befok!

Yesterday we walked around Swakopmund and visited a few of the sites. A quick visit to the information point set us off to get the permit required for the Welwitschia drive which we decided to do on Thursday morning on the way to our next stop, which at the moment is looking like Spitzkoppe on the road to Windhoek.

We started with the Kristall Galerie. They had the most amazing display of gemstones amongst which you will find the worlds largest quartz crystal cluster.

We did the tourist thing and visited some of the shops and craft markets. Ho-hum. It’s all same as Green Market Square and the likes. We did however have a very nice chat to the owner of Pandora’s Box. We walked down to the lighthouse to take a few pictures. Then it was up to the Snake Park where we got Piggy the Python draped over our shoulders.

I also found a shop with some German confectionery where I bought a doughnut shaped nougat thing draped in chocolate. The sugar rush was intense. I also bought a vanilla cake slice (also covered in chocolate) which had a thin layer of jam and marzipan on top. The cake was a little dry, but carrying it around all day probably did not help to ensure moistness.

After stopping at camp for lunch we went looking for a place to sandboard. We then also stopped to take pictures of the shipwreck just outside Swakopmund.

Andre went diving late afternoon and managed to catch 7 crayfish. He kept the largest one for himself and donated the rest to the UK couple camping across from us. They have been traveling through Africa for 15 months now and (like the Swiss) have a nice setup to do so from. Oh and no venture Andre ever embarks on is free from self inflicted harm. He managed to lose a part of a nail on one of his fingers while crayfishing.

I in the mean time walked the beach and the river area where I found a number of pink flamingos and other birds.

The hopes of sunset pictures from the Jetty were dashed by the sudden onset of cloud. Once they move in it starts to get cold very quickly.

Dinner was a nice spicy chicken on the coals followed by leftover nougat doughnut We then walked down to the reef bar which is right on the beach for a quick drink. We had quite a nice chat with the bar staff and headed back to camp.

We got up reasonbly early this morning to find (thankfully) a somewhat overcast sky. Perfect weather for a quick stroll through the wild fig tree forest nearby our campsite. We initially thought about doing a day hike at Naukloof, but because it is also run by NWR and because Johan (the owner of the Tsauchab River Camp) told us their rock pools were dry and we could visit his forest on the river for free we changed our minds. It was well worth the bit of 4×4ing to get there (Andre is getting better).

Then it was off to Solitaire and of course we had to try the infamous apple strudle. The serving was generous and Andre enjoyed it. I had a taste of his, but confectionary containing apples has never been my thing. We tried to help a somewhat paniced French couple who were looking for a spare tyre, but Johan (who also sells tyres) did not have their size nor did the garage at Solitaire. They did manage to get a telephone directory and were calling some places in Walvis bay when we left.

We managed to find ice at Solitaire. It is a very precious commodity when you are out in the sticks. Since leaving Sesriem all the places we asked either did not have or would not sell!

The most bizarre thing about Solitaire for me was the fact that they have squirrels digging in the dirt and living in an old Ford bakkie. Solitaire does not have much in the way of trees

Then it was off to Walvis Bay. The road was terrible a times and the last 100km befor Walvis was boring as hell. Considering the scenary overdose of the last few days my comments might be unfair. On the way we saw a number of dead foxes on the roadside. Karma?

After a quick drive through Walvis Bay we headed into Swakopmund. The backpackers was full but the backup plan campsite (Alte Brucke) was gold. Grassed stand with our own bathroom and shower.

By the time we got to Swakopmund I was finished. After dinner (at 3pm) and a refreshing shower I crawled into bed. It seems mandatory for me to be sick at least once when on holiday (sigh). By late afternoon I was feeling a bit better and Andre and I walked down to the beach to the jetty.

After the sweltering heat since leaving Luderizt the cool sea breeze here is most welcome. We will probably spend 3 days here before moving on.

This morning (Sunday) we were up at 4:30 to be ready to go to Sossusvlei at 5. It was a bit of a rush and the Swiss ended up waiting for us for a few minutes. Only later on the way back did I recall the story our Contiki tourguide told us about the Swiss and their precision timing that I realised we may have stressed them out a bit :p

We did however make good time to Sossusvlei and got to the last 5km strech (the 4×4 bit) as the sun stared rising. We took a few pictures and then braved the soft sand. Thomas handled the road well while we passed some unfortunates who got stuck. When I asked him if he did a course he laughed and said “No, I learned it in the snow”.

We then walked up the main dune behind Sossusvlei and admired the view from the top. Thomas attempted the sand board we had brought along but it lacked a crucial ingredient: Cobra Wax. The result was Thomas sliding over the board or if he could stay on mollasses in slow motion. This provided much entertainment for the other 3 couples on the dune. Andre also had a go (after making Thomas bring the board up). The results were identical with the grand finale being the board snapping in two.

We then wandered down to the bottom and made our way back to Dune 45, which we also climbed. Climbing dunes is hard work! I killed both sets of batteries during the mornings excursion. I suspect however they might be near end of life.

By 9 it was cooking so it was back to camp to pack up. I took a walk around our site to see if I could find our cutlery container which was stolen by wildlife the previous night (a fox is under suspicion), but was out of luck. A bit of procrastination did count in our favour as the unwashed dinner dishes got left behind. I will be stirring my tea with a fork.

