Holiday in Namibia (10): conclusion
May 2nd, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Namibia is a huge country with a tiny population. The country and the people are poor. Those in work are subject to a national minimum wage of a mere 65 Namibian dollars a day which is about 3 British pounds or 3.5 US dollars. In fact, almost half the population is unemployed with youth unemployment being a particular problem.
But everywhere we went, people were very welcoming and the nation is an interesting ethnic and tribal mix. Tourism is important to Namibia and, now that Covid is ‘over’, tourists are very much wanted. The country is a photographer’s dream, with endless opportunities for great shots, and I reckon that I took about 450 photographs.
There is so much to see: natural features like Fish River Canyon and the sand dunes of the Namib Desert, the fabulous Etosha National Park where so many types of game come to the waterholes, the German-flavoured town of Swakopmund, the glorious sun rises and sunsets and the spectacular night skies of multitudinous stars.
There is something special about Africa and something particularly special about Namibia.
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Holiday in Namibia (9): Otjiwarongo
April 28th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
It seems that this holiday is going to end as it has largely progressed – with early morning starts.
At the Etosha King Nehale Lodge on Thursday morning, I had to set the alarm for 5 am and put out my luggage at 6 am, so that I could have breakfast and be ready for the group departure at 7 am. In fact, we left a few minutes early because Carlos wanted to be at the Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate for the 7 am opening time since he needed to cross a section of the Etosha National Park as soon as possible for a tight timetable today.
The park entrance is very close to the lodge, so we were there at 7 am. Unfortunately it took 20 minutes for the relevant member of the park’s staff to turn up and to find the key to the gate. Carlos was not amused and, for the rest of the morning, set a cracking pace on what fortunately were good roads.
After an hour crossing this corner of the park, we exited at the Von Linquist Gate and headed south-east to the quaint town of Tsumeb. Here we had some time to visit the local museum which covers the ethnography of local tribes, the period of German colonialisation, German-British conflict in the area during the two World Wars, and the town’s modern experience of copper mining. We stopped briefly at a little town called Otavi to buy some lunch to eat on the coach.
Then we rushed south-west, all the way to the Okonjima Private Gamed Reserve. It was another 10 km from the entrance of the reserve to the AfriCat Foundation Day Care Centre. The Foundation was founded in 1991 with a mission to contribute to the conservation of Namibia’s large carnivores. It started with the conversion of Okonjima from a cattle farm to a conservation project and, since then, three adjacent farms have joined the project to create a nature reserve of some 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares).
We were driven in an open vehicle to a nearby section protected by electrified wire fencing. This was home to five cheetahs who had been found with no parents and relocated to the project. We easily found these magnificent creatures basking in the sun. Then trouble hit: one wheel of our vehicle became stuck in a deep hole created by an aardvark and nothing that our driver/guide could do would release the vehicle.
The five cheetahs surrounded us on all sides, their mouths salivating and their muscles tensed to leap upon us (actually, I made up that bit). Our driver radioed to base to advise them on our dilemma, another vehicle was dispatched to the section, it pulled along side our vehicle, and we all climbed from one vehicle to another, avoiding the need to step on the ground. Another adventure.
After more time at the project being briefed on their work of preservation (the actress Angelina Jolie is a major patron), we moved to our ninth and last accommodation of the holiday where we arrived at 3.40 pm after a journey of nearly nine hours. This was Otjima Game Ranch just south of the town of Otjiwarongo (Otjiwa means ‘the place of the baboons and Otjiwarango means ‘the place of fat cattle’) and which, like all the other lodges where we have stayed, consists of a main building with reception, restaurant and shop and then a collection of chalets spread around nearby.
It was all very civilised and comfortable: coffee/tea and cake in the afternoon and a three-course dinner in the evening with seven young women in near identical dress clapping rhythm and dancing to the beat.
Friday was our last full day in Namibia. On Wednesday, we saw lions; on Thursday, we observed cheetahs; and today we set off at 7 am on a rhino hunt.
