Ny side 1

November 1-3 Our last full day in Etosha and what a last day. The prize of the day was the sighting of 22 lions at two different locations. The first at a water hole, where the lionesses were letting the younger lions practice hunting, though without much success. They then after about an hour and half retired to the shade offered by a bush on the other side of the track where we were parked. This meant that they had to more or less come past our vehicle to get to it. Later on we saw a male lion under a bush just at the side of the road. His female companions lay close by.
	A hyena is getting thirsty
	On our way out of the park we saw two jackals tearing the remains of a springbuck that the lions had probably killed during the early morning. About 15 vultures were waiting for their turn at the prize.
Hello Mrs Lioness
Once out of the park, after shopping in Outcho, we were on our way to Vingerklip, where we hoped that the camping site at Huab Terrace Lodge was open. It was, and here we spent two days just catching our breaths after all the driving in Etosha. The only problem was that we were invaded by swarms of small flies. We went up to the lodge to get away from them and spent time at the pool and had a drink. The owners gave us some advice regarding the roads up to Epupa Falls.
4-5/11/12 On our way to Opuwo. The scenery absolutely breathtaking. One mountain after the other. It would be great if it would cool down a bit though. 30 degrees C all the time makes life a bit difficult. When you are driving though, it's not so bad. During the middle of the afternoon it started to rain, and believe it or not the temperature fell 20 degrees in about 5 minutes. All of a sudden it was only 18 degrees. As soon as the rain stopped though, the temperature climbed back up to the middle 30s. We arrived at Opuwo Country Hotel Camp Site in good time. The next day we are on our way to Ipupa Falls. Still the same f antastic scenery. Got there at noon and relaxed up at the pool, after we had been to see the waterfall. You really need to use the pool to cool down. A great campsite at Amarunga Lodge. Only problem is that when the wind blows as it nearly always does in Namibia at the moment, you have to be careful that the throngs from the palm trees that give the camp it's shelter don't hit you or the tent.
	Karen just adjusting things
6-7/11 12 Got up early and walked up to the waterfall and then along the gorge for about a kilometer down to a beach, but no bathing because the crocs have preference to the pool!!!. As often happens we had a couple of dogs along with us. It was overcast, so not too warm yet - great! Left for Upuwo and stayed again at the Country Lodge Campsite. She only had one campsite left, which wasn't too good, but when we got down there, it was just the best - lots of room, level, shade and a fantastic view.
On the road towards Purros on D3707, which would take two days to reach, but we managed it in 7 hours driving, on what we would describe as good roads. The scenery on the way down was absolutely undescribable, mountains, valleys, giraffes, oryx, springbuck and of course ostrich. We have reserved a guide till tomorrow morning at seven on arrival at the camp. We are going searching of desert elephants.
	Karen and the dogs
	8-12/11/12 Got up early and we were down at the entrance to the camping site at 7.0am. Our guide was Robin. He was really nice and gave us a lot of info as we drove around and along the river bed. We saw only one elephant - an old bull. We saw giraffe, springbuck, kudu and we enjoyed the trip as far out as the entrance to the Skeleton Coast Area. We had no permit we couldn't go any further. Drove up to the Fly In Safaris camp, which was high up on a ridge. From the top we could see right along the river bed. The elephants we were after had woundered out into the Skeleton Coast area. During the late afternoon the same bull elephant came into the campsite and made a v line towards where we were sitting. He passed us with 10 maters to spare. We were sweating a bit. We ate at the Bush Lodge in the evening. It is attached to the campsite and as with the camp, is run by the local people.
Elephant on his way towards us
On our way towards Khowarb Lodge camping as we start to drive in a southerly direction. Hot when we got there and we managed to find a site with shade. That's the order of the day at the moment with temperatures still around the 37 degree C mark. Great with a dip in the pool followed by a sundowner at the bar. On the road again towards Aba Haub campsite. Again the mountains followed us all the way. Filled up with diesel at Twelvefontein. I think this is the filling station everyone knows. It's not on the main drag but hidden away. Everyone needs to tank up here, so you find it!!! Again we were lucky to find shade at the site, though only a few sites could give you that luxury. Karen ordered an evening meal, because we didn't have much left. Had a sundowner up on the balcony which the site had at reception. This was quickly followed by a 3 course meal prepared by the locals. Pototoe soup, chicken and rice and salad followed by tinned fruit. It tasted fantastic! Chatted to Lauren and Nick, an English couple we have been meeting at the last three sites we have stayed at. Lovely couple who are on the verge of emigrating from England to Aussie. They have a month left in Africa, then home and in January the big switch to down under.
