NAMIBIA - Part Two

by Bill Lee

Time to move on and today we drive through to Damaraland. En route we travel through the homeland of the Himba people. Their women are quite unbelievably beautiful and spend their days nakedly covered in a sort of permanent mud pack of red ochre and fat. They have no wrinkles so the mud pack idea must have some validity. Damaraland has amazing rugged scenery, strange erosion has left rock formations standing in unbelievably precarious positions. There are some of the most famous examples of bushman rock art dating back thousands of years It is the home to many different peoples. It is a very spiritual place. We stayed at the Bambatsi Holiday Ranch - awful name isn't it but it was a superb spot. Like every other place in Namibia it is miles off the road up an unbelievably rough track, something you just get used to. And, being Australian, you will of course not forget to shut the gates!

We were asked by our host Rudi if we would like to accompany him to feed his cats and yours truly offered to carry a bowl of disgusting looking meat. We reached the end of the track and he asked if I had insurance as he opened the gate and out bounded 2 fully grown cheetah. Luckily they were more interested in the bowl of meat than me - I'm pretty skinny these days anyway, If you knew how fond I am of cats you would know that I thought I had found paradise.

It's a long drive down to the coast. The scenery changes quite dramatically, the road is getting worse all the time, we have not seen another human being, house or car for hours and as we see the Brandenberg mountains I am thinking that 4 wheel drive might have been a better idea and how stupid it was to buy that telephone card in Windhoek. The map says that you will pass through Uis Myn. Apart from the name written in stones on a hillside where was it? In truth the main part of the journey was about 280 kms and we saw, in total, 4 cars. Before you drive down this road you need to be sure that your vehicle and your soul are in good nick - the Hyundai performed amazingly

The road suddenly arrives from nothing to the coast and Hentiesbaai. At this point you would have to be proud of us because, having survived thus far, we decide that we will, as originally planned, turn north and drive the 50kms to seal colony at Cape Cross rather than doing the wussy thing and continuing straight on to a Bex and a good lie down in Swakopmund. 50 kms more of what you and I would call desert but it apparently isn't technically desert as it joins the sea. You know before you get there, if not from prior knowledge then from the smell, that there are thousands of seals here but the sight is still an amazing one. They are everywhere! Laying in the sun, cooling in the shade, surfing and leaping in the ocean and, in the case of the young, looking for their mothers whom they often don't find. This is the sad part as the birds soon start pecking into them once they are still with exhaustion - but that's nature eh.

Now to Swakopmund and wow! This is a Bavarian seaside resort in the middle of nowhere. Sam is a delightful Swiss gentleman of the old school who created Sam's Giardinno Hotel in Swakopmund. He was apparently planning to undertake the activity in South Africa but something went wrong and he ended up in Swakopmund. South Africa's loss was indeed Namibia's gain as this is a delightful boutique hotel in a quiet area of the town. Sam serves a superb 5 course dinner every evening for something in the region of $20 Australian and has an admirable wine cellar and the connoisseur's knowledge to go with it. Africa is not a continent you would normally visit for it's food - this place is the exception.

The drive to Sossusvlei is tough but quite spectacular and certainly stimulating and an en route civilisation of sorts eventually appears in the form of Solitaire which boasts a shop, accommodation and a filling station. It's actually all the same thing and the ultimate one horse town - there is a photo of someone who looks like Derryn Hinch stuck to the front of the shop counter where we buy a sandwich and a much needed beer (it couldn't really be him could it!)

In Sossusvlei we have opted to stay in tented lodge luxury at the Kulala Desert Lodge - so why do they have to have the very worst of all the roads yet as their access? The last 15 kms are hell but boy oh boy when you get there! It is superb and you are truly in the desert here. At night could well do with your sunglasses on to look up at the stars. If you wish you can even sleep on the roof and watch them all night long. There had been a storm in the distant mountains as we had been sipping sundowners on our first evening Just before dawn there was a roar like that of a locomotive engine as the water which had spent all night travelling down from the mountains rushed through the dry river bed by the lodge. Just another magic touch in a place that is already magical. The famous sand dunes, the highest in the world, are of course amazing.

Back to Windhoek - a long drive but once again with amazing changes of scenery. The Rivendell welcome us with open arms, one last meal at the Sardinia Italian restaurant (no more schnitzel please - surprisingly good Italian food) and it's bed and then airport and then home.

Would we do it again - you bet your life we would!

In Hentiesbaai a bloke said to us ' You must remember that, in Namibia, tomorrow is not necessarily the day after today' Valid? - for sure, but this beautiful Namibia will surely have many tomorrows.

If you feel ready for the adventure then just contact us at travel.com.au. We'll be happy to put the travel plans together. The adventure? - well that's for you to find, isn't it.

Bill Lee