At last – having promised to visit Julia and Ant when they left England – we boarded the plane to Johannesburg and on to Windhoek on 3rd August, hardly able to contain our excitement at the thought of seeing them both again. As soon as we landed, I text Julia to tell her we were actually in Namibia! We stayed at Puccinis in Windhoek the first night as the Intercape bus did not go to Otjiwarongo on Thursdays. However, the stay meant that we could explore Windhoek – very straight forward as it is a small capital city and easy to find your way around. We ended up at Joe’s Beer House - a very popular venue where guests sit outside under straw sunshades near a fishpond and later a welcoming log fire is lit in the restaurant centre – yes it does get cold in Africa during their winter ! We sampled our first African meat – Springbok kebabs – and knew we were going to enjoy the local food.
Mike had spotted that there was a Namib Transport Museum ( with a steam train ) so the next morning we made our way to pay it a visit– perhaps wrongly expecting something along the lines of the London one! Outside there was a little engine and a tank carriage but inside there were just artifacts from various stations when the railway was built by the Germans in about 1902. There was a very enthusiastic German Namibian in charge who followed us into each room, so we had to keep thinking of questions to ask him to try to demonstrate our keen interest!! Later in the day, despite having booked on line in advance, we had to produce our bus ticket and show our passports and credit card several times to Intercape staff, but finally we were on our way to Otjiwarongo. On the bus we were greeted by a friend of Julia and Ant, David, whom Julia had asked to look out for us – it was good to feel part of the Namibian community already! There are no real bus stops in Namibia so we were dropped off at the BP filling station. As you can imagine, it was an emotional reunion with lots of hugs and kisses all round! After checking into C’est Si Bon lodge, we went to Julia and Ant’s for supper – and a cold beer or two! It was great to actually see where they are living – I feel we can relate much better now to things that they do and places they visit. When we got back to the lodge about 11 pm it was already locked up and in darkness with only the night porter on duty – this was something we were to experience throughout our stay. Namibians get up with the sun (about 6 30) and seem to go to bed by about 9 pm!
Saturday we were picked up by Julia and Ant and did a quick shop at the Spa supermarket – very impressive, nothing really anything that they didn’t sell! It was important to stock up on beer and wine as the shops close at 1pm on Saturdays and don’t re-open till Monday mornings. It was interesting to see the ‘special offers’ were on all the food basics – maize flour, sugar (the Hereros put 5 or 6 spoonfuls in a cup of tea or coffee ), macaroni, flour and oil.
We then went to the Waterburg Plateau with Julia driving and constantly on the look out for any warthogs, baboons, kudu, guinea fowl etc. which might suddenly decide to cross the road! On arrival we climbed the Plateau which involved a strenuous (for us) climb over boulders near the top. However, the views across the plains and scrubland were wonderful and we re-gained our strength with a picnic when we got down. Later in the afternoon we went to Okakarara where Julia and Ant were based for their first few months. We visited the hospital and saw their house and treatment room – it all looked very orderly and tidy. However, the town itself seemed very poor with only one poorly stocked shop and quite bare looking stalls on the street. There were a few gambling and alcohol shops. The ‘location’ area of the town comprised very poor shacks made out of corrugated iron and anything else which could possibly be put together to make some sort of shelter. A game of football was taking place and a crowd of youngsters from the local school were enthusiastically supporting the teams. Overall it was easy to see why Julia and Ant wanted to move!
We experienced our first wonderful African sunset on the way back to Otjiwarongo where Julia and Ant prepared a wonderful meal of game steaks.
On Sunday we had a tour of Otjiwarongo and then a fairly lazy day – just asking questions about our trip over the next week and gaining tips from Julia and Ant. We later met up with their friend Mike and had a lovely meal at C’est si Bon restaurant – more wonderful meet: oryx steak! The meal came to an end at 10 pm when the staff were ready to shut up shop and turn out the lights!!
