Just when you think you are on top of things, You have your ducks all in a row and you can see your name up in lights, you slip on Gods great banana skin. Life sure has a sick sense of humour. My last 3 months have been challenging to say the least. Ingi has had some health issues, i had 2 operations to my ears and during all this i have had to set my business up to make the most out of our tourist season. Ingi has been amazing and has fought every step of the way. We learnt a very valuable lesson and the same mistake wont be made again. We will both use this experience as a catalyst to a healthier lifestyle and well you quickly realize you are just a grain of dust, stuck to a rock flying through space. Nothing like a near death experience to change your outlook on life……….the Chingis are back in DA house and this time its the mark 7 turbo model with a clip up hard top!
Unfortunately my swimming has taken a back seat during all of this. I have been stress eating and put on some weight. I feel like shit as the pain killers for my ears have not done my liver any good, my diet has sucked and my mental state is rather fragile. So time to STOP THE ROT. I am buying a bike, going back to biokinetics, going to walk my dog more, stop the sugar, eat healthier, get back in the pool, wear sunblock and try not to marry a family member 😉
The swimming has been so much fun. Getting fitter and stronger every time i swim is really rewarding however i am not the most aero dynamic person so it is a real grind to haul this bulk through the water. I cant help feeling a little envious of the folks that glide through the water like a Dolphin. However i am strong and determined and wont let it stop me. My Robben island swim has now been pushed back to late 2019. It is still very much my goal but i do have to be realistic. The water will be icy cold and at my pace that makes the 7,6km somewhere between 3 1/2 to 4 hours. That’s a long time at 12 deg. I know myself. I wont stop. So unless i finish i could do myself an injury. I will need another winter to acclimatize. Plus my retirement career as a DILF (i just made that up) porn star will be severely stunted. Their are lots of events for me to take part in come spring and my first real goal is to swim the Robben island crossing with my friend Lindy van den Bosch in a relay on the 21st April 2019. We will each swim 3,8km.
So i have formulated a plan. First is to get back in the pool. It is winter now and swimming at 7-30 am is no joke. The water is 16deg but that is not the problem. I do fairly well once i am in. I have the layers to protect me. Its the outside temp. The last 2 months with Ingi’s health issues and the stress that has put out us under has made me soft. Mentally and physically. I need to regroup. So i am heading off on a drive into my beloved desert on Friday. On Saturday my Dad will have been gone for 9 years and i cant think of a better time. Just like people go to their church on a Sunday to do their thing, i go to the Desert. It is my church. This is where i feel closest to my people and my higher power. I need to sit around a camp fire and stare at the stars. I want to watch the sunrise and sunset. I want to watch mother nature do her thing and find my inner swami.
Also i have decided to walk again……yip Chadman walking is back. The only stretch left to do to have walked the entire length of the Namib desert is the 300km from the Ugab river to the Hoanib river. It is a tough section as it can be very rocky. It is very stark, there is no shade, no water, lots of dust, wild animals and as i will have to do it before tourism season it will be close to 40 deg c every day, Sedney will have to bring the back up vehicle with lots of water and dodging the wild life will be tricky.
Its going to be a great adventure. And i cant wait.
I will start walking more now as well as i need to toughen my feet up. I don’t have time for blisters.
I will be joined once again by my trusty side kick Kuiseb. She is getting old now so no walking through the heat of the day for her and she seems to enjoy watching me from her comfy seat in the back of the backup vehicle anyway. She loves the adventure as much as i do.
Steve Van der Schyff my good friend for the last 23 years will also join. He walked from the Hoanib to the Kunene (300km) with me last year. It was a tough walk but his wacky sense of humour kept our spirits up. Steve is an artist from Salt rock in SA. I will add a link to his amazing work in time.
We will start this walk on the 24th April 2019 and it should take us just under a month.
My walks were initially done to try and get my shit together. My life was all about excess. I did every thing i could to try and find a meaning to it all. I spent my days in the pub or restaurant and tried everything i could to alter my state of mind. I tried to put the spiders back in the bottle. Most drinkers pray they can get control of it and are full of good intentions. It is impossible to control, you will have times when you are better at it than others. However unless you hit rock bottom it will win. It turns out the answers were not in the bottom of a bottle. A lot has come right in my life since i stopped but I am still very much is search of my inner swami. I have found other interests and my passion for conservation has grown. I try raise awareness for those who cannot speak for themselves and have just as much right to a place on this earth as we do. Last year we walked to raise awareness for Giraffe conservation and i now have the great pleasure of announcing that Dr Flip Stander has been given us the go ahead to walk in aid of the Desert lion project. There are only about 120 free roaming lions left here in Namibia. They roam in the Northwest of the country mainly along the dry river beds of Kaokoveld. There are only a very few places left in Africa where lions are truly free. However their numbers are dropping fast mainly due to human-lion conflict. I have added a link to the Desert lion project on the top right of the Blog as well as their Bank details should you wish to donate to them. My walk will be totally self funded so please don’t send any donations to me. However please drop me a mail if you have donated to them and i will put your name on our sponsors page. If you are a company please send me your Logo. chad@wildcherryadventures.com
Come on, do something good for a worthy cause. Giving is actually very rewarding and will give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
So time to start working on myself, getting our Chadmanwalking back, after all I am T.N.T , I’m dynamite………………….;-)
Chadmanwalking 