Good morning and welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging where we’re known to wander off the garden paths by also including our animals, homes, travels and other interesting topics.
P and I spent a month in five African countries this past Dec/Jan. My first diary covered Zimbabwe and Zambia. The second covered Botswana with the third covering South Africa. This fourth and final diary will cover a week in Namibia.
Be warned, it’s a long one.
We flew directly from Cape Town to Windhoek, Namibia, the country’s capital, on New Year’s Day.
I did quite well driving on the left hand side of the road in a rental car from the airport to our hotel in downtown Windhoek. When we checked into our room this was the view of the sky. Little did I know that it was an omen of more beautiful sights to come.
Our room in the Windhoek Hilton was very strange. The beds headboards lit up with mood lighting.
And I am not sure what it is with some nice African hotel rooms having showers in the bedrooms and many lacking bathroom doors. In a Johannesburg’s Marriott, the shower was in the bedroom right next to the beds. Below is our room in the Windhoek Hilton. There is no door to the bathroom, the glass area on the left is a see-through shower, the door in the middle is a see-through toilet and on the right is the entrance. In the bottom picture, the sink has a mirror above it but no wall so it’s open to the entryway.
This was the morning view of Windhoek from our window. After a good night’s rest, we were ready to start our drive to Sesriem where we will be staying inside Namib Naukluft National Park.
Driving on the left hand side of the road through major intersections in downtown Windhoek was a bit challenging as we made our way south. As soon as we left the city limits we were on gravel roads. And it was entirely gravel or sand roads for the next three days.
Ah, my first Social Weaver Bird nests seen in person.
This is surreal. This untouched photograph appears as if we are driving into a stage set mural.
I was fascinated by the weaver nests. Some were so large that they had broken their tree limb.
Just doesn’t seem right going up a hill on the wrong side of the road
shade was sacred
mouth-dropping scenery
I would liked to have met the person that created this! It appeared the house had been abandoned. Look at those two large rocks, maybe brownstone, standing up on each side of the driveway. Then the rock design of alternating light and dark rocks surrounding the driveway island. Fantastic.
Our drive to Sesriem was supposed to take about four hours, instead we were closer to eight. We were unaware that our GPS took us the most direct, roughest and remote route, instead of the fastest! Yet, it probably turned out to be the most scenic. We had not crossed paths with a gas station or restaurant in about five hours so we were ecstatic to run across Solitaire!
Our guide book raved about Moose Macgregors apple pie baked and served right here so we had to try it! Very good indeed and I don’t even like apples. The apple pie has 633 reviews on TripAdvisor.
Solitaire is basically a gas station, bakery, restaurant and general store in the middle of absolutely no where. There were some extremely interesting characters present, both locals and tourists.
After our pit stop with major bottled water purchases, we moved on, passing what looks to be a lodge on a distant hillside.
weaver birds are on almost every tree in sight.
We eventually arrived to Sesriem which is almost entirely hotels and camp sites. The only lodging inside of Namib Naukluft National Park is one reserved campsite and the small government owned Sossus Dune Lodge where we had reservations. It is located a couple of miles inside the park and since you are inside the gate, it means you can leave earlier to visit the dunes, an hour before visitors are allowed in from outside the park. It makes a big difference.
This is Sossus Dune Lodge. We stayed in the first hut on the left.
Sitting on the lodge’s deck having dinner while enjoying this view which actually lasted a long time.
The next morning we left with a guide while it was still dark, arriving about 45 minutes later to Sossusvlei and Deadvle
Close to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei is a clay pan characterized by dark, dead camel thorn trees contrasted against the white pan floor. The pan was formed when the Tsauchab River flooded and the abundance of water allowed camel thorn trees to grow. However, the climate changed and the sand dunes encroached on the pan, blocking the river from reaching the area. The trees are estimated to be approximately 900 years old, however they have not decomposed due to the dry climate.
Repeat: The trees are estimated to be approximately 900 years old. People have actually climbed the trees to have a photograph made and in the process did irreversible damage.
We drove as far as possible and then the guide, P and I took off hiking for Deadvlei. Up ahead were some Japanese tourists staying at the park’s camp site. Their rental car got stuck in sand and they later asked us for a ride back to it. A crowd gathered to help get their car out.
