R WE MAD?: Signing off- Zambia/Namibia, The final leg.(18.11-3.12.2009)

We left Lilongwe with some more weight – all the new mineral specimen – and went to Michinji to cross into Zambia. The immigration officer refused to stamp our passports out as we had overstayed our welcome in Malawi. Although you do not need a visa for Malawi, unbeknown to us we were only granted 7 days by a surly officer on entering the country, instead of the normal 30 days. We were asked to return to Lilongwe but after a lengthy argument were allowed to leave Malawi!

The road to Lusaka is beautiful with Miombo woodlands showing off their best colour schemes for the season.

We spent the night at Eureka camp near Lusaka. When we wanted to fill up with petrol there was none to be had in the southern part of Zambia and we had to abandon our plans to visit Kasanka with its spectacle of 8 million fruit bats congregating during this time of year.

We had no other option than to obtain 50 litres of petrol on the black market at USD2.50/ litre to bring us through in a straight line to Sesheke on the Namibian border.

We enjoyed the cleanliness, beauty and well equipped campsites at Namwi on the Zambezi

Rain clouds gathering on the Zambezi with striking sunsets mirrored in the Zambezi waters

and Mahangu Safari Lodge (6008) in the Caprivi of Namibia.

Here we asked ourselves why we travelled 30,000km , when closer to home travelling and camping is a breeze.

The balance of our Namibian time was spent with family and friends near Otavi and Swakopmund.

We used the opportunity to go on a 4 hour outing on the Walvisbaai lagoon with the Catamaran “Silverwind” to be entertained by pelicans, cormorants, seals and dolphins.

An outstanding seafood lunch concluded this pleasant leisure cruise.

Our magnet of home was calling, so Windhoek kept us barely for two nights and so it was onto the Kalahari Highway. We cruised via Gobabis to Kang., here we enjoyed one last night in the green Kalahari bush to arrive home on the 3^rd December 2009.

Some statistics: 33,989Km travelled,

185 days on the road,

7381 litres of petrol used.