Ngepi and Windhoek

We were sorry to leave the Zambezi Mubala camp as we had enjoyed our stay there, even though the Vervets caused us some grief! The drive back to Divundu went smoothly and the traffic stops were not too onerous.

Two Geckos leave Zambezi Mubala

We turned into the access road to Ngepi, with no idea of how bad these four kilometers would be. Not only are there parts thick with sand, but there are also dips, bumps and rocks to contend with along with the usual dogs, kids, cows, goats and donkeys! We had to smile at the signboard that said “About halfway” after almost two kilometers. We eventually arrived at the reception desk and were allocated campsites 16 and 17.

Ngepi Camp

Seating around Ngepi

Looking across the grounds to the dining area

The Pub

The Okavango from the dining area

We found our camps and settled in, only to be told that we had parked on the grass, which would incur a $100 per night “fine”. This caused no end of confusion as the entire site was grassed so where we were supposed to place the van was a bit of a mystery! Eventually, we worked out that there was a line of small poles with a gap in the middle. Apparently, we were not supposed to park beyond the poles. The problem was there was no shade before the poles so we decided to argue the fact if we were asked to pay this fine. Fortunately, no one arrived to ask us to pay the fine so we let the matter lie.

Negi is a fun camp where the reception and pub areas are decorated with shirts, caps and other pieces of clothing, that have messages from various campers written on them, and then pinned onto the wall. There are lots of places to sit, none awfully comfy as they seemed to be mokoros (canoes) turned upside down, but the rest of the visitors (mostly 20-something folk from Europe) enjoyed sitting on them, chatting and using the abysmally slow wifi.

The campsites were along the river and had a nice view of the water.

Our view of the Okavango River

The ablutions at Ngepi were a sight to behold. The loos and showers are unisex and built with reed walls. There was no door as such, just a pole across the entrance. If the pole was up, then someone was in there and if it was down, well just go on in! The loo was placed on top of a platform that was reached by four steps. Great fun in the daylight, but not so much when it was dark. There is just solar lighting which gave little or no light so a torch was a necessity!

The sign for the loo

Steps up to the throne

The door!

The showers were built in a similar fashion but unfortunately, the hot water was only a solar geyser, as they have stopped using their donkeys. This meant that the first person that showered in the evening had hot water but after that, it got progressively cooler until it was ice cold. The first night we were lucky and got the first shower so it was great but the second night was cold so the third night we used our own shower rather than “enjoy” another cold shower.

The shower

The shower itself

Alvan and I had made inquiries about a game drive that was advertised.  The minimum number of people for the drive was four, so if we wanted to go we would have to pay the full price for four people ($2400). That was out of the question, but on further questioning, the receptionist admitted that we could take a self-drive. The game area was part of the BwaBwata National Park, which was a short drive along the main road.

We took a drive through this very pretty park, where there were long drives along the flood plain where we found a number of animals. This was a great drive and is thoroughly recommended for anyone staying in the area.

Bwabwata National Park

A beautiful kudu cow

Zebras by the dozen

Two lovely Roan antelope

More Impala than we could count!

Just as many Lechwe!

Lucky to see a hippo out of the water during the day

Look at this lad’s impressive tusks

A small herd of Tsessebe

Of course around the camp and its surroundings were loads of beautiful birds.

Yellow-bellied Greenbul, which begged for crumbs every day!

Red-billed Spurfowl, who were also professional beggars for crumbs!

Yellow-billed storks – photo taken at max zoom

Little Bee-eaters all in a row

Meves’s Starling

Grey-backed Camaroptera. This little bird was the most energetic, tiny thing.

Beautiful Goliath Heron stalking its prey

We enjoyed our time at Ngepi and all too soon it was time to pack up again and head back toward Rundu. Now we started the long drive back home as the sun had set on our Namibian adventure.

Leaving Ngepi

Alvan and Ray chose to drive the 700 kilometers from Divundu to Windhoek, but we couldn’t face such a long drive so we chose to break it up at Otavi. We stayed at the Palmnecke Guesthouse which was very comfy. Lovely rooms and a home-cooked breakfast.

We arrived in Windhoek yesterday and booked into the Urban Camp. After setting up we were relaxing inside when we heard an almighty crash and the alarm in the Ford was going mad. We rushed outside to find a branch had fallen off a tree, and slammed into the windscreen of the Ford, smashing it and leaving a dent in the roof. I could have cried! Seven thousand kilometers with no problems and then right at the end a branch causes this! Oy Vey! Well, PG Glass will replace the windscreen today and we’ll have to get the dent repaired when we return home.

It was great, however, to chat with Colin and Diane, who are on their way to the Caprivi, and Ray and Alvan. Ray and Alvan left for Keetmanshoop today and we’ll be off down the B1 tomorrow.

The offending branch

The damage done to the windscreen and roof

We have thoroughly enjoyed our Namibian adventure and have had a great deal of fun over the past six weeks. We have seen some fantastic sights, driven around seven thousand kilometers and made lots of new friends along the way.

The weather has gone from blazing hot in the south, to cold and wet at Henties Bay, to lovely and warm along the Caprivi but in Windhoek last night it was freezing at two degrees centigrade! The camps have mostly been marvelous but the ablutions have in many places left something to the imagination! I have grown to heartily dislike gas-powered showers that are not well-regulated so you either freeze or cook! You have to constantly adjust the water and dive in when it’s warm and exit quickly before it’s too cold or boiling hot!

I will definitely remember the people. They have been unfailingly welcoming and friendly.  It made no difference whether they were camp staff, petrol attendants or people serving in coffee shops or restaurants, we were met with a friendly greeting and made to feel welcome. Even a lady we stopped on the side of the road to ask for directions wished us a happy holiday and told us to enjoy her beautiful country.

We especially loved the ladies that manage the restrooms at the garages. Unlike in SA, these restrooms are spotlessly clean and are guarded religiously by one lady. It seems these ladies have the rights to keep the bathrooms clean, but you have to pay to use them. I can remember the first time we came up against this practice. I wandered off the loo and was chased by a lady carrying a box of rolled-up pieces of loo paper. She explained that it cost $3 to use the bathroom and when I paid she gave me a little roll of five or six pieces of loo paper and the door was unlocked. We soon discovered that this was an almost universal practice and the only place we were disappointed was at Kamanjab, where the bathroom was horrid!

Thanks to Helen for allowing me to share her blog and to everyone that has taken the time to read about our adventure.

The sun has set on our Namibian Adventure

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!