The sand is constantly changing colors and these were taken during our hike to Deadvlei
We see some campers have already started climbing some of the smaller dunes.
We arrived before sunrise and had the place almost to ourselves. This allowed photographs without people in the background.
I have been fascinated by photographs of these dead trees for years and it was thrilling and quite humbling to be standing in their presence.
And then the gate crowds arrived and it was impossible to take anymore photographs without people in the background. I wonder if Kishik can count the number of people below. (shhh, don’t tell her but it’s seven and I’ll show them in a comment below)
it became a steady conga line up some of the dunes
this one footprint was strangely by itself without any others around
Our terrific guide drove us around for a bit of sightseeing
Eventually he found a nice tree with a picnic table underneath it to serve breakfast. Look at that bark!
He had fruit, eggs, fresh bread, several types of meat, cheese and pastries. Coffee and fruit juice.
interesting graffiti on nearby picnic tables
When I went to mark my territory, I saw some Acanthosicyos horridus, a type of melon found only in Namibia. I wish I had picked some up.
the melons grow on these thorny shrubs
This Gemsbok didn’t appear to be afraid of humans. The gemsbok is on the Namibia coat of arms. We saw them about everywhere we went, even in front of our hut.
Maybe the world’s most famous sand dune is Dune 45. And this one we had planned on climbing. Remember I had been using my gym’s treadmill set on steep incline for several months training for this dune.
It starts on the right and continues even further up than shown in the middle. We were both pretty exhausted from already walking in the sand in Deadvlei but still managed to climb almost to the first ridge, not the top. Walking in sand quickly tires you out. We’ll try again next time.
Headed back to camp. The main lodge is on the right and we were staying in the first hut to the left of it. Below left to right: Swimming pool, kitchen, bar, outside dining, main lodge, office, rest rooms.
Our room. The wooden shower floor drains outside to a basin. The bathroom (no door!!) was larger than the bedroom and living room combined. View from the room and deck. Mosquito nets around the beds that we used but probably didn’t need.
I enjoyed studying the roof’s construction.
sun going down
Outside dining on the deck. Our porch light seen on the far left. (the lodge was fully booked and almost everyone was either Swedish or German). We did not run across any Americans in Namibia or for that matter in Zimbabwe or Zambia either. The Americans were all in Botswana.
The next day was P’s birthday. We had to be up at 4:00 a.m. to get dressed, use the bathroom without a door and drive back to the park’s gate before 5:00 a.m. to meet our pickup van. P had no idea where we were going or why I kept insisting for him to bring a jacket.
I wish you could have seen the huge grin on his face when he saw the balloons in the distant desert. I truly did surprise him.
P’s fourth birthday experience — a sunrise hot-air ballon ride over the Namibian sand dunes.
Yoo-hoo. Is it too late to change my mind?
Flying Over Africa
Watching the sunrise over the dunes was spiritual
our sister balloon traveling with us
Dunes all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, some thirty-five miles away
Our Belgian pilot
This day was also her birthday and her husband’s gift for her 50th. They were from the island of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. I love the contemplative looks on both of their faces, how she has her hand covering her mouth in wonderment. She was about the nicest person we met on the entire African trip as she remarkably assisted us twice with something. She had a beautiful soul.
Over an hour later the other balloon has almost landed and this is where some trucks following us on the ground are going to set up breakfast for all of us to enjoy together.
The designs in the sand are works of art
our descent
safe landing and then we were quickly escorted out of the wicker basket
Champagne breakfast with the whole works.
We went back to the lodge to pick up our luggage and pay our bill as we were off to Swakopmund, a city on the coast of western Namibia. We were stopped by guards at the park exit gate as we were leaving. We were informed that we had to go back to the main administration building as we had failed to pay the park’s entrance fee upon our arrival. We didn’t know as no one had asked. Let’s spend way over an hour in bureaucracy for that. lol
Back on the road heading north, we crossed paths again with our old friend Solitaire.
Beautiful folk art
You know I want that sign but it wasn’t for sale
Mile after mile just like this. Ostriches and gemsbok were consistently crossing the road.
