Mokolo Camp  and Zambezi Mubala Camp

We made an early start from n’Kwazi as we had 400 kilometers to drive to Mokolo, our next camp. Now somewhat experienced at driving in the north of Namibia we knew this was going to be a start/stop drive.  What we didn’t expect was to run into roadworks just outside Rundu.  They were rebuilding the road so there were managed stops with stop/go controls, but a bit hit-and-miss. We stopped at a block and soon were flagged to continue. Imagine our surprise when halfway through the detour we came across an 18-wheeler coming in the opposite direction! Fortunately, there was a wide verge to allow everyone to move off the road and the 18-wheeler sailed past! One can only speculate how the traffic stops managed to miss an 18-wheeler.

Driving along the B8 through the Caprivi is a lovely drive. There is lots of thick bush and some of the most beautiful trees I have seen in a long time. Huge trees with wide shady canopies. It was absolutely thrilling to see so many beautiful trees, which had been left in place. Many others, though, had been cut down judging by the many firewood sellers that we passed.

We also passed many settlements alongside the road. Each group of houses was neatly fenced by either a pole fence, reed fences, or in some cases thatching grass. The houses inside the fences were a mix of traditional huts with mud walls, thatched with reeds or grass, corrugated iron shacks and brick-built homes. There were also pens for cattle and goats but all very neatly laid out and no litter or rubbish tips that we could see. What we did not see, however, was any indication of commercial-size farming using the river water for irrigation. I really expected to see something similar to what we saw along the Orange River.

It was sad to see how many of these households still had no access to running water. We passed many ladies carrying water on their heads but there were also many sleds in use. Water barrels were piled onto a wooden sled that was harnessed to two oxen. The oxen then pulled the water back to the homestead. I guess the sled was easier to maneuver in the bush compared to wheels.

We arrived safely at Mukolo and were met by the owners Hennie and Veronica. We were shown to our campsite, #3, and were immediately struck by how much this camp reminded us of Tsendze at Kruger. Each campsite was carved out of the bush, with lovely big trees shading the site. All the sites are private and have their own ablutions. The camp is served by solar energy, so there was power to the van and car but we were asked not to use an electric kettle, or anything similar that drew a large current.

We settled in and the view over the floodplain was wonderful. The water lilies were in full bloom and the white flowers against the dark water and golden grass were a gorgeous sight. This camp has a lovely pub and veranda where we found interesting people to chat to.

We took a boat trip one evening. The trip lasted three hours and it was worth every cent! Our guide, Admire, was very knowledgeable about the animals and birds in the area and was quick to identify what we were seeing. Also, he had the eyes of a hawk and picked out game very quickly. Unfortunately, most of the game was on the western side of the water so trying to take photos into the setting sun was impossible. We did see lechwe and sitatunga, neither of which we had seen before, as well as buffalo, elephant, kudu, and waterbuck. We also saw several Nile Monitors and one small crocodile.

Admire, knew where a pod of hippos could be found, so we made our way there and sat for a while, enjoying the cool of the evening and a drink. It was lovely, with the hippo grunting, the water lapping at the side of the boat and the soft sound of the wind in the reeds. Another tough day in Africa!

Needless to say, there were numerous birds as well. Admire identified them very quickly, and explained diet, breeding, and other habits for us. It made the entire trip fascinating and the three hours sped past.

On our way back to the camp we enjoyed the last of the daylight with a magnificent African sunset.

The next morning, we were up early as we had a 400-kilometer drive to Katimo Mulilo. We were now at the westernmost point of our trip and almost 3,000 kilometers from home. We stopped in Katimo Mulilo at the Pick and Pay to buy a few necessities. There I discovered that you cannot buy alcohol in Namibia on a Sunday. Sadly, I put the two bottles of wine back on the shelf and decided to share Alec’s beers for the few days at Zambezi Mubala Camp, our next stop. This camp is close to Katimo Mulilo and on the banks of the Zambezi River.

This is a Gondwana camp and I cannot praise it enough. The staff, especially Katerina the camp manager, were marvelous, the sites were grassed and the separate ablutions were very nice.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at this camp, with the only downside being the Vervet Monkeys that tended to cause havoc with anything left open. Still, they were part of our adventure and having experienced them many times before, we simply kept the doors closed.

We had a lovely lazy time at this camp and enjoyed the antics of the White-crowned Lapwings and the squirrels.

