Wild west

I had a great breakfast which I paid for but the stay the host at the guest house offered for free. Me and the host had a nice breakfast together. On a trip like this those conversations in the morning or at night are preassues.

Nice day, nice wind. Now the land is still very flat but the trees or bushes are often low reveiling a grand archipelago of flatness and big mountains or hills as islands here and there. I go trough one town on the way and as I role in over a highway bridge I see a woman in red orange short dress waving at me. At the second wave I stop. Then she lifts her dress and revels her dark skinned more private areas. A prostitute. I smile and excuse myself declining her offer with a wave. But I must say I feel my lust urging me to go back. It is a lonely trip and a hug or more would be so nice. But my concience gives me a hundred reasonds not to.

I go on and todays animal spoting an hour before sun set is fun and a litle scarry. As I pass a bridge over a dry river bank. I see over a hundred black baboons. They notice me right away and most go or run in to the bush. I manage to get some of them on photo.

Oh yes and I did see this toy like green snake.

I find no where to ask for night shelter so I camp on a spot close to the road with a great view over the prarie desserted landscape. 175 km.

So the spot is hidden if I dont use a light. And well out of town. Scarry is that it is a Rocky landscape which I have the feeling that snakes like. Signs close by warn for bore, wild Pumba pig. There may also be other animals living on the mountain just behind my tent.</p></span>

I do litterally everything in my tent ones I enter for the night. I dont risk going out in the dark with lions and mosquitos. I have no trouble falling asleep after a long day. After the two cans of todays choice dinner and some bread I wright about the latest day until the phone falls on my face a third time and I decide I am too tired. It is a litle scarry but I breathe deeply and tell myself this is safe and I have survived all trip through more unpolished countries then this one. It should not be a problem with the people. Snakes are outside and probably dont bite through the tent fabric. But just in case I slap the ground some extra every now and then to scare snakes of. Scorpions may be here but I have my shoes and most stuff inside the tent. If I need to pee I do it in an empty food can and zip the tent open just enough to empty it in a spot outside where it drains away fast. As I enter the tent I am less satisfied with the ground. It is hard packed sand with some sharp rocks here and there. I take some rocks away and place the tent in the allmost flat place. As I enter I feel the rocks sticking up but also thorns from some dessert evil plant crawling around on the ground. So I go out and put my aluminium blanket under. Inside I lay out all my cloths before placing my inflatable matress. And in the morning I will notice my matress is punctured anyway. I take my cloths off and it is hot enough and best for my rash on my buttox to sleep naked. My shirt is stiff like a new pair of jeans from dry salty sweat.

I sleep light. Awaken by different sounds and a few random cars. I dont use earplugs sleeping in the wild. I hear sounds and I am so sure it is steps more then ones. The first time I wake up I am dry but warm enough not to be cold. I hear the sounds of cracking dry sticks and stop breathing. It is deffinatly someone outside. I lay completely still trying to get my eyes to open and get some sence of what is what in the darkness. After maybe 30 seconds I try to say hallo. My voice doesnt bear my words and I just manage a hissing sound. I wait and try again. ....nyone there? I manage to get out. Nothing. I wait a litle more and I notice my body is stiff and clenched. I am now soaked by sweat and I take deep breaths and relax. Once more I concince myself it is ok. Worst that can happen is probably some wild group of animals starting to eat my tent. I will probably hit them with my lap top and manage to run to the road. After getting bitten a few times I will be stoping a car and be saved. I will deffinatly have some luck in such an unlikely event. So I get relaxed and breathe. Sleep. Sleep Fredrik. The next time I wake up I calm myself faster.

The next day I start early and the first thing to do is get on the road and spend a few minutes very thouroughly checking my tyres for thornes. I have had it before in sandy dry areas like this that bushes on the ground put pins in my tyre. In France I had my record in flat tyres about ten years ago with six punctures in one day. All by thornes getting pushed in to the tube one by one during the day. So I manage to find about 10 of them and pinch them out. Great with experience. Thank you!

The first town is like a ghost town. Only part that seems to live is the ghetto and the gas station. I have coffee and breakfast and do my lawndry and take allmost a whole shower in the public bathroom. My newly washed shirt is dry within a half hour.

The landscape is like I imagine the wild wild west when I was litle. This is like a cowboy landscape. The vast open and the big odd rocks and mountains. It is hot and dry and you see wind turbines every now and then.

Horses, the railroad following the road with red iron bridges and even holes of gunshots in roadsigns.

There are many diamond mines and ranches for hunting. As I cycle here and after my low days lately I have a strategy to listen to books while cycling. So now I listen to Karl Oskar and Kristina arriving America in Wilhelm Mobergs Utvandrarna. Very suitable.

I love this colorful town, Omaruru. And it is tempting to stay.