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Here it is, one more little trip. This is the first visit to Namibia for Tanya. I have visited once nearly 10 years ago and always wanted to come back. It is also my 7th country visited in 2021, not too bad in regard of the current worldwide situation.
PCR test done, here it is a little easier as they do not apply the 72 hours rule, but rather the 7 days rule. The country has also entered their third wave, the same we have in South Africa. But Namibia is pretty easy as there is very little social contact without mask due to the few people living outside of the capital.
I will publish three blogs on this little big week trip. We first spent some time for a little of golf and shopping/food in Joburg. The new airline to fly short international/regional is Airlink. There is no more food or drinks on any domestic flight currently in South Africa due to government new rules. And currently, only BA has decent domestic lounges in SA. Airlink has mainly small planes, but their service onboard for international flights is pretty nice. They serve more than
decent cold nice snacks with more than decent wine! Hopefully as they are growing internationally they could also develop a frequent flyer program, I can always dream! But Airlink has quite often become the only viable option to reach less than 2 hours international flights out of Joburg.
We are going for some serious drive this week out of Windhoek. There will be few hundred kilometers on "dirt tracks"...sometime with more than 200kms before reaching the next village. So a little car won't do it if we want to stay on the safe side. I went all in and rented a Toyota Fortuner. I'm 47 and have never drove such a big car in my life, first time on a 4WD too...trust me it was fun....2650kms done in 7 days!
So we landed in Windhoek early afternoon, picked the car at the airport and we are on our way to the South. First stop in a shopping mall south of Windhoek to shop on all the necessities for the coming days. They have often call Namibia the 8th province of South Africa. Well, prior to independence, it was "administrated" by South Africa...and it did
bring some ugly side effects to it. But today, even if fully independent, once you walk in a Mall, it feels like you are in SA. All the brands and produces are the same....it's just that everything is a little more expensive than SA as everything is brought in. I have to admit, the feeling is very SA when it comes to shopping!
Next, the run to make it to Sesriem before sunset. At home, sun is currently down before 5pm, but here we have the joy of a sunset around 6.15pm....not bad for the shortest days of the year! So down on a tar road first before turning right for few hours on dirt tracks. Beautiful and amazing are the words when you speak about the landscape of Namibia. I pretty often compare this place as what you can come across in Bolivia. You feel alone in a world with very few inhabitants!
We made it to the Quiver Desert Camp at 6.20pm...perfect timing! Last time I visited the area I was on a little group tour and slept in the camp next door. Our accommodation is nothing luxury, but it's super comfortable.
The best part, there is a braai (BBQ), and a little basic outside kitchen, plus hot water. So for the next two nights, it's nice wine, nice salad and nice meats on the grill!
Sunrise is only past 7am, so no need to wake up too early here. We are just five minutes drive to the gate of the Sossusvlei National Park. Entrance fee for National Parks are super cheap for the beauty you have access to. There are so few visitors that when we reached the gate before 8am we were told to pay on the way out as the office would only open later. We found out upon paying at 1pm that they normally welcome 500 vehicles per day...today at 1pm they had registered 29 vehicles in...and the current average was at about 50 per day. So yes, we had Sossusvlei nearly for ourselves. Deadvlei and Dune 45 were our two scheduled stops. Reaching Deadvlei is a 60km superb road...than come the fun experience, few kms on a sand track only for 4WD...and thanks to a local driver, I got my first off-road class!
Today is our first wedding anniversary. Yes it
was planned...and yes Tanya and I had to carry few things to Deadvlei before getting changed their for Tanya. There was very few visitors around, but we received some truly nice comments. Maybe we should start a little trend of Tanya wearing her dress around amazing sites on each of our wedding anniversaries. As you guess, I have ideas for many coming years!
The place is simply stunning! After Deadvlei, we made a little stop to climb a short part of Dune 45. It was then time for a light lunch before another walk mid-afternoon in the Sesriem Canyon. As you can see, what a day! Hope you appreciate the pictures. As always, I'm now late on few blogs...few amazing experiences in a challenging world.
Writing this from home...we will be here for a while as South Africa is entering a solid covid third wave. Tanya is fully vaccinated, but for me patience will be the key...as this is Africa!
Enjoy the pictures and stay safe!
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
I like your idea of celebrating each anniversary in Tanya's wedding gown...
Just like those who were in uniform, it is an incentive to keep the weight off! Of course, you should also wear the same clothes from your wedding. Namibia is starkly beautiful.