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Adri
was turning 40 this year and wanted to go somewhere special for her
birthday. Initially she wanted to go to Mauritius, but after looking at
the cost, and the number of days offered, we decided to rather go on an
extended overland tour of Namibia and South Africa.
A
rough plan started to emerge and what a tour this would not turn out to be
!
3
Months of research, planning and preparation, two bosses who almost had
heart attacks when we applied for 38 days leave, and we were off !
Thursday 17 April
Our
offices were closing early because of Easter weekend and 13h00 could not
arrive soon enough. Our 5-year-old Land Rover Defender Tdi Hardtop was packed and
waiting at home. At 13h50 we hit the road from Stellenbosch to Beaufort
West where we would overnight in the Karoo National Park. We had a nice
drive through a surprisingly green Karoo, with pools of water standing
next to the road and in the normally dry riverbeds. We covered the 455km
in 5 hours.
Soon
after our arrival we were joined by some of the other members of the Cape
Town section of the Mineralogical Society of South Africa, also on their
way to the annual get together (Gemboree) of all the clubs in South
Africa, to be held in Christiana this year.
 Friday 18 April
We
made a fairly late start, got stopped at a road block near Victoria West
by the same traffic cop (Mr Oosthuizen) that gave me such a nice speeding
fine last year August when I returned from a hunting trip in my car, drove
in rain near Britstown, got stopped at another road block near Hope Town
and finally arrived at Aventura Christiana 8 hours later. Distance for the
day was 650km.
That
evening was spent registering for the Gemboree and talking to old friends
from all over the country. Even Paul, an American who has been touring
Southern Africa for the past year, and who pitched up at last year’s
Gemboree held in Springbok before asking if he could join us on a 3-week
tour of Namibia was there ! He has since upgraded his transport from a VW
Combi camper to a fully kitted out Land Cruiser.
Saturday 19 April
During
the day we visited an active open cast diamond mine near Bloemhof where
agates could be collected. Although no one seemed to be checking us, no
small shiny stones were found that I know of !
The
evening was spent with a communal braai next to the Vaal River and some of
the members were swapping and selling rocks, gems, and related goods.
There
were a lot of holiday goers at Aventura Christiana and the place was too
crowded and noisy for my liking. It is a beautiful place though, and I
would like to visit it again – but this time during midweek and not
during school holidays. I must say that I have not seen so many obese
people (grownups and children) in one place for a long time.
Sunday 20 April
My
41st birthday. On this day we visited the NP Muller shooting
range near Bloemhof. Fortunately no one was shooting that day. The whole
site is covered in agates and we could pick up as many as we wanted to.
The
evening we had another communal braai and spent the night socialising.
Monday 21 April
We
rose early and were on the road just after 7h00. We travelled via Jan
Kempdorp, Kuruman, Hotazel, Van Zylsrust and Askam to the border post at
Rietfontein. The area next to the road from Van Zylsrust to Rietfontein
was beautiful, but the same could not be said of the road. But, we were on
holiday and travelling on roads we wanted to be on. We eventually arrived
at the border post 30 minutes after closing time. We had to pay R200-00 on
the South African side for them to process our passports and raise the
boom. No such problems on the Namibian side and we were passed through
within 5 minutes.
The
gravel road on the Namibian side was as smooth as tar and we could pick up
the pace. We came across a massive Cape Cobra and when it saw the
approaching Landy it raised its head to strike. It stood almost a meter
high and looked very impressive. We had to pay our R100-00 road tax at
Aroab and arrived there at 17h55. The office was closed. No problem -
someone went to call the girl that worked there, she opened up with a
smile, issued the permit with a smile and closed up with a smile !
By
now it was raining lightly and becoming dark. We drove until we reached
the D615 (thick sand road and 4x4 recommended). We parked under a tree,
raised the rooftop tent, had supper, a field shower and went to sleep at
20h30 with not a sound to be heard anywhere.
12
hour’s travelling and 797km for the day.
Tuesday
22 April
 We
woke up after a good night’s sleep, had breakfast and were on the road
by 7h15. We followed the D615 and had an easy drive through the thick
sand. We made our way to the D1033 and travelled along the (dry) Olifants
River. Good roads and lots of beautiful thorn trees to be seen. We arrived
at a friend’s farm north east of Stampriet and spent the rest of the day
and night there. We went for a drive on the farm and I was asked to shoot
a springbuck for the house.
