Trip Report #31 (5 August): Welwitschia’s, Windhoek and Anniversary

Armed with a Namibian Wildlife Resorts permit and a sidewalk special, smoked snoek we take the scenic route through the moon landscape and Welwitschia drive via Khomas Hochland to Windhoek.

The Skeleton Coast is so called for the number of boats and sea farers that have met their end along this treacherous/misty coastline.  Any ‘lucky’ shipwreck survivors where sure to meet their fate on this desolate and barren expanse of seemingly nothingness. 

From the vantage point of our silver bubble isolation it is all very pretty and impressive, but we can’t help agonising (and strategising) for the unfortunate sea mates stranded without food and water and only sand, odd and odd-looking plant life and mirages as far as the eye can see.   

At least the lack of crowds for most of the past millennium means that the Welwitschia’s, endemic to this area, could perform their mating ritual (male and female plants exist separately and need to flirt over significant distances), generate offspring and grow their slow 8 - 15cm per year without interference. 

Fortunately our breakdown (inevitable of course) only happens 75km from Windhoek and well away from the worst of the desert region.  A stone punctures the oil filter and two hours of tacking, plasters, welding and all kinds of innovations proves unable to deliver even a temporary solution. 

After two hours of no other vehicles and no cell phone reception, Christa, with a bakkie full of farm workers and provisions from town, stops.  Phew, just as we are about to make camp for the night :-)  Armed with contact details she promises to radio or call to Windhoek as soon as she has signal for either.  As it works out she gets a signal within 500m of leaving us and we get to shout into a handheld wind up speakerphone to Anita.

Enter left, on cue, a few triple gins later: my varsity buddy Pierre.  He rocks up (no pun intended) with a T4 Syncro diesel, loaded with oil, oil filters of almost every size and shape and loads of enthusiasm for fixing the silver bubble there and then, but is met with our semi sober insistence to head directly to Windhoek, to not pass go and to not save on towing fees.  We hitch a stylish ride and exchange car keys with the passing tow truck that had been summoned to bring the Volla also to civilisation. 

Now, Pierre needs special mention.  With a hysterical, dry sense of humour, easy manner and without ever breaking a sweat he earned a master’s degree in engineering (right up there amongst the top three performers), he choreographs and performs extremely exclusive strip shows (hie hie sorry Pierre :-)), he coordinated a charity taxi business, refurbished their home into an architectural joy and is father to two BEAUTIful kids all before turning 33.  Of course, behind every man… but actually, his incredibly stylish and stunning wife, Elmarie, is probably again testimony to Pierre’s spectacular abilities to always over achieve. 

Ps: We celebrate our wedding anniversary with Pierre and Elmarie, whom we last saw at the wedding event, and Anita and Jurie (Anita’s hubby and Pierre’s co strip show performer (sorry Jurie)), over late dinner at Joe’s.

It is an incredible privilege for us and without a doubt one of our best anniversaries to date :-) 

M-L