31 March, Saturday - Day 87 (last day) - sleep on KLM

Sunrise on the last day.

The dining room is as cosy as the non-smoking waiting room at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof (says Hans, but the breakfast was good.

A few more hours in the sun at Ondekaremba, 7 kms from the airport.

Business lounge at Windhoek

And here we go - with stop over in Luanda and a long one in Amsterdam.   ETA in Brussels around 10 am on 1 April.

30 March, Friday - last full day in Namibia - Ondekaremba (Windhoek)

Sun gets in my eyes ..... super breakfast at the Lodge.

It is Easter Friday and within a couple hours, this place be crowded.

Although we want to avoid the Easter rush’ it is a bit hard to leave this lovely place.

Only 87 kms to Windhoek.   Plenty of time and little trafic.  We are to drop the car noon.

 Yellow flowers and view on the Khomas Highland to the West..

A last glance on the Kalahari grasses, shining gold in the morning sun.

A quiet and restful afternoon at Ondekaremba with love garden and pool.

Sunset from our backside terrasse, where we enjoy a glass of bubbles.

Very full moon.

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29 March, Thursday - 2 Days left - Oanob Dam, room Zaza 6

It rained, indeed’ a lot last night.  With the drumming on the tent and three different alerts at ‘River Chalets’, we didn’t sleep much.

221 kms along the railroad without seeing a single train !

Grilling from early morning in Kalkrand.

On both sides of the Mainroad.

Very polite speed- and alcohol control.

Tropic of Capricorn - with a thoughtful stop to honour me as being one.

This cattle farm seems sadly run down.   One can not even read the name of the farmer.

We are approaching our destination, at the foot of the Bismarckfelsen (2.417 m)

Lake Oanob Resort is within a National Park where we could be lucky enough to see giraffe, zebra, austrich and a variaty of antilopes.

I expected to camp, but Hans surprises me with Zaza 6, a lovely room with a shaded terrasse.

The Oanob Resort covers an area of 6.800 hectars and was created in 1994 by a group of previously disadvantaged background.  

The shareholders totals.  The project is a first of a kind .... BEE (Black Econmic Empoverment).

 

Afternoon walk on the Nature Trail.

He Dam is the tallest in Namibia (57 m) and provides water for the entire district.

A property right on the Lake.

And another one, with private deck and boat.

Amazing vegetation - next time I must bring a book about trees and flowers.

Friendly cats enjoying our company .... plus some cheese and yoghurt.

Kold and even WARM water, a showerhead that stays in place -

And a lovely bathroom.

Lots of mosqitos already at 5 pm - but 9m2 net ( wiithout holes) to protect us.

A beautiful sunset to end a perfect day.

(Backup) (Backup) (Backup) 28 March, Wednesday - 3 days left

Breakfast at 8 am

The best breakfast in Namibia (Sic Lonely Planet)

Pension Gessert is full of inventive and colorful decorations.

A quiet moment with Internet in the garden before taking the B1, direction Mariental north of Keetmanshoop. 

Ready to leave at 9:30 am - no rush.   The tree is a Kokerboom.

The Kokerboom is a kind of Aloe, caracteristic because of the ‘2-idea’ .... the branches splits in two and again in two, etc. ongoingly.

221 kms ahead to Mariental.  Reasonably good tarmac road.  Bush savanna.  A few wild horses.   Two small shepherd boys, a couple of skinny dogs and hundred of goats along the road.

A 1,5 m Varan on the tarmac runs fast to hide as we approach.

He sneers at us and quickly disappears, high legged, into the bushes.

And then, 80kms north of Keetmans, the Brucarros mountain rises.   Almost 1600 m above sea level.

D3921 is tempting, but that will be for ‘next time’. 

Short stop midway.   We are on the high plateau between Keetmanshoop and Mariental.

Road workers’ igloo tented camp.   I think, they are brought out here to work for one month at a time at 40C - no shade at all.

Midday stop in Asab.  Even up here, Afrikaans is the first language.  I can get more or less around with Flemish.  Spys = spijs.

We are to camp in Mariental, at ‘River Chalets’, with Birgit Rousseau, and we arrive early enough to buy meat and firewood.

Grilling lamb chops with lots and lots of time.   Clouds are coming up ... we fear rain, the locals are impatiently waiting for it.

  

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