[ by Stian ]
We are still in Namibia, but we were
about to experience a completely different part of the country from
now on. We were stepping away from game drives, safaris and almost
any kind of animal experience and was now entering a way more hot,
dry, sandy and isolated experience, which also would turn out to be
pretty amazing. A change of impressions was very well welcomed at
least by myself.
TWYFELFONTEIN: Rocks Without Doubts
We had left Etosha National Park,
and our next destination was Twyfelfontein and it would turn out to
be a hot, dry and a very rocky day as we did a couple of stops
focusing on ...rocks. First stop was at the Petrified Forest
National Heritage Site, where we got too see petrified trees which
are many thousand years old. For the ones who don't know – a
petrified object is an object which have turned into stone, like a
fossil. It was interesting indeed, but nothing special. I was more
intrigued by the extremely rare Welwitschia plant, which is said to be
the oldest plant, as it can be over a thousand years old, some even two thousands years old, before it
eventually dies - because of this the plant is referred to as a living fossil. The plant also only grows in the areas covering the northwestern coast of Namibia and the southwestern coast of Angola, making it even rarer.
Our next stop on this rocky day was
at the Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings. Here we got to see 6000
year old rock engravings made by the hunter-gatherers and later by
Khoikhoi herders, which inhabited the area back then. Both of these
ethnic groups used the place as a site for worship and to conduct
shamanist rituals. In the process of these rituals at least 2 500
items of rock carvings have been created, as well as a few rock
paintings. Since this site is displaying one of the largest
concentrations of rock petroglyphs in Africa, UNESCO approved
Twyfelfontein as Namibia's first World Heritage Site in 2007. The
site was indeed nice, but I was a bit underwhelmed now after the
previous nights experience, haha. Twyfelfontein literally translates
as «fountain of doubt» from Afrikaans
Aba Huab Bush Camp
We finally arrived at our campsite,
the Aba Huab Bush Camping, which was another ok campsite, though very
hot and dry. The showers were ok too, the only problem was that
the showers were located outside and as there was wind it felt like
the stupid shower curtain was trying to rape me – AND the
shower curtain as freezing cold as well – so the curtain undid all
the great parts of the hot shower... ah well. There was also a bar at
the campsite, but for once I don't think anyone made use of it
actually, but of course most people had some beers in the coolbox in
the truck anyways. We had a nice dinner once again and there were
some funny jokes going on between grandpa and Muneirah, so it turned
out be a pretty quiet evening, compared to previous evenings. I was
happy too, as I was actually able to get another good nights rest,
despite the night being a cold one.
On the Road Again...
The next morning we had another long
drive ahead of us as we were going to the city Swakopmund, a drive
which was indeed a hot one as well. Despite the nights being
freezing cold, the days are burning hot often... the irony of Africa
during winter, ah well. On our way we did several stops, which was
nice – as it really made the drive feel shorter and more
interesting. The first stops we did were at spots where different
ethnic people of Namibia had made some kind of souvenir business for
themselves, then we stopped at the skeleton coast as well before
arriving into Swakopmund.
Stop 1: Herero People
The first stop was the site of the
Herero People, which is a etnhic group living in the Southern Part of
Africa, though most resides in Namibia. About 240 000 Herero
people are still alive today and they are either Christians or live
by traditional faith. The ladies of the Herero people are widely
known today because of their elaborate Victorian dresses. We did not
stay for a very long time though. We only came to look if there was
anything interesting to buy from their souvenir stands and also to
get to take a photo, though we of course had to pay for getting a
photo taken with one of the women.
Stop 2: Himba People
The second stop was made at the site
of the Himba people, a semi-nomadic, pastoral people, closely related
to the Herero people, living in the Northern part of Namibia as well
as across the border on the Angola side. Despite the harsh living
environment, the Himba people have been able to maintain their
traditional culture. The Himbas are famous for the way they look.
Especially the women as they cover themselves with otjize, which is a
mixture of butter fat and ochre, possibly to protect themselves from
the sun. The mixture gives their skin a reddish tinge, which is seen
as the ideal of beauty by the Himbas. The women also braid each
others hair, which they also cover with the same mixture. Both men
and women are walking around topless, and if they do get hold of more
modern-style clothing it's usually the men who gets to wear this type
of clothes. There is only about 50 000 remaining Himba people left alive.
