24 Februar, Saturday - Day 53

Leaving our peaceful Zebra Lodge Camp, we realise that a flat tyre doesn’t allow us to drive into the riverbed where there is said to be many elephants.

Instead we went on to shop in Opuvo where we met the first Himba women in this area.   They are very pushy .... photo, baby, money !   

Entering the valley.

The Joubert pass takes us very easily through the 1900m high mountains.   Now tarmaced it is not a big deal..... four years ago the road was gravel and it needed 3 tries before we got over it, and only after I had gone out of the car.

Unfortunately the campsite overlooking this valley was too run down.

Instead we decide on Opuwo Country Lodge, where we are to stay at campsite 8.

23 Februar, Friday - Day 52

Morning walk in the stone desert

Two males of which one is called Welwetchia.  This specimen is probably more than 100 yrs old.

So many good ideas to find in the desert.

Evening view from our campsite.

Meeting Mr Emmanuel, « The Constant Gardener »

- and his vegetable garden with corn, carrots, oignons, squash, salad and much more.

Mrs Emmanuel buys seal skin in Walvis Bay at 30 Nam$.  Then she spend days and days on cleaning and scaping with her bare hands and hopes to sell each skin at 200.   She was happy to receive 100$ « for nothing » and is now a bit closer to the 800$ machine, she is saving to buy.  These people are admirably courageous and inventive.

A short stop at Palmwag Lodge and then en route towards Sesfontein and our next campsite, Zebra Rest Camp

Meeting with the first Himba women, who are too business minded: « Baby-photo-money » ...... so we will wait till we come up north.

(Backup) 22 Feb, Thursday - Day 51

Leaving Swakopmond, 255 kms ahead along the Atlantic to camp in Torra Bay

(Backup) 22 Feb, Thursday - Day 51

Leaving Swakopmond, 255 kms ahead along the Atlantic to camp in Torra Bay

21 February - Namib Desert Tour

Yesterday’s tour into the Moon Landscape in the dried out Svakop riverbed.

Welwechia - this 250 yrs old female plant - got the last rain 20 yrs ago !

Hottentotten Popo - one of the rare plants in the stone desert

(Backup) 20 February, Tueesday - Day 49

Sousousvlei at 40*C

Me - after the very warm walk to « Deathvlei » 

After a long, tiring and warm ride through the Namib Naukluft Parc, we entered the Dorab National Parc this morning.  A stone desert, which slowly becomes sans desert to end in Walvis Bay at the Atlantic.

Building our own « Monument » for mutual good luck.

Oryx = Gemsbok

Vogelfederberg and our 4x4 vehicle with two tents on the roof.   We still live in luxury, but in two days we will start the real camping.

“The Raft” in Walvis Bay - where we made a short stop this morning on the way to Swakopmond.

« Hotel Pronzessin Rupprecht » in Swakopmund, our home for two nights.  It is a former military lazaret now partly hotel, partly home for 46 old people.

Supper at « Kücki’s » - the temperature has dropped with around 15*C since last night at Gecko Camp in the desert.  It must be around 18*C - and it feels cold !

20 February, Tueesday - Day 49

Sousousvlei at 40*C

Me - after the very warm walk to « Deathvlei » 

After a long, tiring and warm ride through the Namib Naukluft Parc, we entered the Dorab National Parc this morning.  A stone desert, which slowly becomes sans desert to end in Walvis Bay at the Atlantic.

Building our own « Monument » for mutual good luck.

Oryx = Gemsbok

Vogelfederberg and our 4x4 vehicle with two tents on the roof.   We still live in luxury, but in two days we will start the real camping.

“The Raft” in Walvis Bay - where we made a short stop this morning on the way to Swakopmond.

« Hotel Pronzessin Rupprecht » in Swakopmund, our home for two nights.  It is a former military lazaret now partly hotel, partly home for 46 old people.

Supper at « Kücki’s » - the temperature has dropped with around 15*C since last night at Gecko Camp in the desert.  It must be around 18*C - and it feels cold !

(Backup) 3 Februar, Saturday - Day 33 - Ndurukoro Camp

Yesterday we met Leon and his 49 Guiney Fowls.When Hans told how good they taste, Leon said: I’ll NEVER sell or kill or eat a single one of them.  They eat from my hands and follows me overall..

Leon sat up a braai, I made a salade très variée, Hans organised a bottle of white wine and we spoke a lot.  Leon has had this place for 5 years and is prepared to sell - for 5,8 mio Namibia $ = 350.000 €.   Had we only been 30 yrs younger ....  it is an outspoken lovely place.

Then the sun set on the Okavango River - and we were happy.

This morning the birds came to our house whilst we were having breakfast on the wooden deck.   The one with the blue neck is a wild one, that came into the Camp to join the others.

Beautiful feathers and ugly heads.

One looks like Kaiser Wilhelm and is friend with the duck.

The stairs lead to the deck and from there to our bedroom.   The Guiney Fowl birds in the kitchen yard seem to walk directly to the frying pan.   But no, to stay on good terms with owner Leon we will grill han and cheese toasts on the braai tonight .... no meat.

Today it’s again clouded and humid.  The wind is coming up and it will soon rain.  Then we can go for a walk.   There is not much to see but huge trees like Mapone, Eucaluptus and Acacia.   I read that the Acacia can have roots up to 40 m long and somebody  told, that if an acacia is cut off just over  ground level, the water will stream flow like a fountain.

6 February, Tuesday - Day 36

Molola Campsite at the river with lots and lots of moskitos.

I saw this signpost, yesterday, in a catholic Mission along the road.  I think it relates to treatment of Aids, from which more than 60% of the population are suffering.

A short ride, maybe 30 kms, and we are Nunda River Camp, where we have been some years ago.   A luxury place and we have a chalet, the very best one - isolated and right on the river.  

No. 28, our home for at least 2 nights, maybe three - or four.  A cosy room with atteched bathroom and a very high ceiling.

A bit more than 6m2 mosquito net.

Tonights supper - this is real holiday.    Soon we will be back in the camp kitchen with cheese and wurst - or wurst and cheese.

Staff enjoying noon hour on the deck, chatting with this peculiar accent, that is so familiar to me.

During the night we heard the hippos making a lot of noise.   Who knows whether they were fighting or mating ? This morning we saw them very clearly on the opposite bank.   Their skin doesn’t support the sun and they usually only come out of the water to grass during the night.   But this morning there were many clouds and the huge animals were quite active at the shore. 

The Cormorans have been fishing and are now sitting, on a row, spreading their wings to dry.