TravelStream™ news feed for member dani.bora on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/dani.bora en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 29 May 2009 06:32:23 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242208456/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242208456/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242208456/tpod.html Fri, 29 May 2009 06:32:23 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Two days can't possibly be enough to explore Jozi - the affectionate nickname that locals have for Johannesburg - but Claire and I have tried our best to get a fleeting grasp of this city, how it was in the past, how it has changed today, and what it represents to South Africans and foreigners alike. First a little bit of history - courtesy of Wikipedia. The region was originally inhabited by San tribes, displaced in the XIII century by the arrival of groups of Bantu-speaking peoples from the north. Then in the early 1800s, the Dutch speaking Voortrekkers arrived and established their first settlements: Rustenburg, Pretoria, and Johannesburg. The latter was little more than a dusty settlement of the young Boer Transvaal Republic until the 1880s when gold was discovered in the Witwatersrand, and everything changed: as the word spread, people flocked to the area from all other regions of the country and from abroad, and Jo'burg rapidly became a major mining and financial centre, eGoli, the City of Gold*. The largest city in South Africa, it is the greatest and starkest example of the country's inequalities, excesses, callousness, as well as energy, opportunities, and multiculturalism.  Though not one of South Africa's three capitals**, Johannesburg is the traditional political heart of the nation, a cauldron of creativity and militancy, the arena that witnessed the historic speeches of Nelson Mandela, the struggles of a beleaguered ANC, the hope heralded by the Freedom Charter. But also violent clashes and massacres such as in Sharpeville and Soweto, episodes that will stick to people's minds and hearts for a long time. On the first day, Claire and I sort of stayed put, and decided to have a little rest - it was the first time in nearly four weeks that we slept on a real bed after all - and then hang out with the friend who's hosting us, Mikhael. We read, made food, chatted some more, went for a stroll in the park, and then went out for supper at a Pakistani eatery in an area called Fordsburg, a remarkable choice, both for the food and the uber-kitsch décor of the restaurant.The second day was somewhat busier and activity-heavier. With only a handful of hours of a coldish autumn day at our disposal, we concentrated on museums and some sightseeing: Constitution Hill - with a visit to "Number 4" prison, the Old Fort, and obviously the Constitutional Court - in the morning, followed by an afternoon-long visit to the Apartheid Museum.  The latter especially was an edifying and intense experience. Housed in a big newish complex outside the city centre - and just a stones-throw-away from the Gold Reef City theme park with which it bizarrely shares the entrance gate - the Apartheid Museum takes the visitor on a graphic journey along the long decades of racial segregation that scarred South African and its people: photographs, films, official records, testimonies, and finally 1994 election posters that colorfully heralded the beginning of a new democratic era.However, the museum does not only preserve the memory of a recent past for those who were not yet born, or were too little to remember, or were not, like me, in the country. The pages of daily newspapers are displayed at the end of the, with relevant national news highlighted for everybody to ponder upon, so that the historical information can be placed in its contemporary discourse and better absorbed. Coming out of the museum's building into the fresh air just before sunset - Claire and I ended up spending about four hours browsing the exhibit - one can't help but feeling deeply moved by the experience, and almost daydreaming about in the enormity of history. Just a quick note on our evening: for dinner we hook up with a Namibian friend, a documentary filmmaker who lives and works in Jo'burgh. We meet him at his apartment, and while he whips up an Italian dish for us in his spacious open-plan kitchen-cum-Nelson-Mandel-Bridge-vista, we chat a lot about art, the state of today's media, writing and taking pictures for a living but also with a purpose, our role in society, and so and so forth...a lot of pseudo-intellectual and self-glorifying blather, basically. Very enjoyable. Tomorrow we're moving on, the long journey down the N1 all the way to Cape Town and our Muizenberg home begins. Stay tuned. * In Zulu. The city's Tswana name, Gauteng, is today the name of the province that includes both Johannesburg and Pretoria.** These are Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), and Cape Town (legislative).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242149580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242149580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242149580/tpod.html Thu, 28 May 2009 17:09:50 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

