Ride Round The World

Driving in Namibia from Alistair Todd on Vimeo.

Well screw the Namibian pigs who stole my drone, I’m more interested in the less common forms of Namibian wildlife.

I’m so glad I managed to get a place in one of the in-park campsites. If you’re not staying in the park, you have to be out by sunset. When I booked, spaces were rare, and at the speed things happen in Africa it was a last minute bonus that arrived months after I’d sent the request.

It meant that I could take the 5 minute walk down to the waterhole next to camp, and as the sun went down over the very African scenery (use your imagination – I’m too full of eland and oryx to be able to conjure colourful imagery), I watched the rhinos have a drink, and in the case of daddy rhino, have a good scratch against a dead tree trunk.

Daddy rhino was later joined by mummy rhino and baby rhino. First, they all rushed together to greet each other with rubbing snouts, but as mummy rhino fed baby rhino, daddy rhino buggered off to the other side of the water hole for some more scratching.

And I now sit here eating some of Africa’s easier to catch species, followed by ice cream in 30 degree heat, and with almost usable Internet for once (nope, spoke too soon…) No damn copper can spoil that sort of a day!

Today may have started on a low but it’s improved throughout and ended on a real high, assisted by the delicious Amarula from last night’s lodge, and tomorrow, if all goes to plan, I’ll be in a really swish lodge. Aces!

Giraffe, elephant, zebra, buffalo, ostrich, and countless antelope type things. Not bad for a first day self-drive safari attempt.

Missing the big cats. Tomorrow’s plan has me moving to an extravagantly luxurious lodge in a private game reserve where I’ll take the safari drive and hopefully the guide will find us some lions. The guides all have radios and tell each other where things are, whereas I could only drive around.

Not an entirely hitch free day. At the entrance to the park, the aggressive and obnoxious Namibian policeman spotted a gopro on the passenger seat and immediately started demanding to know if I had a drone, then made me open the truck.

They’ve obviously had issues with drones here, because mine is now in the possession of the Namibian police…

Carefully written into a ledger and I will “get it back when I leave”.

I came in at the western gate but I’ll be leaving by the eastern gate. Copper said he would send it through and I can collect at that end. If he doesn’t, then I have a very long reverse route outside the park that will cost me half a day of driving. And of course here’s always the chance it will somehow “get lost”.

We will see. I’m not going to let it spoil my time in the park, where I probably wouldn’t have tried to fly anyway, seeing as how you’re meant to stay inside your vehicle and all, but if I don’t get it back it might be hard not to be very annoyed…

If it’s not at the eastern gate by Sunday morning I’ll have to spend the day hunting it down. Watch this space!