Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 13 and Day 14

2015-07-10 | puppy1952

Sunday 14 June 2015 Okaukuejo

We go out at 6:30 this morning and visit a couple of waterholes. There is not much except for the usual suspects. We see one elephant. It is good, though, to see that there are animals scattered about. We return at 8:30 for breakfast and then do our own thing for the rest of the day.

Breakfast at Okaukuejo

Earl takes some lovely shots of animals at the waterhole.

Lots to see at the waterhole

Keeping an eye on the ladies

A tawny hoping for a snack?

Janet and Stuart arrive and we find their camping site and invite them to join us for a braai in the evening. We have a great time.

Monday June15 2015 Are there any Lions in Etosha?

Our six days in the park are stunning. We have marvellous encounters with elephant, zebra and giraffe. We see black rhino at the waterholes and the weather is fabulous. But hey where the hell are the lions? Certainly none cross our path. Okay, so we come to the parks for the birds and enjoy whatever happens to turn up – but this is the first time ever that we’ve visited a major park and not seen cats. Yes – we see Cheetah but they are half hidden and boring. And when you have overseas guests you want to impress them with the king of the African Bush for Goodness sake. So it was with a slight feeling of disappointment that we exit Okaukuejo Gate for the last stretch to Anderson Gate and I say, Don’t worry guys – we will probably get lions in Kgalagadi.
Then just minutes from the gate we see a few cars stopped up ahead. Wendy yells What’s that?

A lion cub slipping through the bush

Soon we catch sight of 4 lions. 1 mother, 2 small cubs and an older sibling we think. The Mom and big sister flop down under a tree but the cubs go on a bit further and then flop down in full view. Oh Joy! The older one gets up after a while and joins the little ones. We spend 20 minutes watching them get up and wander and return to the comfort of their spot. we reluctantly bid them farewell and continue happily on our way to our next destination.

We reluctantly bid them farewell and continue happily on our way to our next destination.

Goodbye Etosha

We check into Sun Kaross, Daan Viljoen at 1ish and are assigned chalet 8 and 9. Great spot but the view is of an empty dam! Our accommodation is stunning but it is very cold. Luckily we have down duvets and extra blankets and we put the airocn up to 30.

We unpack and have a cup of tea and then go on a journey of exploration. The list of game includes warthog, giraffe, zebra, red hartebeest, eland, jackal, wildebeest and kudu. Erich is delighted when our first spot is a single wildebeest and red hartebeest together! We follow a 4×4 trail and find all the species except eland, zebra and jackal.

Red Hartebeest

Go Away Bird

Short-toed Rock Thrush

The braai facilities are great but the chalet is not equipped with crockery and cutlery. There is a fridge, kettle, glasses and cups and saucers. Tea and coffee are also provided.
We go to the restaurant and find we are the only chalet dwellers and there is no one else there for dinner. We order the chef’s curry which is a huge helping and totally delicious. Erich has Schnitzel, which is okay, if a little dry. The value for money is good.
Nobody wants dessert.

Namibia – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 6

2015-07-03 | puppy1952

Sunday 7 June 2015 Sossusvlei to Windhoek

We are up and ready to for breakfast at 6:30 sharp, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, take photos of a hot air balloon over the mountains, check out and set off for Windhoek.

The highlight is travelling over the Spreetshoogte Pass. Meaning: Spreeth’s Peak Pass. It connects the Namib Dessert with the Khomas Highland by traversing the Great Escarpment and is the steepest pass in Namibia.

The pass was erected during World War II by farmer Nicolaas Spreeth, after whom it is named. He owned the farm Ubib just at the foot of the escarpment. Whenever goods were delivered to his farm they would be dropped at a bus stop at farm Namibgrens (English: Namib border) on top of the mountain. To gather them the choice was to either travel via Remhoogte Pass approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwards, or to trek uphill along existing Zebra paths.

Spreeth decided to do the latter, fortifying the path with quartzite rocks whenever he undertook the journey. Soon the bright white rocks formed a line that could be spotted from a distance. Spreeth even catered for motor vehicles (not very strong at that time), placing long, flat patches of road ahead of every steep ascent. He built the pass literally with his own hands. To flatten obstacles he used dynamite.

Here we go

Our hostess is not home when we arrive at Anjo Villa Guest House so we duck to the local supermarket café and have a coffee before checking in.

What a charming place it is. After unpacking we sit under the trees and have a glass of wine and a chat, download emails using the free wi-fi and at 4:30 make our way into Windhoek. As advised by Anthea we pop into Joe’s Beerhouse for a drink but are so fascinated by the place we decide to stay for dinner. It is a series of outdoor enclosures and spaces filled with all sorts of memorabilia and relics of the past and present. Basically it’s junk made to look interesting. Possibly each piece has a history and a story behind it. We wander about enjoying the exhibition and then sit at a table next to a roaring fire in the middle of the boma where we eat. Wendy and I enjoy Kessler and sauerkraut, Earl has lamb shank and Erich eisbein. They both have to get doggy bags as the portions are so huge.