“excuse me while I kiss the sky”
We drove at least twenty miles through these mountains made of what appeared to be mica minerals
after about six hours we are finally getting close to the coast
Arriving in Walvis Bay, we were finally on asphalt again, about thirty miles from our destination, Swakopmund, when we had a flat tire. (I will tell you the story of this in a comment). The paved road between the two cities was lined with palm trees and an Atlantic Ocean view.
We checked into our ocean view room circled below that had a bathroom with a door (!!) This hotel was cheaper than a one night stay at a Comfort Inn and included a living room with a wrap around balcony, a kitchen, dining room, bedroom and included a breakfast buffet downstairs.
The next morning, Hertz required us to drive back to Walvis Bay to have a new tire put on our rental car and the place closed at noon as it was a Saturday. We couldn’t risk driving until Monday on a doughnut tire without a spare. We flew to Walvis Bay trying to beat the noon deadline. I even advanced to passing cars on the right hand side, although I am not sure both of us getting ulcers made it worthwhile!
We located the tire company in the middle of a rundown industrial area. The owner couldn’t have been nicer and installed a brand new tire without any costs to us. We really enjoyed observing the operation, the employees and customers as they all interacted. This wasn’t in a guidebook and it is how you truly learn about different cultures and countries.
At least we didn’t have car troubles like this. (photograph in a Swakopmund museum)
Lots of new housing along the beach in Walvis Bay. Notice the ships in the background.
We still had the day ahead of us so we decided to take off north to the famous Skeleton Coast Beach which is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world. Of course, we would go.
SKELETON COAST BEACH, NAMIBIA
Now this one is freaky. This beach has skeletons from whales and other big animals that have washed to shore from deadly sharks. The animal bones, along with hundreds of shipwrecks caught by offshore rocks and fog are scattered about. If that’s not enough to deter you, the beaches are full of lions and hyenas and elephants are sometimes spotted splashing in the waves. Just outside of the water roams leopards, cheetahs, giraffe amongst others. Surfers seek out the lengthy breaks and barrels while others come for its virtually uninhabited and untamed thrill and utter solitude.
We drove first to Skeleton Beach’s Cape Cross seal colony. A warm welcome and smile from one of the official greeters. There are 80,000-100,000 seals in this colony.
I want to take you home!
“That’s okay, don’t move. We’ll just go to the next picnic shelter”
This place was not for the faint of heart. It was extremely smelly, loud and had hundreds of dead baby seals lying around.
Natural rock salt. These roadside stands with chunks of salt for sale were all along the coast. You paid by the honor system.
Large birds have taken over this shipwreck. This beach was like an “end of the world” horror film. Straight across the Atlantic Ocean from here would be Brazil.
This skeleton resembling a human is actually made with parts from other animals. Notice the glass jar with coins at his foot.
The next morning before it was fully daylight, I was up early to drink coffee on the balcony. I had been staring at the black spots in the ocean for a long time, trying to decide if they were some type of seaweed or floating birds. All of a sudden something started rising out of the water — a man. He then quickly went back down into the water and I never did see him reappear, although I kept checking. Sorta freaky.
This was the view from our balcony looking north. On the right is where fishermen bring their morning catch to sell to restaurants and others. On the left is the National Marine Aquarium.
This guy was waiting to see if something might be left over from the fish market
We ran across a German couple at the aquarium that had been in our hot-air ballon. She was a Mercedes Benz executive and had her “kept man” with her and both of them wanted others to know that too. We liked her friendliness, energy and attitude. She was a fireball!
This was the city’s pier; looking back to our hotel; a pier restaurant employee’s bicycle parked without locks; very corroded unsafe pier piles.
We decided to not eat at the pier’s restaurant and hit the jackpot with Tug’s.
We went crazy over Kingklip fish while in Cape Town and ordered it every time we saw it on the menu. Tug’s had it too! Kingklip, sliced tomatoes, baked potatoes, a glass of Pinot Grigio and an ocean view for the price of a Subway grinder!!!!!!!
a vendor sets up his wares artistically
I debated over whether to include these Himba women. As far as I know, they are not being exploited as they come into the city on their own freewill to sell their crafts. There were approximately twenty or so women with naked children.