After two days of game driving - for a grand total of 40Kms along semi-impassable and bumpy tracks - and two nights spent at our deserted bush campsite, undisturbed except for a few warthogs and a (non)encounter with raging baboons, it is time to say goodbye to Botswana and try our luck at crossing the border back to South Africa. We pack up, the tent and some of our gear still smelling of baboon poo, and begin making our way toward Lobatse, the main border town south of Gaborone along the A1, which we reach half an hour later and turns out to be more vibey than the Botswanan capital itself: lots of shops line the main road, some of them sporting loud sound systems that blast a mixture of local and western music into the street, a festive atmosphere all around. We briefly stop at a gas station to fill up the car's tank and unload the Pulas we've got left, and then we drive through the border post. In and out of the Botwsanan immigration office, and again on the South African side: no more than a quarter of an hour for the entire procedure, no questions asked, and a new visitors permit stuck on my passport - mission accomplished, I am now officially allowed to remain in South Africa for another 90 days. Border hopping, if done with a little consideration, seems to work, but I'd be curious to know what circumstances would make it suspicious to the average border official. Length of travel abroad? Port of exit and entry? Body language? I wasn't asked a single thing, as one usually is at an airport: no intended destination, no reason for entering the country, no need to see car's registration papers or a return ticket to Europe. Today I feel a little bit more South African. Johannesburg is still quite far, definitely too far to get there before dark, but we know that we might be able to stay at a friend's house tonight, so we take our time, stop for lunch, explore a little, and try to stick to secondary roads. The landscape of the Northwest Province is breathtaking: rolling hills, endless amounts of cattle grazing on lush meadows, vast expanses of corn fields, dotted at regular interval by farming villages huddled around massive cylindrical granaries, countryside superstructures made beautiful by the red rays of sunset, they gleam and remind me of ancient towers, fortresses that contain food rather than weapons and men at arms.  And when dark comes, we drive and drive, both Claire and I elated by a feeling of being home, and we notice how different the atmosphere as well as the landscape is from the other side of the border we crossed just a couple of hours ago: South Africa is more densely populated for a start, noticeably so, and it is a land of stark contrasts, with extreme poverty and first-world-type of wealth living side by side, as do African traditions and Western lifestyles. The more I think about these and other things, the more I am aware of them, at every stop in every town, and the more we drive, the closer we get to Gauteng, South Africa's commercial and financial heart, with Jo'burg at its centre, the greatest and starkest example of the inequalities, excesses, callousness, as well as energy, opportunities, and multiculturalism of the new South Africa. The Gold City, Sin City, as renowned abroad as its counterpart in the southwest, the place I call home these days, Cape Town, the Mother City, which couldn't be and feel more different, another aspect of this multi-layered nation. Still a long way from home though, we finally arrive just in time for supper before meeting our friend Mikhael at his home, have a cup of tea, a longish chat, and then we all retire for the night. Claire and I now have a couple of days to explore Jo'burg, some other friends to visit, and lots of curiosity to soothe. The South African section of our road trip couldn't start in a better way. Stay Tuned for more.            Some pictures in my Flickr photostream here.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242058020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242058020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1242058020/tpod.html Mon, 11 May 2009 06:00:22 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Gaborone, Botswana

It's time for some updates and to recap on a couple of eventful days and nights. Claire and I left Kang on Friday morning and began to make our way towards Gaborone and the South African border, but we were not thinking we would get to the Botswanan capital the very same night - more than 500Kms from Kang, way too much for our usual driving habits. The story goes something like this. After filling up our petrol tank in Kang, we drive for a good part of the day along the Trans-Kalahari Highway, excellent tarmac and not much traffic, yet a bit boring used as we are to exciting gravel roads and rough conditions. We stop in Jwaneng at around 4pm, but there is no campsite in town and one affordable-looking pension is fully booked. Screw it, we decide to carry on, hoping to find a campsite in the next biggish centre, Kanye. But even here the choice is limited to one motel that also has a campground, which is less than appealing for the 160 Pula they're asking. Dusk is approaching fast, we ponder on a couple of wild camping options, but by the time night falls we are still on the road, closer and closer to Gaborone. We've have probably been too little in Botswana to draw accurate conclusions, but coming from South Africa and Namibia, it does look like this country is not geared towards campers, the only campground we found being the Kalahari Rest Camp mentioned in my previous post - run by South African expats. However, I'm positive the north of