The Book of Elop, Chapter 24, Verses 7-29
Trip Start
Jun 17, 2008
1
45
51
Trip End
Aug 31, 2009
Etosha National Park,
Namibia
Saturday, June 13, 2009
8. A timely message I thought, as Tracy and I were currently debating whether to spend time in Namibia. I took this as a strong vote for “yes”. We had always intended to travel north from Cape Town, South Africa into Namibia, but as we got down to our “week before” planning, we ran into a few snags…financial ones, to be precise. While we had spent CAD$60 a night staying in South Africa’s premier game reserve, a stay in Namibia’s comparable park, Etosha, would set us back CAD$400. That’s a “no-go”, regardless of what the Big Guy says (unless the manna from heaven was also going to include some dough of the spending kind). Apart from the capital city of Windhoek, there did not appear to be an extensive network of backpacker style accommodations. And of course, the “tourist” destinations we had hoped to visit, all seemed to have “premium” accommodation prices.
Leading My People Through the Windy Desert
This point was further hammered home when we noticed that all the places listed in our guide book had the word “lodge” in their name…that’s a recipe for expensive! 9. We found out that the standard “discount” travelling methodology is to rent a 4X4 with a tent (or 2) attached to the roof, and just camp. [Note: these “tents” are funky things as you actually sleep on a board on top of the vehicle that extends sideways off of the roof.] Not an attractive option for us, considering that we already had a rental car, and besides these 4X4’s themselves are not cheap (i.e. “starting” at more than CAD$100/day). In addition, the camping fee at Etosha would still be CAD$80. For whatever reason this part of the world seems to be hung up on a “per person per night” rate, regardless of how few beds you use, or how little room you require…this becomes a challenge when there are 5 of you (with #6 on the way)*.
10. Fortunately we had free internet in our Cape Town accommodations, so after much late night surfing, we found one company that had a lodge near the famous Namibian sand dunes, as well as one just outside of Etosha National Park (which were the two main areas we wanted to visit). They had (Namibia’s only?) “children under 13 years old stay free” policy, and despite their clearly stated rule of “absolutely no more than 2 adults and 2 children per safari tent”, we were able to fandangle accommodations without having to lie about our family size.
A Namibian Sunset
Add in a stay at Fish River Canyon lodge’s “auxiliary camp” (the code name for “abandoned farmhand staff lodgings”), and an overnight stay at the “One Stop Garage” in a place called Aus, and we were good to go.11. “Good decision!” boomed the bush, “I’ve written some driving directions on these stone tablets…Oh, and have you ever considered joining the NRA?”
12. I suppose I should clarify that the commandments referred to above were actually just a dream. Which reminds me…when I’m home ask me about the dream I had about Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Garner, and a carton of raspberry flavoured whip cream. Some things just aren’t appropriate to include in a blog (at least not on this part of the web)…
13. So, with seven hours to spare before Namibia Decision Deadline 2009 (I kinda borrowed that from CNN’s recent election coverage), we determined that Namibia was a “go”. The trip started out nicely…a pre-dawn departure from Cape Town with the directions of “turn onto the N7 North, my son, and drive for seven to eight hours to the Namibian border.” That works for me.
14. The drive was an uneventful and pleasant one through some scenic agricultural land, rolling hills, some cherubs, and a few small mountains. Within a few kilometres of the border however, it changed drastically, and became very rocky, brown and dusty. It was almost like the South Africans had said, “OK, we’ll take all this rich fertile land, and Namibia, you can have the crappy parched land north of the Orange River.”
15.
Early Morning Dunes
Educational time out: Our guide book describes Namibia as being “predominately arid”. We don’t have a dictionary with us, but if arid means “dry, sandy and rocky nothingness for as far as one can see”, then the guide book nailed it. That being said, it is still strangely attractive (not unlike a body-pierced “gothic” chick in a bar after you have had four or five drinks). 16. We also learned that Namibia is a young country and only gained independence in 1990. We originally thought that its independence had been from Germany. (In Windhoek, we stayed at the corner of Beethoven Drive and Mozart Street and saw lots of strudel for sale). But no. Apparently the Germans were kicked out in 1915. Adding to the confusion, Windhoek also has a Fidel Castro Street, and another road named after the infamous Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe (I bet they’d like a “do over” on that street name), so who knows….I suggest you google, “travel blogs written by people who actually have an interest in history” if you want Namibia’s full historical background.
17. We had the first inklings of potential trouble in Namibia upon arrival at its border “town” that consisted only of a gas station with an out of order ATM. Not so good when you can only buy gas using cash in this part of Africa. Fortunately we still had some South African rand, which is freely accepted in Namibia. The “inklings” turned into a “stream” however, when we made the turn-off for our first stop, the Fish River Canyon.
Northwest South Africa
We were still a few hundred kilometres from our destination so I was surprised that the turn-off was on to a gravel road. “Is this right?” I asked my ace navigator (and forgetter of some relevant facts). “Yes,” she replied, “Didn’t I mention that over the next few days we have to drive 600 kilometres on gravel roads, including the “lightly travelled scenic route” we picked out along the edge of the desert?” She probably did mention this fact to me, but the argument is already over so I’m not going to bother to admit it.18. OK, so here we are heading into the Namibian “outback”, and then into the desert, with a dwindling amount of cash, and a rental car that has a history of flat tires, including one tire that still has a bulbous root “hole patch” sticking out of it. Oh, my aching stress level!
