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| Surf border-crossing. |
Namaqualand, South Africa - The ride down was smoother than the one up.
It was also wetter.
Bouncing between powdery rocks on an ochre-hued mountain exhaling large clouds of dust, we made our way by van to the launch point upstream on the Orange River, which divides South Africa and Namibia. The door holding us in caught a breeze and flew open with a slam.
The glass had apparently previously cracked for a reason.
Dipping the paddles to our two-person inflatable canoe into the cool, brackish water, we casually made our way downstream, popping through small rapids. The sun welcomed us with fierce intensity.
After more than two hours on the water, we radiated some of it back.
The river is the lone scar on an otherwise completely arid region. Fish somersaulted and egrets fanned their wings as we passed. Atop a lone, skinny tree perched crookedly on one of the many promontories sat a massive fish eagle, seemingly being picky about its next meal.
I cooled off with a quick dip: it's not every day you have the opportunity to swim between countries.
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