Botswana, where most of the tourist action happens, has an ampler choice. In the end, of all places, we wind up tired as hell in front of some lion park-cum-amusement park 12Kms south of Gabs that might accommodate us when the manager clocks in in the morning, but for the moment they let us pitch pour tent outside the main gate: too dangerous to camp by the road, the friendly night guards conclude. We gladly accept. On Saturday morning we decide to check another place that we know should be somewhere between here and Gaborone, a game reserve called Mokolodi Nature Reserve, the "best camping option around the capital" according to the Lonely Planet. Yes, they have camping facilities, and at 80 Pula each including access to the game park, it also oddly is the cheapest alternative - a nearby backpackers charges 75 each for a tiny spot in their courtyard, and we later find out that the lion park would charge us 100 each*. And it turns out to be an amazingly pleasant stay too. The campground - romantically called Hidden Valley - is right in the middle of the reserve, and every site has its own toilet, sink, and under-the-stars shower with a wood-fired boiler to warm the water up. We are the only campers, so the entire area is deserted. This sounds like a sweet deal, but it also has its drawbacks, as animals like warthogs tend to be less shy, and calmly walk across the campsite, while we jump inside the car unsure on how they might behave. Yesterday we spent the whole day off-roading and tracking game on our beloved VW Fox, which we realise with a laugh is not the best vehicle for this kind of things: noisy, smelly, low-clearance, and bright red. Dani's DIY Safari really is a classy and unforgettable experience. Please tell your friends about it, you'll find the contact details on every worst-selling, self-published, home-printed guide book. Nonetheless a number of animals pop up around us since very early on during our drive: impalas, kudus, hartebeests, zebras, and, of course, warthogs. A dry spell hits in the afternoon, but on our way back, around 4.30pm, we turn a bend and we finally see elephants! I've never been too much into game drives, and especially if you've got to pay good bucks to a private reserve that is into the business for mere profit. I sort of dislike also all the collaterals that come with it: limited space for the animals to roam, lots of 'Sunday' tourists**, boring game mainly acquired through auctions. But Mokolodi is a special venture, and you might want to find out more about it. Revenues from tourism activities and accommodation help subsidise their conservation and environmental education programmes for Botswanan children. They run an education centre, and keep a permaculture garden,watered with recycled grey water from camp sites and chalets. Our last encounter with wild animals is not really an encounter after all...as we drive in, we notice that a few things around our campsite seem to have fallen on the ground...the wind we think, until we see our tent has been almost torn off the ground, the flysheet lying on one side, part of the inner layer ripped, and stuff that was inside the tent lying everywhere, torn apart or partly chewed: baboons have wrecked our sleeping quarters. They must have called when we were away, found it funny and entertaining to assault the tent and play human beings for a little while...nasty, little, red-butted creatures! But hey, broken into by baboons in Botswana...thinking about it, it is a quite story. Ok, time to go and cross yet another border, as Claire and I are now officially on our way back home to Cape Town. But first, we'll stop a couple of nights in Johannesburg to visit some friends, then back along either the N1 via Bloemfontein or the N12 via Kimberly. More interesting tales and encounters will surely come up. Stay Tuned.*A pity in a way, because it could have been fun and surreal to spend a night in an amusement park, with rides and all left to explore, if not ride, to ourselves. **Similar this species to armchair travelers, often couples, organised groups, and families with crying kids.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241698320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241698320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241698320/tpod.html Sat, 09 May 2009 08:16:41 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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kang, Botswana

Botswana, day one. Claire and I crossed the border earlier today at the romantically named Trans-Kalahari border post, what Namibians call East Gate, roughly 300Kms east of Windhoek. We went through immigration rather smoothly, even if the Botswanan official was quite adamant we needed to state a destination on our entry card...which always sounds odd to me when you're on a road trip, as you usually don't exactly know where and when you're going to stop, let alone have a specific address. In the end we settled on the Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park as our destination, and the official gave us a two-week visa - rather than two days as she first meant to if we were only "in transit".Sorted our papers, we drive for a few kilometres on the tarred A2 - what in Namibia was the B6, internationally known as Trans-Kalahari Highway - but then at Charles Hill we decide to try our chance and take an unnamed gravel which should take us south-east across the southernmost region of Botswana, just