Day 196 - Sand in places it shouldn't be

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Following on from yesterday's fun in the sand dunes on quad bikes, this morning we tried out sandboarding. This involves climbing a steep sand dune, which is completely exhausting, and then flying down various steep and smooth slopes head first on a 4ft by 2ft sheet of wood - also known as the 'hi-tech speed machine'. With the underside waxed for maximum speed. It's not for the faint-hearted because even the 'easy' slopes are steep and you reach speeds of about 45kph. But after a few goes (the only limit was how many times we could climb the dunes in the desert sun) the guides showed us their favourite slope. One of them sped down and waited at the bottom with a speed gun. We both recorded pretty impressive speeds that only a couple of people could beat out of about 30 people. Gemma's speed was particularly good given that she only weighs about 8 stone and more weight is generally faster. Our best speeds: Ed 73kph; Gemma 72kph. (Ed breathed a sigh of relief).

When we got back to the hostel we spent a hour or so trying to rid ourselves and our clothes of sand. Then Ed was offered a round of golf on a desert course which promised to mean getting sand everywhere all over again. The golf course smells a bit because they use 'treated' sewage water for irrigation, but it's quite some feat to have green fairways and greens in the middle of the desert (especially when you are miles away from the Middle East and their money). Now and again though we'd miss the fairway and that of course meant sand, so it was like playing a course with enormous bunkers instead of the usual rough stuff. Probably a unique experince, especially when some shots were taken a few metres away from a herd of springbok. An Australian guy called Dave who is on our trip had asked in a tour agency if they offered golf, and the owner said that they didn't but that he's always up for a round, so he drove us over there for free and played with us. He wasn't very good though and we both beat him.

An awaking moment for Ed was during the conversation it was highlighted that all three gentlemen where newly married. Ed however beating them both by about 5 months!

In the evening the 2 of us went out to an excellent seafood resturant called the Tug Boat for a meal to celebrate 4 years since we first met. We were actually 2 days early but this was our last night in Swakopmund and there aren't many nice resturants in the Namib desert. We then saw the wee small hours arrive back in Cool Banana's with most of our fellow truck travellers.

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