Three Things Namibia Does Well - Namibia Part 1

The Germans didn't have a presence in South West Africa for long, but they left an indelible mark. There are three parts to this legacy. Almost immediately, you notice the quality of their roads; the system-graded gravel road system is better than many paved roads in Africa. Second, the Germans left their taste for a fine lager or pilsner behind - there are several great Namibian beers (Dunkeshane!) and no beer should be enjoyed without the third great Nambian treat: german-style pastries! Sausage rolls! Apple Schnitzle! It's all here! Hooray!  This is a definite step-up in travel delacies after Mozambique!

The Magic Water of Ai-Ais Hotsprings

The dry, grassy hills of southern Namibia are beautiful and as we roll westward the grasses give way to dark, crumbling volcanic features. We saw several ancient cinder cone volcanoes on the horizon.  Ai-Ais is a not a town (as marked on our map) but a small cluster of buildings that comprise a hotsprings spa, and the perfect place to rest after our push across South Africa. Ever had a camping site with instant hot running water? This place did, actually ALL the water, hot or cold was supplied directly from the srpings. It was very hard water and so not nice tasting. We spent our days alternating between dipping in the soothing hotsprings or lounging by the massive outdoor swimming pool or using this little cove in the red rock as a launch spot for small day trips north to the Fish River Canyon.

The Namibia Loop

This is Road Trip Number 3.  Our plan is to enter Namibia from the South, travel North and then cross in Botswana at the Caprivi Strip, move Southeast across Botswana and back home to Marloth Park. 3000 kilometres, no reservations, no problem.  It took us three days just to cross the northern protion of South Africa, having to push through the Pretoria/Johannesburg traffic skirt the southern edge of the Kalahari region and cross into Namibia at Onseepkans.

Monkey Poo

We made a stop at Augrabies National Park on Orange River in South Africa before crossing into Namibia. It was unbeleivably hot and dry. Just breathing the air made your mouth dry, but sitting on a granite outcrop above the Orange River Canyon and watching the sun set over the desert as a thunderstorm sweeps across the horizon is enough to make you forget about it for a short while.  The campsite also had monkeys - cheeky vervets who subsist on the ill-gotten bounty of tourist coolers!  One brave fellow ran between all four of us and grabbed our loaf bread, running up onto the tree branch above us. I grabbed James' sling-shot and pulled it back to fire when the nasty primate fired a shot of his own. He reached between his legs and launched his own insult, sprinkling monkey poo across me! Monkey 1, Scott 0 (my shot missed). After the laughter stopped (from family AND monkey) I scrubbed it off. Yummy.  I'm sure there is a culture somewhere in the world that considers being sprinkled with monkey poo as a sign of good luck - so I'll consider this a good send off!