Well, I wish I could say that our
electrical system was as well made as that wardrobe. A cable
linking the Unipower system to the alternator came into contact
with a very hot part of the engine and burnt through; as Alan
opened the storage box where our batteries are kept, smoke began
to billow, a hissing and cackling sound could be heard and soon we
were left in the dark, with no power at all, in a place where
there is no lighting, the sun was setting rapidly and fried wiring
seemed on the menu for dinner!
Alan set to working on keeping the
freezer and fridge going and ensuring that we could start the
engine in the morning, all the while making sure that the
entire vehicle didn't go up in flames. Me, I set to making a
fire and cooking dinner - and keeping as calm as possible (with a
little help from a glass of sherry)!
Of course, our plans for proceeding to Sesriem
and the dunes of Sossusvlei was out of the question, and we chose
to head north to Windhoek as we figured that was the closest place
that could assist us. Although concerned about our
situation, we thoroughly enjoyed our drive as Steenbok, Springbok,
ostriches, vultures and a wide variety of other birds kept us
entertained.
We spent a relaxing night in
Windhoek before setting off to find the Mercedes agent in
town. A number of systems had been affected and two new
BatteryMate units had to be couriered to us from South
Africa. Our sincere thanks to DHL and, in particular, Brenda
Barrable, for their outstanding, friendly and efficient
service. All went well and the problem was well on the way
to being fixed when the telephone rang; one of the people integral
to our being able to be away had been rushed into hospital -
condition unknown!
Well, we then spent the next four
days in a state of "suspended animation", judging the
situation each morning and each evening before making a decision
regarding where to stay, when to leave etc. Our vehicle was
still giving strange readings off the batteries and we realised
that "rushing" back in the vehicle actually equated to a
five day drive, by which time the problem could well be
over. We even spent time in a travel agent considering
flying back to Johannesburg; the storage and safety of the
vehicle, and the monitoring of the power situation, presented
another set of problems though. We made plans, discarded them,
made new plans, changed those and replaced them with others!
And so we spent a week in Windhoek,
wandering from plaza to plaza and mall to mall, eating wonderful
German food in the KaiserKrone, just waiting for the phone to ring
or for "something" to happen. We decided to return
to Johannesburg on the Thursday morning, travelling on the
Trans-Kalahari highway through Botswana to Johannesburg (hopefully
only a four day trip!) BUT, when we woke up and were ready
to leave, the batteries were dead and we couldn't start the
vehicle!! And so, off to Diesel Electric we went, where we
discovered that both batteries were beyond help and needing
replacing. Our plans for an early start home had to be
revised - again! Just then, the phone rang and we got the message
that the person in hospital was fine, back home and all had
returned to "normal" - this meant there was no reason to go back
home!
And so, all our well laid plans lay
in ruins yet again. After numerous telephone calls we are
reassured that there is absolutely no need for us to return to
Johannesburg and that we can carry on with our adventure.
But, a little shy of making plans by this time, we enjoyed another wonderful lunch
before agreeing to leave
Windhoek on Saturday. Hey! This time is actually
happened the way it was planned and leave we did!!! Hooray!
We headed north to Gross Barmen Hot Springs
where we enjoyed two stress-free and problem-free days. The
power problems seem to all be sorted out and the system is working
better than ever. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed
anyway!
We then journeyed west again to the
coastal town of Swakopmund, Namibia's premier holiday
destination. German is still widely spoken in this charming
town of well-preserved German colonial buildings. More in
our next update......
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Interesting people we
met along the way:
Milan and Leigh opted out of the Jo'burg ratrace two
years ago; they live in a beautifully renovated bus in the Arebusch
Travel Lodge campsite, with their four dogs.
Paul and Renate have been travelling on and off for about
two years, having left Holland and travelled through much of West
Africa before shipping their vehicle from Ghana to Tanzania and
heading south-west to Namibia.
Klaus and Christine are a German couple who have sailed every
ocean and sea, have endured many storms and disasters, including
being almost sunk and having to make landfall in Eritrea, just two
months before major civil war broke out. They now live in
Simonstown, South Africa.
Highlights of the
week: (a new section at the request of dear Essie)
Best meal: All three of our meals at The Gourmet Restaurant,
KaiserKrone, Windhoek.
Best campsite: Arebusch Travel Lodge, Windhoek
Worst moment: Actually there were three: one when we heard
about our friend in hospital, the thought we would have to come home
and when smoke began to billow and the lights went out thanks to the
fried wiring!
Best moment: When we left Windhoek and were back on the road!
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