April 14, 2025
It is always an adventure crossing a border. Many places you need an exit stamp from one country before getting your entry stamp from the next. We crossed from Botswana to Namibia at the Transkalahari Border Post. It has been under construction for the past three years and combines Botswana’s exit customs with Namibia’s Customs and immigration in a single building. It being a construction site and my Ride With GPS telling me to stay right, I went past an unmarked, police check point to my left upsetting the local constabulary. Once they realized I was just a stupid white guy on a bike they were quite understanding and directed me to the correct building.
This was an easy day’s ride but it was not scheduled to be. The route called for 216 kilometers of riding but given the physical issues I was dealing with I decided to take the offered ride in the dinner truck for a good part of the way. My legs and endurance would have been up to the task but I was afraid my saddle sore was not. Rather than tie up one of the support vehicles just to prove something to myself, I took the easy way.
Once across the border and after filling out all the same paperwork I did online to comply with their newly minted e-visa requirements, I was free to head the final kilometer to our evening campsite. Nearby I found a store where I was able to continue my tradition of finding strangely flavoured potato chips. This they were KFC Original Recipe, chicken flavoured chips. Just tasted salty to me.