After that we head to the casino, have a cup of tea and lose some money before coming back for an early night.

Retiring Adventurously – Come Fly with Me

2015-01-13 | puppy1952

9 January 2015 The Wild West of Southern Africa
I wake from a peaceful dreamless sleep and patter off to the loo. When I emerge Abrie is already making tea. Couldn’t have timed it better. Now a mini troupe of gymnasts take up residence in my tummy and start a flick-flack routine. I greet Abrie with a fake calmness. All too soon we’re packed and in the bakkie for the short drive to the airfield. No check in queues – how pleasant. Our host is pilot, caterer and cabin crew all rolled in one The guys roll out the plane and the gymnasts do a trapeze act while I pretend that climbing onto the wing of an aeroplane and stepping into my seat is something I do every time I fly.

Earl next to our box with wings

The tubular crate with wings makes an enormous racket as it takes me, screaming silently, into the air. But wait – that was so smooth – better than any Boeing – Yes – I think I can get used to this. And the in-flight entertainment – fabulous music in my own personal earphones – nice touch. The view is to die for – at first it’s a tad bumpy but hey the rough roads of The Kgalagadi are way worse. We fly above an ocean of foamy cloud. The sunrise is brilliant and soon we are in the clear and see the rivers and mountains below. Wow! The air is rarified and Abrie needs oxygen to keep alert. I feel slightly light headed but not uncomfortable – I take few deep breaths every now and then. No waiting for inflight snacks – just lean over the seat, open the cool bag and there are the delicious ham sandwiches on home-baked bread. Through my earphones I can hear the guys discussing technical stuff – but I am relaxed in the knowledge that my pilot knows exactly what he is doing and doesn’t take chances!

Sunrise from the aircraft

Looking down on a sea of foamy clouds

Technology

Selfie – Earl, Me faking calmness, Abrie – with oxygen mask

It’s time for our first decent. The gymnasts are a tad more relaxed and only do a few cartwheels. The plane hardly bumps as we hit the runway. The air traffic control girl looks hot and fed up. Later she tells Abrie, “jislaaik! Dis so warm. Ek gaan @#^^ emigree Alaska toe.” (Jeepers It’s so hot. I am going to @#^^** emigrate to Alaska.)

The Runway at Upington

Upington International Airport!

The next stage of the journey to Eros (Windhoek) is a breeze – not a bit of turbulence – clear skies, smooth ride, gentle landing. Oh wow – what was I fretting about. This is so much better than SAA.

So as we take off for the last leg to Outju I am completely relaxed and the mini gymnasts are asleep. But not for long. The skies are clear but the plane is being battered by cross winds. We bounce along and my bottom even lifts from my seat. The silent scream returns, the gymnasts start somersaulting, visions of plummeting uncontrollably to Earth play out in my head. This is not just a speed boat on a choppy river. This is as yacht tossed about by fifteen foot waves. It will calm down soon I tell myself. This is fun. I am not at all scared. I hear Abrie’s voice in my earphones, ‘Are you okay? Not scared?’ I smile bravely and fake a calmness I do not actually feel. But after a while and much psyching myself into complacence, I realise that we are quite safe and I trust Abrie’s piloting skills. The trip is short and soon we make another perfect landing.
If I think the flight was rough, I have yet to experience the ride to the ranch. A friend of Abrie kindly meets us at the airfield with his double cab and drives us the 70km to Marmorkopf Cattle Ranch . He drives, foot flat on the accelerator and doesn’t let up for a second. No slowing down for potholes, swerving around dongos, straight through cattle gates without even a slight decrease in speed. We are used to African roads and always take them slowly – but the locals, knowing every inch of the rough roads, have no fear. I hang on tightly and pray until the fear inside me subsides to a panic. After a few minutes I resign myself to the fact that I wanted an adventure and now I had one! Just enjoy the roller-coaster ride!

The ranch has been in the Abrie’s family since Oupa bought it in 1938. And nothing has changed. Only a bathroom has been added. There is no electricity and no generator. No internet and I had better use my camera batteries sparingly. It’s rustic living at its best. It’s hot! And after an ice cold beer we take a nap. When I wake, I brave the bathroom with its resident spiders and helicopter flying insects and have a cold shower. But in the heat of Africa I am happy with this. A less bush happy girl might object but not I! I am delighted to be in a real African environment.
Abrie takes us for a Game Drive when we awake and it is magic. The roads are rough and our transport is an open land-rover. He drives in the same cow-boy style as the guy who drove us up from Outju but the roads are even worse. Earl sits in the middle and I next to the door and I have to duck under low branches and Earl grabs me close as I duck sideways when we pass thorn trees but I am exhilarated as the wind blows through my hair.
We see birds, dassies and the highlight is a group of giraffe.