It took us 50 minutes, but then we found a group of seven white rhinos. We stopped our open vehicle and walked closer to these powerful creatures for a magical encounter. Among the other animals we saw were the ubiquitous springboks. There is little more charming among African wildlife than to see springboks doing their special jump known as ‘pronking’ which apparently they do for sheer fun.
We were back at the ranch soon after 9 am for a cooked breakfast. Then the remainder of the day was free to catch up on rest and relaxation before our return home. At our final dinner, I ran a little quiz and, on behalf of the ‘golden girls’, Dolly read out a specially-prepared poem.
On Saturday, we had a relatively late departure when we left at 8.30 am. We drove further south, stopping for a break at the town of Okahandja (which means ‘place of a short and wide river’). For the section of the journey from Okahandja to Windhoek, we drove on Namibia’s newest and best road: a modern dual carriageway. If only all of the country’s roads could be so smooth.
The return to Britain was a five hour flight from Windhoek to Addis Ababa and then a near eight hour flight from Addis Ababa to London Heathrow. Back to the coronation in a week’s time.
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Holiday in Namibia (8): more Etosha National Park
April 26th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
On Tuesday, we left Okaukeujoa at 8 am with a local guide on an open vehicle game drive while our driver/guide Carlos drove our coach with our luggage to our next accommodation location.
It was another challenging day because all the roads were gravel, the breeze was strong and constant and, since we were in a national park, we could not leave the vehicle except for one toilet stop and an hour or so for lunch at another camp site called Halali.
We drove north-east along the southern side of the Etosha Pan, visiting one waterhole after another looking for whatever animals we could find along the road or at the waterholes.
One of our group, Kirtida, kept an impressively comprehensive list of all the species that we saw: black rhino, black jackal, springbok, ostrich, lappet vulture, spotted hyena, Angolan spitting cobra, blue wildebeest, Burchell zebra, oryx, giraffe, kori bustard, Egyptian goose, maribu stork, black-face impala, lilac-breasted roller, yellow-billed hornbill, red-billed hornbill, pale chanting goshawk, terrapin, blacksmith plover, greater flamingo, lesser flamingo, elephant, shaft-tailed whydah, warthog, secretary bird, blue crane, egret, greater painted stripe. The most common animals in the park are springbok (about 30,000) and zebra (around 20,00).
I am not a massive animal fan and only had binoculars and an iPhone, but it is impossible not to be captivated by seeing wild animals in their natural surroundings and in such numbers.
We left Etosha at the Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate and drove a little further to our accommodation for the next two nights: the Etosha King Nepalese Lodge where we arrived at 4.30 pm after a journey of eight and a half hours.. This lodge was only opened just before Covid and we were give an upgrade, so we had excellent rooms with all the facilities we could want (including a small individual pool, free drinks in the fridge, and – most importantly – free WiFi in the rooms themselves).
Wednesday was not a travelling day but the morning was the occasion for another game drive in Etosha National Park, so I set my alarm for 5.30 am ready for a 7 am departure in another open vehicle (our driver was called Fillemon but he had no idea why his parents – both now dead – had chosen this name).
We were out for five hours with just a toilet stop. We saw some of the animals that we had observed yesterday, but we were on the look-out for new species, especially the lion. We managed to find a lioness with her cub and a lioness who was pregnant. but we could only hear and not see the lion of the pride. Again we were awed by the lunar-like landscape of the massively expansive salt pan.
Lunch was an individual affair back at the hotel. Top of the menu was “traditional Omagungu salad with a twist” which was “locally sourced mopane worms served with fresh garden greens topped with feta, peppadew and olives”.Tempting – but I went for the “Etosha game pizza” with “a variety of game, red onions, peppers and mozzarella” which was delicious but too large.
In the afternoon, the group went another game drive with Fillemon. I think the attraction was a location which was a private waterhole that allowed the drinking of alcohol. For my part, I had seen enough animals for a while and took the opportunity to read, write and relax.
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Holiday in Namibia (7): Etosha National Park
April 25th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
On Monday, we left Twyfelfontein Country Lodge at 8.30 am. We were on our way north-east to Etosha National Park but we had a number of stops along the way.
