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We took off in the dark. For the first 20 minutes of
the flight I could only just make out the ground, but couldn't see the trees or the roads. Olivier was just a bright light off to my left – and I guess for him, I was just a flashing light in the sky. The sky
brightened to the east and the sky turned orange and then white as the sun rose ahead of us.
The famous Etosha Pan lay ahead of us. It's an
immense flat pan onto which very few animals or people venture because in certain areas the ground is so soft and muddy that it will swallow whatever is on the surface. We saw some game in the park, Wildebeest,
Zebra, Ostridges, Koedoe and Eland. No elephants or lions.
At about 9am we started to experience some turbulence
and within 20 minutes we were rocking and bumping all over the sky as the turbulence level increased. I found it difficult to understand why the turbulence was so strong. Olivier and I talked and decided to try
flying lower, but after 10 minutes of that opted to climb up to cloud base. I estimated cloud base to be at 7,000 ft but we only got there at 10,500 ft. at one point I climbed up to 12,000 ft for fun.
Overhead Grootfontein we chatted to Martin over the
radio who said that he would meet us at the airport with some cigarettes which Olivier requested. At the airport we met up with a few microlighters and …. Manuela, Olivier's Italian girlfriend, was there to meet us
as well.
We took a room at Le Club for the day to shower and
rest and whatever! In the late afternoon we walked to Martin and Charmaine's house for a braai (barbecue). At about 9 pm we were dropped off at the airport where we prepared the trikes and settled down for the
night. The mozzies attacked me in waves. I actually don't mind the mosquitoes, provided there aren't too many and provided they don't buzz in my ear! And provided they do not carry malaria!
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