We had some lunch. The Swiss have been trying to bake bread in a cast iron pot and their practice paid off. We said goodbye and headed off to a nearby campsite. We did however decide to take a look at other places along the road for something better. We stopped at A Little Sossusvlei Village for directions, ice and potential camping. The lovely lady there pointed us towards Tsauchab River Camp. Absolutely fantastic. Warm welcome, cold beer and a lovely atmosphere.

If you happen to be in this part of Namibia I would not stay anywhere else. They even sold us some Gemsbok steak which was divine and loaned us some freezer blocks to help keep the fridge cool. It almost felt like going through moms fridge Oh and there’s a pool as well!

As we were saying goodbye to the Swiss I spotted a tent peg we had left behind. I picked it up turned around took a step and bam a flash of light as I smacked my head into the pointy end of the tree (which was out of my field of vision due to the floppy hat). So once again the Swiss to the rescue with some gause for my mionor head wound. We suggested they tail us in case we need further rescuing

We spotted some wildlife on the way to sesriem. There was Gemsbok, Springbok, Zebra and even some Ostriches. The mountains are amazing, they all have interesting shapes and formations. I took a number of pictures along the way.

When we arrived at the Sesriem campsite we met a couple from Switzerland. They we debating about paying N$600 for the night’s camping. This didn’t sound right to me as the prices on the internet were way lower. Sure enough everything had gone up on the 1st of November. With the prices more than doubling. So we talked it over and decided that being able to get into Sossusvlei before sunrise was going to be best. So we shared a campsite. The saving at least covered the permit into Sossusvlei (N$290). What a complete rip-off! It might not have been such a bitter pill to swallow if there was at least some sign of enthusiasm from the NWR people behind the counter.

Anyway not long after entering the campsite we (Andre) got stuck in soft sand and the Swiss were kind enough to help push the bakkie. 2min later we were stuck again, this time they needed a tow rope. I was rolling on the sand with laughter.

We had a nice braai and chatted about their trip. They came to Cape Town by boat with their 4×4 and are traveling through Africa back to Europe and plan to be finished by April next year.

We will be driving into Sossusvlei with them tomorrow (Sunday) which is a huge bit of luck for us.

GPRS coverage is terrible here. I have full signal but there is no data throughput once connected, so I keep having to reconnect. Thanks MTN (not).

So besides some technical and enthusiasm issues the trip is wonderful!

Yesterday we arrived in a very windy Luderitz. The backpackers lodge was full. So we called a few other places and eventually settled on Kratzplatz B+B which turned out to be an excellent choice. We took a walk up to the German Lutheran Church and climbed the hill behind it to discover a 360 degree view of the town and surrounds.

We then walked (or rather blew) down to shark island and quickly decided that we would head out the next morning to Sossusvlei after visiting the Koolmanskop ghost town.

We met some 60+ men (Neels and Louwkie) who were spending two days in town at the B+B so we ended up having a braai together. It turned out they had bought the other half of the rib we had purchased earlier

They had both grown up together and the only word to describe them is “stoutgatte”. One story about a particular party where they ended up trying to braai the meat in the beam of a cars headlights was extremely amusing.

After a few drinks we headed over to the adjacent bar and ran into a contingent of American students who we traveling through parts of Africa. Andre poked some fun at them by convincing them he had no idea where America was.

I had a nice long chat to an oldish German couple. The have been all over the world, but keep coming back to Namibia and South Africa.

We set off to Koolmanskop after a hearty breakfast. I got some nice pictures. We also stopped at the Wild Desert Horses lookout point, but there were only 3 to be seen.

We stopped at Duwisib castle for a cold beer and some photos and hit the scenic route to Sossusvlei.

After getting through two sets of customs we hit a bit of a detour. Its seems the D212 turnoff we were looking for masquerades as the C13. With that mystery solved we got our first taste of Namibian gravel road. It followed the Orange river all the way to Rosh Pinah and while there were some bad patches at times the scenery made it well worth it. The landscape changes constantly going from croppy mountains to wide flats and all sorts in between.

The first Tafel larger was purchased at Rosh Pinah (chilling in the fridge). We hit a bit of luck as well. The road from there to Aus has been tarred which will save us quite a bit of travel time.

I got up at 5 this morning and setup my tripod and camera in a field behind our campsite and waited for the sunrise. The only sound to be heard was the chitter of the birds and a lone rooster trying to convince the rest of the world it was time to get up and get ready for work.

We have just crossed the border!

We have just arrived at the Aquade campsite near Vioolsdrif. It’s a very nice spot. All the campsites have shady trees and we have a wonderful view of the Orange River. The first beer has been opened and the pool is calling…

I did not get that much sleep last night thanks to the humidity but we still got off to a nice early start this morning and hit the road at 7am.

The excitement of the trip ahead started kicking as we left home. We made good time till we got to Piekenierskloof pass where a (Namibian) truck had jack knifed on top. Once over the pass we were welcomed by Citrusdal and clear blue skies.

The Clanwilliam dam is at 100% capacity which i have not seen it at in a long time. Oh and would you believe it if you saw council workers cutting “grass” on the side of the road in Namakwaland?