We had left Etosha in the morning to start touring the North Western part of the country. Our first stop was the town of Oujo, where we fueled up and asked in the local garage if they could weld our by now severely cracked car. The answer was negative, as they said the result would only last minutes once we took to some of the more remote roads. So we continued with the duct-tape arrangement. Before heading to our next stop, Oujo did delight us with a traditional German-style bakery, though. It seems curious to find such a place in a small Namibian town but it is not uncommon, as there are still remnants of the colonial times peppered across the county from the days when it was known as German South West Africa.
Some roads that afternoon proved to be pretty bumpy, leading us through many small, traditional hamlets with rondavel mud-huts. Our @house@ survived and that night we camped in Palmwag, but before retiring for the night, an oryx steak was in order. The taste could be loosely compared to beef, but it has its own distinct flavour and we really enjoyed it. The next morning we had visitors to our campsite, when two German kids started talking to Kai, asking him if he was writing a book (he was on the laptop writing the blog offline). They were heading to Etosha, so we were able to make some recommendations, whilst they happily shared their tips for the opposite direction and showed us their best pictures.
Next stop for us was Twyfelfontein, or "Doubtful Spring". The land in this part starts getting drier as it gets ever closer to the harsh Namib desert and people have managed to live in this area for centuries, but were highly dependent on the random water springs. Here we did another community sponsored tour, where we were shown some very impressive and very old rock paintings. Although originally we thought we could make it all the way to a mountain formation called Spitzkoppe, a "closed road" sign and the emminent sunset stopped us about 80km short of it. We ended up spending the night in the tidy and well-organized town of Uis, near the Brandberg mountain, at nearly 3000m the highest point in Namibia.
In the camp we asked about the closed road, as we really didn't feel like having to drive the extra 50kms on gravel to get to our destination. The guy assured us that with our 4x4 we could safely take that road and ignore the sign, so we did just that the following morning. It was a good thing too, as the landscape was stunning, with beautiful yellow hills, the odd-river bed and although hazy at first, a very good sight of Spitzkoppe, the so-called Matterhorn of Africa. It was at the foot of Spitzkoppe where we stayed in one of the more rudimentary, but probably most amazing camping areas of our trip. It was basically our car, surrounded by really interesting huge rock formations that turned fiery red as the sun set. We climbed the rocks to get a better view of the surroundings, and enjoy yet another stunning African sunset, next to the lizards and the rock dassies. Because of the remoteness of it all, the night was dead quiet. Although the moon was nearly full, we could also see clearly the Milky Way.
In the camp we asked about the closed road, as we really didn't feel like having to drive the extra 50kms on gravel to get to our destination. The guy assured us that with our 4x4 we could safely take that road and ignore the sign, so we did just that the following morning. It was a good thing too, as the landscape was stunning, with beautiful yellow hills, the odd-river bed and although hazy at first, a very good sight of Spitzkoppe, the so-called Matterhorn of Africa. It was at the foot of Spitzkoppe where we stayed in one of the more rudimentary, but probably most amazing camping areas of our trip. It was basically our car, surrounded by really interesting huge rock formations that turned fiery red as the sun set. We climbed the rocks to get a better view of the surroundings, and enjoy yet another stunning African sunset, next to the lizards and the rock dassies. Because of the remoteness of it all, the night was dead quiet. Although the moon was nearly full, we could also see clearly the Milky Way.
From Spitzkoppe, we headed west to the South Atlantic coast. As you drive through the dry desert towards the cold, wet sea, you can see the huge fog cloud that engulfs the coast, similar to how it is in the north of Chile or Lima. Our destination was the town of Swakopmund, but we first made a stop at the Cape Cross seal sanctuary. Here we were met by around 90,000 seals, all lying on the beach close together. Before we could see or hear them, we surely had smelled them - or rather their fishy excrements. Although rather smelly, it was really an impressive sight to see that many seals of all sizes, going about their daily activities in total oblivion of the dozen or so human visitors.
We then drove on to Swakopmund, a quiet German-style town, where we found a hostel to spend the next two chilly nights. In Swakopmund we checked out the lighthouse, bought some books in a quaint pretty bookstore and even went to the cinema. We also had lunch in a restaurant that looked like it could have been anywhere in Germany: The Swakopmund Brauhaus.
We then drove on to Swakopmund, a quiet German-style town, where we found a hostel to spend the next two chilly nights. In Swakopmund we checked out the lighthouse, bought some books in a quaint pretty bookstore and even went to the cinema. We also had lunch in a restaurant that looked like it could have been anywhere in Germany: The Swakopmund Brauhaus.
One of the highlights of the area is to drive into the Namib Desert, taking in the Welwitchia drive and Moon Valley. After having seen the Atacama desert in Chile, here we found ourselves in yet another moon-like landscape, with rugged valleys and alien looking flora. Kai certainly enjoyed driving the rougher desert roads and gave the recently abandoned 4WD mode a spin!
For the following morning, we had booked a boat trip leaving from Walvis Bay, 30kms south driving through the desert dunes. Soon after launch, we had our first surprise. A (rather large) cape fur seal swam behind the boat and climbed onboard. The captain teased the seal with some fish and encouraged it to reach up and put its flippers on my lap. I really wasn't expecting to have a seal partially on top of me, and between the laughs and excitment, I realized the seal was super soft and not smelly at all. We also got to see dolphins swimming by the boat, and plenty more friendly seals cajoling in the sea. On the return trip to the shore we were offered fresh oysters and champagne, as well as other finger-food, and we enjoyed the rest of the cruise with warm sunshine breaking through the coastal cloud cover.
At the harbour we were welcomed to the sight of a few very large pelicans walking casually amongst the tourists. And with that, we took off and said goodbye to the north-western part of Namibia.
At the harbour we were welcomed to the sight of a few very large pelicans walking casually amongst the tourists. And with that, we took off and said goodbye to the north-western part of Namibia.
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