Very soon we halted at the Petrified Forest. Of course, it did not look like a forest because all the tree trunks and bits were on the ground and petrified wood looks and feels like rock. A local guide took us for a short walk and we were told that the site was 280 million years old but only discovered in modern times in 1940.
The next stop was to look at something very different: tall termite mounds that are constructed by thousands of termites in around two years. All these were white, but further along there were mounds that were the more usual rust-red.
For once on the road, we did not have to eat on the coach. Instead we halted at a very small town called Oujo (‘o’ in the Bantu language signifies place). Here, at a bakery, I sat and ate spinach, feta & bacon pancake followed by a chocolate sundae. The establishment’s WiFi had as its password “orderfoodfirst”. After the experience of Twyfelfontein, it was a thrill to have access to free and fast broadband for a while.
When we reached the Etosha National Park, we entered on the south-west through Anderson (one ‘s’) Gate, named after the Swedish explorer Charles Andersson (two ‘s’s) who used the area in the 1850s for game hunting. We made a very quick stop at the Ombika Waterhole, just inside the park, before driving round to our accommodation at Okaukeujo where, while waiting for our room allocation, we observed zebras at the Okaukeujo Waterhole. At 4.30 pm, we tumbled into our allocated chalets.
Etosha is one of the oldest and best national parks in all of Africa. It was proclaimed in 1907. It is vast: some 8,600 sq miles (over 22,000 sq kms) or about the size of Wales or half the size of Switzerland. The defining feature of the park is the huge Etosha Pan – the name means ‘great white place’ – which appears to be the remnant of a large inland lake. This is roughly 68 miles (110 kms) from east to west and 37 miles (60 kms) from north to south.
Etosha is so special because of the concentration of over 30 waterholes that occur around the southern edges of the saline pan. Some are natural but many are artificial. All these waterholes attract large quantities of game which are enticed by the water and the salt that they need. So, whereas in other African safari parks, one drives around looking for animals, here one waits at the waterholes for the animals to come to you.
That evening at Okaukeujo, our driver/guide Carlos revealed a third skill in his portfolio when he cooked us all a traditional ‘braai’ dinner. This was done on an outdoor furnace and consisted of southern lamb, springbok sausage, and chilly-marinated kudo together with potato salad and specially prepared and baked bread. It was just delicious.
Afterwards we returned to the observation area of the waterhole which is illuminated at night and famously attracts the black rhino. At first, half a dozen giraffes were there to drink. Then slowly one rhino after another – we spotted four – took over the waterhole,
This was all very exciting but, once I left the observation area, I became totally lost searching for my chalet. This resort is much larger than any of the others where we have stayed, the lighting is absolutely minimal and, if there are any signs at all pointing to chalet numbers, I never saw them.
I wandered round and round with light from my iPhone but got nowhere. After about a quarter of an hour of increasing desperation, I saw a lit building, found a staff member, and he eventually located my chalet. Whew – I would not have wanted to spent the night under the stars.
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Holiday in Namibia (6): Damaraland
April 23rd, 2023 by Roger Darlington
The next stage of our busy holiday involved yet another early start and yet another long road journey. So I was up at 5.30 am, put out my luggage at 6.30 am, and had breakfast before we set off at 7.15 am.
First, we drove due north along the Skeleton Coast and stopped to view a fairly recent shipwreck. Then we turned north-east and headed for a region called Damaraland. Two of our stops were to meet by the roadside Herero women resplendent in their colourful dresses and hats and to meet in a Living Museum men and women of the Damara community who did a dance for us and provided demonstrations of their customs. The latter location was the first UN World Heritage site in Namibia.
Further on geographically and much further back in time were the rock carvings to be found in Twyfelfontein (the name means doubtful fountain). There is so little rain here that there is a huge collection of carvings with clear representations of local animals. We were taken on a walk in two parts: a short section which was quite easy (all of us managed this) and a further section which was quite hard (the two couples and I did this).
It was 4 pm – after a journey of almost nine hours – when we arrived at our next accommodation: the Twyfelfontein Country Lodge which – like the Gondwana Canyon Village – was built around the huge boulders in the area. In this case, one of the boulders at the entrance to the establishment features another example of ancient rock art.
