MONDAY 28TH - MORE FUN AT SWAKOMUND

 As I am typing this at 12 noon, the sun has come out so today is much brighter and warmer than yesterday – predicted maximum of 19 degrees today.

Last night we were told that we were to have dinner on the beach but nothing prepared us for what unfolded. We did have dinner on the beach but it was no basic affair. It was a five star experience the entree being oysters and the main course being crayfish, mussels, kalamari etc. We are being very well looked after.

This morning, Trish had a quiet morning doing some shopping while a couple of us went quad bike riding in the dunes.

When we approached the coast on Saturday, we passed through about 100 kilometres of flat sandy desert country. To the south of Swakomund, it is still sandy desert country but it is certainly not flat. There is a very extensive system of very high dunes. Quad bikes are definitely the best method of exploring them. In this part of the world, the desert meets the sea. There is no greenery.

Our tour guide had an artistic bent in that the discolouration in the dunes is iron. With a magnet, he was able to collect a bottle full and do a drawing on the sand. Very clever.

 

 

 Tomorrow we are on the road again Who knows what future adventures await. I tried to post a video last night but I can't make it work so I guess that it doesn't. Sorry about that.

SUNDAY 27TH - SWAKOPMUND

When I checked my emails last night, there was one from a client asking me to take care of some matters while she went away, to Africa! When I told her we were already here and asked her where she was coming to, she told that she will be in Swakopmund tomorrow. I don't know whether our paths will cross but what an extraordinary coincidence.

 

We spent this morning on a champagne and oyster cruise at Walvis Bay about 35 kilometres south of here. We rugged up as much as we could and they had blankets available for use on the boat so that gives some indication of the temperature but there was very little breeze so it was tolerable.

As I am typing this at 2:00 pm, it is still very gloomy and cool. We saw glimpses of the sun on the way back from Walvis Bay. I checked the weather forecast. It is presently 13 degrees with a predicted maximum of 14.

Walvis Bay is the local port and has substantial oyster growing industry, hence the promotion of the local product. It also supports the second most productive fishing industry after the west coast of South America. Apparently both countries have very cold currents which result in a very healthy fish population.

The point of the cruise was to check out the local wildlife being seagulls, pelicans, seals, dolphins, the occasional penguin and a young humpback whale which made a brief appearance.

 

After we finished the cruise, we went and checked out the local flamingo community for which the area is known We have changed the nature of the animals we are looking at but are still finding new ones.

Tonight we had a stunning fully catered beach barbeque with local oysters for entrée and crayfish calamari and mussels for main course. A stunning experience.

 

SATURDAY 26TH - ATLANTIC OCEAN

We are now comfortably settled at Alte Brucke, an accommodation complex in Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast. Surprisingly it is very cold here. There is apparently a very cold current which sweeps along the coast causing cool and foggy weather to prevail. We didn't see the sun at all yesterday once we got within 5 kilometres of the coast.

We started the day with a visit to Burnt Mountain a discoloured mountain with a burnt appearance.

From there, we went to the feature known as Organ Pipes. Not bad but they are obviously hard up for features to drag people over the atrocious roads to the area.

Along the way we stopped to negotiate the purchase of some firewood from the locals. We have done that twice now. The villagers collect it and leave it in piles by the side of the road for the passing campers to purchase. We aren't camping but do have open fires when dinner is prepared from The Beast as it will be tonight at our beach barbeque. We will be dressed for the snow to attend the beach barbeque.

 

We also stopped at a roadside stall operated by the local himba and herero women. The herero women are the ones with the impressive costumes on, a contrast to the himba.

 

Once we got to the coast, the roads became salt roads, very smooth and a welcome relief. 

Our final activity for the day was a visit to a seal colony. The local fur sea colony is very healthy and very entertaining to watch, but very smelly.

The coastline here is apparently quite well known for the number of ships wrecked on it. We passed one of the wrecks, a large fishing boat which has apparently been there for 10 years. It is now a great bird rookery.

 

Dinner last night was at a local restaurant. Great oyster farming area here.

FRIDAY 25TH - PETRIFIED ROCK AND ORGAN PIPES

We spent a long time in The Beast today but didn't travel very far. We had been warned about the roads we travelled and the warning was well and truly warranted They were perhaps the worst we have ever travelled on but The Beast handled them OK, albeit at very low speeds.

This morning we visited an area known for its petrified trees. The trees were about 300 years old when, in a monstrous flood millions of years ago, they were buried in sediment and eventually turned into rock. The rock is very tree like complete with bark and knots. Some have now been unearthed. It is not known how many more remain buried in the vicinity.

We enjoyed lunch on the side of a dry stream bed, very reminiscent of the Australian Outback.

We are now settled at the very novel Twyfelfontein Country Lodge. It is in a truly spectacular setting nestled into a rock escarpment on the edge of a very broad valley.

 

This afternoon, we explored the Twyfelfontein Visitor Centre where there is a walking track up on to a rocky hill where there is a significant of bush art done between 2000 and 6000 years ago by the bushmen who used to live and hunt in the area. It is carved into the rock, not painted, so is enduring very well.

THURSDAY 24TH - ON THE MOVE AGAIN

Today was predominantly a driving day. We have left the game parks behind us and are heading for the coast. We get there on Saturday. Tonight we are at Mopane Lodge near Khorixas.

 

Last night, as we were going to bed, several rhino came into the resort waterhole. Apparently quite a number came in somewhat later. The photo is not that great thanks to the poor light but you get the picture.

 

Our only activity today was a stop at and tour of a Himba tribal village where they are trying to maintain their traditional lifestyle. They are welcome to it. It was very basic with no mod cons, not even a water supply in a very arid area.

Tomorrow we explore the local area before moving on.

WEDNESDAY 23RD - REST DAY TODAY

Very relaxing day today. It started with the photo below taken at the waterhole 50 metres from our accommodation. I have posted it upside down just to cause a little confusion. This is an oryx. They are quite common but I don't think I have specifically mentioned it before.

 

Most days we have been up at 5:30 for breakfast and a game drive or vice versa but today, we had the luxury of breakfast at 7:30 and a game drive at 8:30.

As game drives go, it was one of our less spectacular but still notable for the the herds of zebra, wildebeest and springbok we saw converging on a natural spring on the edge of the salt pan.

When we got back from our morning drive, there was quite a level of activity at the home waterhole.

And after lunch, there was even more activity, about 25 elephants came to drink and play.

This afternoon, we had our last game drive as such. We move on to other activities from here. But of course we had a grand finale, a lion and two lionesses.

What fantastic experiences we are having.

TUESDAY 22ND - CROSSING ETOSHA

Yesterday afternoon, we went for our usual afternoon game drive. Unfortunately we didn't find any cheetah but we did find some cute babies, a giraffe and an elephant.

 

We also found a new animal, a dik dik.

 

Otherwise it was the usual suspects.

This morning we took four hours to drive the 130 klms to Okaukuejo where we are now staying in a “waterhole chalet”, so called because it is adjacent to the waterhole immediately outside the resort compound. As I sat down to type this, I was distracted by two elephants arriving at the waterhole.

 

Along the way, we stopped on the Etosha Pan for some trick photography. It is a salt pan 4732 square kilometres in area.

When we arrived about two hours ago, the resort waterhole was crowded with zebra, springbok and gemsbok.

 

Our new animals for today were rhino, hyena and red hartebeest. We have now completed the big five.

 

Along the way, we also saw numerous zebra, wildebeest, ostrich, springbok, giraffes and a lion and lioness – a routine day's drive around here.