The End of the Road

Greetings from the Johannesburg International Airport. Kathleen will catch her flight back to the states in a few hours, and I'll begin my planning for SE Asia (I fly to Bangkok in a week!!).

It was a bittersweet goodbye in Swakopmund yesterday. Sure, we're happy about what lies ahead (Kathleen has a Feb ski trip and Italy in May - WOW!), but we really enjoyed our time on our big blue truck with the crazy cast of Overlanding characters. There were 29 of us total. 4 Americans, 7 Aussies, 7 Brits, a couple of Germans, a couple of Austrians, a couple of Danes, a Norwegian, some Dutch and our Kenyan driver & cook. So we were quite the Beneton ad. The age range was a lot closer than on my last tour -- no 60-somethings this time around (which led to fewer objections when we'd rock the iPODs on the truck!). The tour leader was a lot different than my first one too. Emma was a 24-year-old Aussie who'd taken the trip as a passenger last Summer and enjoyed it so much she decided to stay on and work as a tour leader. She was very mild mannered and the camping schedule was a lot more relaxed - we loved it. Again, however, Overlanding seemed to be as much about the people as it was about the truck stops. Kathleen & I met some colorful characters and have definitely made some great new friends.

Among our favorites are a British couple named Ed & Gemma. They're about half way through a year-long honeymoon trip around the world. They both quit their jobs to do it. The adventure began with a trip across Canada (East to West), and then they headed all the way down the West Coast of the Americas -- from Alaska to Patagonia! So great! They are continuing on the Overland trip for several more weeks, and will then head to Australia, and then to SE Asia -- maybe even in time to have a quick reunion visit with me before I head back home! Not only are they adventurous, they're also a great time. They're excellent conversationalists, are not afraid to dance on top of a table, and they didn't complain when we sang Bon Jovi off-key at the top of our lungs while sitting behind them on the truck!

There were also two super fun Danish girls, Line and Sanne, who are in the middle of a 5 month trek around Africa. They organized a great goodbye bar-b-que on our last night in Swakopmund, had the funniest dance off we've ever seen one night on the dance floor, and Line can twist up balloon animals like nobody's business (one day we found long balloons and a pump under one of the truck seats - good entertainment for a long drive). Their English is fantastic, and they're great sports -- one hot afternoon we played charrades, and they were acting out clues they'd never even heard of, while I just stood there scratching my head about how on earth to act out "Shreck!"

The Aussie pack was another fun bunch. They all met on the trip, most traveling alone. They were the first ones out and the last to bed every night, and we had great time joining in the fun. Karen was my sky diving partner-in-crime. We never knew what was going to come out of Laura's mouth, like when she seriously talked about giving someone who was choking the "Heineken Maneuver." Sam was the spitting image of Julianne Moore. Dave & Carla were another honeymooning couple, and were just lovely. And Andrew, the most eligible bachelor on the truck, was one of the most sincere and likeable people on the trip.

We also spent time with the Brits. There was a funny couple named Bev & Paul, who like me threw everything in storage and checked out of real life to travel for a while. And a lovely British woman named Laura who was having so much fun she texted her boss via cell and got a 2-week extension so she could stay on the truck longer. And then two super young, spunky British gals, Charile & Jess, who added great energy to every activity.

As for me & Kathleen, we hope we added something fun to the group. A few nights in we were dubbed "Team America" by Dave, the Aussie. He's in the military and liked the odd-ball military movie with marionettes by the same name. I don't think anyone else has even seen the movie, but the moniker stuck, and Team America was there to represent!

We were definitely blessed to have such a fun group to travel through South Africa and Namibia with. We wish them all well as they continue their various journeys and hope our paths cross again soon.

xoxo,
Mere & Kathleen