Next morning (Sunday), we were not travelling, but it was still an early start because, at 8 am, we set out on a game drive in a 4×4 vehicle driven by a local guide called Stanley. He warned us that he could not promise anything and that we were dependent on nature but, after an hour of seeing absolutely nothing, there was a palpable sense of disappointment in the group. Then, at 9.15 am, we spotted out first elephants.
Stanley explained that the conservancy is home to a total of 35 elephants who move in three distinct groups. The group we had just found consists of five animals. Like all the groups, it is led by a female – in this case, Monica. Our guide informed us that the female elephants have a pregnancy of two years but, owing to recent droughts, there had only been one birth in the park in the last five years. This was Monica’s son Hope.
Then we came across another, larger group: 14 animals led by Rosie. We were able to drive really close to the elephants as they made their way to an artificial watering hole. Soon elephants were coming at us from various directions and one elephant used the side of our vehicle as a scratching post.
All these animals were different from the usual African elephant. The specif local environment has produced a distinct species called the desert adapted elephant. This differs from the traditional Africa elephant in five respects: it has a special aptitude for finding water, it only breaks branches and not the whole tree, it has slightly longer front legs, its feet are a little wider, and overall it is smaller.
We thought that we had seen it all for the morning, but then we came across a group of six giraffes, three male and three female. It was an excellent conclusion to a most enjoyable drive.
We were back at out lodge towards 12.30 pm after a ride of four and a half hours (there had been a stop for coffee and muffins). By now the temperature had risen to 33C and the rest of the day was at leisure.
In the evening, as usual, the group ate a three-course buffet together. I tried oryx (a bit like beef) and shared a couple of bottles of wine with the four ‘golden girls’. After the meal, we discussed our respective travel experiences and, when I suggested that they produce a joint memoir of their travel together, I was told that they already had the title: “Adventure Before Dementia”.
Apparently there was a thunderstorm that night – I but I did not hear it! And, next day, there was no evidence of it.
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Holiday in Namibia (5): Swakopmund
April 21st, 2023 by Roger Darlington
On our second and last evening at the Desert Camp in Sesriem, there was bad news, followed by good news, followed by more bad news.
The first bad news was that the air conditioning on our bus had broken down, it was not possible for our driver/guide to repair it, and there was no question of continuing without air-con because the temperatures would be far too high. The good news was that the local company, Spirit of Africa, would be sending a replacement bus and it would arrive during the night. The further bad news was that the replacement bus would be would only be a 14-seater compared to our 22-seater – more than enough for a group of nine, but no longer providing a double seat for everyone.
So, on Thursday, we were off in a new coach to a new location: Swakopmund. This was ‘only’ a journey of six hours, but we had to leave early (7 am) because we had to be at Swakopmund early (1 pm) because seven of the group of nine wanted to take a flight over the Namib desert and there was a slot this afternoon but not tomorrow.
On this latest stretch of our road journey, we saw oryx and a porcupine, we stopped at the tiny location of Solitaire to find lunch to eat on the coach, we recrossed the Tropic of Capricorn, and we traversed the Gaub Pass and the Kuisseb Pass. Finally, we skirted Walvis (pronounced Val-vis) Bay or Bay of Whales, which was only returned to Namibia by South Africa in 1994, and drove along the Atlantic coast before rolling into Swakopmund. Here we are staying at a delightful hotel named after the town which was originally the town’s railway station. After five consecutive nights in lodges, it is good to have a couple of nights in a spacious hotel.
The afternoon flight was provided by a company called Eagle Eye Aviation and the aircraft used was an eight-seater Australian-designed Airvan GA8. Since I am the tallest in the group, I was allocated the co-pilot’s seat. This provided a great view, but I could not help wondering what I would do with the control column between my legs if the pilot should become incapacitated.
It was a two and a half hour flight, basically south to Sossusvlei, where we had seen the sand dunes at ground level, and then back north along the so-called ‘skeleton coast’ on the Atlantic. This special view of the Namib desert drove home just how vast and remote it is and how variable is the terrain and the shapes of the dunes. Nature is a remarkable sculptor.