The Himbas we met also had a
souvenir stand by the road, which we had the opportunity to purchase
from. As our car stopped by the road this one Himba woman came
running like a maniac, causing her breasts to bounce from side to side at the same time. It was pretty hilarious to see to be honest –
if only the men could have done the same thing, but then with their
«bouncers» of course,) haha. I ended up purchasing a bracelet for
once actually – even though I did not feel like it – but I guess
it was just my time this time:)
Stop 3: Zeila Wreck at the Skeleton Coast
Our
third stop was at the coast of Namibia, which is referred to as the
Skeleton Coast, as there are more than a thousand shipwrecks
littering the coast, one of which was the Zeila Wreck. The
reason for all these shipwrecks is the notorious fog which originates
offshore from the collision of the cold Benguela Current and warm air
from the Hadley Cell (a tropical atmospheric circulation), which then
frequently envelopes parts of the Namib desert. Coastal regions can
experience more than 180 days of thick fog a year. This has provided
a major hazard for ships, and the coast has been referred to as «the
gates of hell» by Portuguese sailors, and «the land God made in
anger» by the bushmen. The fog can reach as deep as 140 km inland,
and is a vital source of moisture for desert life.
So we had definitely reached the
desert at this point, but it was freezing cold when we got out of the
truck to view the ship. Just as we were there we had clear sky
and no fog thankfully so the photos turned out nice – haha. Some of
the guys wanted to do a prank on Lucas and lifted him up and ran
towards the water pretending like if they were to throw him into the
water, but they did not. Lucas fought vigorously and was not happy
with this type of pranks. The rest of us found it a bit funny
though;)
SWAKOPMUND
We finally arrived Swakopmund, which
is a city located on the coast of northwestern Namibia, in the Namib
desert – approximately 280km west of Windhoek. Our
first impression was not great, as the whole town was covered in cold
and moist fog. Literally, Swakopmund translates from German as
«mouth of Swakop» as the city is named after the Swakop River which
runs through the town. The town has 42,000 inhabitants so it is not a
very big town at all. The town is a beach resort and an example of
German colonial architecture as it was founded in 1892 as the main
harbor for German South-West Africa. A sizable part of the
population is still German-speaking today. As Swakopmund is
surrounded by the Namib Desert on three sides and the cold Atlantic
waters to the west, the small town «enjoys» a mild desert climate,
and it rarely rains – as there is less than 20 mm of rainfall per
year, but the city might be covered by the cold and moist fog for
more than half of the year sometimes... ah well.
Activity Center in Swakopmund
Just after arriving Swakopmund, but
before arriving to our place of accommodation, we made a stop at the
activity center in Swakopmund, were we were presented with a video of
all the different activities we could take part in while in
Swakopmund. Among the activities we had sandboarding, quadbiking,
skydiving, white water rafting, dolphin cruises and so on... of
course most of these activities were a bit pricey again, so I chose to
go for sandboarding and quadbiking the next day – as most others
chose as well. Though most of the group also chose to do skydiving
the same evening of our arrival, which would have been great to do
again, but as it was a bit expensive (but still cheaper compared to
New Zealand) I chose not to do it again at this moment.
Amanpuri Travelers Lodge
In Swakopmund we were staying at the
Amanpuri Travelers Lodge for two nights. This place was more like
a hostel, but also had private rooms. We were all lodged into the
same room – meaning 20 people in the same room. For many this was
not an option at all and several tried to get upgrades. Kenneth did
not feel like sharing a room with so many people at least, and I had to agree – so I chose to go with him and we upgraded. I only for one
night though as I didn't feel I could afford both nights. So the next
night I did join the others in the dorm. It was not bad, but 20
people «fighting» for the shower at the same time is not very ideal
I have to admit...
Sightseeing in Swakopmund
Most people chose to go skydiving in
the evening, but I, Kenneth and Muneirah chose to go sightseeing on
our own. Unfortunately it was a very foggy, moist and cold day in
Swakopmund, so the sightseeing did not turn out to be fantastic. We
did though drop by the typical sights – like the lighthouse, the
jetty pier and the spot of the flamingos by the river mouth. All very
nice places, but the pictures would have turned out so much better it
the weather had been better.. oh well. The Jetty Pier was still kind
of amazing though, as the pier stretches out into the water for quiet
a long distance and the waves this day was very strong and at times
they even flushed over the pier itself. Of course the following day
turned out to be much better, and I could have done the whole
sightseeing part over again then, but as I had other plans made this
did not happen.
