The Journey North

4^th     September 2010 (Day 25)

None of us lasted long with Rocky and so before we get up we once again watch him narrowly loose to Apollo Creed. We then head to the internet café where we spend several hours updating the blog and catching up on e-mails. (We are aware that Beth and Tom start secondary school in two days and want to wish them luck.) Swakupmund largely closes at mid day on a Saturday but after some aimless walking we find the local cinema is showing the latest Shrek film which helps to occupy a very enjoyable couple of hours. I would say that we have an early night but 8:30 is no longer early rather the norm!

5^th     September 2010 (Day 26)

At least early to bed means early to rise and so we are up, packed and ready to head north bright and early (actually a good job as we find out later in the day that the clocks have moved forward).

Swakopmund is once again cold and damp but it is not long before we head back into the sun. We do, however, notice a difference in that we are surrounded by more plants, grass and warthogs. At first each new sighting is met with a screech of brakes and a scramble for cameras but as was the case with the likes of zebras, Kudu’s, Sprinboks and oryx etc we soon become blasé about our ugly little friends. We also become aware of the increased population density meaning we pass through more towns and just generally see a lot more people. Our journey ends in the town of Omaruru at what is probably our plushest stop to date. Our room at the Kashana Hotel is split level and contains a large flat screen TV. Isaac is slightly disappointed with the choice of channels but approves of his loft space! We take a short drive to explore Omaruru but soon return and enjoy some very nice food (not game!!) before retiring to bed where Vince avidly watches ESPN Classics and becomes a world expert on the 2005 Wimbledon Championships.

6^th     September 2010 (Day 27)

Today we head for the Waterberg National Park. On the way, however, we take a detour to the CCF (Cheetah Conservation Fund) which was set up in 1990 to help preserve Namibia’s large but at the time dwindling cheetah population. Cheetahs’ numbers have come under threat due to the difficulty they have competing with larger predators on nature reserves and with farmers killing them off on their land. The CCF appears to be a success story. We arrive just in time to take a guided drive around the female enclosure (males and females are separated as breeding in captivity is not allowed in Namibia). We see five beautiful animals. After the drive we take a walking tour of the sight and then watch feeding time. The females are very calm but the males are far more competitive over their food. We have the video camera at the ready as the wardens lay out the food right in front of us out but unfortunately we didn’t capture the moment as we jumped so high when they raced towards us despite the fact they we were safe behind the fence that we nearly dropped the camera!

When we head off for Waterberg Vince is pulled over by a young policeman in Otjiwarongo for apparently not slowing at a stop sign. The policeman is very friendly, finding the whole incident highly amusing and he obviously struggles not to break into hysterical laughter. The Browne’s find the incident less amusing!!

After the unscheduled stop we arrive in the Waterberg national park at about 4pm and are directed to a lovely chalet mid-way up the 200m escarpment that represents the Waterberg Plateau, which is an impressive sandstone plateau that dominates the area. Sunrise at the top of the plateau has been described by some who have seen it as one of the most beautiful sights in the world and we do not intend to miss it. We, therefore, take a quick dip in the murky pool (well the boys do, Michele keeps up the tradition of refusing anything cold, especially when she can’t see the bottom), and after food head back to the chalet for an early night.

 7^th     September 2010 (Day 28)

Vince wakes Michele and Isaac at 5:30 am with a cup of tea and we are all ready to leave the chalet by 6:00 am only it is still far too dark to see anything. Having delayed our departure by 10 mins we set off regardless using torches. The climb to the top of the plateau is not easy but with Isaac setting an impressive lead we make the top before sunrise and are surprised to be the only people at the top.  We are able to confirm  that the breath taking sunrise is truly spectacular. The descent is far easier than the ascent and we enjoy breakfast more than any we have had so far!!

The remainder of the day is a bit of an anti-climax. Vince surprises himself because having read about the 45 species of snake in the area he still agrees to a hike with Isaac (who thinks his dad is joking about the snakes). We also enjoy watching the baboons messing around with each other.

Waterberg is a beautiful place but our excitement is growing as we move closer to the Etosha Game reserve.

8^th     September 2010 (Day 29)

A long drive today and we take most of the day to reach Sachessenheim Guest farm which is only a few kilometres from the gates into Etosha. The other guests prove to be very interesting but our minds are on the morning. We order breakfast boxes and again plan for an early start as the gates to Etosha open at sunrise.

9^th     September 2010 (Day 30)

'African Zebra Crossing!'