north of the border with South Africa ¬- and actually pretty close to the Trans-frontier Park, as per entry card. We drive and drive, and then drive some more, along semi-lush countryside dotted by a couple of villages, and numerous cattle, that is a welcome change from the barren landscape of Namibia. By the time we reach the end of the diversion - which eventually we find out is not the road we thought we were on, but one much further to the north - wonderful African savannah is all around us, glowing in the golden late afternoon light that is a photographer's dream, and a treat to our eyes and spirits. We often spot wild duikers*, warthogs, and ostriches crossing the road or running alongside it, and at around five o'clock we stop for a solitary drink and absorb it all sitting on the roof of our Fox. Heaven. I'm now writing these few lines from a campsite that we stumbled upon just outside Kang, the biggish town we were sort of aiming at as our first stop on our south-eastbound journey. It is called Kalahari Rest Camp, and at the moment I actually don't have any more info, as we just drove through the main gate, which was completely unmanned, found a sweet camping spot, lighted a fire, and had food. No contact with other human beings. We'll see tomorrow I guess. Good night - and stay tuned. *dui·ker or duy·ker: a small African antelope with short backward-pointing horns. p.s.: The morning has two welcome surprise for us. Number one, we spot a giraffe roaming around the campsite! A young male called George, he turns out to be really tame, so we can stroke him and take some cool close up pictures. At the reception we also find out that one night of camping is only 120 Pula, roughly R138 ($14) for the two of us. Not bad considering Botswana's reputation of being an expensive country.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241599920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241599920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241599920/tpod.html Wed, 06 May 2009 04:55:31 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Buitepos, Namibia

Almost out of Namibia now, and very excited about visiting Botswana. Claire and I are leaving Windhoek in an hour or so, then we'll head east towards the Namibia/Botswana border, and we should cross at some point tomorrow. I doubt I'll be able to find an Internet connection maybe until we hit Gabarone, so this might be my last blog entry for a little while. K, better finish packing up now, Stay Tuned.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241546160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241546160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241546160/tpod.html Tue, 05 May 2009 14:02:34 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Windhoek, Namibia

It is curious how cities really have an energy of their own, and even more peculiar how I have started not to appreciate it that much anymore. I used to be an enthusiastic city dweller, left my little and safe hometown in Northern Italy and settled in London for a number of years, loving every moment: the fast pace, the busy days, people everywhere all the time, lots of friends, and even more nights out. But at some point something shifted in me, and I first had a hunch about it when I was backpacking South East Asia; every time my traveling companions and I stayed in a new city - places as diverse as Phnom Penh, Saigon, Hanoi, and Vientiane - we all felt as we had just landed on a completely different planet, our own energy levels very low, confused and utterly indecisive about any little thing. Also, towns and cities the world over have a dense thickness in the air, smog that can make skin dry and eyes itchy, noise and visual pollution too...and as you may guess, I reckon I've become rather sensitive to it all. This is what I've been dealing with today, trying to explore, and enjoy, Windhoek but feeling kept back, both physically and mentally - I was very tired and moody. We drove around town and all the way to Katurura, we walked the Puccini House, where we've found homely accommodation, a convivial atmosphere, and a friendly puppy. It is a stone-throw away from the city centre, with lots of options for different budgets - we've camped in the garden for N$70 each, I reckon as cheap as it gets in Windhoek.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241459580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241459580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241459580/tpod.html Tue, 05 May 2009 13:54:41 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Usakos, Namibia

On our last day in Spitzkoppe, Claire and I had some unexpected neighbours camping right next to us in our, by now, beloved camp site number 9. A group of climbers from Pretoria in South Africa, 13 people in all including a couple of kids, arrived in the afternoon and politely asked us if we where planning to leave soon, and if they could share the site with us: yes and yes we replied, looking forward to maybe striking some interesting conversation, but surely not expecting the change they brought to the atmosphere of our little home from home. They were tremendously organised campers: after our first shy contact, they rolled in with three 4WDs, one of them pulling a monster trailer - 4-people roof tent, big water tank, ample storage and all. A pleasure to look at. In half an hour, they set the whole camp up, with the porch area of the trailer