Best F***ing Steak EVER!
In the evening we all gathered for
dinner at the Napolitana Restaurant, located right next to the
activity center. As this was an Italian restaurant most of the
menu contained Italian food, but thankfully there were some local
dishes as well, of game meat. I chose to go for Kudu steak, as I have
been told it tastes really good, and OMG how right was that! The Kudu
steak is by far the best steak I have ever had in my life. It was
cooked to perfection as it had been based during the cooking process.
It was served with chips and as I thought the steak itself could be a
bit dry I chose to get mushroom sauce on the side. I was so wrong as
the steak was anything but dry and the mushroom sauce added
absolutely nothing to it. I would «kill» to experience this steak
over again:)
Party In Swakop
Unfortunately, once again, the
newbies turned out to be very loud during dinner, and all other
guests were turning around, obviously displeased with our table...
It was once again very embarrasing, ah well. Though, unlike most
other nights I actually felt like partying myself this night, so I
did have a beer with my steak, and after the meal we all went over to
the connecting bar of the restaurant, where most of us drank and had
fun for some hours. This was also the first time during the trip that
I got to «show off» my passion for «dancing». It all turned out
to be a very fun evening, and I got along well with the newbies. I
think almost all of them made a comment of how fun I was when I was
drinking, and they asked me why I did not drink more often. I of
course tried to explain them that I actually don't need to drink to
feel that I am having fun, unlike some others, but I don't think they
got my point at all. It was still a really fun evening.
Dirk the Macho Man
I also got to meet this guy, Dirk,
who was from Cape Town originally. He actually came up to me for
a nice chat and told me that I definitely had to get in touch when I
came to Cape Town, so he could take me out and show me a real party.
He also told me about the hot girls, whom were models, which would
love to meet me when I got there. Dirk was nice enough and actually
very handsome as well – at least in my eyes – but he was a bit
strange. He tried to make a comment to poor Katrine (who was very
drunk this evening) that she had to be careful about her dress so it
didn't fall off. She completely misunderstood his intentions so she
was upset with him, thinking he was being rude, haha. Ah well. Dirk
also approached Sandipan with the same suggestion as he had made for
me. It was a bit strange why he only approached the two of us.... I
actually do suspect he might not have been any interested in Katrine
at all, as he might be a player for the other team, despite being a
supermacho man in every way. I never got to meet him again though –
so I guess I'll never know.
The curious case of Ivan
Poor Ivan, our new guide, turned out
to be so so so so so so drunkt his evening. He was not able to
stand at all on his feet. TJ had had sense and gone home earlier –
thankfully some of the newbies took care of Ivan and made sure that
he got back to the hostel safe. The next morning we met Ivan again at
the breakfast and he did not seem very hungover at all – just a bit
quiet. I told him if he felt hungover but he just laughed and told us
that he never gets hungover. He is always the «last» one to go to
bed and still the first one to get up. Good for him;)
Sand Boarding
One of the activities I had chosen
to do while in Swakopmund was sand boarding, which turned out to be
superfun, though also damaging, that is for me at least. We were
picked up in the morning, and then taken to the sand dunes just
outside of Swakopmund. Our driver and guide for the day was Clayton,
a handsome local dude, almost looking like a surfer-dude. At the
dunes we were instructed in how to go through with the sand boarding
– and then we got to go. We were literally sliding down the dunes
on a chipboard. If we did not do the technique correctly we would risk
flipping around and maybe hurting ourselves. We started off with the
least steep dunes, until we felt that we had the grip of it. We
eventually moved on to steeper and longer dunes, before trying out
tandem-boarding, which I did with Kenneth, and ending up with the
longest and steepest dune. It was at this point it all went for me. I
had managed all the other dunes well, and my technique was fine. So
when I was to set for the steepest and longest dune I did it all so
perfectly well that I ended up flying on a jump midway and when I
landed the fall was so hard that I hit my head in the sand, ending up
swallowing five kilos of sand, breaking my shades (AGAIN) and
bruising my lip, while bleeding both from my teeth and my chin. It
turned out that I had exceeded a speed of 70 km/h, so it was no wonder
it hurt when I hit my face in the sand. Ah well. In other words: I
ended up being the only one getting really beaten up at sandboarding
this morning.