Monday dawned and Mike and I were excited and somewhat apprehensive about ‘going it alone’ on our week long tour. Although we had been to Africa before we had been with a group or someone with knowledge of the country, but this was the first time that we had planned our own trip and been independent. However, with Julia’s car stocked up and prepared for the journey, we hit the open road - long straight roads disappearing into the distance with hardly any other cars in sight! We went to Etosha National Park for 3 days and had a wonderful time. We weren’t lucky enough (or perhaps not observant enough) to see any of the big cats or rhino, but we saw many, many animals including giraffe, zebra, kudu, gemsbok and elephant, as well as lots of different birds. It was great to have the independence of being able to just move from one water hole to another and sit quietly watching animals come and go. We had a wonderful couple of hours one afternoon just watching a herd of elephants with various sized young ones, play in the water to cool themselves down. We stayed in lodges which had different styles but were all nicely furnished and comfortable. We were able to wake up at dawn at Etosha Safari Lodge and just open the curtains to watch the sun rise over the scrubland – a memorable sight.
On Thursday we moved on to an area of Namibia called Damara Land. Once off the main arterial routes, all the roads are gravel. Some are quite good and you can easily drive at 50 mph but others are rutted or have frequent potholes and dried up river beds to cross, so progress then is slow. On occasions, we feared that every screw in the car would be shaken loose! We stayed the first night at the Damara Mopane Lodge which had just opened last year. Each chalet had its own little garden in which vegetables were grown for the restaurant, along with sunflowers and marigolds etc. It was lovely. It had been a long drive so we had a bit of R & R and a swim in the pool. The next day we went to the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein – this was a long drive too over very slow roads and it took us about 2 ½ hours. The engravings had been made by the San Bushmen to communicate where the various animals could be hunted and where the water holes were located. The Bushmen were nomadic and travelled to the coast so as well as pictures of lions, kudu etc. there were pictures of seals and penguins. Despite it being very rocky and a desert area, there were a number of pretty flowers grown. After about an hour we set off back again! We passed a few isolated farms and saw the corrugated shacks where the labourers lived – poor and rough conditions. We stayed that night at the lodge near Vingerklip with is a tall pointed outcrop of rock and an area which is flat with sudden vertical cliffs and plateaux – it had once been a sea bed.
On Sunday we set off to Swakopmund a German-style little town on the coast. The road was desolate through very flat countryside and again with very little traffic using it. When we arrived there was a heavy mist at Henties Bay but fortunately we found a lovely little fish and chip shop to brighten the day. At Swakopmund, the roads were covered with sand and on the beach the waves were crashing on the shore. The buildings were rather Disneyesque and apparently the area is very popular in the summer when South Africans and Namibians flee to the coast to cool down. We had a couple of days here and drove down to Walvis Bay where we had a look round the salt pans and watched flamingos and pelicans. Again, found a lovely restaurant, The Tug, and had another super meal.
On Tuesday we headed back to Windhoek to meet up with Julia and Ant to start our camping adventure. Once we had picked up the 4WD with the 2 double tents on top, we went on a shopping trip to stock up on supplies for the next three days. This done, we went to a lovely, popular Portuguese restaurant and had fish for a change.
Wednesday we were all up early, loaded up the vehicle and then headed south down to Rehoboth and then over the Spreeghoote pass which was very high with twisty roads and hairpin bends – no worries though as Ant was calmly in control. (Mike and Ant decided to take it in turns to drive alternate days.)
We stopped at Solitaire for a coffee and a slice of Moose’s apple pie which was delicious – served by Moose himself. This apparently is famous and no one drives through Solitaire on their way to the Namib Desert without stopping. There was also a small shop and services and scattered around the place were old rusting American cars and station waggons.
A little further on we came to the Namib Desert Lodge where we were to camp for 2 nights. We had the plot for 4 units all to ourselves, so felt well and truly in the desert. In the afternoon we went over to the Lodge and followed a trail into the countryside, but although we saw lots of birds, we didn’t see any animals. After a beer we went back to the campsite to erect the tents before dark – we need not have worried as this was very straight forward and everything we needed for camping was supplied on the vehicle. We sat and watched a wonderful sunset and enjoyed the remoteness of the site. Julia and I collected some kindling for the braai and Ant soon got it going, cooking some wonderful oryx steaks. As soon as the sun set, the temperature dropped like a stone and we gradually added extra layers of clothing so that we could play some card games and then turn out the lights and watch the stars – it was amazing how much could be seen without any light pollution.
