7 quick takes from Namibia...

The old steam train on the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe seemed to belong in a fairy tale.

Farm girls

My farmer husband...

1. Hello! Has it really only been two weeks since we left Ruarwe? Has it already been two weeks since we left? The past two weeks have been better and smoother than I had ever dared to dream. The border crossings that could have given us trouble went without any problems. The long busrides that could have driven us crazy were rather easy and we arrived in Namibia in one piece and still happy to be together. We realise that it could have been very different and are very grateful for protection along the way. The pace of travel will be a bit slower the next three weeks but the jourmey isn't over yet. We have two more weeks in Namibia and one week in Cape Town to look forward too but before we get there I wrote some quick takes to capture the memories of the past week. (My excuses in advance if it is a bit much of 'first we did this and then we did this'. I want to remember these things and that's my main reason for blogging. I hope the abundance of pictures makes up for it.)
2. 'Take an umbrella because you will get wet.' And 'don't take an umbrella, it won't help because you'll get wet anyway.' People gave us great and very contradicting advice on visiting the Victoria Falls but they were all right on one point; we did get wet! But a few wet clothes were totally worth the stunning views we got. The beauty and magnificence of the Victoria Falls blew me away and I could not stop smiling and exclaiming how beautiful it was. We went to the park really early, just after sunrise, and we were among the first visitors which was great because it felt like we had the morning sun and the amazing effect it had on the spray all to ourselves. Right now we are at the end of rain season which means that the falls were in full flow, producing lots of spray that, in the morning sun, resulted in the most beautiful rainbows. (Making it the perfect outing for Sophie the rainbow-lover). The spray also made us feel like we walked through a rain shower with rain coming from every direction but that in itself was worth the experience. After a while, Doris got quite overwhelmed (how do you prepare a three year old for something as big as those falls?) and we found a quiet picnic spot at the top of the falls where the wide Zambezi river flows calmy between it's banks. From there it was maybe 100 meters to the falls but besides the large cloud of spray and a massive rainbow, you would not think that just 100 meters further the water cascades down a rock face with such force. If I were to write a book on the best picnic spots in the world, that one would be in it.
3. A few times a year, when the water is high, when it's full moon and when the sky is cloudless, lucky people get to see the lunar rainbow at the Victoria falls. It's a very special, very beautiful sight when the light of the moon paints a rainbow in the spray of the falls. Our visit to the falls happened to coinside with at least two of the conditions; it was full moon and the water was high and I knew that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see it. In the morning the sky was cloudless and when Marci, our friend who is traveling with us, offered to look after the girls, it seemed like we had all the ingredients for a rather special date night (and not just because it would be the first one in a year). I went to the shop, found some really nice desserts to take along (discounted, because I'm still Dutch 😉) and we were good to go. But then the wind picked up and clouds came in. Before long it even started to rain! Maybe it had all been a little too perfect. With a clouded sky, there would be no rainbow and going to the park again to stare at the falls in the dark would just be a waste of money. We tried to not be too dissapoined and thought of other things we could do ( not much as everything in Livingstone is centered around the falls). But we did not need to come up with a plan b because an hour later, it started to clear up. It wasn't totally clear yet but clouds were disappearing fast. We looked at each other, made a quick decision, packed our bag and got into the first taxi we could find. It was the best decision. The clouds made place for the most glorious sunset and beautiful moonrise. We enjoyed our discounted desserts in the last rays of sunlight and waited for the darkness to come. I could not believe my eyes when the rainbow slowly appeared as the night sky got darker and darker. What a special date; what a beautiful wink from God. The rainbow was a sign for Noah that God is faithful and that He would go with him. But this rainbow was a special sign for us. God is faithful and knows exactly what we need.
4. 'Would you rather only see people or dogs for the rest of your life?' Two little girls are sitting in their chairs on a bus. The chairs seem rather large for their small bodies but the girls don't seem to care. The brunette asked the question, the blonde thinks, then speaks. 'Normally I would say dogs but now I'll say people because otherwise we will never see Opa and Oma and we are so close to them now.' Now the blonde one asks 'Would you rather wear a green dress or a purple pants.' The brunette sighs; this is hard. Green is ugly but dresses are better than pants. She opts for the dress. Sophie and Doris make me proud and melt my heart at the same time. I had prepared a few activities for on the way but we hardly needed them as they came up with their own games. They could sit next to each other and just chat, giggle and whisper and suddenly they seemed so big and independent. They would sleep for hours too. I had been a bit nervous about our 22 hour overnight busride from the Vic Falls to Namibia but both of them slept 11 hours straight, that's almost better than what they do at home. These two girls can travel and it makes me dream about more trips like this. Who knows!
5. What a joy it was to, after that long ride, walk out of the bus straight into the arms of my parents whom we had not seen for more than a year. It's always funny to me to see how that time without each other just seems to have never happened once you are together again. It was amazing to just sit and chat, to go on a walk around their neighbourhood together, to watch them play with the girls and to see where they live and work.
6. The weekend was spend on my in law's farm. It's a quiet piece of lands with cows, sand, wide horizons and high skies. The girls played with sand and water all weekend and I think they make themselves extra dirty because they love bathing themselves in the big old bath tub that Hartmut used to bath in when he was little. We all enjoy tasty food, good meat from the braai (after a year of being forced vegetarians), cold drinks from the fridge and nice evenings around the fire. We ride the quad bike, cook and bake in a real kitchen, feed the geese, snack on chocolate and apple cake and take afternoon naps to escape the heat. It got even better when Hartmut's uncle arrived. We got married on their farm in the Kalahari desert and (not just because of that) they will always be very dear to us. By the way, aunt Helga is the reason this blog is late. She facilitates a high intensity interval training class and I had the privilege to have a special private class this morning. It was great but I am afraid that I won't be able to move tomorrow...
7. It's ok if I can't walk tomorrow though; we will spend most of the day in the car to drive to Swakopmund on the coast. We go there to see Hartmut's grandmother and we are very excited that my parents will join us there. We will spend a few days in 'Swakop' and then drive with them to Spitzkoppe for a few nights of desert camping (google it and you'll know why I am excited about it.) After that we drive, with my parents, back to Okahandja where they live. So much to look forward to!

Ps: a lot of people have asked if our home is Malawi is fine after cyclone Idai that hit the country just as we left it. We are fortunate that we live in the North where it may have rained a little extra but that's all. However, many many people were not so fortunate and the scale of this heartbreaking disaster is not even known yet. The death tol is still rising, many people are left homeless and food will be scarce and expensive in the coming season. Follow this link if you want to help the disaster relief. https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2019-cyclone-idai-facts