Challenge 1 - Big Ones

Yeah. Herman wasn't kidding.

Today we have seen some of the largest 'sandscapes' that exist in the entire world. These dunes are unique to Namibia in that they don't change shape or 'walk', so our guides, Herman and his buddy Wally, know these lands like the back of their hands (luckily for us).

We drive for what seems like an age, Herman's been driving across the dunes since he was seven years old - "We start doing things at a very young age here in Namibia" - he tells us, before educating us about the fauna and wildlife that is indigenous to the area.

This man loves his job and more than that, he loves Namibia. We're here to take on the extreme, but it's important to remember that these lands are carefully looked after and the conservation of the entire desert is paramount.



Needless to say, as a result, not one piece of litter has been left behind.
By any of us.



After some awesome off-road action, we finally find the dunes we're looking for.
Describing something of this magnitude is not easy, they have an almost regal quality to them, and I type this to you now they tower over us and we can only marvel at their majesty.

"Enough messing about lads, let's get going!"



Raymond scouts ahead for the big ones, we kit up and throw ourselves down the slopes after him... Yeah we crash a few times, but that's the whole point!

"Don't be afraid of the speed" .,.he repeats, so we go again - faster and faster still...

As I said, words cannot express the amount of adrenalin pumping through our veins attempting these hills. Energy?! We're living on the stuff...

Check these out...



So. Much. Sand.



No really, SO. MUCH. SAND.



That is some slope...



Preparation



Do More? Oh go on then....

:D

Challenge 1 - Digging Deep in the Desert

"We're leaving at 7:30am. Be up. Be ready. We've a long drive ahead..."

They were the last words that Eric said to us before we headed to bed late last night. We'd been out to the local seafood restaurant, The Tug, to sample some of the best tastes of Namibia. Much merriment was had and, although a few were aching slightly, you could tell that the sandboarding bug was getting to us all.



Thing is with sandboarding, you're boarding on *sand*. Which means it's not abrasive, it's not COLD and the absolute worst you can walk away with at the end of the day is that you walk away covered in sand. Some would argue that if you didn't leave the dunes covered in sand, you're probably doing it wrong ;)



The day before, Foyce (pictured above) had already established himself as king of the spectacular crash (having managed to have his face hit the sand almost as much as his board), but every time he got up, smiled and walked right back up to the top for the next run. He wasn't the only one either, in fact - never has the phrase 'Do More' meant so much to these guys.

"Again! Again! Do we have time for one more?"

So at 7:30 this morning (well, more like 8:00 - but we'll come back to that later) we set off for Namib Naukluft Park. Eric & Raymond had already picked up our boarding equipment so all we had to do was split the group into two 4x4s ready for the off-road expedition into the desert.

Yes we ache a bit from yesterday. Yes we've got a couple of hours before we get there but oh YES we cannot wait to hit those dunes...

Quote of the day so far this morning goes to Herman, our driver and guide for today:



"Those dunes from yesterday? They're speed bumps compared to what you'll ride today fellas... Speedbumps."

Signing off with a quick photo of the road ahead... WOW!

Challenge 1 - Getting Ready to Leave

And so it was Mansoor, Shofat, Foyce and Suly disembarked from London Heathrow for the first leg of their very own Lucozade Challenge. Next stop: Cape Town.

From there the Team, or 'the fellowship' as I've taken to calling them (seriously - we've all got matching dogtags... but I'll come back to these in a later post), collect their luggage only to check in once again to catch a connecting flight to Walvis Bay, Namibia.



Shofat, Manzoor, Foyce & Suhel

To say there is a underlying sense of excitement mixed with the allure of the unknown maybe somewhat of an understatement.

These four lads, originally from Birmingham, all play football together back home and are a great bunch. We've been at the airport now for an hour and the camaraderie is obvious. They work together, play together and - from the sounds of things - are gonna kick this challenge out of this world together.

Sandboarding on the largest dunes that Africa has to offer...

It's gonna rock.. Good luck lads.