On our last evening, we again took a boat trip on the Zambezi and our guide, Valentine, was fantastic. She identified the birds, and though we saw no animals, it was a lovely sundowner cruise with snacks and drinks included in the cost of the trip. Katerina had arranged for the four of us to have our own boat so we drifted along, looking at the birds and marveling at the size of the Zambezi River.

Editors Note – I’m inclined to go for Great Egret as the top of the legs are black. YB /Intermediate has bicoloured legs where the top of legs are greenish yellow

A tiny Nile Monitor basking in a tree

Again, we were treated to the most magical sunset over the Zambezi River. The trees are on the Zambian bank.

Another magical sunset, over the Zambezi

Having arrived back a little late, we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner in the restaurant. A fantastic way to end a lovely stay at a great camp.

Delicious dinner at the restaurant

Tomorrow morning, we are off to our last camp along the Caprivi, Ngepi Camp at Divundu.

Till then everyone, take care.

Simanya River Lodge and n’Kwazi

In my last blog I spoke of our decision not to travel to Epupa due to the road conditions. Well, Ray and Alvan did make the trip and said that the first 100 kilometers of the road were okay but the last 60 or so kilometers were dreadful. The road was badly corrugated and not very nice to drive. In fact, most of the time taken to make the journey was spent in the last part.

They were thrilled with the views of the falls, and said it was very beautiful. The major downside was the heat. Alvan told me that it was unbearably hot and it did not cool down in the evenings. She said it only started to cool in the early hours of the morning so for the three nights they were there they hardly slept as it was so hot. Compounding the heat was a lack of electricity so their fan wasn’t much help!

These photos were taken by Ray Mandy during their visit to Epupa.

They did get a chance to take a very early morning walk with a bird guide, and saw some birds that they would not normally have been able to see.

For us, Epupa is back on the bucket list and we’ll see in a couple of years.

Driving around northern Namibia is an experience in itself. When we drove in Oupuwo we hit the first of hundreds of traffic calming devices or as we know them speed-bumps. Very few are clearly marked either by signs on the side of the road or painted road markings. It seems the authorities dare you to take them on, and you do so at your peril in many cases. The first one into Opuwo rattled our teeth and Lizzie leapt over it! After that we were much more circumspect but still misjudged many. Every town, village and settlement has more than its fair share of speed-bumps. We became adept at watching the cars coming towards us. If they bounced, we slowed down!

Accompanying them are the standard riffles, that warn you of something ahead. In Namibia, most often, it was a school. Most of these riffles were just a “rrrrrrrr” under the wheels but every now and again, the authorities threw us a curved ball and you came across one where the individual lines were around 3 or 4 inches deep so you had to go very slowly, otherwise you shook car and caravan to pieces.

Where there were no speed-bumps to keep you on your toes, the cows, goats, donkeys and occasional dog did their best to calm the traffic. The animals in Namibia’s north take their job seriously and often we would see them quite far off the road, but as we drew closer, they made a mad, suicidal dash to the tar to fulfill their traffic calming duties! Alec swears blind that the engine note of the Ford has mystical animal calling properties!

When we left Opuwo, after Ray and Alvan had gone to Epupa, we made our way to Ondangwa. The drive was exciting as I’ve described and we had made arrangements to stay at the Fantasia Guesthouse in Ondangwa, as they advertise campsites. On arriving the campsite was not very nice, just two dusty stands against the back wall of the property.

We spoke to Pieta Potgieter, the proprietor at Fantasia, and asked if we could rather have a room and park the caravan under the shade cloth outside the room. She was very happy to do so and we were soon settled into a very nice room, with Lizzie and the Ford safely parked in the shade.

Fantasia was a nice place to stay with a restaurant on the premises where we enjoyed our supper. There is a lovely veranda where you can sit and chat to the other guests, while enjoying a drink and dinner. Breakfast was included in the tariff so next morning we enjoyed a breakfast before setting off for Simanya River Lodge.

Simanya River Lodge is on the banks of the Kunene River, approximately 140 kilometers west of Rundu. We arrived and were shown to a very pretty campsite. The story of this lodge is very sad. Apparently, it is owned by a wealthy Namibian family and the lodge was the pet project of the lady of the house. She started her project by building the campsite, and it is clear that no expense was spared. The sites each have their own ablutions, a concrete slab covered with shade cloth and an attractive grassed area, bordered with a garden. She then built the lodge, swimming pool and chalets. Sadly, she passed away before completing the project, and though all the furniture is there, the lodge was never opened. With her death, her husband froze all further development and he has now put the lodge on the market.

