Introducing Kurt

Kurt is our truck for the transit and Kruger tour. Kurt is one of the newer trucks, and was the truck used by the 'accomodated' tour. It's a bit shinier than Ella. Instead of all the seats facing forward, there are two on each side at the front facing inward to a low table. There are larger-than-they-look lockers at the back, too, rather than having to stow packs overhead. It's nice, but we miss Ella.

I'm currently sitting on one of the front 'table' seats, feet on the table, tapping away. Apart from a couple of stops, we've been on the road for ten hours. In addition to the deep cuts and bruises on both shins, I also have a graze on my right temple. The front of the passenger cabin is covered in carpet. I was sleeping against it with a small pillow this morning, and while I slept, my head must have bounced and the pilllow slipped. It felt sore when I woke, but it was only when I looked in a service-station mirror that I realised how bad it was. So yes, I have a carpet burn on my forehead.

(Yes, look, don't even bother. I've given it to you on a plate, so it wouldn't be hard or clever, okay?)

I've had time to do a bit of thinking today. In hindsight, perhaps I should have planned to leave the tour at Vic Falls. We have a different truck, different guides (tho' they're very nice – a tall South African chap called Quentin and a cook called Albert) and the group has broken up. They (obviously) do things differently to Ella's crew, and our rhythm feels a bt busted. The other thing that's done it is meeting Sabrina again. Can't remember whether I mentioned it at the time, but I met Sabrina at Long Street Backpacker's. American girl, just graduated, travelling (through slightly unusual circumstances) with a university professor. There's nothing 'going on', she tells me, and he's just a travelling companion (although she said her parents are deeply suspicious). Anyway, it looked like we might be in Windhoek at the same time, so we swapped email addresses. Sadly, we missed each other. So, improbably, I ran into her in the garage forecourt in a small place called 'Natta', in Botswana. They were looking for an Acacia truck to Kasane, on their way to Vic Falls. An English girl was with her, who looked incredibly familiar. She lives near Brixton, she says, but I have yet to place her. We only had five minutes to chat before we departed, but for the first time, I was struck by the appeal of travelling solo. Those girls weren't travelling together in Cape Town, and I love the idea of meeting people and travelling with spontenieity. They were heading to Kasane, then Vic Falls. Sadly, I waved them goodbye, with a promise to swap stories by email.