There will be obstacles... yes a lot of them... in fact more than you can imagine... bla bla bla...
I think I said that in one of my previous speeches. And you know what... it is so true, but more important is how we react to them! Attitude...
So here I am, with almost no new big work contracts for 2015, a business visa that expired in March and just enough saving on my account to live for a few months... and I decide to take off to Namibia. Crazy or not crazy? What for? ...to reconnect with my true-self and my life passions : nature, travel and photography.
I was not even on the road, that I already got 2 punctures... yes some idiot vandal had decided to slash 5 knife cuts in one of my spare tyres and 3 in the other one. Anyway animated by a strong positive will, I got the 2 tyres repaired, and then I was driving to the North... direction the Namib desert.
This time, I decided to travel very light... no tent, just a good mattress, a duvet and my beloved pillow... to sleep under the stars or inside the car in case of bad weather. For the food, very simple... a huge quantity of 2-minute noodles, the simplest Cadac stove, and of course my wine!
After a few days on the road, and some nice wild camps in the farmland and along the coast, I crossed the border to Namibia. In the late afternoon, I found a very nice track going down to the Orange river. Apart that it was a bit windy, this wild campsite was magic. Trees and a green lawn next to the river.
But that evening I had to scream loudly... when realising that my brandnew camping chair - blown by the wind - was burning in the fire while I was picking up something in the car for less than 5 seconds... I lost control... completely, when I grabbed the chair and thrown it as far as I could into the river! The next morning, all I could find was the nylon sleeve... no trace of the chair that had probably been taken by the current. Sorry for the environment...
Nevertheless, I was happy... until I found that the car would not start... Eishkom... no electricity... starter motor dead! The old trick of knocking it with a strong piece of wood finally worked after 20 min... so I could drive up the track up to the main road. Saved!
A few hours later, I stopped the car along the road to take a picture of the rolling fog... beautiful... forgetting about the dead starter motor. And how on earth could I stop the car with both wheels, behind the only 2 pieces of concrete of the whole stretch of road between Rosh Pinah and Aus... 214 km! which made it very hard to push start the car alone...
After that, I was very careful not to stop - unless on a slope - before finding an auto electrical in Luderitz.
Then, on the first bad gravel road, I discovered that there was a leak in the rear air-suspension. Another problem...
I thought I had taken a leap of faith and that I was on the right track into my spiritual journey... so why so many obstacles? Well, the most important is how do we react to them, isn't it? Attitude!
I tried to be positive every time I had a new challenge or to solve an issue... and you know what... I even rewarded myself.
For example after spending 500 bucks on the starter motor, I decided to have fresh oysters and champagne in Luderitz! There I met Brenda, an amazing lady full-of-energy who invited me to stay in her house in Windhoek and it was the start of a wonderful new friendship.
Always be gentle to yourself!
The saga of obstacles did not stop! Within the next 5 days, I got 7 punctures, including 2 tyres completely destroyed. Once looking in the side mirror, I saw pieces of rubber flying off from the rear wheel... the problem is that with a big car, you don't really feel it immediately on a very corrugated road!
And I kept being positive... while spending time and money on repairs... and 2 new tyres!
As I became a puncture expert, I helped some tourists who happened to be a shaman-musician and an artist painter who invited me on a singing healing experience in Spitzkoppe. That night turned out to be magic to me, and deep in my heart I felt I was on the right path to re-discover myself, no matter the obstacles.
My goal was to re-connect with my photography and shoot more surreal landscapes. And I did. I kept focus on my goal, whatever the challenges thrown my way!
So remember, there will be a lot of obstacles... and in time you will know how to deal with them.
Just another amazing encounter, on the way to Windhoek, it was already late and I was looking for a place to camp before the city. The sky was heavy, announcing some rain to come, when I heard a screaming sound coming out of the bonnet... no dead cat or wild animal, it was the airconditioning compressor pulley. So I disconnected the belt and saw a kind of tower a few km away from the road. Probably a building of one of these huge thousands-ha farm. So I opened several gates, drove to the farm where I met the farmer... and when I asked the lady for her hospitality to camp overnight, she replied with a strong german accent... you can NOT camp here, big rain is coming tonight, but you are very welcome to stay in guest room. I offered to share my bottle of wine and had dinner with the family. What is incredible, is that encounter turned out to be an open invite for my daughter Enya to spend a month working the horses they breed on the farm! Enya was delighted...
What is important is the right attitude. Project a positive attitude and you will be surprised by the outcome!
Look... my new friend Brenda in Windhoek, the music healing night in Spitzkoppe and another new friend artist painter Terry, Enya's invite to work with horses and of course my new photographic project.
This project - I now call UTOPIA - has grown in my head and has already received such good feedback from the tourism and environment sectors in Namibia that I am seriously considering immigrating there.
Maybe a new chapter in my life opened up just because I had the right attitude while following my true path.
See some of the best photos of the trip...