After we had finished the
sandboarding session we had lunch, which was included in the package. So despite being beaten up till bleeding point, I still enjoyed
sandboarding a lot as it was lots of fun and really heart
accelerating.
Fixing my computer
I was supposed to do quadbiking in
the afternoon, but as my laptop had malfunctioned I wanted to get it
fixed... So I chose to do that instead as I had to get it done
this day, and also I did not know how much it would cost. So I and
Kenneth walked around the center of Swakopmund again, and we found
the Acer Service Center, which was pretty amazing that they at all
had (I had never guessed I would find one in this tiny town at
least). I turned in my computer and got it back an hour later. This
of course cost me almost 500 NOK – which is super expensive, so I
was glad I did not go to the quadbiking as I could not have afforded
both. Unfortunately I realized LATER that they had fucked up the
sound-card-whatever-it-is in my laptop – so I have no sound at all
on it anymore. They must have messed up something when they took it
apart to fix the charging-connection (which was the initial problem)
and then messed up another connection... which I did not realize
until we had left the city, and it was too late anyway for me to go
back and get it fixed. So now I have to go to another place,
somewhere else and pay just as much to get the sound-system fixed as
well.... I hate my life sometimes!!!!
Ocean Basket Restaurant
In the evening we headed for dinner
at the Ocean Basket Restaurant, which is a pretty crappy chain in
Namibia and South-Africa. Some of the group went ahead to the
restaurant, while most (read: the early 20-something) did not like
fish or seafood at all so they went back to Napolitana restaurant. I
chose to wait back with Muneirah, and also Ivan. Ivan had made sure
that he knew the way to the restaurant so we would find our way
easily. Well he turned out to know nothing, as he first turned left,
then right, then right, then left, then another turn and then had to
ask someone, before making another wrong turn... ah well. We were
almost right back at our original starting point, before he
eventually found out the way. So basically, the direction was: Go
straight, turn left at the first corner and go straight until you
have the restaurant on your right hand! That was indeed a hard
direction to follow for our brilliant guide;) haha. I and Muneirah of
course just HAD to make fun of him because of this;) At the
restaurant I ended up having only a fish and chips place, which was
not as tasty either to be honest...so I actually regretted not going
to Napolitana with the rest.
Mondeza Township Tour
The last day in Swakopmund we went
for a township tour in the early morning, which was included in our
tour-package. We had a nice guide who picked us up in the morning
and took us to the township Mondeza. Here we were once again
introduced to the Herero-culture, as we were taken to a home of a
Herero woman. As we were a big group she joined us outside her house
and we were told to ask her questions about her ethnicity and so on.
It was interesting, but I have to be honest and say it was both too
early in the morning and too misty and chilly in the air for us to
come up with any good questions – and all we could get out of her
is that the man decides everything, the woman has nothing she should
have said – but that's they way she liked it anyways. Ah yes... and
a man can have several wifes, and if a man dies, his brother inherits
all of his wifes as well... so it is possible to be married with
let's say 3 wifes – and the next day you have 7 more. Sounds like a
fun and interesting situation, or not;) haha
We were also taken to second house,
which seemed more of the normal kind. The
lady of this house belonged to the Damara-people, which our guide
also belonged too. We were invited in and got a quick course
in the click-language, which was pretty much impossible to understand
anything of, haha. Also, we got to smell a whole bunch of herbs,
which is used for medication purposes and so on. The tour ended
afterwards with us dropping by a small arts and crafts center, were
most of the girls at least seemed to purchase more souvenirs;)
NAMIB DESERT
So what is the driest and oldest
desert in the world? No it's not your grandma! It was our next
destination, the Namib desert itself:) The Namib is a coastal
desert, which stretches for more than 2000 kilometers along the
Atlantic coast of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The northernmost
portion of the Namib desert is known as Mocamedes Desert, while it's
souther portion approaches the neighboring Kalahari desert. The Namib
desert is the only true desert in Southern Africa as annual
perception ranges from 2 mm in the most arid regions to 200 mm at the
escarpment located up to 200 km inland. The desert geology consists of
sand seas near the coast, while gravel plains and scattered mountain
outcrops occur further inland. The sand dunes, some of which are 300
meters high and span 32 kilometers long, are the second largest in
the world after the Badain Jaran Desert dunes in China. Also, the
Namib desert is said to be the oldest desert in the world.
