Dinsdag 4 Desember

Beginpunt: Rundu

Eindpunt: Katima Mulilo

Afstand: 548 km

 

Dit gaan nog steeds goed met my.

 

Binne die eerste 100km van Rundu het ek reeds besluit om my voorafbeplande tydskedule in die Okavango te gooi.

 

Ek het van die teer afgedraai en tot teen die Okavangorivier gery. Van daar op die grondpad al met die rivier langs.

 

Dit was die moeite werd. Langs die kristalhelder water van die Okavango het ek op die man afgekom wat met sy pyl en boog probeer vis jag het. Ek het hom vir 'n ruk gesit en dophou, en ek was saam met hom oor sy sukses bly toe hy 'n vet kurper geskiet het.

 

Witkeelbyevreters het in die riete voor my kom sit. Links van my het kinders in die water gespeel. Wat van die krokodille.

 

Toe kom Katura Engelbertha daar verby. Sy is ma van 4 kinders. Sy en die ander vroue is op pad na 'n tradisionele dans wat hulle vir die ou mense doen. Net daar trek sy vir my haar dansklere aan. Dit is lae op lae wit en swart krale wat sy dra. Op haar kop kom 'n hooftooisel wat my baie aan die Himbas herinner.

 

Toe ek verder moes ry, gee sy vir my een van haar armbande wat sy om die bo-arm dra, persent.

 

Net nadat ek oor die Okavangorivier was, is ek deur die polisie gestop. Padblokkade. 'n Polisieman wat mank loop, stap tweekeer om my fiets. Wie, van waar, waarheen? Toe ek vir hom sê ek wil Kasane toe, kyk hy my aan of ek mal is.

 

"Alone? It is stupid to drive that road alone. Stupid."

 

Hy het my deur die blokkade gewink. Toe verstaan ek wat hy bedoel. 200km lê voor my deur die Caprivi Game Park. Geen dorp, net bos. Elke tien kilometer is 'n waarskuwing teen olifante.

 

Ek het baie bos gesien maar geen olifante nie. Miskien more.

 

By Kongola het ek vir my 'n blik Pepsi gekoop en 'n blik met sousboontjies  en Weense worsies. Middagete met 'n plastiese vurk.

 

Toe trek die hemel oop en dit reën. Na die hitte van die woestyngedeeltes is ek nou in die subtropiese Caprivi. In die oggend bitterwarm, in die middag kom die reën.

 

Toe ek Katima Mulilo inry, sous dit. Die bos in die dorp is welig saggroen. Die dorp waar die tien dienspligtiges tydens die vuurpylaanval baie jare terug gesterf het.

 

Vanaand slap ek in die ou offisiersmenasie van die SA Lugmag tydens die bosoorlog.

 

As die mure net kon praat wat se menslike stories sou mens hoor?

 

Dis 'n storie vir anderdag.

 

 

Life still treats me well.

 

Within the first 100 km from Rundu I decided not to stick to my time schedule any more. I was losing too much by sitting on the bike most of the day.

 

I turned off the Trans Caprivi Highway and rode a dirt track down to the river. From there I follwed the river for quite a while.

 

Life compensated me. Next to the crystal clear water of the river I could watch a guy, sitting with his arrow and bow in the reeds, waiting to shoot fish. With him I was glad when he held a fat bream later in the air.

 

Whitebreasted bee-eaters sat in the reeds in front of me just to fly up in the air, darting to catch some flying insects. To my left children played in the water. What about the crocodiles?

 

Then Katura Engelbertha entered the scene. She is mother of four children. With the other women of the village they were on their way for traditional dances performed for the elderly. To show me her dancing clothes she started dressing herself with layers of beads. On her head she put some kind of crown made of … hardened cow dung? I don't know but it reminded me of the Himbas.

 

When I had to leave she gave me one of her arm rings as a gift.

 

After crossing the Okavango river I was stopped by police at a road block. An elderly policeman walked around my bike twice, limping as he walked. The normal questions: Who am I? From where? Destination?

 

I told him I planned to reach Kasane before sunset. He looked at me as if I were mad.

 

"Alone? It is stupid to drive that road alone. Stupid."

 

He waved me on through the road block. Then I understood what he meant. 200km of forest. The Caprivi Game Park. And warning signs against the elephants every 10 km.

 

I enjoyed the bush every kilometer of the 200. Unfortunately I didn't see any elephants. Perhaps tomorrow.

 

At Kongola I bought a tin of Pepsi and a tin of beans and Viennas. Lunch in the bush next to my bike.

 

Then it started raining. After the heat of southern Namibia it was a welcome relief to the stinging sunshine. The Caprivi lies in a subtropical belt. During the rain season the mornings are hot with rain during the afternoon.

 

On reaching Katima Mulilo it was pouring. The bush in the town was lush green. This is the town where ten national servicemen were killed during a nightly rocket attack many years ago.

 

Tonight I sleep in the old officers' mess of the SA Air Force dating from the bush war.

 

If the walls could speak what human tragedies would be told? But that is a story for another day.