December Road Trip and Namibia 2003

December is around the corner and our close group of 30-odd campers have been planning a 3-week camping Road Trip for 18 months. 

We've planned out the best route, organised cool places to stay, adventure activities to do and we leave in less than 40 days!

Unfortunately, my Boerewors and I are unable to enjoy all the activities of the trip because with him loosing his job earlier this year, we really can't afford it as we're catching up on the debt we racked up while we didn't have his salary. 

Oh yeah, I know its sad but that's life..

However, the camping group of wonderful ladies and gents invited us to the "40 Days to Go" party yesterday.  They said, seeing as we were heavily involved in the organising of it all, we could attend the party, even though we're not going on the Road Trip anymore :-(

It was a great party!!

They took us down memory lane of all the camps we've been on since 2003 making up a DVD collage of photo's we've taken along the years on our various camping adventures. 

Fiona and Steve hosted the party at their warehouse and went to a lot of trouble with the decor.  We all slept over in our tents in the warehouse and we enjoyed Ostrich Potjie made by Ria and Rassie.  After that, the music pumped and the dancing started.

The Ladies Toilet

Megan on the toilet

The Windhoek Car Wash

The Men's Toilet

Hog on a Leash

Washing Line and Shower

Steve had suspended a thick towing rope from the rafters of the warehouse and we used it as a big swing. 

What fun!

Megan on the swing

Norman on the swing

Justin showing us how its done.

Even Wee Kaylin felt brave enough to have a go on the swing

We also had to have a meeting to finalise all the trip details

Then the dancing started.  Here's the girls doing line dancing

Boogie on Down!

Our last Road Trip with all of us together was Namibia 2003, yeah we normally go away on short trips and weekends together, our long 3-week road trips are definintely not the norm. 

Namibia 2003

Anyway, our Namibia trip was awesome.  All of us often still speak of the trip very fondly. 

The trip consisted of every day staying in a different place;  tents put up and the next morning tents taken down and camp packed away.  It was a hectic and harsh trip but a memory I will never forget. 

It was hot as all fucking hell - 43 degrees C in the shade in some places and the dry heat took your breath away.  And all this with our wee Megan only 11 months old at the time. 

Oh yeah, there were times early on in the Road Trip, when I wanted to turn back because of the hectic schedule but we changed plans slightly to fit in our wee Megan and all worked out okay. 

Every place we stopped we'd empty out her toy box and fill it up with water so she could keep cool and have a wee swim. 

At other places we even filled up the sinks at the ablution blocks just so we could keep her body temp down. 

We soon got used to the heat and thoroughly enjoyed having massive beautiful sand dunes on one side of the road and an icy choppy ocean on the other side. 

Truly magnificent!

Everything is bigger in Namibia - espeically the bugs.  The spiders, roaches and mozzies are ten times bigger...it took a bit of getting used to but in the end we all saw it as the adventure of a life time.

One thing I will NEVER forget is the gorgeous sunets.  You don't experience them anywhere else in the world.  They are so huge and so spectacular!

Namibian Sunset

Me and Megan at Fish River Canyon

Sunblock is one of the first things you put on when  you get up in the morning, especially with my fair Scottish skin.

Sunset on the Namibian Etosha Pan

Day 26 - The 30 Day Blog Challenge

Topic - A photo of somewhere you've been to

Namibia 2003

A Namibian camping trip for 3 weeks - everyday in a different location.  It was a wonderful trip and an experience I will NEVER forget.  Ocean on the one side of the road and the dunes on the other.  Its truly spectacular.

You can read about my previous posts about it here

Namibian Sunsets the most beautiful in all the world!

A Daft Scots Lass and Megan at Fish River Canyon

Another Namibian Sunset

#ThrowbackThursday

I couldn't stop laughing when I came across some of these old photos.  I thought I'd have to share them for #ThowbackThursday

I'm the one in the lemon and white striped sun dress (the ginger with the crooked fringe - my mum used to cut it)

I'm the ginger at the punch bowl in the green dress

When Megan was 11 months old - our camping road trip through Namibia

7 year old me at my Aunty's wedding

5 year old ginger me, my big sister and my ginger mum

 

Santa's Shoebox Project

Santa Shoebox Project is an inspiring community initiative, that collects uniquely personalised Christmas gifts for socially disadvantaged youth.  Equally, the project is about parents teaching their own children the joy of giving.

A gift to be shared with a child from a distinctly vulnerable social background, who may never before have received a Christmas gift. The project is unique in that the donor knows the name, age, gender and residence of the child the gift is intended for.

The project started in Cape Town in 2006 spearheaded by the founder of Kidz2Kidz, Dee Boehner.  In 2007 Irene’ Pieters was appointed  national co-ordinator and in 2008 the Santa Shoebox Project joined forces with a similar organization from Somerset West.

Since then, the project has grown in leaps and bounds and the numbers have grown from 180 Santa Shoeboxes  in 2006,  to 2000 boxes in 2007, 8000 in 2008 to 16000 in 2009, exceeding the target by 30% - 50% year on year. In 2009 the Santa Shoebox Project reached into all corners of South Africa and in 2010 also into Namibia and Botswana. Each country supporting their own children.

The management is run entirely by volunteers. Kind hearted people who give their time, effort and expertise without being remunerated for it. Satellite projects have sprung up not only in the big cities but include many small country towns as well. All run by volunteers taking the responsibility of acting as co-ordinators for their areas.

How can you help?

The prosperity and success of this project is dependent solely on its volunteers. You can choose between being a volunteer or  a co-ordinator of a satellite project in your area. 

If you would like to volunteer some of your time and expertise please mosey on over to their website and fill your details in.

Help them reach their target of collecting 26 000 boxes this year.  I know I will.