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Kamperen
camping weekend 30-09-06
The time had come to test out all our new camping equipment with the entire team, including our “support team” Trudy and Elly. We like surprises, yet we did not want to take the gamble of travelling 15,000 kilometers before discovering a leak in one of the sleeping mats, or that one of the tent poles is missing. It is also reassuring to have practised setting everything up at least once before leaving. And, of course, it is a good idea to get used to each other’s company in these new circumstances. “What better test of a relationship than putting up a tent together!”
And so, one Saturday morning, we arrived in Warder, a nostalgic location for the Regter family. We sought out three strategic spors for the tents, between all the cow pats, and with our backs to the wind!
First, we successfully set up the “workshop tent”. The purpose of this tent is to provide protection against the elements should we need to carry out repair work on the car during the trip, in the absence of a garage. This is a fantastic “tunnel tent”, large enough to house the entire car, “including mechanics”. Of course, we hope that we will never have to put up this tent for that purpose!
The two sleeping tents were put up without much difficulty, and furnished with the comfortable self-inflating mattresses and warm sleeping bags. Our very own Mongolian “Gers” camp was almost complete…
But first, there was cooking to be done! This was where our practical collapsible cooking unit came into play, with its twin-burner petrol-powered stove. After carefully reading through the instructions (and experimenting a little), the water for the first cup of coffee was boiling in no time.
By this time, the group had been joined by a few visitors who wanted to see with their own eyes how the Kilometers for Children team will be living the following year!
A very cosy gathering in a meadow in the middle of the polder landscape.
As evening fell, the Ford was taken back to a warm and dry shelter. The workshop tent was rolled up again and packed away, while the evening’s team of “chefs” prepared a hearty hot meal using the new cooking equipment.
By the light of two good petrol lamps, the delicious meal was accompanied by a bottle of red wine”. “Nazdrovje”!
As the evening drew in and the dew started to fall, laughter, chatting, singing and even a guitar filled the air until it eventually got too cold, and we crawled into our tents.
The team awoke almost all at the same time the next morning after a good night’s sleep.
The weather had really deteriorated. It had rained heavily during the night. This turned out to be a good test of the water-tightness of the tents and how draught-proof they were!
After breakfast, accompanied by hot tea and coffee, everything-now-wet- was packed up again and loaded into the cars. Time to return home, to do a little more work on the car.