This is someone else describing them:
As we continued to make our way up north we saw two Himba women sitting by the side of the road with their children selling some jewelry. Himba women wear little clothing, and elegantly decorate their hair. But what is really distinctive is that they have a red tinge to their skin. The reason is that they cover themselves in a mixture of butter fat and ochre. They do this for two reasons; one is to protect themselves from the sun and the other is to stay fresh since bathing is difficult with limited or no water.
In another effort to keep themselves clean, they cover themselves with an acrid smoke by using a woven triangular basket underneath which are burnt herbs and other aromatic ingredients.
We very much enjoyed our visit with the Himba. While almost decimated during the civil war in Southern Africa and a horrible drought in the 90’s they now number 20-50,000 strong and have developed community conservancies to help protect wildlife and foster tourism.
Anyway, I placed the red dots and hope I am not offending anyone. Their hair is unlike anything that I have ever seen. If you buy something from them, they allow you to take their picture. We didn’t see anything that we wanted so I offered to just give money. I was met with huge smiles and nods.
The Swakopmund Museum was a knock out discovery, full of odd strange things. Below are a Welwitschia stem over 1,000 years old and a fossil termite mound about 17 million years old!!!!! I wish I could show a hundred photos from this place.
Swakopmund was a 1800s German settlement and the numbers of Germans still living here is large. Their influence is seen in these beach houses, except for the modern one. On the bottom left, the arbor is made from whale bones.
The beaches were full of interesting things. I really liked this clam with very colorful attached seaweed. I collect bricks and have gotten them from many places including white ones while swimming in Lake Michigan to handmade ones by my great great grandfather in Kentucky. I kept thinking about this very heavy brick on the beach but because of its weight I just couldn’t drag it back through airports, especially the subway and train in NYC back to CT. Goodbye my Namibian love as it just wasn’t meant to be.
a Romanian couple having fun but I should have asked if he had a safe word
Flowers and plants close to the beach
Swakopmund is extremely German and many retire here. You can see their influence on the buildings, food, dress and also many of the Namibians spoke German. The largest antique shop in Africa is located here and was pretty unusual. It was across the street from this building with Atlas on top.
Our last night we ate outside by the ocean. I never ate raw oysters or wanted to try them until this trip and fell in love with them using lemon and tabasco sauce. Sesame seed tuna with vegetables.
We left the next morning driving five hours to Windhoek where we would be spending another night in the Hilton. These are the hallways, more mood lighting?
This is the view from the hotel’s bar on top of the building overlooking Windhoek. I like the silhouetted crane in the distance with the few dark clouds and a crescent moon.
My vision started blurring so time to go back downstairs. The bar was packed and the swimming pool was between it and the elevators. The lights were off in the pool area since it was closed for the night. As we walked by, I noticed a beautiful young Namibian lady sitting in a lounge chair. She said something to me that I have never heard, read or seen in a movie. I was stunned and thought I must have misunderstood. Then another lady in the dark said something to me. LOL, it suddenly dawned on me what was going on! Yet, I still couldn’t get over the crude comment. (maybe I’ll tell in AH) The next morning we flew from Windhoek to Johannesburg for our return flight back home.
On our flight from Johannesburg to Frankfurt, my television screen did not work. P got to watch two movies. The stewardess gave me a voucher for $25 for the Frankfurt airport shops and a bag of goodies she said that they pass out in business class. Once in Frankfurt, I headed to the airlines courtesy desk. I asked a few questions regarding their partnership with United Airlines and my benefits. I mentioned that my television screen didn’t work on the last flight. She said when I arrive to my gate to ask for the gate manager. I thought that was strange but did ask to speak to the manager. He immediately asked if I was Mr. ******* and said today was my lucky day. He handed me two business class tickets from Frankfurt to New York. We checked to see what they would have cost and it was $6,600+ for the two of us. That was more than three times the cost of both of our roundtrip tickets to Africa! OMG, it was great. The food was incredible, especially paired with their recommended choices of wine but of course.
After traveling for fifty-three hours to return home, we walked through our front door into the arms of Lucy, Roscoe and Kenny Jose who had been patiently waiting a month for us. The three put on quite a welcoming circus performance. It was great to be safe and happily back home again.