It’s still hot, way too hot to think about driving anywhere, so we decided to stay put for the day. The van was already warming up by mid-morning, and we had laundry piling up, so it seemed like the perfect excuse to slow down and get a few things done.

There’s no laundry facility here, just a bucket and a tap, but thankfully, we’ve got unlimited water, which makes hand-washing and rinsing a lot easier. Mike rigged up a clothesline with some rope between the van, the fence and the trees, and in this heat, everything dried in no time. 

Our shaded spot from yesterday was in full sun by morning, and the van turned into a giant oven. By the time the shade finally reached us in the afternoon, it was too late, the heat had already soaked into everything.

So we gave up on being productive and we found a patch of shade under the trees, pulled out our books, and did absolutely nothing.

That evening the pig man was back with his smoked pork, so we ate there again. Then it pelted it down. For some reason the rain didn’t cool it off much.

After dinner it stopped briefly, so we made it back to the van, but about 30 minutes later came the thunderstorms. The wind howled through the trees, blowing them in every direction, pine cones crashing on our roof, flashes and cracks of thunder overhead. Someone’s gazebo got airborne, and a couple of people were desperately trying to pull it down. The entire storm was a little terrifying. I wanted to move out from under the trees, afraid the pinecones might be hurting Bertie. But he protected us well.

We settled down for a game of chess, trying not to wince every time a pine cone fell on Bertie. Eventually the storm blew over and we were able to relax.

I have a little usb fan I bought recently, so I pointed that on me and slept well.