Previously on our trip, dinner has been included but, here in Swakopmund, we have to make our own arrangements. The four London ‘golden girls’ broke with their normal travel arrangements by inviting me to join them for dinner and we had ‘a jolly good time’ at a place called “Jetty Restaurant” located at the very end of the 1905 jetty.
We were left to do our own thing on Friday. I was still asleep when Carlos called me at 8 am to say that I was booked on a catamaran cruise from Walvis Bay. I had completely forgotten that I had pre-booked this many months ago when I booked the holiday itself. I decided to pass, so I missed dolphins and cormorants.
However, I was perfectly happy to look around the town and took yet more photographs.
Founded in 1892 as the main harbour for German South-West Africa, the city’s German origins are visibly evident from the colourful Bavarian-style buildings and a significant part of the town’s population is still German-speaking. Since it has a pleasant summer climate and decent beaches, the city is the most popular holiday destination in Namibia for locals. However, the location is notorious as frequently having four seasons on one day – much like home then. On the day of my walk around, it was cool and misty – a good thing that we did our flight yesterday.
Two experiences in this town will be particularly memorable for me.
First, when I stopped for coffee, I sat at a table with a Dutch mother and daughter and we had a really good chat. Mother is in her mid 80s and lives in Swakopmund; daughter is in her late 40s and lives in The Netherlands. It was interesting to discuss how each chose where to live and how they manage to keep in touch and see each other.
Second, I was fascinated, and somewhat disturbed, by the war memorial at the base of the lighthouse. It was created by the Germans to commemorate those marines who died in what the plaque calls the first Herero war but was in fact the first phase of the German genocide of the Herero and Nama from 1904-1908.
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Holiday in Namibia (4): Sossusvlei
April 19th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Tuesday was totally another travelling day. From our accommodation near the Fish River Canyon – the furthest south of our trip – we would now be heading north each day for the next week. So it was another case of “seven for eight”: luggage outside our door at 7 am and coach departure at 8 am.
When we were at a latitude similar to the coastal town of Luderitz (which was way, way to the west), Carlos chose this time to tell us – in dramatic terms – all about the build up to and conduct of the German genocide of the Nama and Herero in 1904-1908.
We had stops at the tiny Bethanien for coffee and the equally small Helmeringhausen for lunch. Most of today’s travelling was on gravel roads, but the last two hours were on a spur into the Namib desert that was particularly bone-crunching. It is a strange, end-of-the-world type experience to trundle through what, for long stretches, is a flat landscape with no other vehicles, no road signs, no buildings, no people, no animals, just endless savannah.
It was just after 4.30 pm when we rolled up to the Desert Camp at Sesriem after a challenging journey of eight and a half hours. At 6.45 pm, we were driven to the mother building of the surrounding camps which was 10 minutes away but had an excellent choice of food (for a change, I had fish as my main course).
It was ‘the day of the dunes’ (Wednesday) which meant the earliest of starts. I set my alarm for 5 am because we left our camp at 6 am to drive over to the mother building for an early breakfast and be over at the entrance to the Namib Naukluft National Park when it opened at 7.15 am (basically sunrise).
The Namib is the world’s oldest desert. The name is of Nama origin and means ‘vast space’. Although the desert stretches along the entire length of the Namibian coastline, the name usually refers to the vast sea of sand from Luderitz to Swakopmund. No humans live in the desert but an amazing array of flora and fauna manages to survive here.
Namib-Naukluft National Park is a World Heritage site and the most visited location in Namibia. We went to three main locations in the park.
First, the famous red dunes. The Sossusvlei – which means ‘the gathering place of water’ – may be known primarily for its vast expanse of giant dunes, but the dunes here are among the highest in the world, many rising to some 650 feet (200 metres). The two largest dunes at Sossusvlei are known as Big Mamma and Big Daddy, the latter – which we saw – being 1,250 feet (380 metres) tall.
