We are planning on crossing the border into Botswana tomorrow morning and unlike the last border crossing we will get there early! We are staying at Kalahari Bush Breaks not far from the border. Leaving Windhoek late due to waiting for my mobile phone to be fixed we arrived at Kalahari early evening. As we pulled in the camp site was deserted, we were the only ones.

(Lego Boy being an amazing big brother)

I jumped out the car onto what looked like lovely soft grass but immediately jumped back into the car squealing “spikes”! The grass was full of thorns… small incredibly painful three dimensional star shaped thorns. No wonder the campsite was deserted.

A quick scramble around the car to find shoes (which we hadn’t worn for days) we all climbed out. A storm was rolling in so we quickly put up the tent away from the trees. As lightening was getting very close, hitting the ground, we decided to check out the lodge 1.5km up the track.

It was a gorgeous lodge (unfortunately we had missed dinner),the boys had a swim and Baby Blue practiced his crawling while we watched the storm pass by. On return to our tent I was relived to see hadn’t been struck by lightening.

Whilst the boys played we lay down every blanket and towel we had, trying to protect our air beds as much as possible from the spikes that were coming through the ground sheet. We still had about 10 days of traveling and I didn’t want to spend it on the floor!

(Eating dinner in the car to avoid the spikes whilst listening to  Zombie by The Cranberries over and over again!)

As the sun was setting loads of antelope came to drink at the waterhole about 20 meters from our tent. The boys played happily (with shoes on) as we watched the antelope drink.

(Running blurs)

With the dreaded border crossing the next day we got a early night setting our alarms for 5:30am. Shockingly it worked we were there nice and early and got through the whole crossing in less than an hour! The tablets and biscuits also meant the boys stayed calm and happy through out. I entertained myself pulling 27 start thorns out the bottom of husbands left shoe!

Botswana roads appeared to be as good as Namibian roads and the journey to our camp site didn’t take very long. Once upon a time the site would have been great but now was quite run down and tatty, the swimming pool was out of order as was the restaurant but the showers worked.

We were only staying one night and were in the middle of no where so Husband decided to try and fit the suspension bumpers himself. An hour or so later hot and bothered he gave up as the car was sinking into the sand.

We were having a great time but the weeks of traveling with a young family was taking it toll on Husband and I. We were shattered, had lost loads of weight and my milk supply was drying up. Putting up and down the tent, constantly trying to find food and water (as we had no way to keep it cool), baby blue still feeding a lot at night, no table or chairs (to eat at), long drives, entertaining children and no down time… we needed a rest! It would be Christmas Eve tomorrow, so we promised ourselves the next 2 days off camping, cooking and driving.