Fifty two is the new forty two

Yesterday I was sitting at the beach and the reality of turning fifty two in a few days is now hitting me. Not in a bad way (I have never been happier) however the signs are in the body. Damn it sucks to not be able to do what I could in the past. Nevertheless, I will never stop going on adventures as that is my first love.

I have had a few adventures this year that have been a close shave. I must be kinder to myself. However, I am also still in the learning period. Lol. I have had some great Caminos this year and we just finished a lovely Yovember retreat & the first Khan & Swakop River Hike. Here are some pics:

Yovember weekend

We have one more this weekend and I am looking forward to it. It starts on my birthday 16^th December. Dingaan’s day! Party time 😉

Also, it will be the last trip of 2022. The men (George & Steve) will head home to the north and Ellen and I are going walking. On the subject of men, I would just like to thank them for their hard work this year. When they started with me, I said to them our only chance at making this really work is for Wild Cherry Adventures to be better than everyone else. Luckily, my experience in tourism gives me an advantage as I have a few basics I work with. Mainly about service! Our hard work had to be at 150% 100% of the time. A zebra is a zebra and Namibia sells itself with beauty, but service and food is what will set us apart from the rest. Ellen Horlebein and her My Pink Bumper have helped tremendously, and we love her dearly. Mwhaaaa xxx. When I left the guiding up to my freelance guides and I ran three companies from an office in Windhoek we were number 72 out of 142 companies on Trip Advisor rankings. I said to them for now we have an aim at the top ten! Over 2 years and with a lot of hard work. George, Steve, and I entered the top 10 6 months ago 😉 Today we are number 6.

And Wild Cherry Adventures can even climb more. So feel free to share your experience with us:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293821-d13847917-Reviews-Wild_Cherry_Adventures-Windhoek_Khomas_Region.html

Thank you, men, and lady. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. We have recently won the Trip Advisor “Traveller’s choice award 2022” & won the luxlife magazine “Best new adventure company 2023”.

Yowzah now that feels good 😉 Well done team! Congratulations! You really are the A team.

I have decided that fifty-two is the new forty-two. Why do you ask?

If you have read the Hitchikersguide to the galaxy you will know we are not the most intelligent beings on the planet. Actually, we are third behind dolphins at 2 and W=white mice at 1.

When the question came up about the meaning of life? The white mice entered all the relevant info into big thought (the world’s most powerful computer) and the answer came back. 42!

So, as it happens, I am turning fifty-two in a few days and life has never made more sense. So, fifty-two is the new forty-two 😉 Also the brainy people recon I missed a decade and grew up too fast due to my mother’s death. So, I am claiming that decade back so again fifty-two in the new forty-two 😉.

Also, I had an epiphany on the beach yesterday and it happened just as I was being nice to someone, and a pod of dolphin swam by. I also saw a dolphin as I threw my dad’s ashes into the ocean in KZN in 2009. So, was it dad talking to me or just the dolphins swimming by and saying, “so long and thanks for all the fish”?

Besides the fact that I am clearly gifted 😉 and can now talk dolphin. I really believe that there is a lot of connection still with my loved ones. They happen too often and with the same animals or places for there not to be connection & guidance I am getting 😉 It feels good 😉. I am open to it all. Do not knock it until you have tried it.

Sometimes I like to have a light breakfast.

Tracking is a trained artform sometimes called “the way of the open hand” but often it is called wherethefuckami 😉.

Ellen and I have decided to go on an adventure over xmas and new year.

We are going to walk from Windhoek to Swakopmund. 340km.

I would like to walk in aid of awareness of mental health and for our Kunene Camino basic supply’s hand out to the Himba people.

It breaks my heart to see how many people are now suffering after that clusterfuck called Covid. People are starving. If you go to the coast this year you will notice how the amount of beggars and street people in Swakopmund has grown. Its soooo sad. Besides the fact that they must freeze at night, they are just extremely poor basic people with no real hope. Where is the help? Someone must do something about the poverty, hospitals, education etc…. please. Do you not care? Really is there nobody noticing? Are you really going to let this happen?

