the Dutch and they want to keep us on! I am pretty excited about that- traveling with them is easy and pretty fun. So far we have done OK. Casper can be quick tempered but luckily when they fight it is in Dutch & Daniel & I have no idea what it is about. And he usually cools down quickly so I try not to mind too much. Sylvia is very sweet and we have been getting along well. Daniel is a computer guy & Casper is an engineer so they geek out together on the GPS and all of the other fancy things Casper has. He is usually happy when he is with his computer.

So far Daniel and I have been getting along well- pretty amazing to not know someone and then suddenly spend almost 24/7 with them. But he is very positive and easy going, except when he wants to do things his way cause don’t you know MY way is always right!! But I am working on not being such a control freak and letting him do that. He has been traveling overland through Africa for over a year, he started in Cairo and made his way to Cape Town so he knows a lot. And he grew up in Beijing and I have been racking his brain on China. He is a mellow guy and I never feel any pressure from him, no expecations, just a nice friend. I got that vibe from him right away when I met him, and I guess that’s why I felt OK with traveling with him, sharing a tent and all of that- no strings attached.

We will be here for a few days, I will be enjoying easy internet access and toast in the mornings , as well as some time away from my dear traveling companions. I think I may splurge and try sandboarding, there are lots of dunes here but it is expensive & I have to buy a new pair of sunglasses so we’ll see.

Oh, and my tooth- remember I had an ache? Well I went to see the dentist in Cape Town, a friend of a friend, and he said it is just that my gum got pushed up, leaving the sensitive part exposed. He painted some stuff on it and told me to get some special stuff for it which will help. He took an Xray just in case and all was fine. And he only charged me $15 or something for the Xray. Nice guy. I am very grateful.

Well that is all for now, a lot, I think but I thought I should catch up cause after these next few days I will probably be out of internet range for a couple or few weeks.

Stay in touch, I love to hear what’s happening at home, even if is seems trivial…

Lots of love ,

H