19. Thankfully, we reached our accommodation near the Fish River Canyon without incident, unless you consider almost running over a wild ostrich that cut across the road in front of us (fast! and without signaling) to be an incident. Fortunately, I had just hit yet another gigantic pothole and slowed down, and this allowed one of God’s dumbest creatures to survive another day.
20. As for the Canyon itself, it was pretty nice as far as canyons go, but the drive there was more impressive with the weird, but captivating, landscape (and the ominous carcasses of dead tires). One of our memories will be of talking to the 23 year old German who had just completed the intense 5-day canyon hike (where you literally camp under the stars - as in no tents).
Parched Namibian Landscape
It was at that point that I inconspicuously hid my indulgent glass of red wine, tried to look rugged, and said, “If only we didn’t have the children with us…” As we were swapping travelling stories, it dawned on Tracy (unhappily) that this guy was actually much closer in age to our Michael, than he was to us. I’m sensing some 45th birthday blues.21. But there’s no better tonic for those birthday blues than to spend it in a place that Tracy has wanted to visit for as long as she can remember…the red sand dunes of Sossusvlei, in the Namib Desert. After a few long, dusty drives, interrupted by a surprisingly pleasant overnight stop at the aforementioned One Stop Garage, we arrived at the dune gateway “town” of Sesriem. This was a full metropolis, as it had a camp store as well as a gas station and not 1, but 2, out of order ATMs. By the way, the One Stop Garage did have an ATM of sorts but it charged a commission of 7%...at the time I thought that surely one of the upcoming towns listed on our Namibia map should have an ATM. I now (bitterly) think that maps should not include “towns” unless they have at least two buildings (and a working ATM) in them.
22. Our first order of business in Sesriem was to check the opening time of the National Park. No, scratch that…the first order of business was to get flat tire #3 patched…Arggh!...”Will you take a credit card for that repair?”
23.
Namibian Highway to Nowhere
To be fair, I should point out that the Namibian gravel roads for the most part are not too bad to drive on, but I admit we were getting a little 4X4 envy. Anyway, back to the National Park. The best photographs of the dunes are taken at dawn when the dunes look their “reddest”, and some of the most impressive dunes (i.e. Sossusvlei) are between 40 and 70 kilometres beyond the controlled gate into the park. So into the park office we went to inquire about opening times. For the most part the people we have met on our trip have been very friendly, but not so in this National Park office. We were met there with the icy stare of the Dragon Lady of Sossusvlei.“Hello Ma’am. Can you please tell us what time the park gate opens,” I pleasantly asked.
“Sunrise! 6:30am! Not a second before!” she answered.
“Can we buy our permit today to save time tomorrow morning?” I politely inquired.
“Not Possible!” she growled.
“If we wanted to get in early because it’s my wife’s birthday…,” I started to ask.
“Not Possible!!!” she almost screamed, this time with flames coming out of her nostrils.
And as I left the park office with a crystal clear understanding of the procedures, I could have sworn I heard the Dragon Lady yell to the next customer in line, “No soup for you!!”
24. So we dutifully showed up at 6:20am to be the first in line for the gate opening.
Fish River Canyon
I started to do a slow burn as I watched the clock slowly pass 6:30am and then 6:50 and then 7:15, and still there was no sign of life. The driver of the tour bus in line behind us hopped the gate and went up to the park office down the road. Not wanting to miss anything, I got out of the car and quickly followed suit. After, another 10 minutes the Dragon Lady finally showed up. Unable to hide my impatience any longer, I gripped my bible for comfort, and mentioned to her curtly that the gates should have been opened an hour ago. “Not possible! It’s only 6:27! Gates open at 6:30!” I was about to launch some self-imagined (and erroneous) Western superiority and tell her how wrong she was when a little “maybe there’s a one hour time change between South Africa and Namibia” lightbulb came on in my head. You think we would have noticed the time change during the first four days of our time in Namibia. I guess we were too busy looking for an ATM. I apologized and got out my credit card to pay for the entrance fee…“Not possible! Cash only!!”25. Despite the little mix-up at the gate, the day was incredible. Memories include:
- The dunes themselves…they are simply amazing to see. Some of these monsters are 70 stories high, and some of them, with the help of the consistent winds, will “travel” more than a kilometer in a year. And with the rich red colour and soft texture, all of them are beautiful to experience in the early morning light;
· Taking a hike into the desert to see Hiddenvlei (note: a “vlei” is a dried out area that used to hold water).