 Sadly, these sites were not designed with caravans in mind, as it was impossible to get a van onto the concrete slab as there was a step of a good couple of inches. No problem, there was lots of shade so we parked Lizzie on the grass and settled in to enjoy a few days downtime.

The swimming pool at the lodge is magnificent. It is an infinity pool that overlooks the Kunene. It’s just the place to lie on a hot evening, sipping a cool drink, gazing at the river, listening to the hippos grunting while the sky is painted in pinks and golds. Sometimes, it’s just so tough to live in Africa!

Being at Simanya gave us some time to clear up some housekeeping issues and try to get rid of some of the dust in the back of the Ford. Alec pulled most of the stuff out so it could be dusted down but it will still need a thorough clean when we get home. Namibia has some tenacious dust – it hangs on and doesn’t let go easily!

Leaving Simanya, we moved on through Rundu to our new home n’Kwazi Lodge about 15 kilometers east of Rundu, where we were to meet Alvan and Ray again.

While going through Rundu we took the opportunity to do a little shopping. We had been advised to go to the Woermann Brock Supermarket. That was excellent advice as this was a great place to shop with everything under one roof.

Before going into the supermarket, we stopped at a Shell garage opposite, for fuel. While cleaning the driver’s window, one of the attendants noticed the rear-view camera that Alec had installed on Lizzie. The camera is combined with a small screen for the driver and it works all the time so its useful to see what’s coming up behind as well as for reversing. The attendant was amazed to see one of his friends walking behind the van, and soon we were surrounded by attendants all wanting to see a friend on the camera!

We continued to n’Kwazi, which is on the banks of the Okavango River. We were following the GPS and when it told us to turn, we both looked dubious as the road looked little more than a track. We saw a little, faded sign that said n’Kwazi, so we turned and followed a track through a few homesteads until be arrived at a gate. Going through we found we had arrived at the right place, a lovely grassed, shady campsite where we had the pick of the sites. The ablutions are, I guess the word is rustic, but perhaps a little more rustic than just rustic, with half reed walls, wasps , frogs and very fat geckos as bathing companions! Our adventure continues….

Ray and Alvan arrived and it was great to catch up again with what they had been doing. After supper we all fell into bed, only to be awakened in the middle of the night by a frantic thunderstorm. Lightning flashed and the thunder was deafening but there wasn’t too much rain. Early in the morning I visited the loo, and coming back was amazed to see a magnificent starry sky – it was stunning. That lovely sky was soon enveloped in cloud again and another thunderstorm broke around six in the morning with drizzle on and off for the next few hours. No problem, bed and a book were my companions with a lovely cup of coffee made by my ever-patient, but slightly damp, hubby.

The weather cleared later in the morning and the dreaded laundry raised its ugly head, so that was a chore to be completed. After that we went for a walk to look for birds. There are lots of birds around but with the thick vegetation and tall trees it was impossible to get good photos. We enjoyed our walk and ended by sitting enjoying the view of the river, as the sun slowly set.

Tomorrow we are off once again to Mukolo Camp in Kongola. Hopefully there is WIFI so I can get this off to Helen. Take care everyone..

 ,

Here are my answers to this week’s questions from pensitivity101

Children aside, do you celebrate your birthday/anniversary or is it just a normal day for you?

I usually do something special on my birthday. If we’re at home I might invite a few friends over for a meal. Gifts are not necessary but some insist on bringing something small which is nice. It’s the thought that counts.

I’ve already written about my surprise celebration for my 70th which fortunately happened a month earlier than the actual date. On the ‘real’ day, I was still recovering from a short stay in hospital. I had inteneded to have some people round but instead asked them to drinks at the harbour. One of my friend’s organised a surprise cake. It is lovely to be celebrated on your birthday!

Do/did you always give your child a birthday party when they were young?

Absolutely. It’s the highlight of a child’s year. With my own I would make a special cake. Later, when helping raise grandchildren we would get somebody to do a cake in a shape the boys’ requested.

If your child was born on Christmas Day (or a few days either side of the 25th), did they have a ‘half birthday’ in June, two presents/celebrations, or something else?