Passing the Tropic of Capricorn (again)
The ride to our next campsite was a
long and bumpy ride – and all we could see was the desert all
around us. It was indeed interesting, but also pretty boring. We
had to pass through the Kuiseb pass and the Gaob pass, and these
areas were pretty nice. We even had lunch at the Kuiseb pass, but it
was HOT! We also made a stop at the Tropic of Capricorn, as we were
leaving the tropical area of Africa. So just as we did in Australia
we had to take a few photos here as well – and we also let TJ have
some fun with his whip while we were at it, that is taking photos –
haha. Afterwards some of the others got to try the whip as well, but
it was for sure that TJ was the only master of the whip on this trip
at least;)
Namib Desert Camp
The campsite itself was nice and the
«bathrooms» were really nice. There was also a bar at the
campsite where they sold really cheap beer and sodas – I think it
actually cost the exact as in the stores, so they could probably not
make any money at all in this bar really. We were supposed to do a
desert walk with some guides at the site, but it was an optional
activity which we had to pay for, so no one actually felt like doing
the walk really as it was so hot. I don't think our guides
appreciated that no one wanted to do the walk, as we were told later
that it is the money from these guided walks which the campsite make
money off. So it was basically another incident were we were almost
pushed to do an optional activity, which suddenly did not feel like
was an optional activity anyways. At one point I felt it was becoming
to many «optional» activities, and some of them should have just
been included in the total price of the tour already... ah well. At
least I, Ingrid, Muneirah, Ann Sofie, Katrine and Silje did a short
hike on our own.
Loving The Camera
As Silje is a professional
photographer, or at least she has a major in photography, she wanted
to try to take some funny photos this evening. So it was me,
Muneirah, Ingrid and Lucas who joined Silje for this experiment –
and WOW. There is so much I don't know about photography that I would
have loved to have learned as there are so many techniques I have
never heard about before. Silje got us to make some really cool
photos, so we did have a blast this evening. Actually we, from the
«old» group were the last ones to go to bed this evening for the
first time since the arrival of the newbies, haha.
SOLITAIRE
The next day we were heading for the
Sesriem and on our way we passed the very very very tiny settlement
of Solitaire. Solitaire is a small settlement in the Khomas
Region of central Namibia near the Namib-Naukluft National Park. It
currently features the only gasoline station, post office, bakery,
and the only general dealer between the dunes at Sossusvlei and the
coast at Walvis Bay, as well as to the capital Windhoek. The name
Solitaire was chosen by the wife of the farmer who purchased this
undeveloped area with the means of farming Karakul sheep in 1948.
Solitaire can mean a single set diamond, but it can also mean
solitude or loneliness. Combined these two meanings create the
definition of being unique or one-of-a-kind and a precious but
solitary place.
As Solitaire is situated in a
junction of two major tourist routes through the Namib-Nauklauft
National Park, there are tourists and tour companies frequently
stopping by this settlement, like ourselves. The small settlement
is amazing in every way. At first sight it looks like a tiny village
in the wild west of USA, as you have several rusty cars laying around
the area. There is one gas station, and also a bakery, which makes
the best apple cake and buns ever. We could spot several tourists
stop by here – and there is also a self serviced air strip at the
place which is used by self-flyers at times. I do believe business is
going well here, despite it being a tiny spot in the middle of the
desert.
SESRIEM
Our destination for the day was
Sesriem, which is another small settlement located in the Namib
Desert, close to the southern end of the Naukluft Mountains. The
settlement is especially known because the "Sesriem gate"
is the main access point to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the
third largest national park in Africa, for visitors entering the park
to visit the nearby tourist attractions of Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and
also Sesriem Canyon. Though, as many "settlements" in the
Namib, Sesriem is essentially a filling station with basic services
such as public telephones and a couple of small kiosks where
travelers can get general supplies such as food and water.
The Sesriem Restcamp, where we were
to spend this one night, was just ordinary. At least it had a bar
and all those things for the ones who needed to get something to kill
their thirst with. The interesting things were of course the «tourist
attractions».
Deadvlei
After check in we first checked out
the Deadvlei, which is a white clay pan located near the more famous
salt pan of Sossusvlei. Deadvlei (or Dead Vlei) is made up by the
English word «dead» and the Afrikaans word «vlei» which
translates as «lake» or a «marsh» in a valley between the dunes.