As well as their height, what makes these dunes so impressive is their colour composition. The presence of iron oxides in the sand, coupled with innumerable particles of garnet, gives the dunes their brilliant hue. The shades vary according to the age of the dunes, and the older the dune the brighter the sand’s colour.
The most popular dune for climbing is Dune 45 – named after the distance from the main gate – because it is accessible by coach (most of the vlei area is only accessible by 4×4 vehicles). To climb up along the sharp, wind-defined, sloping edge of this grand work of nature is an inspiring experience.
Second, the area known as the Dead Pan. We had to switch to a 4×4 vehicle and travel some distance over very bumpy terrain to reach this area. Then there was quite a walk across deep sand before one reached this very special sight. Here there are camel-thorn trees which carbon dating suggests died 500-600 years ago because of a lack of water. They are black from the scorching of the sun and contrast eerily with the surrounding dried white clay to create a ghostly vista.
Third, the Sesriem Canyon. This is so-called because early settlers were dependent on the canyon’s rock pools as a source of water and they tied a bucket to six (ses) thongs (rieme). Carlos explained that the site is a case of continental upliftment and that it is not really a canyon but a gorge. It is about 1 km long and up to 30 metres deep and we walked some way down and through amazing rock formations.
It had been a tough morning. It is surprising how hard it is to climb across or up sand when each step presses deep into the red soil. As the morning went on, the heat became stronger, making our efforts even more energy-sapping. It was necessary to drink water at regular intervals.
Before going on this trip, I had thought that I might be the oldest in the group but hoped that I would be one of the fittest. In fact, there are as many members of the group older than me as younger than me and I am far from being the fittest. But all the effort was worth it for some spectacular sights.
When we left the park, we found somewhere to buy some lunch to take back with us and we returned to our camp at 1 pm, a full seven hours after leaving. The rest of the day was at leisure and we all needed the rest.
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Holiday in Namibia (3): the Quiver Tree Forest & the Fish River Canyon
April 17th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Sunday was definitely a travelling day. We left the Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch just after 8 am and eventually rolled up to the Gondwana Canyon Village a little after 4 pm, after a journey of 8 hours. We were always travelling directly south, for about two-thirds of the journey on a normal road and for around a third on gravel roads, both straight as an arrow, as far as the eye can see with virtually no traffic.
Of course, we had regular stops: at a little town called Mariental for coffee and to buy some lunch for later, at the wonderfully-named tiny town of Keetmanshoot to buy petrol, and at the Canon Roadhouse in Ai-Ais National Park to use the splendidly-decorated toilets.
Our major stop though – just over an hour – was at the Quiver Tree Forest, otherwise known as the “Giant’s Playground”. This was like being on another planet: a ubiquitous scattering of huge dolomite boulders with plentiful appearances of the distinctive aloe trees known as quiver trees (because Bushmen used them to fashion quivers for their arrows). In fact, these are not trees at all, but plants with deep roots. They are found all over southern Namibia and the northern Cape, but in few places are so many seen together. They look so distinctive with their spiky leaves.
Once we had finally reached the Gondwana Canyon Village, we were allocated our chalets and given a chance to unpack. Then, at 6 pm, a member of staff led us a short walk but a steep climb to a set of giant rocks where we could observe the sunset while having a drink of our choice, preordered and brought up by another member of staff. The sunset was not as red as those we had observed on the previous two evenings, but the location and the light were magical.
Back at the village, dinner was again a three-course affair and this time I ate springbok.
Monday was devoted to the Fish River Canyon. Everyone has heard of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but a lot fewer know of the Fish River Canyon in Namibia. Indeed many tours of Namibia miss out Fish River Canyon because it is so far south, but we are on the GRAND tour of the country.
Since we are staying so close to the canyon, we were able to have a late start to the day and left at 9 am. It was just half an hour to the canyon’s northern crest.
The Fish River Canyon is the second largest in the world, only exceeded by the Grand Canyon (which I visited in 1970). Formed about 500 million years ago, it is 100 miles (160 kms) long, up to 17 miles (27 kms) wide, and at points almost 1,800 feet (550 metres) deep. The rocks here are among the oldest on earth.