No, we did not do a half-year celebration for our 29-December baby. Before she started school we had a party on the day and invited cousins and friends who had not gone away for the holidays. When she started school, we threw a big party inviting all the kids in her class on the last day of term, before everybody had holiday plans. It is summer in December in South Africa so it was usually a pool party.

As far as the gifts went, she received one for Christmas and one for her birthday when she was small. So December was a mega month for her. As she grew older she would sometimes request an expensive combined gift which she would receive on Christmas day. We would still give an inexpensive one on her birthday.

November and December are full of birthdays in our family. Among our children and grandchildren, we have 16, 22, 30 November and 22 and 29 December. Among my siblings we have 22 and 25 November and 6 December. The fourth one is a month later than Christmas so it was still a hectic three months for my parents! Then there are several cousins in November too!

Would you prefer to give your child a party, or take them and a few friends on a special outing?

When we were helping our daughter raise her two boys we did a mix of the two. When they were very small we had birthday parties. In primary school, they could choose to take a few friends to a child-friendly restaurant like MacDonalds or Spur. The staff of these establishments would do something special like sing a birthday song and bring a sparkler instead of candles.

Gratitude
A child’s laughter is infectious, contagious and a bringer of memories to those of us in our twilight years.

I am hugely grateful for all the little ones in my life. They have always made me laugh. My grandchildren are grown now but they can still get me to crack up laughing.

Henties Bay

Our last morning in Swakopmund dawned dull and gloomy with very thick mist and a cold wind. The weather fitted our mood, as we were sorry to be leaving this vibrant town with its incredibly friendly people.  Nevertheless, the next leg of our adventure beckoned and around mid-morning, we set off for Henties Bay. It would be a short drive along what is known as a salt road. The surface was excellent and we made good time.

Along the way, we stopped at the wreck of the Zeila. The Zeila was owned by the Hangana Fishing Company based in Walvis Bay. She had been sold for scrap to an Indian scrap yard, and was being towed to Bombay, when she broke her towing line in the early hours of the morning on 25 August 2008 and went aground at a popular fishing spot called “Die Walle”, about 14 kilometers south of Henties Bay. This once proud vessel is now broken up and a perch for cormorants. Such a sad end, but perhaps a little more elegant than being cut up to make tin cans!

Also at the same spot was a bit of beach art, done by someone with too much time on their hands. The bones all came from seals but the design made them look like it was a human form. I am guessing that this is a much-photographed piece of beach art!

Driving along the Skeleton Coast road, I could not help but notice how stark the landscape was. I remarked to Alec that it must have been dreadful for a sailor marooned along the coast. No shelter, no water, just sand and scrubby vegetation for miles on end.

I must admit that I thought the Skeleton Coast got its name from all the shipwrecks and sailors that died walking the beaches looking for human habitation. I was assured by locals that that was an old wives’ tale. It was named after skeletons, but the majority of the skeletons found were from whale and seal hunting, and only a few were human.

Driving through the heavy mist it was easy to see how ships could run aground on this coast as it was difficult to see far.

We drove into Henties Bay, with the mist still hanging low and thick. Arriving at Buck’s Camping Lodge we set up camp and the mist was still there, making everything damp and very cold. In fact, the mist did not lift for the entire stay at Henties.

Soon after we arrived, we were surprised by a visit from an old friend from our days in Oranjemund. We had telephoned her from Swakopmund and she arrived to enjoy a cup of coffee and a chat to catch up around 20 year’s news! It was great to see her and we thoroughly enjoyed her visit.

The next morning Ray and Alvan decided to explore the town, while Alec and I took a drive up the coast to Cape Cross as we wanted to visit the seal colony. After paying our entry fee, we drove along the beach and passed a sign saying camping site. What a ghastly place to camp, so exposed and you would have to be a very rugged camper to put up with that site!

As we neared the parking area it was very apparent that the seal colony was nearby. The noise was deafening and the smell came a close second! Before going to admire the seals we visited the cross or padrão that was erected by the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão in 1486.

In 1484, Diogo Cão, was sent to search for a sea route from Portugal to the Spice Islands and India and to explore undiscovered regions along the west coast of Africa. Each time he found a place that may be of value to Portugal, he was to erect a stone cross and claim the land for his home country.

Diogo Cão arrived at Cape Cross in January 1486 and he erected a limestone padrão, weighing around 360kg and standing around 2 meters tall.

