Trip Report #32 (6 - 8 August): Home

“The important thing about having lots of things to remember is that you’ve got to go somewhere afterwards where you can remember them, you see? You’ve got to stop.  You haven’t really been anywhere until you’ve got back home.” – Twoflower, The Light Fantastic

With Pierre’s help (what did I tell you?) we source and install a new oil filter just to find that the starter motor is again acting up.  A quick visit to the local VW confirms that the oil filter replacement was successful, but we will be run starting the Syncro all the way to Jozi. 

All plans of Solitaire, Sossusvlei, Luderitz, Kolmanskop, Feral Horses and Fish River Canyon is ditched there and then.  Slightly exasperated, we decide to cut our losses and head home.

Bytheway, we now know that heavily loaded Kombi’s do not run start when parked on gravel (no matter how many people are pushing) and that any road that may seem to slope downhill to the naked eye is very likely not. 

It is good to see Bea and Cleo, to wash our clothes, clear out the kombi, to really wash our hands and feet (and stay clean for longer than 2,5 minutes), to food shop at Woolworths, eat sushi and laze on the couch with a good movie. 

I miss the freedom of being on the road, deciding on a day to day basis where we want to sleep next, spending quality time with Carli, the simplicity of worrying only about making it through this day and the wonderful privilege of being close to nature.

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

Trip Report #30 (3 - 5 August): Suave Sophisticated Swakop

The Germans formally ran Namibia for only 35 years almost a hundred years ago, but throughout our trip we find it difficult to believe they have ‘left’ and never more so than in Swakopmund.  We treat ourselves with cosy accommodation with the ‘best breakfast in town’ (we do concur with the sales pitch). 

After our past six weeks the slick tourist trap sophistication offered by art africa, woolworths, weylandts, cinema, sushi, book/art/coffee gallery, western saloon pizza whilst the desert lurks in the background, is rather soothing to our frayed sandton sensibilities. 

I iron out my hair to celebrate (and to deflect any further chirps about unnecessary baggage from Carl-Hein), shop up a storm and see Sunshine Cleaning. 

If you are going to dedicate a day to touristy stuff, this is not a bad place to do it.  The historic buildings, Museum, Aquarium and Kristal Gallerie are immaculate, interesting and actually worth and fun seeing.  The curio shops are stocked to the brim and, as an added bonus, with the 1:1 exchange rate, there is no confusion about what we are being charged for any of these privileges. 

M-L