at the centre, lots of captain chairs all around, tents in every crack and passage between rocks, fire started by the kids, food on its way. Claire and I retreated with a smile to our side of the camp. They are planning to stay in Spitzkoppe for a week, climbing almost no-stop I reckon since they started something like an hour after they arrived. When we left, we saw them on the top of one of the highest peaks, certainly as exhilarated as Claire and I were when we hiked the mountain just opposite, and reached a big scenic rock formation almost at the top. Nothing re-invigorates one's body and spirit better than some physical activity, especially with stunning landscapes stretching for miles in every direction to keep you company. In this sense, I really felt Spitzkoppe is a vast, and beautifully sparse amusement park for nature lovers, kids and grown-ups alike. From high above, cars and people looked so small as to resemble little Lego cars and people, cruising around the carefully planned avenues of a bush playground. Furthermore, at N$45 per person per night of camping, it is remarkably good value for money, as far as Namibia camps go these days - sure, facilities are basic, but far from being non-existent as some might say. Another bonus? The money generated goes straight into the local community. But hurry, before Lonely Planet finds out too much about it. Stay Tuned for our next stop, Windhoek.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241370900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241370900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241370900/tpod.html Mon, 04 May 2009 13:16:40 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Usakos, Namibia

Shortly before leaving Cape Town, I've begun reading Thoreau's <i>Walden, a little pocket-sized edition that is perfect for carrying with me while I'm out and about, and especially now that I'm traveling. It is the account of the two years Thoreau spent living in the woods of his native New England where he led a simple life in communion with nature: "...to front only the essential facts of life," he says, "and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Used as we are to live comfortably in warm and well-lit homes, surrounded by implements and gadgets that cater for any need we might possibly have, and, more often than not, just a brief walk or a quick drive from shops of all sorts, camping really gives us a break from the predicament of city life, setting us back to more simple routines and expectations. It is also the best opportunity to enjoy sunrise, a daily show that too often we miss favouring the warm embrace of our duvets rather than that of the first sunrays. "The man who does not believe that each day contains an earlier, more sacred and auroral hour than he has yet profaned, has despaired of life," Thoreau continues. "Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me." In my previous post I talked about Spitzkoppe's glorious sunsets, which, I've gladly discovered, are equaled by its stunning sunrises. It is a delight to wake up one last time in our tent, realise by the light filtering through that morning is quickly approaching, then beginning to hear countless birds, also finally awaken by the break of a new day. After a few minutes of human indecision, you get up, crawl out of the tent, and are greeted by a freshness in the air that could regenerate the most committed boozer the day after a stag night. In this particular occasion, we have set camp right underneath the southern side of the main Spitzkoppe massif, nestled among rocks and grassy knolls, so that the timid winter sunrays don't actually reach us for a an hour or so, making for a chilly start of the day. But all around us, the mountain tops are gradually flooded by light soon after sunrise, and the distant plains too, and it's rather enjoyable to wait for the sun to finally hit us - and warm us up - while drinking a cup of coffee. I must confess, I am usually more of a sunset person myself, treasuring the last moments of sun light for their capacity to bring calm and rest after a busy working day - or a dusty one driving along Namibian roads. But the first hours of the morning, especially if you are lucky/determined enough to witness the sun rising, are a cauldron of expectations, creativity, initiative, purpose, and, generally, life in the making that I wouldn't want to miss too often. Stay tuned.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241283180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241283180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1241283180/tpod.html Mon, 04 May 2009 13:10:54 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Usakos, Namibia

