Hi there,

Sad to read that Etosha is so expensive now. We loved it so much, but it doesn't sound like we should go back there. I think it is the same story with the Galapagos. Too much money, too many tourist............

Now we are busy planning our New York trip. a whole different story!!

Well, we'll be waiting for the next update.

Patricia

Hi Ralph and Angela,

Thanks for all the great photos and updates of your adventure. I look forward to them all and as soon as they come, Ann and I start down memory lane, again and again and again! We got grid power to our house when we returned in October and there's a projected date of January for phone if the bears will quit knocking over the cans that house the spices for the line. It seems they have moved on now since the last vandalism occurred more than two weeks ago. Crazy to think a $200,000 project can be quickly stopped by a frisky bruin who takes exception to a new shape in its daily route!

-10 here in Ak and the Yukon to your 38. Don't forget there's a open invite and place to stay for contrasting temperature experiences.

Tim and Ann

Thanks Simon.

Hope you've got over the rugby!

I'm suffering the usual Toyota/Landrover rivalry here in Windhoek, trying to buy tyres. Talking of which we now have 2 BF Goodrich to go with our 2 Cooper Discoverys and 2 Goodyear Wranglers. The Etosha gravel chewed up 2 tyres!

Hope all is well

Ralph

You should check out www.bobsbooks.co.uk when you get back, if you ever come back for your blogs and pictures...

Hi Ralph & Angela

Well - that is still quite some time up north then. I think that you'll struggle to get back to civilisation after all that time in the bush ! Enjoy it ! Most probably safer than Cape Town !! Chat again when I'm back from London !!

All the best

Heike

Hi Heike

Thanks for that. Offexploring promised they were doing us a book of our first year's website but I haven't heard from them recently.

We may be down the Cape in Feb or March, border guards allowing!

Take care

Ralph

Hi Emily & Steve

Call it ar*e face after yourself Steve, then Emily only has to shout the name once and both of you will look up. I'm touched Steve, that could be the first thing named after me since that Royal Navy destroyer (HMS Brilliant).

Hope you've managed to put in an appearance on the work front at Atos since retiring to Dorset. Please tell me you've given up inflicting Irish ditties on the unsuspecting natives of Dorset, presumably they use your concert as an opportuniety to get their money back on the dodgy wrought iron work you flog them!

Keep up the insults, I miss them!

Ralph

Hi ! Please, Please , Please - get this blog into print and publish !! I have such fun reading your blogs !!
Life is busy on this end - kids have exams -Clint is having fun with work and golf - and new business is keeping me out of mischief !!

Will give you a shout once I am back. When are you thinking of coming down to Cape Town again ?

All the best

Heike

PS Lauren got married last Saturday. Was a magic day - and now we are missing her lots !

update on the puppy....

It has large feet, hairy ears, a small hairy todger, the appetite of a gannet and has a lack of physical coordination...we might still call him Ralph. Perhaps I'll beat him when he is disobedient.

Best wishes from Dorset

Emily & Steve x

Hi Arjan & Patricia

Thanks for note re airport wireless. We discovered in our last hour on line at Postnet Maun (P30 per hour) that there was an unsecured wireless connection next door all the time. I could have avoided about 15 pounds of internet charges, oh well.

Not sure if you got our sms but we met "misery" the Landy guide from Xakanaxa at Audi. He boasted about never having broken down in 15 years of tours then came over next morning to ask if I had jump leads, his battery was b*ggered!

We met the French couple again at Nxai Pan, the ones that gave us those dodgy GPS co-ords for the lioness and cubs (didn't tell him he was out on it so he's probably lost now, he was going to the Central Khalahari!)

At Mahango in Namibia the other day we passed the nutter in the campervan who got out of the car to stretch his legs when we were all watching the leopard in the tree at 3rd Bridge.

Just trying to sort some dates in Etosha, rains have started. We camped on the Kavango River at Rundu last night. Started real quiet then 22 Dutch overlanders turned up and camped around us and bounced us off the sundowner cruise. At least we watched the tribal dancing for free.

Hope all is well in sunny Holland

Take care

Ralph & Angela

Hi Heike

Great to hear from you. Feel sorry for Simon, Planet Baobob in the pans had about 30 Brits and 1 South African watching the rugby so it wasn't too painful. The South African (girl) was thrown in the pool for gloating too much!

Thanks for the offer re documents, we are OK for the moment though. The Botswana and Namibia police are ok with our UK licence and passport so we needn't have bothered with the Int Driving Permits! Thanks to a foot & mouth outbreak in Botswana we were stopped 5 times between Maun & Drotskys cabins, and they ask for a licence at the same time as spraying you (probably DDT!)

We reluctantly left Botswana the day before our 60 days were up, now in Namibia and trying to book Etosha.

Re the Landrover, the rear electric window switch went in Mahango Park the other day (window down, fortunately no lions around!) I took it all apart and repaired the switch mechanism, so I may give Landrover a ring when we go back to the UK!

Hope all is well and busy with the travel company, have fun in London.

Take care

Ralph & Angela

After reading my own message below, I just wasn't sure I wrote it down in a strange way, but wireless IS working........