Mm, mm, bah, dah
Mm, mm, bah, dah
Mm, mm, bah, dah, dahPressure, pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that burns a building down
Splits a family in two, puts people on streetsBah bah bah
Bah bah bah
Di dey dah
E day dah
That’s OKIt’s the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming
“Let me out”
Tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streetsDeh deh deh
Bah dah bah bah bah
OKChipping around, kick my brains around the floor
These are the days, it never rains, but it poursDi doh a doh
Di di bah bah bah (Ooh, ooh)
Do bah
Beh lah
People on streets
Di dah di da dey
People on streets
Di dah di dah di dahIt’s the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming
“Let me out”
Tomorrow gets me higher, higher, high
Pressure on people, people on streetsTurned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence, but it don’t work
Keep coming up with love
But it’s so slashed and torn
Why, why, why?
Love (love, love, love, love)Insanity laughs, under pressure we’re cracking
Can’t we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can’t we give love that one more chance?
Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love
Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love’Cause love’s such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for the people on the
Edge of the night, and love dares you to
Change our way of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselvesUnder pressure
Under pressure
Pressure
In my twenties myself and a friend Jerry did our FEGASA training, and we wanted to open our own tour company. We heard this song on the TV called play that funky music whiteboy – by Wild cherry. Our names and certainly my lifestyle made Wild Cherry adventures a favourite name. Jerry is happily in Florida USA now with a lovely family and i headed to Namibia.
When i took over the Cardboard box it would have been business suicide to change the name, so it was then Wild Cherry adventures T/A The Cardboard box backpackers amongst others.
When i started walking in 2010 for my own mental wellness i started in the South. The then Warden of the Spergebeit was retiring and getting married in Aus. He had naturally stopped to ask me what it was that i was doing I told him and shared a lovely few beers with them at the Bar. I ate and slept well and i went on my way. A few days later they were heading down the D707. I had my headphones on and did not hear them getting closer. As they pulled up to me i will never forget the look on their faces. There was this huge guy walking with 2 dogs through the desert and i was crying like a baby. It was so funny it dried my tears instantly and turned it into laughter.
However, i was a broken man. I was looking for answers. They were not coming. I could not forgive myself for what i had done or thought i had done. The problem with abuse is it changes your perception of reality. I then spend the rest of my life beating myself up. How do you spend most of your life burning the candle at both ends and then say ok i am cool with that? Let us move on. Anyone for tennis?
The Demons do not stray far and are always ready to play.
Like everyone my journey through life has impact on others. Sometimes i have left a wake of destruction and sometimes i have brought joy.
To those my actions have affected badly i truly am sorry. I TRULY AM!
However, the one answer i did find in the desert was that i realised i have never ever wished harm on any living thing without provocation. I never woke up one morning and decided ok who should i F$@K with today I am not a bad person by nature, I see that when i have acted or done bad it is someone i do not want to be.
People say a Leopard does not change his spots. Well, i am not a Leopard and it is possible!
You need to actually do it though. It’s your decision to be who it is you want to be. If you can try your best every day (considering not all days are the same and your best may only be 80% of your ability but it is your best today) you will very very soon start to see the changes happening in your life.
Life is hard enough. We have all had an incredibly hard few years, don’t you think it’s time for us to be kinder to ourselves. Take ownership of the person you do not want to be and keep them at bay. One of the best ways for me to deal with my cravings is to recognise them. Let them come. I know them. they are part of me now. So i am not scared of them. I have made my peace with them and have a way of dealing with them. Don’t be ashamed or scared of who you are. That is your past and cannot be changed. The way you deal with this exact moment is your history being written. So, write it the way you would want it to be written.
I live with a constant Monkey on my back. 1 slip and all known hell breaks loose. I see that and don’t want it anymore. So i must be in control and be ready to respond. It is a tough life but whose is not?
Anyone for tennis?
What are your dreams, or what makes you happy? When are you going to make yourself happy? When are you going to stop putting yourself Under Pressure???
This brings me to my year. Yowzah how things have transformed. On a personal level i have lost 50kg. My way was to just cut down on my sugar and carb intake. NOT STOP!!!!! Just minor changes and then to get active. I never say no to anything except alcohol. I have my weight gaining items once now out of every ten times before. This year I have met some of the nicest people to walk this earth. I have learnt that money does not define what person you are. Some of the nicest people really had to do the Camino on a tight budget. I have learnt who my target market is for the Camino and that i (in my guests’ words) have not been house broken. Bahahaha. As i have never been married there is an apparent lack of the female touch. Lol….