6
hour’s travelling and 333km for the day.
Wednesday 23 April
We
made a late start and continued along the Olifants River. We made our way
along the back roads to Rehoboth where we filled up with fuel. This was
our first fuel stop since Aroab and the Landy had 4 litres left in its
tank. From there we travelled via Nauchas (C24) and the Spreetshoogte Pass
(D1275) to the Namib Naukluft Park. The campsite was full and we were
given the keys to the hiker’s house. The zebra thighbone with our names
written on it is still hanging from the roof of this house. (We added it
to all the other momentos in the house when we completed the 8-day
Naukluft Hiking Trail in May 2000)
8
hour’s travelling and 451km for the day.
Thursday 24 April
We
walked a section of the Water Trail in the morning. It follows a tiny
stream, with crystal clear water and some very nice swimming pools. We
returned to do some washing and had lunch before we left to travel towards
Walvis Bay (C14). We had a look at the Kuiseb Canyon and some other places
of interest along the way. We pulled off the road at dusk, parked behind a
hill and camped in the desert for the night. Not a sound to be heard and
millions of stars to be seen.
6
hour’s travelling and 205km for the day.
Friday 25 April
 We
made an early start, travelled to Swakopmund (B2) where we did some
shopping and from there on to Henties Bay (C34) where we would be spending
the next 5 days.
3
hour’s travelling and 234km for the day.
We
stayed at a town house complex called “Die Oord”. Each house is fairly
well equipped, has a security system and a lockable garage that can
accommodate a Landy with roof rack. Security guards also patrol the
complex.
The
fishing was not too good, but I caught enough for us to eat. I also took a
Purglas 400/4 fishing rod and Diawa 450 reel, loaded with 600m of 35lb
breaking strain line, on the trip to fish for sharks, but unfortunately
none of these worthy opponents were prepared to cooperate.
Before
we left I took the Landy to Grobler Motors (the Total Garage) in Henties
Bay and asked the owner if I could use the lift to check if everything was
OK underneath the vehicle. No problems and they even greased the prop
shaft. Cost ? R8-00 !
Thursday 1 May
We
made a late start from Henties Bay and drove up the coast (C34) to Mile 105.
Obviously it would be the perfect fishing day with blue sky, sunshine and
calm sea. We turned right onto the D2303 through the Messum Crater and
then headed towards Uis. Lots of Welwitschias are to be seen next to the
road. At the end of the D2303 we first took a detour up the Ugab River
before turning onto the D2342. (This is where a Dutch couple got lost a
week later. They were only found 14 days later and by that time the
husband had died). From there we took the C35 and C39 to Khorixas where we
would spend the night.
The
area we passed through had some rain recently as the ground was covered
with emerging grass shoots.
Along
the way, I noticed that the 25L plastic fuel container we carried on the
roof had started to leak. We had to drive for more than 200km before we
could empty it into the Landy’s tank. By that time it had leaked almost
1½ L and made and awful mess on the roof. Although diesel is not as
flammable as petrol, it is sticky, creeps all over the vehicle and
attracts dust. There is only one sure way that I know of to clean it off
and that is hot water with lots of Sunlight Liquid and Handy Andy added to
it. What a job to clean the roof and –rack.
8
hour’s travelling and 402km for the day.
In
the campsite we met a couple travelling in a Nissan Terano. The wife
complained about the dust and the husband about the corrugated gravel
roads. What were they doing in Namibia ?
We
also met a Namibian couple (Alex and Louise) accompanied by their 13-year
old son and a friend (Hubert) who flies over from Germany for a 3-week
holiday in Namibia every year. Although Hubert speaks German and a bit of
English he entertained us all. He prepared onions as a side dish for
supper. The onions were cleaned, and almost half of it was removed when
they were hollowed out. The cavity is filled with garlic and pepper before
the onion is wrapped in tin foil and placed in the fire until cooked.
Extremely potent is the only way to describe it, and everybody has to eat
it otherwise you will never be able to live with your companions !