Dune 45, Namibia
At times we were overwhelmed by the sand that was being whipped up by the wind. [To clarify, I said these were “memories”, not necessarily all pleasant ones] This experience made me happy that Moses was the one to really lead his people (endlessly) though the desert and that I could comfortably hop back into my rental chariot a couple of hours after starting out;· Climbing the dunes…one step forward, and then slip ¾ of a step back! Tracy did however, make it to the top of Dune 45, one of the most photographed dunes in the world…it was only appropriate to spend her 45th birthday on top of Dune 45;
· Great views from the top of Sossusvlei, and witnessing the eerie Dead Vlei and its dead camel thorn trees hinting at more water-full times;
· Enjoying the desert safari tent we stayed in despite the howling wind that made the whole place shake noisily, and despite getting firsthand experience as to how cold the desert gets at night;
· Spending the last of our South African cash on the 4X4 shuttle bus that was required to get through the final 5 kilometres of “road” that was too sandy for a regular car. It was one of our best “take it or leave it” negotiation techniques…even though we were well short of the total amount required, I just held out my wallet, looked pathetic, and said this is all I have. Apparently, it was good enough;
· Breaking out our emergency stash of US$, bending over, and accepting the “current exchange rate minus 15%” offered by one of the nearby luxury lodges.
Footprints in the Sand
I guess they don’t make enough money gouging tourists with their room rates;26. The next day in Namibia opened with great promise. No need to talk to the Dragon Lady of Sossusvlei, only a few hundred kilometres more of gravel roads, and a greater than 50% probability of reaching a real town before our cash (and therefore our gas) ran out. Success! The only drama came with the “mountain pass” road that was so steep as to not even allow trucks to use it, never mind just telling them to use low gears. But after that little challenge, we made it back to the main paved highway and cruised through Rehoboth, with its welcoming tagline of “Home to Some Functional ATM’s” (okay, not really). We may have been off the beaten track in Namibia, but 5 days to find an ATM?…that’s not good.
27. As I’m getting long winded (again), I’ll gloss over our stay in the capital city of Windhoek. I have to admit, though, that it was a little weird to have to go through road blocks (manned by scary guys with really dark sunglasses) every time we entered or exited the city. Regardless, Windhoek had a nice “vibe”, some interesting meteorites, and a pleasant game park that you could actually walk through. During our hike there we got a good close up of a zebra carcass…I wondered out loud what killed it and whether that same thing could get us. Feel free to use this technique if you ever want to get your children really nervous while you are walking in the middle of the savannah…Tracy just continues to shake her head at me.
28.
Sunset By Our Desert Safari Tent
Next up was three days at Namibia’s premier game park, Etosha. We have confirmed our love for game drives, as our three days there stretched into four. Highlights included:· Being the closest we have been to a male lion…mere metres;
· Seeing a swarm of about 45 banded mongeese (mongooses?) literally tripping over each other as they ran along the road;
· Seeing the waterhole madness…hundreds of animals congregating (often multiple species) at the watering holes. This spectacle was different from previous game parks, where the waterholes we saw were, for the most part, deserted;
· Laughing with Laura shortly after we had spotted a lion, when she called out in a sing-song voice to some passing springbok, “You be careful fellas! There’s a lion over there”;
· Seeing the Etosha pan…this huge 4,700 square kilometer shimmering salt pan is mostly dry, but it floods during rainy season. It is so big (and white) that it can be seen from space. As it dries up, the animals (and the predators) move towards the water holes;
· Using some good old-fashioned ingenuity to be able to stay inside the park on our last night. This allowed us to take advantage of the lodge’s floodlit watering hole after sunset. As mentioned above, to stay in this park is very expensive. It gets cheaper however if you book a double room for 1 adult and 1 half price child, and then have the other three people book a much cheaper camp site, set up an imaginary tent, decide it is too cold out, and move into the double room and hope there is enough floor space for the mattresses.
The Wind Moving a Sand Dune
Mission accomplished, as the beds were each big enough for two, and there was a sofa that fit Sarah quite nicely. There were only two downsides: 1. It was still the most expensive single night of accommodation in our 12 months of travelling; and 2. the next morning the kids complained about being cold outside when I sent them to pack up the imaginary tent. That being said it was worth it to watch the waterhole spectacle at night…a dozen rhinos, a pack of hyenas, elephants charging a rhino, a rhino charging some zebras... And who knows what it was that spooked the giraffes, but I have never seen them gallop that fast before. Oh, and breakfast was included for the two people in the double room… “Yes sir, I know we have a huge amount of food heaped on our plates, but my boy and I are very hungry. And yes, we are taking it “to go”…we have a game drive to attend to”;· Being disrespected very early in our first game drive when Tracy said, “Daddy’s in spotting mode already”, and having Michael say, “What, has he already spotted a rock with ears?” It didn’t help that later Tracy dubbed these misidentifications as “Daddy specials”;
29. Yes, there have certainly been no regrets in coming to Namibia. It is an amazing place. The only blight I can think of came when I happily went to bed after our last day at Etosha. The talking bush appeared to me again, but this time he said, “You’ve had your fun in the desert. Go forth, and find yourself a job.”
“Ah, Dude…did you have to ruin it!”
*Not likely…it’s not like Tracy and I have had our own room the last 12 months, never mind our own bed!! Although the way that boil of hers had been growing, I could see where some confusion might creep in.
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Amazing pictures
Spectcaular photography.