For the second time in 3 days Vince wakes the family at 5:30 am and we are the first at the gates to Etosha before sunrise. Etosha is huge, a road of a couple of hundred kilometres runs from the east to the centre of the reserve giving access to several of the waterholes that the animals visit. At the first waterhole we visit we see some Jackals to our left feeding on the carcass of an unidentifiable animal. We pull up next to the scene and suddenly Vince makes everybody jump as he gasps so loud when, just to our right, he notices the pride of lions obviously responsible for the kill. We drive slowly through the park seeing large groups of Zebra, Kudu, Oryx, Springbok and Wildebeest. The joke of the day is made by Isaac who suddenly announces as a group of Zebra cross the road in front of our car “look an African zebra crossing”. The biggest shock of the morning comes when we begin to spot quite a large number of giraffes. It may be the sheer height and elegance of the animals but it might just be that they are so different from any animals that we normally might come into contact with.

We are due to stay the night at Okaukuejo which is the administrative centre of the park but more importantly to us looks onto one of the major watering holes in the reserve where people can sit and watch the wildlife who come to drink all day and all night as it is floodlit (although the animals do not appear to pay much attention to this. We arrive at Okaukuejo at about 2pm and are shown to a very nice family room, or rather bungalow. Vince and Isaac  head to find the waterhole which they find to be only a few metres behind a small wall, and the first thing that they observe as the waterhole comes into sight are the two massive heads of the elephants that are enjoying the water. 

Okaukuejo is surrounded by game in very large numbers for the rest of the day and we sit back and try to take it all in (Isaac also makes full use of the pool which offers welcome relief from the heat). The major ‘new’ sightings for us are rhinos who appear in two groups firstly a mother and child at about sunset and then an hour or so later two more appear and they spend their time drinking and then sparring with each other. The lights almost create a stage of the watering hole and sitting in the dark watching large numbers of big game appear from and then disappearing back into the surrounding darkness creates a magical spectacle

10^th     September 2010 (Day 31)

After a late night Michele is back at the waterhole well before dawn, soon followed by Vince and Isaac as the pageant of the night before continues. We take a break for breakfast and then visit the office to consult the sightings book (where visitors report type, location, numbers and timing of the sightings that they have made). We are interested to read that a fairly large pride of lions has been spotted in the nearby waterhole of Okondeka and when we take a drive over we manage to site the pride moving across the top of a small rise overlooking the water. A large tower at Okaukuejo gives very good views of the surrounding area and from here we manage to spot some elephants apparently making their way towards us. We drive out to watch them and then later are back at the watering hole when one arrives. Later in the day six more arrive and, after one charges and apparently scares off two of the others, he becomes involved in an impressive 2-3 hour stand-off with one of the other males.  

We leave the park late in the afternoon stopping just outside in the Etosha Safari Lodge, but just before reaching the southerly Anderson Gate we spot two nearby lions who have obviously just killed a Zebra. Having spoken to a number of people who have visited the park it is clear that we have been very lucky in what has been a relatively short visit.

11^th     September 2010 (Day 32)

We do not consider today’s drive to be long but it takes us 4 hours, (an indication of the long journeys involved in this trip). We arrive at Rustic Toko Lodge at 2pm and then waste the rest of the day deciding to visit a cheetah park that turns out to be operated by one of the most unhelpful women in Namibia who sends us away apparently because she cannot be bothered to open up (this behaviour is in complete contrast to any other that we have come across as every person we have met up to now has been cheerful and helpful).

12^th     September 2010 (Day 33)

At breakfast today we over hear a Belgian couple planning to visit a nearby Himba village the inhabitants of which are apparently happy to have a guide tour the village with visitors at 9 am each day. We rush to pack and then tag along. The Himbas are still a nomadic tribe of bushmen whose most famous image is probably that of the ochre coloured women of the tribe. They are the tribe in Namibia who have most resisted modernisation. The Himba women and children were very interested in Isaac and were also keen to have their pictures taken as they spend a lot of time decorating their hair and bodies but with the absence of mirrors do not have good opportunities to see the results of their efforts very often. The Himba people sleep in very small mud huts. It was interesting to learn, however, that they were confused by our bigger houses as life is to be lived outdoors. They also have difficulty understanding why we would grow things outside our houses to look at rather than eat! These people live in very sparse surroundings and it brings home just how many luxuries we enjoy.

We leave the village mid-morning and head for Xaragu camp via the Grootberg Pass. At the top of the pass we notice signs to a lodge at the highest point of the pass. We head for the lodge but are chased by a young man who flags us down to say that if we are to attempt to drive up we will need to put on the 4 wheel drive and ‘diff lock’. He is not joking as the ascent seems almost vertical but the effort is worth it as the views from the lodge match Waterburg, with the table top mountains overlooking a spectacular valley (containing elephants, rhinos and big cats) that leads over 150km to the sea.