Our driver/guide Carlos dropped us at the Hikers’ Viewpoint and then waited for us at the Main Viewpoint. You need special permission to go down into the canyon and apparently only last year a hiker died within half a day as a result of dehydration.
We contented ourselves with a stroll from one point to the other, a gentle uphill walk of two miles (three kms). The views were breathtaking and it was difficult to stop taking photographs. As a total contrast to the Grand Canyon, the site is totally non-commercial and, when we visited, we were almost alone.
Without prior notice, Carlos had set up provision of cold drinks and nibbles, so I relaxed with a cold beer. We were there for just two hours but we will never forget it.
The rest of the day was at leisure. The temperature was 38C so I stayed indoors and read. At dinner, I tried something new: a South Africa dessert called malva pudding which was tasty. Following my earlier enthusiasm for star-gazing, I downloaded an app to my iPhone which identified all the constellations for me – I just had to point my mobile at the sky.
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Holiday in Namibia (2): Windhoek & Kalahari
April 16th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Our journey from Britain to Namibia consisted of two flights: one of just over seven hours overnight from London to Addis Ababa and another of five hours in the morning from Addis Ababa to Windhoek.
At Windhoek, we met our guide for the whole holiday, Carlos Mauers. His father was of Portuguese heritage and his mother of South African Cape Dutch ethnicity. When his parents met and married, Namibia was under South African control and a system of apartheid was in place so that their inter-racial union was illegal. Everyone has a story. The local company that he presented for out trip was GoVacaction Africa.
Our group is nine-strong: two married couples, four golden girls (two married, two widowed) who have done many trips together, and me as the only single traveller. We are all of similar age and very well-travelled with a keen interest in discovering Namibia.
I had my first adventure even before leaving the airport when my luggage was put on a coach, I followed my luggage, and then discovered that everyone else in the group was on a different coach. Once I was on the correct vehicle and we moved off, I found that, in Namibia, they drive on the left as in Britain (a heritage of the administration by South Africa). Also all the advertisements are in English. But the weather was very different: blue skies and warm sunshine.
Our accommodation in Windhoek – for one night only – was in the five star Hilton Hotel, an experience that will not be repeated as, for most of the trip, we will not be staying in hotels but lodges. After we had time to unpack, Carlos gave us all a 45-minute briefing on the next two weeks. There was a lot of information, but I noticed frequent references to “an early start” and “a long journey” and warnings of “60% of the journey on gravel roads” and of “mosquitoes”, “scorpions” and “cobras”.
Our first meal was a splendid affair: a three-course dinner with three different wines in the characterful Hotel Heinitzburg built by a German in 1914.
Our first full day in the country (Saturday) was one of those early starts. My alarm was set for 6 am, bags had to be outside our rooms by 7 am, and the coach left the hotel at 8.15 am for a one-hour tour of the city.
Windhoek (pronounced ‘Vin-huk’) is the capital of the country and situated more or less in the middle. The name is probably a corruption of the German for ‘windy corner’. The modern city was founded in 1890 when the Germans started to build their Alte Feste (Old Fortress) to accommodate the occupying troops.
Today the population is still only about 400,000 which is just a little larger than a typical London borough. It is known as ‘ the cleanest city in Africa’ – that German influence again. The city is surrounded by three ochre-coloured mountain ranges and, since it is located at an altitude of 5,400 feet (1,650 metres), it has a cool and pleasant climate.
Our short city tour involved seeing from the outside: the National Museum fronted by a statue of the father of the nation and first president Sam Nujoma and close by a memorial to the victims of the genocide of 1904-1908; the Christukirke built between 1907-1910 and dubbed “the gingerbread church” because of its appearance; the National Parliament dubbed “the Tintenpalaz” because it used to be offices using lots of ink; and the railway station opened in 1897 and looking like something in a period movie.
It was time to leave Windhoek and to head south for our next destination. At first the road was fine and then about half way we turned onto a gravel road which was decidedly bumpy. It was a journey of around five hours, but there were plenty of stops: at the town of Rehoboth for coffee and to buy some lunch to eat on the coach, at the Tropic of Capricorn to take photographs, at a tree to see the nests made by social bell weaver birds, and to relive ourselves by the empty road (girls to the left and boys to the right).