The next morning – having ensured that we woke up sufficiently to negotiate the ladders down to the ground – we had breakfast then headed off to Sesriem Canyon. We had to pack the tents and everything else away, but this didn’t take long. The Canyon was dry during the winter – the last time Julia and Ant saw it there was a lot of water through which the contestants on the Namib Desert Challenge have to run. It was a deep, narrow gorge with interesting rock formations and birds nesting on the narrow ledges. We then drove on to Namib Naukluft National Park, with the rocks and soil becoming more and more red and then red sand dunes starting to appear – these were sculptured into amazing shapes and forms with the wind. There were lots of springbok and ostriches with the occasional oryx.
We stopped at Dune 45 which is the 2nd highest dune which tourists climb. We climbed about half way but it was very hard going – forward 3 steps and back 2 in the soft sand walking along the ridge. Obviously Julia and Ant could easily have done it, but Mike and I decided not to risk a heart attack in such a remote location!! Coming down there was a sand storm and we ended with sand everywhere – in our ears, eyes and even right down in underwear! We drove on to Soussusvlei and onto Deadvlei – the latter was only accessible by 4wd as it was 5KM of deep sand. Mike enjoyed himself putting the vehicle to the test and battling through the deep sand, endeavouring not to get us stuck! There was quite a wide track with bushes and dips and it was not always easy to see which would be the best route to take. However, we made it there – and back! When we got to Deadvlei the scenery of the sand dunes was wonderful and so expansive. We walked to Deadvlei which was a salt pan with some petrified trees in it. Even though it desert there were quite a few flowers in bloom – small, low growing succulents which were very pretty. As we drove back the sun was starting to go down and the colours in the dunes and rocks changed as the shadows lengthened – a wonderful sight. Back at camp we had another braai – unfortunately the frying pan was not non-stick, so the pumpkin fritters didn’t quite turn out as expected. However, not to worry, plenty of chicken etc. and of course beers and wine. It was a very cold night and we were cold even in our sleeping bags!
We stopped at Dune 45 which is the 2nd highest dune which tourists climb. We climbed about half way but it was very hard going – forward 3 steps and back 2 in the soft sand walking along the ridge. Obviously Julia and Ant could easily have done it, but Mike and I decided not to risk a heart attack in such a remote location!! Coming down there was a sand storm and we ended with sand everywhere – in our ears, eyes and even right down in underwear! We drove on to Soussusvlei and onto Deadvlei – the latter was only accessible by 4wd as it was 5KM of deep sand. Mike enjoyed himself putting the vehicle to the test and battling through the deep sand, endeavouring not to get us stuck! There was quite a wide track with bushes and dips and it was not always easy to see which would be the best route to take. However, we made it there – and back! When we got to Deadvlei the scenery of the sand dunes was wonderful and so expansive. We walked to Deadvlei which was a salt pan with some petrified trees in it. Even though it desert there were quite a few flowers in bloom – small, low growing succulents which were very pretty. As we drove back the sun was starting to go down and the colours in the dunes and rocks changed as the shadows lengthened – a wonderful sight. Back at camp we had another braai – unfortunately the frying pan was not non-stick, so the pumpkin fritters didn’t quite turn out as expected. However, not to worry, plenty of chicken etc. and of course beers and wine. It was a very cold night and we were cold even in our sleeping bags!
On Friday we packed up camp and retraced our steps back to Solitaire – so of course had to pick up some portions of apple pie from Moose’s before driving to Aus. On the way we saw some black Karakul sheep which are bred for the very soft pelts from new born lambs which are used in the Russian and Italian fashion industry. We eventually arrived at Klein Aus Vista lodge about mid afternoon and pitched the tent – this time amongst other occupied pitches. We just had time to go for a sundown walk of about 5 KM. There was a waymarked track over some low hills to the top of the valley – very rocky but with some lovely flowers – surprising in such a dry area. At sundown we got the braai going and Ant made his famous dough balls which when cooked, are dipped in garlic butter – really good and excellent with the game steaks. Again it became very cold and by 9 pm everyone on the campsite was in bed. This time we all (except for Mike who seems to have his own heating system) put on extra layers so that we were nice and warm in bed.
The other happy campers were awake early – about 6 am – so we too were up bright and early. We had the apple pie for breakfast and the little weaver birds were queuing up for the crumbs. We then drove to Luderitz and saw several groups of wild horses en route.