I try give what I can and if you can? I will be in Windhoek and Swakopmund over the next months and once a month I will do a collection somewhere for basic supplies please. If you can spare a can of something or a bag of pap? Sugar? Tea? Oil? Anything that is non-perishable we will hand it out on the Kunene Camino’s in May June and September. No Cash please. Only goods or old clothes.

I call this rock Hagler (my boxer dog) as it looks like her. The moon looks like a bubble.

Two guys are in a pub.

First guy askes “Did you blow bubbles when you were younger”

Friend answers “sure I did”

First guy “well he is back in town, and he has been asking after you 😉”

So, Ellen and I have decided to walk from Windhoek to Swakopmund. Why do you ask????

Well, why not? I have had a tough year health wise and there is no doubt I could spend some time on myself. My leg is not in great condition. I have had two serious cases of cellulitis and sepsis in the right leg. I need to protect it but also exercise and stretch it. It is starting to worry me.

My spiritual and mental side needs some attention. I have been in towns more than I had hoped in the last 2 months and with illness and the financial pressure we are all under things are a bit foggy. You start to forget the meaning of life (52 just in case you are wondering 😉). They need to be refreshed.

Ellen and I will thrive with the time spent together. Once again in towns you do things to catch up and are always busy.

All these things exercise/mental health/spiritual connection is all solved in nature. Just doing it is sometimes hard. Luckily, our lives we have chosen to live allows us to do it.

It is holiday time after all 😉.

So, we will follow the same route as the desert dash. Ours will be called the desert sloth trail 😉.

You can follow our progress on a GPS tracking system on the link on my site www.wildcherryadventures.com Look at “follow our Camino live” button.

If you are moving between Windhoek & Swakopmund please stop by and say hello. Come walk with us for a few days or bring us some water 😉 You will need to be fully self-sufficient.

Ellen and I will share the walking and the other will drive the back-up vehicle. We have no staff. So please join but bring your tribe.

I am so excited 😉The thought of things getting better is exciting and did I mention I love an adventure 😉 Even as a little boy me and my gang had a fort in the hills, and we protected it fiercely. We farmed and hunted (with no success) 😉 I love planning a trip and the thought of travel fills me with happiness. I truly love the adventure.

Hence “Wild Cherry Adventures” 😉

Our friends the Spare Parts have recorded a new afrikaans song. It is pretty good. Listen here 😉

Here are the dates for 2023. If you want a space, I strongly suggest you contact me asap and do your booking. I have added 2 BRANDBERG Caminos and now 3 KUNENE Caminos.

Also, for everyone’s info I will no longer be keeping seats for anyone. Pay and your space is confirmed! Unfortunately, people keep cancelling at the last min and the only person taking a loss is me. So, no pay no walk. I am sure you understand.

Well, I never published before my birthday so here are some pics from our 2^nd Khan & Swakop River Hike on the 16^{th of} December 2022 😉.

Here is some info on next years Caminos.

For those of you that have been wondering about the 222km Camino.

I was initially going to hike the Orange river but with all the National parks and date farming makes it impossible.

So i am going to do a one off every year for the more fitter hiker. It is the Same route Stephen van der Schyff and i took when we walked from the from the Hoanib to the Kunene in 2017.

The once off Camino every August will be the Koakoveld Camino. We will walk from Puros up the Horiseb river over Mount Himba, past marble mine to red drum and down the Marrianfluss to the Kunene river. This is my dream Camino and one that i enjoyed most out of all my big walks. It is the most incredible place. It had such an effect on me. This is for the real adventurer.

It will be 12 days of walking and 3 days of travel. 1 up and 2 down..

We will do it from the 12th to the 26th August 2023

So watch this space for details and pricing.

Please dont even consider this if you cannot walk 20km a day for 12 days

Thank you for reading and I wish you all an incredible and peaceful holiday period.

Be kind to yourself and do something for yourself 2023. Set yourself a goal and go get it. Start with one thing and go for it. You will feel so empowered when you achieve it. Then you realise you can do whatever it is you want to do. You just need to want it enough.

It’s a good life if you dont weaken.

Chadmanwalking out.