So it translates to «dead marsh» or «dead lake». The clay pan was
formed after rainfall, when the Tsauchab river flooded, creating
temporary shallow pools where the abundance of water allowed camel
thorn trees to grow. When the climate changed, drought hit the area,
and sand dunes encroached on the pan, which blocked the river from
the area, with the result that the trees died, as there no longer was
enough water to survive. The remaining skeletons of the trees, which
are believed to be about 900 years old, are now black because the
intense sun has scorched them. Though not petrified, the wood does
not decompose because it is so dry.
So what is there to do at this area?
Of course we had to climb the trees... We
did though not actually considering they might break and how
that actually would affect the area, as the trees is the main
attraction here really. Well we did manage not to break any trees or
branches – even though half of our group tried to climb the same
tree at the same time. Some silly people had not considered that
these horrible dry trees could cause splinters so several of my
travel mates got severe splints in their hands, thighs and under
their feet and spent the rest of the evening picking splinters... it
did NOT look like a very fun experience... but we got some nice
photos at least:) The drive from the entrance to the vlei was a
extremely sandy one. The sand is so soft it made it really difficult
to overcome at times, some tourists had even gotten stuck in the
sand, but we luckily managed to get through safely.
Sossusvlei
Next up we were all supposed to go
to Soussusvlei, which is another salt and clay pan. It turned out
that half of our group had not understood the instructions so when
they were picked up by our drivers (we were split into two groups)
they had gone straight back to the entrance of this tourist area. So
it was only a few of us who got to go to the Sossusvlei, but we did
only stay for a few minutes at the main dune-area, and got to take a
few photos before we decided to return as well so we could have our
lunch. Soussusvlei is by the way translated as «Dead-end Marsh» as
Sossus is Afrikaans for «dead-end» or «no return».
Sesriem Canyon
After lunch, and on our way back to
the campsite, we stopped by the Sesriem Canyon, which is located
about 4 km from the campsite. The canyon is a natural canyon
carved by the Tsauchab river in the local sedimentary rock and is
about a kilometer long and up to 30 meters deep. In some places the
canyon is only two meters wide. There is also a portion in the canyon
that permanently contains water, which many animals use. The name
Sesriem is Afrikaans and means "six belts" and was given by
settlers who had to attach together six belts (made of oryx hides) in
order to reach buckets down into the canyon to scoop up water.
Though, as we learned in Australia, even this canyon is actually a
gorge, as it is carved by a river... I guess they thought canyon
sounded better.
Coldest Night EVER
The same evening we had another nice dinner meal, but the temperature was dropping close to the freezing point. We had been warned before our trip that the Namib desert would be an extremely cold experience, and we had indeed been told right. It really did not help that I had an extra blanket this coming night as it was the worst night of the trip so far coming to temperature, and that still considering that I had four layers of clothes, a woolen blanket and also my stupid sleeping bag...
Sunrise at Dune 45
The next morning we had another very
early morning as we were to catch the sunrise at the famous Dune 45,
which is located 45km past Sesriem on the road to Sossusvlei, hence
it's name. It is known as "the most photographed dune in the
world" because of its unusually simple and fascinating shape.
Also it's proximity to the road make it convenient for visitors to
stop by and take pictures. It is 80 meters high and it is not very
steep, so it can easily be climbed. Though the use of the word «easy»
is definitely up for discussion in this case, as the sand is
extremely fine and soft, and as you hike the dune your steps sinks
into the sand and it might become a touch and exhausting climb. At
least it was for us who were trying to run up the dune as to be sure
to be on the top for the sunrise. We also realized that the dune was
much higher than what it looked like from the ground, as when we
reached the part which we perceived as the top from the foot of the
dune, we realized that we had only come a third of the way towards
the top. So this morning we really had some exercise for sure, haha.
The sunrise itself was ok, but the
whole experience was very cold as the wind on the top of the dune was
very chilly. On the way back down some, including myself, chose
to run down the steepest side of the dune, which was quick and easy,
while some crazy people (you don't even have to guess as it of course
was Muneirah and Silje) chose to roll down the same side, haha. Of
course we all had sand all through our underwear for the rest of the
day though... haha. When finally back at the truck TJ and Ivan had
made a fantastic breakfast for us to enjoy – a breakfast worthy of
champions containing beans, sausages, scrambled eggs and even
mushrooms to go with our bread:) LOVE!
On the Road Again.... part 40-something.