Friday 2 May
 We
made an early start, as we wanted to take a few detours on our way to
Warmquelle. The road between Khorixas and Palmwag (C39) was very
corrugated and almost all the river crossings were washed away. Where it
runs alongside the Huab River (several places) large sections of the road
were washed away too. Lots of green grass and yellow flowers to be seen
everywhere. We made a detour to the top of Grootberg Pass (C40) before
turning off to Palmwag (C43).
As
I was keeping the Landy’s tank full, we filled up at Palmwag. The cost
was N$80-00. They only accepted cash but had no change. We only had
100’s one 20 and a 10 with us. I was reluctant to give the attendant a
N$20 tip, as I knew that this was a scam. Fortunately another vehicle
pulled up and we exchanged a 100 for two 50’s. The petrol attendant was
not too impressed…..
Almost
all the river crossings between Palmwag and Sesfontein (C43) were washed
away. Lots of green grass and fat springbok to be seen everywhere. In
contrast, the cattle belonging to the locals we emaciated.
A
few km’s before Sesfontein we turned off to drive through the Khowareb
Schlucht (D3710). It is 23km in length and its main attraction (?) is the
thick layer of powdery dust covering the track. We found fresh elephant
tracks, but the animals were nowhere to be seen. We drove back through the
Schlucht and continued to the Ongongo Community Camp Site where the
Warmquelle is situated. The campsites are situated on both sides of a
small river and some 4x4 skill is required to reach some of them.
9
hour’s travelling and 339km for the day.
At
Warmquelle, a large pool under overhanging rocks is fed by a cold stream
of water. The water in the pool itself is actually warm and when you walk
around in it you can feel the hot water rising through the gravel in
various places.
Hubert
and company once again entertained us.
Saturday 3 May
We
made a late start, visited Fort Sesfontein and hit the road to Puros
(D3707) and Orupembe. If you ever want to experience a case of extreme
corrugations in a road, this is the place to be ! The corrugations are
about 150mm deep and 300mm apart. Fortunately our Landy has coil springs.
For
the first 185km of the D3707 you only have rocky plains on both sides of
the road but from there on we entered grass filled plains with hundreds of
springbok.
We
arrived at Orupembe and then turned onto the road to Otjitanda. We passed
the turn-off to Rooidrom Pass just after sunset, pulled up amongst some
trees next to a dry river and set up camp for the night. I noticed that
the steel jerry can on the roof had also spilled some fuel even though it
was not filled to capacity. I promptly emptied it into the Landy, gave it
to one of the locals at the same time vowing to NEVER carry fuel on the
roof again.
We
had a peaceful evening with just a sliver of moon on the horizon and
millions of stars to be seen.
8½
hour’s travelling and 273km for the day.
Sunday 4 May
 We
made an early start, but the track soon deteriorated even further and we
slowed down to a crawl. The first 70km took 4½ hours. The next 30km to
Otjitanda took 1 hour. In hindsight we should have stopped and stayed over
at the Otjitanda Community Campsite. The next 60km to Okangwati (D3703)
took 4½ hours. Lots of steep gradients, big rocks and 2nd gear
low-range. We also encountered the first vehicle of the day on this
stretch – an Ausie with 3 good-looking Shielas in a V8 Defender.
We
reached Okangwati by 17h45. This is a fairly big settlement with lots of
palm trees, but the bad influence of western civilization is to be seen
everywhere. Lots of litter, and empty Carling Black Label beer bottles
lying everywhere.
The
track had by now become a graded road (D3700) and we decided to push for
Epupa if a suitable overnight stop could not be found. We reached the
Epupa Falls after dark and moved into the Community Camp site.
12
hour’s travelling and 241km for the day.
Monday 5 May
This
would be a rest day and we explored the area. As the Kunene was in flood
the Falls were spectacular with a huge plume of mist above the main
waterfall. There are some huge baobabs and lots of palm trees to be seen.
Tuesday 6 May
We
made a late start, and after some difficulty in finding the correct road
(D3700) we headed off along the Kunene to Swartbooisdrift. There are lots
of Ovahimba Kraals along this route. There were lots of ups-and-downs and
rock but the driving was not too difficult. There were lots of trees and
low branches that threatened to rip the fishing rods off the roof.