As things are moving rapidly, I'll have to recall the pledge I've made in my previous post of talking a little more about Swakopmund and move on to our next stop on the road to Botswana: Spitzkoppe . Spitzkoppe is a group of mountains that spring out of the surrounding flat landscape almost from nowhere - some like to compare it to the Matterhorn/Cervino at the border between Switzerland and Italy - pushed off the ground during the formation of this area millions of years ago. Visible from miles, its unique majesty is a spectacular sight, both when you approach it and when you finally set camp among the incredible rock formations, overhangings, and slopes that characterise it so beautifully*. At sunset, the sun flushes the rocks with a flaming red light, after dancing the whole day behind ridges and boulders, appearing and then disappearing through innumerable cracks. Finally, the very last rays of light coming from the west are pure delight when for a fleeting moment they caress the very summit of the mountain, before being swallowed up by the impending dusk. See some pictures here . Claire and I arrived yesterday, so early in the morning the campsite office wasn't even open yet. The day before, we had driven along the coast from Swakopmund to Henties Bay, and then inland along the D1918** until before sunset, but thinking we were still a fair distance from our destination, we decided to stop near another group of mountains, sometimes known as Klein (little in German) Spitzkoppe. Woke up at sunrise, had a quick breakfast, and passed the gates of the community-run Spitzkoppe campground just after 7.30AM, as I said too early for any attendant to be around. It is difficult to describe the site avoiding clichés, but it really is, and feels like, a magical place, rich in fauna and flora the can keep both the expert and the layman entertained the whole day. I can be listed in the latter category, so just listening to the cries, completely new to my hear, of countless different birds was my favourite. The mountain formation itself is a miracle of geology, among the oldest in the region, and it is instinctive to marvel at the events that made it the way it is: earthquakes, erosion, ground shifts, you name it. The site is run by the local community of a nearby village, which you would pass by if you entered from the main gate, where you can also find a shower block, a restaurant, a bar, and, most importantly, drinking water. At the time of writing, the Spitzkoppe area has apparently been through a water crisis - so the sign by the fountain says - and campers must pay to refill their tanks: at a fair 50 cents a litre, it costs less than what you pay for bottled water, and I personally believe visitors should pay towards it anyway if they've been so foolish not to bring enough with them - exactly as I did. Stay Tuned for another exciting Spitzkoppe day. * Which are, I can tell, heaven for climbers. A couple of them have just arrived from Windhoek and are busy ascending an impressive rock face by my campsite as we speak. **This road, at first tarred as you leave Henties Bay behind you, and then a good gravel, I'd like to nickname 'The Crystal Route': just as you approach the mountains, several makeshift stalls litter the side of the road, selling all sorts of semi-precious crystals and rocks from different areas of Namibia. It is a good pastime to stop, and browse through them while waiting for somebody to run across the fields and give you a price.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1240744260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1240744260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dani.bora/14/1240744260/tpod.html Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:42:41 -0400 En Route: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana on four wheels.

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Solitaire, Namibia

On our way up from Luderitz to Swakopmund we decide to take the unsealed back roads that border the eastern edge of the Namib Desert rather than the easier, but B1, way out of our itinerary in the west. I know many of you are still waiting for an entry about the farm Claire and I stayed by the dunes, and that I've briefly mentioned in my previous post, but you'll have to bear with me a little longer, as we are on the move. In the meantime enjoy the next post about Swakopmund. And more from the charming but sleepy seaside town will be available soon. I just want to spend a word in this post about a semi-remote settlement any traveler of this corner of Africa ought to stop at: Solitaire. The name gives it away I reckon, but it is important to note two or three aspects about this outpost conveniently located a stone throw away from the (in)famous dunes of Sossusvlei , one of Namibia top tourist destinations*. And this alone, some might say, is a good advantage, especially for those that don't want/can't afford to stay in the Sossusvlei area. Secondly, drivers can fill up the tanks of their car, leaded, unleaded, and diesel, and pay by credit card, a service not readily available in Namibia - and which I usually prefer when I'm on the road, as it is a bit like withdrawing money but without a fee. Thirdly, the coffee shop next to Solitaire's General Dealer makes one of the best apple crumbles this side of the equator. An excellent way to start your day, especially if you happened to have just spent half the previous night sleeping on a hammock, and the other half on the front side of you car parked in a rest area along a gravel road. Yes, that is exactly what we had to go through because our tent poles gave up on us just as I was getting the tent ready for the night...but it was actually a very interesting experience, falling asleep under the starry sky, no lights for miles, and the only sounds around us the grasshoppers and the wind. stay Tuned, *And bugger to that, I say. This 'top destination' status has had the effect to transform the majestic Sossusvlei in an exclusive playground for the wealthy. Prices have apparently rocketed in the last two years - and indeed a 2007 Lonely Planet is very out of date.
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