Blogs from Namibia, Africa - page 122

Idleness. Khorixas is in the heart of Damaraland. Apart from the Bushmen, the Damara are the oldest inhabitants of Namibia. In Khorixas there is a petrol station, a shop, a rest camp and for the upmarket, a lodge; so not much. In the distance somewhere was Brandberg Massif, Namibia’s mountain. We were heading to Twyfelfontein some 90km away from Khorixas to look at bush paintings which really aren’t bush paintings. The Bushmen did not paint on the rocks but carved the surface layer of sandstone to create pictures of mostly animals and their tracks. In fact they are petroglyphs but that is entirely pedantic of me. The bush so called paintings are one of the most extensive in the world and the valley of Twyfelfontein is declared a national monument. Haendrik was very excited to see ... read more

The Perfect Day. Even with an hour delay due to a misty cover over the jump site, we were at Extreme Sky Diving in no time signing away our lives and handing over our credit cards. Carl continued to chat nervously until we were given our ten minute lesson. It was as simple as lie flat; knees bent back, head up, arms out and let the dive master do the rest. Alex, Carl and Harald suited up in bright yellow and red jumpsuits and with the help of their dive masters harness on. Alex stood completely relaxed while Carl tightened every strap so much there was barely enough room for his package. Harald was in a state of quiet shock with the realisation that he was about to plummet out of a plane. With formalities out ... read more

Lots of Sand “Peter tells everyone about Mitch, Mitch is like family!” We were on our way to the red sand dunes. “But I swear, that story about the Desert elephant, it wasn’t me, hey? He must have told that story when I was there and now associates it with me,” he defended with a smile. You can’t compare Erg Chebbi in Morocco with Sossusvlei, they are completely different. Erg Chebbi rose from nothing and there is no sign, no registration, it is as nomadic as the people that who live in it. Sossusvlei is an expansive colossus dwarfing all those who visit it. The sand itself is not even the same. Erg Chebbi brushes past gently, falling easily off your skin, blowing away at the slightest breath. Soussuvlei bind to you so indiscreetly you ... read more

Life in a 20 Litre Bucket While half the group ended up in the wheat fields at the bottom of the hill, Ma Guide looked well rested from his uninterrupted sleep in the truck. “I woke up a couple of times and felt the truck shaking. I had no idea of the dramas outside.” The wind was strong enough to shake a thirteen tonne truck, it was no wonder that Hendrik had been blown on top of Alex during the night. Alex shook his head, “He spent half the night with his arm up holding the side of the tent saying for fuck’s sake, I can’t sleep. Then the wind just lifted him up and he landed on top of me.” “So a bit of Norwegian Brokeback Mountain then?” Everyone stood around with a tin cup ... read more

We can't even begin to describe how excited we were upon entering Swakopmund. This was for a number of reasons: a) having been there before and had so much fun it was lovely to return to a familiar place, b) we got beds to sleep in (and as it turned out a dorm to ourselves - get in!) c) we could get our washing done in a real machine and not have to sit hunched over small washing bowls attempting to get our clothes clean with a block of soap and cold water, and most importantly, d) we were entering civilisation - meaning shops, plugs so that we could straighten our hair and even the odd cocktail bar! When you've been on the road for 5 weeks it's amazing what you get excited about! So as ... read more