So, the Camp and operation is being upgraded and we are excited that Wild Cherry adventures rides again. We will be approaching this all from a different angle in 2022. I have had my business based in WHK for the last 20 years. Sure, i travel a lot however my off time is here in Windhoek and the tour departures are normally from here. I have a lot of demons here. A lot of my worst times with abuse happened here. I am fully aware that geographical change does not change anything. If you are trying to run away from your problems, you cannot hide. Your head knows where you are and will follow I am over my demons though and I cannot tell you to do what makes you happy and then not do the same for myself. I am at my most peaceful in the desert however it was impossible to run my business from there. My biggest work problem is my inability to do decent admin. I am a people person and go into a flat spin if office bound for too long or get a backlog of mails. I cannot stand crowds and quite frankly if you go to an place like Natis i have a complete asshole collapse. So i will be hiring an operations manager to take care of the star ship and correspond with the guests, do the quotes, and dispatch the tours. I will be in the desert leading the Caminos and then keeping an eye on the standards on our Etosha and Sossusvlei products. I will also do the guided pvt tours on request as usual.Our trip advisor raking is climbing and since i have been on the road. we have taken it from 56/136 Tour companies in Namibia to 13/136 in Namibia. I plan to enter the top 10 soon and we will put the pedal down.
I have seen some staff completely out of their comfort zone in the desert and some thrive. My 2IC George is a fitting example of a proud, hardworking man who under an incredibly quiet demeanour is a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm. He is a devoted family man and an incredible chef. He will go far in life. Hopefully with Wild cherry adventures.
I am in WHK now and doing the finishing touches to the website and our December Khan and Swakop river hikes. I will be meeting up with Gypsy girl on Tuesday and we will head to Swakop. My two favourite things of walking in the Namib and Swimming in the Atlantic will be my December. Yayyyyyy. Boom, result Unbelievably i still have not be in the same town as Riaan Smit to watch his show but am hoping that will be resolved in December. It is only fitting i will watch with my Gypsy girl I have a feeling it is going to be an incredible December this year at the Coast. We have some real light at the end of the tunnel. Nobody has grown a penis out of their forehead due to the Vaccine and thankfully all the experts have now started to find something else to get wound up about. It’s time to stop and take a real hard look at what you have been through and realise that you are one of the warriors still standing. Albeit missing a few limbs. Lol Lets support the local music scene, markets, artists, tourism and yourself. Take an SPCA dog for a walk, do something small for someone in need this festive season. Its the season for giving and being jolly. So, no 1 on the list………
What are you giving yourself this Xmas?
Be with who you want to be with this Xmas and if you have no one come on a walk and have Xmas in the Khan River with us
I have taken thousands of pictures this year so here is a bit of fun……………….
The Damaraland and Skeleton coast Caminos have also changed my life. I have great purpose again and am totally in my element. I love walking with the guests and i am now truly happy on the road. It was something i have wanted to do but always delayed due to being in the office dealing with HR and the mundane tasks of owning a business. Its was built during a time of utter panic and supported only by local Namibians. For that i am truly grateful. I am going live on the updated website this week and you will see the rates have a 30% discount for Namibians and a 20% discount for SADC residents when booking directly with Wild cherry adventures. This will always be your Caminos and i will make it something Namibians can be proud of.
I am doing 2 once off Caminos this year. Hobatare to Etendeka in Koakoveld and from Ruacana to Epupa along the Kunene. I will have prices and a plan asap but they will be around easter time. Those have a lot of interest so send me a mail and i can pencil you in.
The Damaraland Camino will have a route change to make it more exciting and increase the chance of seeing the elusive Black Rhinos and the New Skeleton coast Camino is being ironed out with the relevant stakeholders. I will start them again in early 2022. I will be running the Damaraland Camino between May and October 2022. In-between that i already have 2 pvt groups booked, so get in touch if you want to get onto a Camino or have your own group on another date. It is one of the best investments in yourself you can make. Trust me it is worth it .
These are the dates.
18 May 2022
25 May 2022
1 June 2022
22 June 2022
13 July 2022
27 July 2022
3 August 2022
24 August 2022
31 August 2022
7 September 2022
28 September 2022
5 October 2022
As i said my website is almost finished and will be live this week. Please feel free to have a look and contact me.
http://www.wildcherryadventures.com
chad@wildcherryadventures.com.
With that i am now going to do as i say and get stuck in.
We are doing the Khan/Swakop river hikes on the following dates this December 2021
27 November
30 November
3 December
7 December
10 December
14 December
17 December
21 December
24 December
28 December
31 December
Please send me a mail to book or for more info chad@wildcherryadventures.com
I honestly hope to see you at the Coast this December or on the Caminos in 2022.
When you are sitting there alone and wondering how this has all happend to you and how strange people and the world have become. Rest assured we are all a little strange and there is nothing wrong with it. Treat yourself better, embrace your stangeness or Uniqeness 😉 Lets finish 2021 on a high note so we start 2022 with some good momentum.
Be safe and give yourself a break.
To all the amazing people that have made my year a much better one. Your presence in my life has uplifted me and given me new hope. I have humbled by such kindness and my faith in humanity has been retored. There are good people out there. Keep doing it. Its working. 😉
Chadmanwalking out.
Chadmanwalking 