The original cross stood at the cape for more than 400 years until, in January 1893, it was removed by Captain Becker of the German Navy and taken to Germany. The original limestone cross was replaced by a wooden cross, which was later replaced by a granite replica of the original in 1895. The German cross included the German coat of arms and the inscription in German as well as the original Latin.

In 1980, the Namibian National Monument’s Council commissioned an exact replica of the original padrão and had it erected in the exact spot where the original had stood.

Having admired the crosses, we wandered over to get a closer look at the seals. I was astounded at how many there were, there must have been literally thousands of seals spread along the beach as far as the eye could see.  This is one of the largest Cape Fur Seal colonies in the world, a claim that is very easy to believe. We walked along the boardwalk and were able to enjoy viewing many seal up close as they basked on the rocks. Looking out to sea you could see hundreds of flippers and heads as the seals hunted for fish in the breakers around the bay.

Walking along, we admired the enchanting faces and were lucky enough to come across a female nursing her pup, which must have been born very late. We were told that the majority of pups are born in late November and early December. This little chap is around five months late!

I am so relieved that animal rights groups have put a stop to the barbaric clubbing of the pups for their pelts. I much prefer seeing them with their mothers or playing in the water than on someone’s back!

This was a fascinating visit and we thoroughly enjoyed it, even with the smell and noise!

Driving back past another of the numerous salt works found along the coast, we were intrigued by dozens of these little stands dotted along the road. We stopped and found that they were honesty stands selling salt crystals. Obviously, budding entrepreneurs collected the prettiest crystals they could find from the salt pans and placed them on crude stands along the road. Each crystal was priced and there was a little box for the money.  At this stand, there was money in the box (thank heavens this wasn’t SA – that stash would have been lifted in a flash!!) but I really couldn’t see the difference between a crystal in the N$10 box versus one marked N$50. You have to admire the entrepreneur that is selling crystals they had no hand in making and obviously doing reasonably well out of it.

I can’t say that we were sorry to depart from Henties. The entire time we were there it was damp and very cold. Buck’s Camping Lodge, had smallish stands, each with their own ablutions. The ablutions were clean but looked a little tired and tatty.  The campsite is safe and patrolled at night.

Now we are off back into the interior, where it’ll be much hotter. I hope you enjoyed my history lesson for today, and hopefully, within the next day to two, I’ll find WIFI to send it on to you. We are off to Spitzkoppe, which will be very different to sea, beaches and seals. Take care, everyone!

Solitaire and Swakopmund

We left Little Sossuus around 9 in the morning on our way to Solitaire. The road from Sesreim to Solitaire was good, and we could sustain a reasonable speed. While driving along, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the number of stones that were being flung out the back from the caravan’s wheels. I remarked to Alec that we would have to fit stone guards to Lizzie if this kept up.

Arriving at Solitaire, we found the fuel station rather busy, but Ray and Alec managed to pull in. While Alec was filling up with fuel, he was approached by a gentleman who had passed us driving a VW Amarok. He told Alec that he had literally been stoned by us. As he got close, the stones flung up by the caravan forced him to pull back! Eventually, he braved the rocks and managed to pass, only to find Ray in front of us, and once again, he got stoned!

Of course, one cannot go to Solitaire and not partake of apple pie and coffee at The Bakery.

After filling up, we parked and made our way to The Bakery, which was humming. Many tourists were already there, but we managed to snag a table. We ordered our apple pie with lashings of cream and coffee and tucked in. Was it the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted? Well, the jury is definitely still out on that!

Finishing our treat, we ploughed on to Swakopmund along the C14. The road surface was still okay, and we went down Guab Pass. What a lovely sight. The high walls at the bottom were imposing. Unfortunately, that was also about the end of the good road surface. Around the Kuiseb Pass, the road took a turn for the worse. It seriously deteriorated, and soon it was a bumpy, rutted mess, and our speed dropped to almost nothing. We were now driving on the left, on the right and in the middle while the car and van bumped around like mad.

I saw many little traveller’s cairns on the side of the road, many just a pile of rocks but some, like this one, had been built with care. What a pity there is no way to know the story behind the cairns.

It was a pleasure to drive onto the lovely smooth road around Walvis Bay and onto Swakopmund. We passed the vlei where there were flamingos, and we promised ourselves that we would return. We arrived safely at Alte Brucke and checked in. Ray and Alvan had gone on to find the place that was to repair their window, so they came in a little after us.