Our final destination in Namibia
would be the Fish River Canyon. To get there we had another long
drive of course. We did though pass some nice locations on the way –
among them the Zaris Mountains. We also stopped by the very small
settlement Helmeringhausen for shopping. Helmeringhausen does
though not have an official governing body nor status, as it is
completely situated on private land, and all infrastructure except
the roads are part of Farm Helmeringhausen. Still, it features a
small airfield, a country hotel, and a private agricultural museum.
So there were SOME things here, despite it being «only a farm». We
also did a very short stop at the small village of Bethanie as
well before finally arriving at our next campsite...though this small
village seemed way less interesting at first compared to
Helmeringhausen....so I did not get any photos from this very short
stop we made.
FISH RIVER CANYON
We finally arrived at our campsite,
which was the Hobas Rest Camp, located in the Ai-Ais National Park,
about 10 km from the Fish River Canyon viewing point. At the camp
we just got most of the food and kitchen stuff off the truck right
away before jumping on the truck again and heading towards the
canyon, as we were to catch the sunset from the viewing point. We did
not have luck this time though, as we were about 5 minutes late for
the sunset unfortunately. The canyon, read: the gorge, itself was
very very nice though. So we did spend some time there, enjoying the
view and exploring the area. TJ had also made a surprise for us as
well as he had brought cheese and crackers along with wine and other
kind of snacks so that we all could enjoy ourselves while admiring
the view.
The Fish River Canyon is the second
largest canyon in the world, beaten by the Grand Canyon. It is
therefore the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It
features a gigantic ravine, which is in total about 160 km long, up
to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep. More than half
the size of Grand Canyon. It is still a pretty impressive sight. The
area of the viewing point belongs to the Ai-Ais National Park, but
90 km of the canyon is privately owned. The canyon is believed to have
been formed about 650 million years ago.
The canyon also offers a hiking
trail which has become one of the more popular hiking trails in
Southern Africa. The immense scale and rugged terrain has drawn
many visitors from all over the world to experience what hiking or
trail running the canyon can offer. Apart from the 2 kilometer
descent west of Hobas and some optional short cuts, the trail
generally follows 88 kilometers of the Fish River through to Ai Ais
and is usually completed within 5 days, though every hiker needs to
have a permit to do the hike, and also a certificate of fitness,
completed by a medical doctor must be presented before obtaining the
permit. It's not a hike for the light-hearted. The record though of
getting through the 5-day hike is about 7 hours exactly.
Birthday of Chris & Naomi
Back at the campsite Ivan had made a
nice beef stew for our dinner, which was very nice. This day, which
was the 36th day of our tour, also turned
out to be the birthday of both Chris and Naomi. So of course the
friends of Chris had bought him a birthday cake. As Muneirah was
Naomi's best friend she had of course taken care of Naomi's more
private celebration, as Naomi didn't like much attention. Taylor
suggested that maybe it was a good idea to smash the cake in Chris'
face, as he would probably find that very funny. Oh was she wrong!!!
So when the cake-smashing was about to happen Chris understood what
was going on and he was not very happy... but he had no choice, so
the cake was smashed. Everyone, except for Chris, found this very
happy. It was so funny that someone, I think it was Muneirah, to do
the same with Naomi (as there were cake left overs, haha). Naomi
handled it way better than Chris though as she played along and
thought it was funny. Chris unfortunately repeatedly made comments
about this stupid idea all rest of the evening... ah well.
Revisiting The Canyon Viewing Point
The next morning, which also was the
day we would be leaving Namibia and cross the border to South Africa,
we revisited the Fish River Canyon so that we could see the canyon
during day light. The initial suggestion was to catch the
sunrise, but I think most turned this option down as we just wanted
to have those two hours of extra sleep... I was among them who
supported this decision, haha. The canyon did look more impressive
during daytime, but as we still got there pretty early, the sun had
not risen enough yet to really light up the canyon, so big parts of
it were still in the «dark», in the shade from the sun. Ah well,
but it was nice for sure:)
Wrapping Up Namibia
Wow I am surprised that I managed to
write even MORE about Namibia than what I did about Beijing, or Tokyo
– even though there was not that much to write
about... haha. Namibia was great though, in every way. I really
really really enjoyed this country and everything we got to see and
experience. I will definitely recommend Namibia for everyone. It is
worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime for sure. I am
though very happy with what I got to see and do while in Namibia so I
do kind of feel that I really don't need to return, even though every
moment was a fantastic one – even in the driest corners of the
country:-)
