Bushwacker Camp - Banks of the Orange River

I'm sitting on the bank of the Orange River as the sun goes down, gazing across at Namibia. We've just been for a swim, and I'm just drying. Some of us swam over to the Namibian bank, and I had visions of trying to explain to Bjorn how two army trucks pulled up and arrested everyone in their swimsuits. This can only be described as idylic. We've been on the road for about ten hours today, but it didn't feel like it. We're the only people at this campsite, I'm twenty metres from the river, and once again, the showers are ace. The bar's just opened and, wouldn't you know it? Jack Johnson. He really has got the summer-surf-beach-riverbank-bbq market sewn up, hasn't he.

So, I woke at 3am to the sound of water dripping on my sleeping bag. We'd left the windows and doors open, but a steady drizzle had started. I closed the flaps, but by the morning the tent was soaked on the outside. I'm told it happens every night in the mountains. It's chillier at night, and Bjorn advised heavy sleeping bags, but my combination of summer bag and silk liner seems to be doing the trick. The showers here were awesome, though – just the tonic needed – and we were on the road by quarter to seven.

Not too much to say about this, you'll be pleased to know. A stop for lunch, then a stop in the town of 'Springbok', jus9uuuuuuuuuuu.

...Sorry, I had to drop the laptop and dash after a dog. It grabbed one of my sandals from outside the tent. Do you know how hard it is to free a sandal from a dog's mouth. There were four of us chasing it. Still, it's moments like this that bring a group together. Things are better now. It's still not my 'perfect' group, but second day and I can hear conversations all around me now. I think, perhaps, it's because we now have shared experiences. You can always make conversation with anyone, but sharing experiences lets you fill in the gaps. Anyway, yes, we stopped in Springbok – a mining town named after the water supply there, rather than the animal. I bought some 'Springbok' biltong, too – licenced by SA rugby and it's Halal. My goodness, what an untapped market. So, I guess I'd best go get a beer