We are now in Damara land. The Damara tribe were once bushmen (nomadic hunter gatherers) but unlike the Himba the tribe settled to a farming existence. As we leave the lodge we pass through a number of Damara conservancy regions, which are regions of land that were returned to the locals often from Africaan farmers in the 1960’s. The north is more densely populated than the south and we are no longer in the position of not seeing any evidence of people for hundreds of kilometres. What we now see, however, again highlights what a privileged existence we enjoy. The majority of buildings are mud huts or made from sheets of corrugated iron (though some do have satellite dishes). The most common form of transport seems to be donkey and trap and the people rely on the rearing of goats and cattle for their lively hood. We also find it interesting to consider the other problems associated with living in this area. The animals that cause the most difficulties for the locals are elephants and baboons. Elephants are just so big that they are dangerous, they can easily knock down people’s homes if they get inquisitive, whilst baboons are a nuisance generally but are also capable of killing the goats. Our major concerns are not major concerns for the loca; big cats and snakes avoid people if at all possible, whilst scorpions tend only to appear at night.

With thoughts of night time scorpions and snakes Vince is more than a little concerned to find we are camping at our next destination! When we arrive the temperature in the tent is well into the 40’s and we have had a long day. Vince’s humour is only lifted at the prospect of Michele having to use the open air (‘en suite’) toilet and shower!

13^th     September 2010 (Day 33)

An early start for the Petrified Forest. We see the fossilised remains of trees that were deposited 250 million years ago where the trees cells have been replaced by silica and consequently become rock. A really interesting and quite strange sight.

After this we visit Twyfelfontein where a local guide escorts us around the ancient hillside showing us examples of rock carvings completed thousands of years ago. The hike is 45 minutes long, enough to show us that summer really has started in Africa. We then visit the ‘burnt’ mountain apparently named because the sun shine over the hills can give the impression of flames moving over the mountain. The spectacle, however, is lost on us as all we can see is a black hill not unlike some slagheaps you may see amongst the Welsh valleys!

Back to the tent where we all enjoy a refreshing shower and Vince and Isaac’s comments about being back at the waterhole when Michele showers sets them off into fits of giggles!  Another night under canvas, but once again we sleep very well.

14^th     September 2010 (Day 34)

Today we visit the highest mountain in Namibia – Brandberg, at which can be found some very famous rock art. The most famous image is of The White Lady. Again a local guide takes us on the 1⅟2 hour hike. On the way he tells us how after work he enjoys running 50km under the moon as well as competition hiking!!! (Isaac whispers that perhaps we should have asked for the fat guide eating the pie in the corner!) Our guide’s pace indicates that he is not joking and lives up to our worst expectations and we struggle in the heat to keep up.  It is worth the sweat though, at least Vince and Michele think so, as the guide talks us through the White Lady (or rather Man) and numerous other artwork painted by the bushmen 2,000-6,000 years ago.

After the hike we just want to get to our next accommodation, The White Lady B&B in Uis, and rest! It is unclear from our booking whether dinner is included. We ask and the owner tells us that dinner is included and that we should go to the local restaurant where a table will have been booked for us and at the end of the meal simply sign the bill. We do this and have a lovely meal, at the end, however, the restaurant claim to have no knowledge of the arrangement! Isaac finds the ensuing argument uncomfortable and at the time of writing we are still in dispute with the B&B.

On a more positive note Uis is a small town and we have access to electricity, phone credit and a mobile signal which means that Isaac can speak to Nanny Bulmer and Nanny and Gampy Browne for the first time in well over a week, which he thoroughly enjoys as he misses them all so much.

15^th     September 2010 (Day 35)

After the previous night’s argument, relations at the B&B are strained and so we are happy to leave early heading for Swakopmund again. On the way we call to see the massive seal colony at Cape Cross as well as photographing one of the many ships that have been wrecked over the years along the rugged coast line (hence the name Skeleton Coast). Whilst photographing the boat a group of young lads approach trying to sell us some of the many gem stones that can be found lying about the area. At first we are reluctant to enter into conversation with them, however, as we walk on the beach it appears from a small collection of blankets and towels that the boys might actually sleep rough there. When we do speak to the boys and they realise we do not want to buy any gems they ask to exchange them for food and drink. Fortunately we are able to give them bread, biscuits and water for which they are extremely grateful!! They also insist on giving us a small gem.

On arriving back in Swakopmund we return our rented 4X4 and we realise that the Namibian section of our adventure is all but at an end. As our thoughts turn to Egypt we plan to spend tomorrow catching up on e-mails etc. before an early night followed by an early start as we will be picked up for the long bus ride back to Windhoek and then a taxi to the airport. 

     

The sun sets on our time in Namibia where we have had a fantastic time.