The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

We are ready for South Africa!

Here we are, the last day of the year 2013 and we are right now in Namibia's capital City of Windhoek.

We have spent the last two months touring Namibia. And we drove a lot of miles.

Our camping trip in the month of November we drove 4,000 kms (2,500 miles).

Our lodge exploration trip during the month of December? 6,000 kms (3,700 miles)!

You can click on the map to enlarge it.
The red roads are the major roads in Namibia. The blue line is where we went with our camping trip, and the green line is where we went with our lodge trip.

It was a pretty ambitious project to visit all of the Gondwana lodges in one month, and it turned out to be a little more expensive than we planned on. We'll get into our expense report for the month within the next couple of days. We lived like royalty, and apparently we have the bills to prove it!

But we're back to a more normal (for us) standard of accommodation. And, we're self catering so we're cooking our own meals. Ruth made the best thai chicken curry and rice last night. It was delicious and as much as we enjoyed the restaurant meals over the last month, we enjoy Ruth's cooking too!

So where to from here?

Well, we are taking the Intercape Sleepliner luxury bus from Windhoek to Cape Town, South Africa. We leave tomorrow, New Year's Day at 5:00pm and arrive in Cape Town on Thursday at 2:00pm.

A 21 hour bus ride!

But, it has reclining sleeper seats, and it's supposed to be really comfortable, with two drivers and a hostess!

From there, we have a couchsurfing host arranged and we'll spend three days with him getting ourselves acquainted with Cape Town. It's supposed to be a vibrant, scenic city and everybody we talk to says we'll love it. So we can't wait to tell you more about it!

Then, we will rent a car for a two month tour of South Africa. The plan is to follow the southern coast as far as Durban, then head to the tiny country of Lesotho. It will still be a fair bit of driving, about 4,000 kms (2,500 miles) but this time, we have a full two months to do it.

Our approximate route for South Africa, starting and finishing in Cape Town on the far left.

But, we are on our own schedule this time, so unlike our Namibia trip that was a bit more structured, this next two months are going to be a little more laid back. So things may change as we go along, and we have no problem with that.

We hope you enjoyed following along with us in 2013, and we look forward to having you with us for whatever the next year will bring.

Happy New Year, and we wish all of our readers the very best for 2014!



31 comments:

  1. Can't wait! Happy New Year and Happy Travels to you both!!

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    1. Thank you Teresa and Happy New Year to you and the rest of the Wood clan!

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  2. Happy New Year. I am so looking forward to your 2014 travels.

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    1. Thanks Jim and Sandie. Happy New Year to you both as well.

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  3. Happy New Year to you both. Can't wait to follow along virtually. I know this next leg is going to be just as adventurous and fun as these last two months; heck, as these last years!!! Love you guys.

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    1. Thanks Mary-Pat. Hope you have a very happy New Year and a great 2014.

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  4. Happy new year you guys and thanks for entertaining us in 2013, may the next year bring more of the same! You guys rock!

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    1. Thanks so much Peter, sure hope we can keep you as entertained in 2014. Wishing you a Happy New Year and all the best in 2014.

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  5. Happy New Year to you guys as well, can't wait till we get to south Africa.

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    1. We are looking forward to South Africa too George. Wishing you a Happy New Year.

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  6. Happy New Year, Kevin & Ruth!
    Love the trip so far!

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    1. Thanks Connie and Barry, Happy New Year to you both as well.

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  7. Happy New Year! Enjoyed Namibia seen through your eyes. Looking forward to S.A.

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  8. Happy New year..will be following your so africa adventures...noticed on header pic that the hippo only has
    a couple of teeth along the jaw line, the rest on inside on the roof of his mouth....well they say you learn something
    new everyday

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    1. Thanks Donna and Happy New Year to both you and Sam, wishing you the best in 2014.

      I guess because hippos are vegetarians they don't need as many "sharp" teeth on the outside part of their jawline.

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  9. You are now official members of the PDD Driving Club. Impressive mileage figures. That you actually had time to stop, see things and take pictures is even more impressive! :c)

    Looking forward to your South Africa journey!

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    1. Thanks Paul, but I doubt that will be something that will be repeated so I am sure we would be taken off the list in short time. We will get back to our normal traveling distances this month. I think our longest day driving was about 550km (342mi), we normally don't like doing much more than 220km (124mi).

      Happy New Year to you both.

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  10. HAPPY NEW YEAR Ruth and Kevin. I'm looking forward for South Africa.

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    1. Thank you Renate and Happy New Year to you as well.

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  11. What a fantastic year you have put together for yourselves. As always my hat is off to you. May there be even more wonderful and grand adventures in 2014!

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    1. Yep, we did have a pretty fantastic year and we are definitely looking forward to more adventures in 2014.

      Happy New Year to both you and David and wishing you a great 2014 too!

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  12. Happy New Year! 2014 is a wonderful time to tour South Africa.

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    1. Thank you Gaelyn, we think it will be a great time to visit South Africa too. Hoping our paths will cross.

      Happy New Year!

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  13. Nice wrap up for 2013. What an amazing ride for you two it has been!! Thanks for the memories and see you in 20143!!

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    1. Thanks Doug and Nancy. Glad you were again part of 2013 and looking forward to meeting up with you in 2014.

      Happy New Year to you both and enjoy your travels in 2014.

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  14. Thanks for letting me follow along with your adventure! Can't wait to see south africa with you!

    Happy 2014!!

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    1. Glad you enjoy the ride with us.

      Happy New Year!

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  15. Happy New Year! Looking forward to following your adventures in 2014.

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    1. Thank you Larry, we are looking forward to bringing them to you.

      Happy New Year to you!

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  16. Wishing you both a wonderful New year and many more wonderful adventures.

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