We
arrived at the Kunene River Lodge near Swartbooisdrift and the people
there were surprised that we had managed to complete this section of the
route in one day.
9½
hour’s travelling and 121km for the day.
Wednesday 7 May
 We
made another late start, and headed off to Ruacana (D3700). The road had
been upgraded and graded recently and the going was very easy. At Ruacana
we said hello to tar roads after travelling for nearly 3800km on gravel,
sand and rock.
You
have to go through the Namibian border post (no formalities) to have a
look at the Ruacana Falls. As the Kunene was in flood the dam was
overflowing and the waterfalls were spectacular.
From
there we drove to Oshakati (C46), where I was based 21 years ago while
doing National Service. A lot of buildings have been erected there since
then and it now almost looks like a city. The Namibian Defence Force now
uses the old base and we were not allowed to enter. The place looks pretty
much the same as then, but looks like it had not been painted, or
otherwise maintained, since I stayed there.
Another
surprise was the row of buildings on both sides of the road between
Oshakati and Ondangwa – houses, shops, shebeens and even a few
disco’s. 21 years ago this 25 km stretch of road had vacant veld
alongside it.
We
ran into a spot of bother at the veterinary control post at Oshivello
where they wanted to search our vehicle for fresh meat and dairy products.
I removed two packets of meat from the freezer and stated that this was
the only meat we had with us and that we had no dairy products with us.
When they saw the meat they promptly lost interest in the vehicle.
Apparently you need a permit to transport raw meat from the northern parts
of the country, regardless if you took it there from elsewhere, and they
wanted to confiscate it.
I
refused to hand over the meat, pulled off the road next to the control
post and much to the dismay of the officials got out our braai goodies and
made a fire. Soon afterwards people we met at the Kunene River Lodge also
had the same problem, but by that time the coals were almost ready and we
had a very nice braai. We loaded the braaied meat into new bags, burnt the
original plastic bags, as they are also not allowed through the control
post, extinguished the fire, and were on our way again.
We
arrived in Tsumeb at 18h27. We refuelled and decided to have supper in the
Wimpy at the garage. We were the only people there, received special
attention and a very good meal. I went to ask the manager if they had a
dentist in town as a loose tooth had bothered me for the past couple of
days. The secretary of the local dentist walked into the shop at that
moment and an appointment was made there and then.
We
slept in the Municipal Caravan Park that night. After all the peace and
quiet of the preceding days the traffic on the adjacent road did bother
Adri a bit.
10
hour’s travelling and 566km for the day.
Thursday 8 May
I
visited the dentist at eight and he sorted out the loose crown. From there
we drove to the VW Garage next to the Wimpy and asked them if I could use
their lift to check the Landy. No problem and no charge. Nothing bent or
broken to be found and we left town at 10h00 for the Waterberg Plato Park
(B1 & C22).
3½
hour’s travelling and 297km for the day.
Friday 9 May
This
day was to be a rest day. I noticed that the left front wheel of the Landy
was deflating and after removing it found 3 small punctures. I inserted
plugs as a temporary repair. We went for a nice walk in the Park, spent
some time at the pool and just relaxed.
Saturday 10 May
 Adri’s
40th birthday. She woke me up at one o’clock in the morning
because a mosquito had found its way into the tent. We sorted that small
problem out and then she opened all her birthday presents. Maybe the
mosquito was just a handy excuse ?
We
made an early start and visited a childhood friend of Adri in Omaruru. We
left Omaruru at 12h30 for the Erongo Wilderness Lodge where we would spend
the night.
The
Erongo Wilderness Lodge is situated amongst the Erongo Mountains
(obviously) and consists of 14 luxury safari tents erected beneath thatch
roofs along the slope of the mountain. We spent some time at the pool,
went for a drive on one of their vehicles, had sundowners high up a
mountain slope and were in general having a good time. Individual
attention at supper and it felt strange to be wearing long pants, socks
and shoes for the first time in 3 weeks.
4
hour’s travelling and 244km for the day.
Sunday 11 May
We
rose early, had breakfast, went for a long walk and climbed up the
mountain. We left at 12h00 and made our way to Windhoek where we visited
some friends before renting a room for the night at the caravan park next
to Eros Airport.
