16 AUGUST 2022 ANOTHER FLAT TYRE AT 446 KM !

Got going early cause I still had 500km to go, but was behind the famous five and with their trailers they leave behind some serious dust clouds so drove slow to let them get ahead. Stopped at the same Himba huts that were there in 2018 and chatted with a few, well tried to and gave them my peppermint crisp chocolate. 

Refueled in Ruacana and went to my old army base at the airport but it's all gone, a small partial sand wall is kinda visible, when we had to flip armoured car tyres up the sand wall, they were a lot taller and I was a lot younger.

From Ruacana it is all tar road heading east and then you get on the B10 which runs parallel with the border forever. 

I refueled again and stopped and had some lunch and the peanut butter sandwich which hit the spot. Was very hot and a boring road to boot, with goats and cattle crossing all the time, and the skies are an ugly brown from all the fires in Angola and with no wind to clear the air, it's not pretty. 

I had just overtaken a bakkie with a trailer  for the second time on this never ending road and gave him a thank you wave, for no reason , but they don't speed here all go about 10 to 110 kmph, no rush to go anywhere.  Suddenly my front tyre was flat at 120kmph and the bike was uncontrollable, and it was a huge fight to keep it upright and I didn't  want to go off the tar onto the shoulder as that would have bucked me off. The bike was veering to the right and got it to go left again and then that's  when it must have started to slide on the left and I hung onto it the entire way and stopped right on the edge of the road. Seemed like ages fighting it to stay upright but it was a matter of seconds and it was over. I jumped up amazed that there was no pain or anything, looked at the bike and didn't  appear to damaged. 

The guys with the trailer pulled over as I got out from under the bike and my jacket arm and left leg of my suite was chowdered, they helped me pick it u and dust off and was so relieved that I was fine, absolutely no pain or bruises, the riding suite did it's job and my head never touched the road. Another car stopped and they all helped load the bike into the back of the bakkie. This happened 62km from Mpungu , where we dropped off the trailer and then proceeded to Simanye Lodge near Nkurenkuru where they have some real nice camping aswell.

As we pulled in the famous five had just arrived, it's like I'm stalking them. We unloaded the bike and gave him R700 and then set up my camp and took a closer look at the damage to the pannier and riding gear.

The lodge has never opened and so there is no food services or beer. Was happy that the padkos Liz had made me last night had survived in my pannier and cause my stomach was crying for food, so devoured it  and then went to bed feeling really lucky, it was like I was high. However high feels.

Must have fallen asleep cause I was awakened by Tersia telling me to come over for supper and my medication, so got dressed and joined them. Two of the guys are doctors and there are four nurses , so after being served a great meal again, Tersia doesn't listen to NO ! They gave me a sleeping tablet and some pain killers.Was the best sleep , slept through the night ,didn't wake up once or pee in the bed, the fact that there were no injuries or bruise was amazing to me.