The campsite at Alte Brucke is fantastic, and it was a great pleasure to walk around on grass instead of sand! The individual ablutions were spotless and very well-appointed. Ray and Alvan arrived, and all four of us were exhausted from a difficult day’s travel, so it was just scrambled eggs for supper, an early shower and bed!

Ray and Alvan left early the following day to have their repair done while we took the opportunity to get all our domestic chores sorted. They returned with a Perspex window in their caravan. They could not find anywhere to replace the glass window, but the clear Perspex will do the job until they get home and can replace it with a safety glass window.

That evening we went off to The Fish Deli for supper. What a lovely restaurant. We had grilled fish with chips and salad. Ray had battered fish, and Alvan plumped for battered calamari, served with chips and salad. It was melt-in-the-mouth good! Just as we were paying the bill, a small group of male singers, who called themselves the Swakopmund A Capella Singers, walked in. After a short impromptu concert of the Lion Sleeps Tonight, a local song and an Afrikaans song, they left again after trying to sell a CD they had cut. They were outstanding, and I’m sure they sold a few copies of their CD to the patrons. It was an excellent finish to our supper.

The following day, Ray and Alvan returned to Walvis to see the flamingos, while Alec and I chose to visit the Swakopmund Aquarium. What a treat that was. They have a huge tank containing some of the biggest fish I have ever seen. The Kob were around 1,2 meters long. A fisherman’s dream! There were also Steenbras, Leervis and many other species, including a beautiful Green Turtle and several rays.

We were lucky to get a chance to chat with Frikkie Botes, a marine biologist and also the manager of the aquarium. He told us that the main tank contained over 320,000 litres of water pumped directly from the sea off Swakopmund. The water goes through a filtration system that removes any debris, but it cannot remove the red algae spores, so all over the aquarium, you can see small outbreaks of red algae. These are cleaned off every week by a team of divers.

The only fish in the aquarium are those found in Namibian waters. They collect the fish by various means, and the fish live in the aquarium for the rest of their lives, living a cushy life. They get hand-fed three times a week, which stops the larger fish from predating the smaller ones. The fish are accustomed to the divers and will happily take food from their hands. In this way, the divers ensure that everyone gets a fair share.

Apart from the large tank, with its impressive tunnel, there are many smaller exhibits with tiny fish. There were displays of mullet, sardines, mussels, lobster and many others.

At N$5 per person as an entrance fee, this was one of the highlights of our trip.

Leaving the aquarium, we headed out on the Henties Bay road toward the salt factory. Near the salt factory are many wooden platforms that house thousands of cormorants and other sea birds. These platforms collect guano which is scraped off every few weeks, ground up and bagged as fertilizer. The lines of cormorants stretched as far as the eye could see. The noise was deafening, and the smell was not too good either!

Also enjoying the pools of brackish water were many flamingoes.

We returned to Walvis Bay the following day to find the flamingo colony there. We first tried the lagoon, but the birds were too far away on a breakwater, so we ducked into the Dolphin Café and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a toastie. Yum!

We then went back toward Sandwich Harbour and found the flamingoes in several ponds. They are such fantastic birds, and we sat for a while just watching them bickering, filtering for food, and preening. Each time they opened their wings, you caught sight of the most glorious cerise colours. Such graceful, beautiful birds.

When we arrived back at the camp, Ray dragged out his Cobb Cooker and said we would have roast chicken for supper. I couldn’t help but be skeptical, but what a meal he managed to make in this cooker. The chicken was juicy with crispy skin and literally fell off the bone. That man can cook!

Our last day was spent just enjoying the town. Admiring the beautiful old buildings, many with strong European influence. Our impression of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund is they are both vibrant communities that are expanding at a fantastic rate. There is building happening everywhere. Driving around, one is struck by the apparent love affair between residents of Swakopmund and palm trees. They are everywhere, and many gardens sport one or two as well. Looking across the town, the horizon is dotted with fluffy canopies!

Another thing that struck us was that there was no litter lying around. Many smaller South African towns can take a leaf out of Swakopmund’s book concerning cleanliness.

Our visit to these beautiful towns brought our second week to a close in an incredible way.

We are off to Henties Bay tomorrow and then to Spitzkoppe and Twyfelfontein, so I’m still determining where I’ll find WIFI again. Take care, everyone, and be good.