4
hour’s travelling and 336km for the day.
Monday 12 May
 We
made a very early start, as we wanted to meet Adri’s oldest brother,
Jan, who was a passenger on the Interkaap bus to Swakopmund when it
stopped over in town at 6h30. He had no idea that we would be there to
meet him and was very surprised. At 6h00 it was 4°C.
We
did some shopping, had the temporary plugs in the left front tyre replaced
and were on our way to Ai-Ais where we planned to spend the next 2 days.
We stopped in Mariental to collect biltong that our friend had left at a
shop for us and had a very relaxing drive down to Keetmanshoop.
17h30,
just before sunset, 55km before Grunau and travelling at 100km/h -
DISASTER ! An adult kudu cow decided to commit suicide by leaping up a 4m
high embankment and right in front of the Landy. There was nothing I could
do. The force of the collision pushed back the bull bar, modified the
front of the Landy and punctured the radiator in a few places. The kudu
was flipped over Adri’s side of the roof and landed up in the veld next
to the road.
No
one bothered to stop…. Eventually a truck with a CJ (Paarl) registration
number stopped and promised to pass a message to the garage at Grunau. The
tow truck arrived at 21h00. The Landy was too heavy to be towed with its
front wheels off the road, so we decided to tow it with a steel pipe. It
took some time to get everything sorted out. The guy in the tow truck
towed us at between 90 and 100km/h and we passed another 3 kudus on the
way to Grunau.
We
were invited to sleep over at the garage owner’s house and left the
Landy parked in the workshop for the night.
7
hour’s travelling and 652km for the day.
It
appeared as if this was the end of our holiday.
Tuesday 13 May
We
rose early to have a look at the damage and again realised how fortunate
we were to walk away from the collision without a scratch. The damage was
much less than anticipated. A block and tackle was used to pull the bull
bar and nose more or less back into shape and the radiator was removed.
Lots of solder and it was declared to be leak free and reinstalled. A road
test revealed no leaks or any other damage and we were able to proceed
with our holiday.
The
cost of the tow-in, overnight accommodation and 5 hours labour amounted to
R808-00 !
Leaving
Grunau we were nearly involved in another accident when a vehicle
travelling towards us wandered into our lane. Soon after that we narrowly
missed running over a dog and then drove through a flock of birds without
hitting a single one. My nerves were shot !
We
had to go to Karasburg to report the accident, so decided to skip Ai-Ais.
Upon our arrival they were only interested in the location of the kudu and
immediately dispatched a vehicle on a wild goose chase.
We
passed through the border posts at Ariamsvlei and Nakop without incident.
We stayed over at “Die Eiland” in Upington.
6
hour’s travelling and 341km for the day.
Wednesday 14 May
We
made an early start and drove to Johannesburg where we spent the night at
my good friend/fishing partner/hunting buddy Chris’s house.
9½
hour’s driving and 826km for the day.
Thursday 15 May
The
day was spent preparing for our hunting trip, a visit to the shooting
range to familiarise myself with the rifle I would be using on the hunt
and doing some last minute shopping.
We
had delicious kudu fillet steaks for supper…
Friday 16 May
We
rose very early and observed the lunar eclipse. We left Johannesburg at
6h12, travelling on all the back roads on our way to the Natal Midlands.
We arrived on the farm, had tea with the owner and then drove up to the
mountain hut where we would by staying.
The
distance from the house to the mountain hut is 12km. The steep and winding
mud and clay track is situated amongst pine plantations and they had
received 55mm of rain 5 days before. This was exciting stuff and it took
us an hour to reach the hut.
10
hour’s travelling and 580km for the day.
We
went for a night drive on an open Land Rover with a powerful hand held
spotlight. To say that it was cold would be an understatement. We saw 2
pigs, a porcupine, a bushbuck, some reedbuck and a blue duiker ram. (The
blue duiker is the smallest antelope in South Africa and an adult male has
a total length of 65cm, stands 30cm high and has a mass of 4kg.)
Saturday 17 May
We
made an early start as we intended to have a very busy day. We were both
hoping to achieve a Macnab that day. To do this you have to hunt a game
animal and a game bird and catch a game fish - all on one day.