It was 2.15 pm when we arrived at the Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch for another one-night stay. We were allocated lodges scattered around the grounds and then provided with coffee and cake before we boarded a special vehicle driven by a field guide who took us on a tour of the huge ranch to look for game. We saw lots of animals of different species:, springbok, kudo, oryx, wildebeest, meerkat, ostrich, rhino, zebra, giraffe and several kinds of birds.
After a couple of hours touring the rolling terrain, we drove to the top of a large red sand dune to observe a bright scarlet sunset and have a welcome sundowner. There were some other tourists there and I made friends with a Dutch couple in their 50s, Marco and Roelie. Back at the ranch, there was a tasty three-course dinner with choices for each course and I had kudo for my main course.
I had learned from my Dutch friends that they had arranged for some stargazing at the main lodge so, after dinner, I joined Marco and Roelie on a special observation platform where there was a powerful telescope. We were guided around the stars by a young local guy with a laser torch and an impressive knowledge of the heavens plus some weird views on extraterrestrials ands worlds outside our universe. We saw tons of stars and a swath of ‘cloud’ that was the Milky War. The experience was awe-inspiring.
By the time we had finished our star gazing and Marco and Roelie had treated me to a drink at the bar, the facility was almost deserted. On my way to my chalet, I realised that my key was at reception and now the whole place was now closed up. I imagined having to spend a night alone in the desert, but fortunately I managed to find someone who alerted a member of staff who opened up reception and found my key.
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Holiday in Namibia (1): introduction
April 13th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
I am about to go on a holiday to Namibia with the company Voyages Jules Verne. This will be the ninth country in Africa that I have visited and the 86th nation worldwide. It will be a challenging trip, especially for someone who is almost 75.
I will be away for just over two weeks. There will be four long haul flights: two there and two back. The country is huge and all the internal travel will be by road, so there will be a total of seven vehicle journeys, each between five-eight hours. We will stay in nine locations: hotels, lodges and camps.
Let me provide a short introduction to the country.
It is located in south-west Africa with the Atlantic Ocean to its west, South Africa to its south and south-east, Botswana to its north-east and Angola to its north. It is bisected through the middle by the Tropic of Capricorn.
In 1884, the German Empire established rule over most of the territory of Namibia, forming a colony known as German South West Africa. Between 1904 and 1908, it perpetrated a genocide against the Herero and Nama people. The Germans systematically killed 10,000 Nama (about 50% of the population) and approximately 65,000 Herero (about 80% of the population).
This atrocity has been called the “first genocide of the 20th century” by British-Nigerian historian David Olusoga. This year, a film about this genocide has been released in Germany. Called in English “Measures Of Men”, this two-hour work has been written and directed by Lars Kraume.
German rule ended in 1915 with a defeat by South African forces. In 1920, after the end of World War I, the League of Nations mandated administration of the colony to South Africa.
Following a war of independence from 1966 to 1990 fought between the South African Defence Force (SADF) and the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), an armed wing of the South West Africa People’s Organisation(SWAPO), today’s Republic of Namibia gained its independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990.
Namibia is the world’s 34th largest country. It is almost three and a half times the size of the UK. But it has a population of a mere 2.5 million. This means that, after Greenland and Mongolia respectively, Namibia is the third least densely populated country on the planet. The main ethnic group is the Ovambo who comprise just over half the total population. The official language is English which, of course, is a great advantage for our group. But German and Africaans are widely spoken and the country’s 15 ethnic groups speak some 27 languages and dialects.
Politically Namibia has a democratic system. The president – elected for a term of five years – is both the head of state and the head of government. Since 2015, the position has been held by Hage Geingob of SWAPO.
In spite of being such a small country in terms of population, the legislature is bicameral with a National Assembly of 104 as the lower house and a National Council of 42 members as the upper house. Although the constitution envisaged a multi-party system, the SWAPO party has been dominant ever since independence in 1990.
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