There will be obstacles... yes a lot of them... in fact more than you can imagine... bla bla bla...
I think I said that in one of my previous speeches. And you know what... it is so true, but more important is how we react to them! Attitude...
So here I am, with almost no new big work contracts for 2015, a business visa that expired in March and just enough saving on my account to live for a few months... and I decide to take off to Namibia. Crazy or not crazy? What for? ...to reconnect with my true-self and my life passions : nature, travel and photography.
I was not even on the road, that I already got 2 punctures... yes some idiot vandal had decided to slash 5 knife cuts in one of my spare tyres and 3 in the other one. Anyway animated by a strong positive will, I got the 2 tyres repaired, and then I was driving to the North... direction the Namib desert.
This time, I decided to travel very light... no tent, just a good mattress, a duvet and my beloved pillow... to sleep under the stars or inside the car in case of bad weather. For the food, very simple... a huge quantity of 2-minute noodles, the simplest Cadac stove, and of course my wine!
After a few days on the road, and some nice wild camps in the farmland and along the coast, I crossed the border to Namibia. In the late afternoon, I found a very nice track going down to the Orange river. Apart that it was a bit windy, this wild campsite was magic. Trees and a green lawn next to the river.
But that evening I had to scream loudly... when realising that my brandnew camping chair - blown by the wind - was burning in the fire while I was picking up something in the car for less than 5 seconds... I lost control... completely, when I grabbed the chair and thrown it as far as I could into the river! The next morning, all I could find was the nylon sleeve... no trace of the chair that had probably been taken by the current. Sorry for the environment...
Nevertheless, I was happy... until I found that the car would not start... Eishkom... no electricity... starter motor dead! The old trick of knocking it with a strong piece of wood finally worked after 20 min... so I could drive up the track up to the main road. Saved!
A few hours later, I stopped the car along the road to take a picture of the rolling fog... beautiful... forgetting about the dead starter motor. And how on earth could I stop the car with both wheels, behind the only 2 pieces of concrete of the whole stretch of road between Rosh Pinah and Aus... 214 km! which made it very hard to push start the car alone...
After that, I was very careful not to stop - unless on a slope - before finding an auto electrical in Luderitz.
Then, on the first bad gravel road, I discovered that there was a leak in the rear air-suspension. Another problem...
I thought I had taken a leap of faith and that I was on the right track into my spiritual journey... so why so many obstacles? Well, the most important is how do we react to them, isn't it? Attitude!
I tried to be positive every time I had a new challenge or to solve an issue... and you know what... I even rewarded myself.
For example after spending 500 bucks on the starter motor, I decided to have fresh oysters and champagne in Luderitz! There I met Brenda, an amazing lady full-of-energy who invited me to stay in her house in Windhoek and it was the start of a wonderful new friendship.
Always be gentle to yourself!
The saga of obstacles did not stop! Within the next 5 days, I got 7 punctures, including 2 tyres completely destroyed. Once looking in the side mirror, I saw pieces of rubber flying off from the rear wheel... the problem is that with a big car, you don't really feel it immediately on a very corrugated road!
And I kept being positive... while spending time and money on repairs... and 2 new tyres!
As I became a puncture expert, I helped some tourists who happened to be a shaman-musician and an artist painter who invited me on a singing healing experience in Spitzkoppe. That night turned out to be magic to me, and deep in my heart I felt I was on the right path to re-discover myself, no matter the obstacles.
My goal was to re-connect with my photography and shoot more surreal landscapes. And I did. I kept focus on my goal, whatever the challenges thrown my way!
So remember, there will be a lot of obstacles... and in time you will know how to deal with them.
Just another amazing encounter, on the way to Windhoek, it was already late and I was looking for a place to camp before the city. The sky was heavy, announcing some rain to come, when I heard a screaming sound coming out of the bonnet... no dead cat or wild animal, it was the airconditioning compressor pulley. So I disconnected the belt and saw a kind of tower a few km away from the road. Probably a building of one of these huge thousands-ha farm. So I opened several gates, drove to the farm where I met the farmer... and when I asked the lady for her hospitality to camp overnight, she replied with a strong german accent... you can NOT camp here, big rain is coming tonight, but you are very welcome to stay in guest room. I offered to share my bottle of wine and had dinner with the family. What is incredible, is that encounter turned out to be an open invite for my daughter Enya to spend a month working the horses they breed on the farm! Enya was delighted...
What is important is the right attitude. Project a positive attitude and you will be surprised by the outcome!
Look... my new friend Brenda in Windhoek, the music healing night in Spitzkoppe and another new friend artist painter Terry, Enya's invite to work with horses and of course my new photographic project.
This project - I now call UTOPIA - has grown in my head and has already received such good feedback from the tourism and environment sectors in Namibia that I am seriously considering immigrating there.
Maybe a new chapter in my life opened up just because I had the right attitude while following my true path.
See some of the best photos of the trip...