We
left for a camp on top of the mountain where Chris wanted to hunt 2
blesbuck. The first buck was fairly easy, but now the herd knew what we
were up to and it was proving to be impossible to get a shot at the
individual that Chris had in mind.
On
our way back to the hut we saw a nice reedbuck ram and he succumbed to a
single shot. So far so good. We both had a game animal in the bag. There
were a fair number of guinea fowl and pheasants around and brown trout in
the dam. Our spirits were high.
After
skinning the animals and lunch we returned to the camp where Chris
intended to hunt his second blesbuck. We located the buck without any
problems and Chris got his shot. But this buck decided is was not going to
give up that easily and made a run for it up a rocky slope where the
vehicle could not follow it. I set of on foot after it while Arthur went
to drop Chris off at a cut-off point to the left of the slope before he
sped off to the right.
It
was difficult going in this terrain with knee high grass and lots of rocks
and I had a difficult time keeping the buck in sight. While running, I had
a massive fall, but as everything seemed to be fine I carried on. We did
manage to get the buck and while loading it I noticed that the palm of my
right hand was turning blue and that the hand was swelling. We decided
that I best see a doctor and that put an end to our plans for the rest of
the afternoon.
Adri
and Chris’s son stayed behind at the hut, and we hit the road to Howick.
The doctor informed as that they had no x-ray facilities, and referred us
to a hospital in Pietermaritzburg. We arrived at the hospital and after
completing the administrative formalities, it was off to the x-ray room.
The operator was not on duty and we had to wait for an hour. She took 3
identical photos of my right hand and another with my hand held upright
with my thumb uppermost.
The
doctor finally saw me some time later. He removed the x-rays from the
envelope and when he held the envelope up to the light, I knew that there
was going to be a problem. He realised his mistake, held the x-rays to the
light and promptly informed me that my hand was so badly broken that I
would have to return on Tuesday to see the orthopaedic surgeon ! A nurse
bandaged my hand and gave me some pain tablets. I took my x-rays and left.
We
got back to the mountain hut at 23h00. My hand was throbbing and I knew
that this was the end of our holiday.
Sunday 18 May
We
had a lot to do before we could leave and rose early. It was very cold and
had started to rain. We had to load the vehicles and still had to cut and
pack the meat. I only had one useful hand and the other one was acting
like a magnet. We were finally ready at 13h00 and I now had to drive the
Landy down the mountain on those wet tracks with only one hand. We made it
without any mishap.
We
decided not to drive home along the coast as planned, but instead to
travel via Bloemfontein. Adri’s brother, Nico, lived in Bloemfontein,
and we reasoned that I could visit the hospital there if my hand got
worse. The pain tablets affected my sight a bit, but the effects soon wore
off. My throbbing hand ensured that I would not fall asleep.
We
arrived at Nico’s house at 20h00, and after supper and a couple of pain
tablets I felt much better.
7
hour’s driving and 555km for the day.
Monday 19 May
My
hand had not become worse, and we decided to head for home. As it would be
a long stretch I chose not to drink any pain tablets.
We
discovered that Adri’s youngest brother, Terry, was on his way from Cape
Town to Johannesburg and arranged to meet him along the way. Adri was very
pleased with this, as it meant that she would have seen all her brothers
in a period of 8 days.
After
a painful day we finally arrived home after 12 hour’s driving and
1031km.
Tuesday 20 May
I
visited the doctors just after 8h00. He had a good look at the x-rays and
declared that it was a clean break with no fragmentation. The bone of my
ring finger, situated in the palm, was fractured lengthwise. Apparently it
would heal rapidly and no operation would be needed. The important thing
was to immobilise the hand, and a splint was taped onto my hand. I had to
return in two weeks time for x-rays, and if the bone had started mending,
the splint would be removed.
From
there I went to my insurers to obtain the necessary documents to register
the claim and have the Landy repaired. From there to the panel beaters for
quotations. R47 000-00 !
Some
other details of the trip :
We
were on the road for 33 days and drove a total distance of 10965km, of
which 4150km was gravel, sand and rock roads and tracks. The average fuel
consumption of our Landy worked out to be 8.34km/l.
A
memorable holiday indeed - if only we can win the Lotto we will be doing
this every day !
Johan
Snyman |
