After leaving the park we went to
we are at a tent hotel…..each tent had wooden floors, canvas
sides with zip open tent screened windows and a door, the bathroom and shower
are hilarious…….something out of Fred Flinstone……sticks placed together with
plenty of air and light coming thru….up on a wooden platform. The toilet was in a separate room of the same
sticks and works fine…..the sink was in the outside area….
We went to dinner in a big meeting house. It had separate picnic type tables for each
family or group. Probably 15 people in
all. The woman who waited on us was a
‘bushman woman’ and so shared with us the language and we tried to mimic her
but were unable to master the clicks.
These women speak their tribal language, German, Afrikaans and English
fluently. Amazing! I feel unaccomplished next to them, for sure.
The dinner was different curries, salads that are German in
nature….heavy on the mayonnaise and pasta or potatoes. The main course was stir fry…..with a choice
of Elam, Orek, SpringBok, beef, chicken, and zebra. Then the veggies and a few noodles. Interesting in Africa to be eating something
so like Asia.
Fascinating that with the rustic nature of this camp, all the electricity and running water was powered by solar power. Incredible!!!
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Leaving the park we still saw some animals along the road.
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| termite mound encasing a live tree |
This woman ran a small craft store along the road. Her mother was dressed in the clothing that became a part of this tribe after working with the Germans, she said. The western clothing to mimic the Germans and the hat shaped like cow horn to represent the cattle brought by the German farmers.
We saw several carts drawn by donkeys with families in them. This family was waiting at the side of the road.
The caution signs are interesting...
When we were meeting with the travel agent before we started the trip, he warned us that the road from Etosha Park to the coast was bad. We didn't understand how bad it was......and it was terrible. We left the tent lodge and started to the coast early in the morning and were unable to go to the Skeleton Ships....wrecked large sailing ships from many years ago as well as newer ones.....it was too dark and we just needed to get to our next hotel.
The terrain changed over and over on the trip from rocky with bushes and trees to this barren sand dune areas. Most of the trip was without any cell phone service and no other vehicles on the road......and once we arrived near the coast, the road was a salt road so slick from the water in the salt and like driving on snow, Bryan said. A very long and dangers drive.
We were supposed to go to
Swakpamund but it was such a long and exhausting drive, we stopped at a place called Cape Cross. What a different place compared to the tent lodge ...... First it was very cold at the coast and we were right on the beach. Listening to the waves crashing in all night was so relaxing.
In the morning we went for a walk on the beach and found the tracks of Jackals that are there looking for food....
There was a huge group of bones outside the lobby that looked like a huge whale.....I think. Anyone know what it is?
The story of these crosses is this:
Diego Cao (1486) who erected the first stone cross in honour of King Johannes of Portugal. In the 1800s
a German came and he found the cross leaning to the side so he took that
back to Germany to a museum. Finally, in
1900 something the Namibians erected another cross with credit to the
Portuguese for finding this place and the Germans also erected a cross but had
to put it 10 meters from the Namibian one that according to the information we
received from our Namibian lodge receptionist named, Life, is the correct spot
for the first cross.
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We stopped on our way to
Swakapamund at the largest seal preserve in the world. Thousands of seals on the beach in in the water. There were many pups there and it was a wonderful sight.
Along the road we found these little stands with pink salt on them and the price to leave your money in the jar. It was amazing. We bought some and when we got home, the water in the salt began to evaporate and the salt became fine granules.....and the pink disappeared too.
abandoned fishing vessel at the coast.
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We drove back to Windhoek, spent one more night and flew back to Angola. What a wonderful adventure we had over these days. Both of us were glad to come home to our place in Soyo and back to life here.
