FUN-travel: Namibia – Part 2
November 16, 2010 by Susan Clarke
The ABC’s of Africa
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
AA = Awesome Adventure
BB = Big Bummer
OO = Outrageously Overpriced
RBB = Really Big Bummer
TA = Totally Awesome
TAA = Totally Awesome Adventure
VG = Very Good
Day 31 – Sunday, October 3 – Swakopmund – cold low 60’s
Sylvester the Seal
- A – 9 am Atlantic Ocean Safari – Boat Cruise in Walvis Bay
- TA – 9:30 Seal Show on boat – 3 different seals jump on – can pet them
- A – Cape Corinth sits on captain’s shoulder
- A – 11:00 Bottle Nose Dolphin Show
- A – see huge cape fur seal colony & flamingos
- A – 11:30 champagne, oysters, snacks
- A – arrive back to room 1 pm before next adventure
- RBB – in bathroom, front door open, hear kids yelling – go out, tell me my purse was stolen by 2 boys – attempt pursuit
- A – Peter (my angel) owns Cornerstone Guesthouse across street (met him this morn) is just pulling out & takes the 6 boys to find the thieves
- B – 1:45 have pickup for next adventure now & must leave – no word on the purse
- A – 3 hour Aerial Safari – see Spitzkoppe, Namibia’s Matterhorn, vast granite dome rising 700 m, sw side same height as Empire State building, vertical rock w/o ledges or breaks is highest continual rock wall in SA, fly between them – YIKES! – then see Brandberg, huge wilderness of volcanic rock – then Skeleton Coast, littered w/whalebones, shipwrecks, remains of sailors & explorers – then Cape Cross – largest breeding colony of Cape fur seals & they are the largest of the species
Pelicans
- A – arrive back & purse was found!
Donny the Dolphin
- BB – completely emptied – only thing of real value are prescription sunglasses (cell phone had rang at 3 am, thought it was off, have no idea who called, took out to recharge along w/my travel mouse) – lesson learned from past travel – thieves will throw away everything of no value to them – go to 4 block area where they were spotted & dig through trash cans
- TA – I am a LUCKY GIRL! what are the chances – find sunglasses after checking 10 trash cans – never find anything else (biz cards, travel log notes, pens, lipstick, thumb drive – nothing expensive & that can’t be replaced) – thank goodness I had updated my travel log on Friday
- C – take walk to find FUN place for dinner – pick Noona’s – meet Wayne, local guide (quite a character) & English couple I met from breakfast – good calamari pasta & cheap house wine
Skeleton Coast
Not so FF (FUN Facts) – Tourists are targets and so are purses. I never carry money or credit cards in them, except in transit, and then it never leaves my possession. I assume everyone is out to rob me. I put everything in the safe upon arrival. I have never been violated in my hotel room until now. New travel rule: we will never stay in rooms that are vulnerable to the street. Every place we have stayed so far was gated and walled, clearly for that reason.
Day 32 – Monday, October 4 – Swakopmund to Twyfelfontein – cold 60’s, windy, thick ominous clouds, distant thunder, light rain
Roadside Stand
- A – depart 8 am – drive up Skeleton Coast – see ship wreck – lots of flat sand scattered w/mounds of thick green ground cover – gravel roads return – stop in small town of Uis – landscape of red, brown, black hills, rolling & jagged mountains some w/huge boulders balanced on top of one another, then flat topped, dry grass color of wheat
- A – arrive 1:30Twyfelfontein – windy pleasant low 80’s
- A – 3 pm drive to see sandstone rock paintings and engravings – largest concentration dating from 2000 to 6000 yrs old – very steep walk up, uneven rocky steps & thick, soft sand – stark white barren trees & silvery gray dry shrubs & grasses contrast deep red/brown sandstone boulders – then drive to burnt mountain – ancient volcanic rock formations
- B – roads like driving on a grate – shake & shimmy, shake & shimmy
Day 33 – Tuesday, October 5 – Twyfelfontein to Erindi Private Game Reserve – cool morning, high clouds – hot by noon
Rock Art
- B – 7:30 am depart – more gravel roads
- A – 9:30 HEAVEN! tarmac roads
- A – stop @ Petrified Forest – pine trees from central Africa deposited from great flood 280,000,000 years ago
- B – supposed to stay @ Erongo Wilderness Lodge – tented chalets w/thatched roofs built on raised wooden decks around large boulders on stilts – overbooked
- A – Erindi is 5 star! has AC & CNN! waterhole next to dining room & huge deck – lots of animals
Kalahari Ferrari
- AA – 4:30 game drive – see 1st ever Black Rhino, Red Hartebeest, Damara dik dik – then find pride of 4 lions lounging @ waterhole
- C – fabulous dinner & entertainment featuring Roxy & Ray the Rhinos (white), elephants, zebra, warthogs
FF – difference between white & black rhinos – white rhinos are larger & are grazers – black rhinos are smaller, more aggressive & are browsers
Day 34 – Wednesday, October 6 – Erindi to Windhoek to Johannesburg
- A – 6:30 – 9 am game drive – see 1st ever African wild dog & African wild cat & the usual suspects
- A – 10 am depart after wonderful breakfast – see 3rd kill – Tawny Eagle w/rabbit on road
- A – stop @ craft market – more carvings, fabrics, masks, etc. – looking for drum for Amy – don’t see so ask & sure enough find perfect one – beautifully carved – only problem, they want $550 Namibian & only have $150
- TA – after much haggling & numerous attempts to walk away, get if for $150 plus change in pocket (roughly $22 US)
- B – more wild fires
- A – get to airport 1:30 for 4:15 flight
- B – delayed – told tires need to cool off
- A – arrive Joburg w/all bags intact (paid $10 to shrink wrap mine)
- C – back to Airport Grand Hotel (where we stayed our first night) – free shuttle – acceptable for transit hotel – clean, decent food, good wine & free internet
FF – Safari lodges require you to sign a waiver that you won’t sue them in the event you are hurt or killed by the animals. (As I write this, I read that a man was mauled by a lion and killed while taking an outside shower this past week)
Sossusvlei
Namibia Recap: The sand dunes were spectacular! The driving got to be a bit monotonous, but I think that is because we had spent the week before driving in Botswana. We wished we would have gone to Etosha, but that would have required a flight. Also, we had already done 9 days of safari which is quite a bit for most people. We loved it! There are always tradeoffs. Another lesson learned: We thought the Skeleton Coast included the Sossusvlei sand dunes. Make sure you’re scheduled for what you think you’re doing to eliminate any disappointment.