These probably originated from horses which were let loose by the Germans at the end of the first world war. They live in the desert and only drink every few days. We went to Kolmanskop which is now a ghost town partially covered by sand. It was inhabited by quite a large community between 1908 and 1928 when better diamonds were found further south. It was really interesting because as a German run mine, there were all the buildings needed by the community e.g. school, hospital, butcher’s, ice making factory etc. etc. as well as very well appointed, large houses for the chief jobs. There were lots of photos showing life and the town in its hay day. However, in addition to the white community there were about 800 Oshiwambo people who were the miners and lived in crowded, poor quality buildings – there was no mention of them nor photos either !!
Following the tour round Kolmanskop we went into Luderitz which again is a very German style town and seems almost out of place in Namibia. We met a friend of Julia and Ant’s, Cynthia, who lived there and took us on a guided tour for the afternoon. We went to the salt pans and down to an old whaling station, then on to Diaz Point. It was yet another type of landscape – barren almost like a moonscape. We watched some of the see birds and saw seals at Diaz Point after which we stopped at a little café for tea and cake. We then had to dash back to Aus before it got dark – not normally advisable to drive after dark because of loose animals on the road and/or problems if you break down. Another good braai with some wonderful Namibian sausages etc.
These probably originated from horses which were let loose by the Germans at the end of the first world war. They live in the desert and only drink every few days. We went to Kolmanskop which is now a ghost town partially covered by sand. It was inhabited by quite a large community between 1908 and 1928 when better diamonds were found further south. It was really interesting because as a German run mine, there were all the buildings needed by the community e.g. school, hospital, butcher’s, ice making factory etc. etc. as well as very well appointed, large houses for the chief jobs. There were lots of photos showing life and the town in its hay day. However, in addition to the white community there were about 800 Oshiwambo people who were the miners and lived in crowded, poor quality buildings – there was no mention of them nor photos either !!
Following the tour round Kolmanskop we went into Luderitz which again is a very German style town and seems almost out of place in Namibia. We met a friend of Julia and Ant’s, Cynthia, who lived there and took us on a guided tour for the afternoon. We went to the salt pans and down to an old whaling station, then on to Diaz Point. It was yet another type of landscape – barren almost like a moonscape. We watched some of the see birds and saw seals at Diaz Point after which we stopped at a little café for tea and cake. We then had to dash back to Aus before it got dark – not normally advisable to drive after dark because of loose animals on the road and/or problems if you break down. Another good braai with some wonderful Namibian sausages etc.
Up early again and set off for Fish River Canyon area. We arrived at the Canon Roadhouse Lodge just after lunch – it was a wonderful set up. The reception desk was a converted lorry and then all round the restaurant were old cars – 2 of which had fires burning in them in the evenings. We had lunch and a sit by the pool then Ant went for a run and Julia and I went for a walk. The track was not always easy to follow but we found our way and enjoyed the rocky scenery and the quiet. We made a curry for dinner that night and after eating went into the Lodge bar for a drink and to play games – bananagrams, cards etc. We stayed till about 9 pm when everyone else had gone to bed and the staff wanted to close up!
On Monday we drove the short distance to Fish River Canyon which is 84 Km long. Julia and Ant were going to do the trek over 4 days starting on 12th September so it was their first sight of what was in store. The Canyon is the 2nd largest in the world and the descent at the start looked very steep! We had a walk along to various view points and then drove to further along the canyon for lunch. Then we drove to Ai-Ais which is the end point of the trek. A group of walkers had just finished so Julia was asking them about various aspects of the trek – and seemed re-assured with the answers! We had a drink at the newly refurbished lodge then headed back to the campsite with dark clouds closing in on us. We managed to have supper before it rained and we took refuge in the Lodge bar. It rained throughout the night which was very unusual, but we were warm and dry in the tents.
On Tuesday we had to pack up for the last time and make our way back to Windhoek. Ant had the task of driving in the wet sand for over an hour, which made driving rather tricky. We stopped off at Quiver Tree forest but did not stay long as it was bitterly cold and windy. We got back to Windhoek mid afternoon and made a few souvenir purchases to take home! We had a final dinner together – celebrating birthdays past and future and wishing Julia and Ant good luck in their various ventures to come over the next few months.
It seemed unbelievable that three weeks had flashed by and that our holiday to which we had looked forward for so long, was actually over. However, it was great to see the country where Julia and Ant have been living and to relate, in a small way, to what they have experienced. They were brilliant hosts and very patiently put up with Mike and I during our holiday with them, when we were living in very close quarters! Farewells at the airport were of course sad and emotional, but we all look forward to their return to the UK in the spring. 
