Distance: 100.3 km
Ride time: 5:41:39
Average: 17.6 km/h
Max speed: 30.2 km/h
Total: 45234 km
I’m back on tarmac after what feels like a long time on dirt. Wow, much easier to ride 100 km on this kind of road! On the other hand, road safety is not the best since there really isn’t much of a shoulder to ride on. You can’t have it all…
In the morning I had been riding along the Kalahari desert which stretches far into Botswana. But then, as the day progressed the landscape turned more and more green. In the end it was almost tropical. What a change from only a few days ago.
I liked watching this group of young boys working a group of cattle. Made me miss my own time as a cowboy in the Australian outback.
At the hottest time of the day I was taking a break at one of the rest areas. A Namibian family stopped by and soon I was treated with a cold drink and fruit. I have seen more landscapes than I have been meeting people lately, but the few Namibians I have met have all been super friendly.
Then I crossed the Tropic of Capricorn for the 3rd time by bike. The first time going south was near Alice Springs in Australia. Then again north of Salta in Argentina and now finally in Namibia. Next stop equator!
In Rehoboth I found Aleens B&B for the night. Aleen turned out to be an interesting woman, having travelled a fair bit herself after loosing her husband a number of years ago. As I was unpacking my stuff Aleen came to my room and said “I know you must be tired from cycling all day, but do you want to come for a look around town. I will drive?
“. Yes sure, and what an interesting drive it was.
We went through the poor black area known as Block E. Since I have been on the country side since leaving Cape Town I haven’t had a chance to get into a township so far. Interesting experience. I had brought my camera as I always do, but unfortunately I had forgot that I had taken the SD-card out back in my room. Oh well, there will be another chance.
The drive ended at a beautiful dam, enjoying he sunset while having a drink in a restaurant. I’m not sure if all guests at Aleen’s B&B are taken on a tour like this, but what a nice way to end the day!
Tomorrow I should reach Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia!
Not much of a shoulder to ride on – that’s for sure! But, on the other hand, at least the roads look straight enough for drivers to be able to act accordingly. 🙂