Our trip had almost come to an end, at least the first part.
We had decided to take a break from traveling. The entire trip, trough Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia has been more than amazing, but it has also been exhausting. Many people tell us it must be amazing to have such a long vacation. It is amazing, but those who overland know it is not a vacation. It is a journey that takes a lot of energy, especially with an old car like Gigi, not completely fit to do such a trip. Gigi has done amazing, but all the worrying about the steering, the engine, the temperature, the punctures, the turbo, focusing on every noise she might make has made us weary. 'Is this Gigi, or just the tarmac', 'this sound is new, what is it', 'do you smell that, is that us', 'is this rattling from inside the cabin or under the hood'. Finding places to stay is usually not a big problem, but there are so many options that it does become a challenge to find the 'perfect' one every time.
One thing we planned to do, was take short trips when driving, not planning for many hours on the road every time. This also meant many different stops, for one or two nights. Packing up every time to find a new place has also taken its toll. Everybody has their limit, some overlanders are very capable of doing this for multiple years, staying in harsher conditions and on less comfortable places than we have done. For us, the limit had been reached, actually before we even left Namibia. We loved every part of Namibia, but we also looked forward to what came next. Driving back to Livingstone, enjoying some 'off-time' and going back home. First to Nairobi, then to the Netherlands.
We had agreed with the amazing Russell Bennett to leave our car in his care, while we went back to Kenya and the Netherlands to rest, refuel and earn some extra cash to finish the trip back to Nairobi. We loved almost every second of our trip, but we were also happy that it was over, for now.
After Livingstone, we spent some time at Rusco farm again. Playing with the dogs, walking on the farm, spotting birds, editing pictures and for Emma, get some work done. She was lucky enough to land an assignment, but this meant that in the last 2 weeks of our trip, she had to work a few hours every day to prepare. Our time at Rusco farm was just like it was the first time. Relaxing and recharging.
After that, we spent some time at the farm of one of their children, where we did exactly the same. We relaxed, worked from time to time, did some admin and editing and, of course, we took Gigi to Russel.
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