We had noticed that the lights on the back bumper of the vehicle weren't working as they should and a light in the cab was telling us that the fuel filter needed changing. After ringing to Savanna Hire we decided we had to get to Swakopmund on Monday, the day after tomorrow, to get it seen to. I have no tools or filters with me on this trip. On our way the next day to Spitzkoppe. Arrived to find thay were upgrading the whole set up in there. The only problem was that they are still in the thinking stage, but the new prices because of the intended changes were already in force. Another example of "fleece" the tourist, he can afford it! It cost 300 DK crowns to camp out in the wilderness. Karen gave them a note they should pass onto the manager on our way out - he probably won't get it. The area is very beautifull though, with the unique mountains that dominate the site.
	An oryx keeping an eye on us
	After a starry night in Spitzkoppe we are now on our way to Swakopmund. 50 km before we got there the temperature was still around 28 degrees, but when we arrived the temperature was just 14 degrees. We had booked accomodation at Pension Rapmund, where we have stayed before No chance we were going to camp with the temperature under 10 degrees. Got the vehicle repaired and we had our dinner down at "The Tug" on the beach. A famouse landmark here in Swakopmund, because it is built from the remnants of a tug boat. The menu isn't bad either!
13-14/11/12 Had a fantastic breakfast, before we hit the road. Did the last shopping before we drove back to the 36 degrees we have been used to!!! Got to Solitaire Guest Farm where everything was booked up - no place at the inn! The guy rang to another camping site 30 kms further on and they they had one site left. I know it sounds as though there are lots of people down here, there arn't. Lots of campsites only have 3 or 4 sites, so it doesn't take much to fill them up. We had to call in at the famous baker in Soiltaire to get some of his apple pie, he didn't let us down. The new site was okay. We had had so much to eat that we didn't bother with our evening meal. Now we are moving south. The first site we wanted to stay at again was booked up. No one there, but people book in advance from the last campsite. They told us about another one 30 kms down the track, so off we went. Not possible to use the phone, so no chance of ringing ahead. You just drive and hope. The trip down again was unbelievable. Mountains as far as you could see and we just drove through them. When we arrived at Farm Geunsbewys on road D707 it really started to blow a gale. The guy told us no one was booked in so we could choose. We ended up renting a room and had a big house all to ourselves. All power is from solar energy, so we used lots of candles. A big kitchen with gas, so we could cook our food. Now we are sitting out on the terrace listening to the sound of Africa and all of a sudden we know what we are doing here.	Camping in Namibia is fantastic
We met Gertrude, a friendly 80 year old who owned the farm. She had been to Luderitz to do some shopping, leaving at 6.0am and arriving back at 6.0pm. Impressive. She told us that she had left Germany 20 years ago with her husband and feel in love with the place. After losing her husband she has carried on on her own. She runs everything on solar power and is very conscious of the need to protect the environment. She has a convex mirror arrangement which boils all the kettles she wants, she just has to place the kettle in the middle.
15-18/11/12 Thought about staying for another day, but decided to carry on towards Aus, where we fueled up and then on to Posh Pinah, a little town close to the border with South Africa. Talked to a German on the next site. He has been down here so many times taking photographs. He and his companion, who we didn't talk to, left before it got dark to photograph amongst other things snakes. Better them than me. They got back to site just before midnight. The temperature has fallen now and during the night it's cold, especially when it's windy.	Cactus at Gertrude's farm
	South Africa On our way down to the border. We have to sail over with a ferry that has room for two vehicles. We were the only vehicle though. The South African police went right through our vehicle and our things, even my rucksack and wallet. They were satisfied so we could continue over the border. The scenery was still a panarama of gorges, valleys and mountains. Got to Springbok where we stayed at the Caravan Park, but again as the evening progressed it started blowing and got cold. Had a warm shower then direct up in the tent with the computer, coffee, books and playing cards. Cosy arrangement! Bought some fresh bread and left in the general direction of Nieuwouldtville, a liitle town where we hoped we could camp or rent a hut if it ws too cold. We ended up renting a 150 square meter house for two nights. We got it for a snip. We will use it as a "warm" base to explore the area.
Someone has got her feet up
Really funny having a old stone cottage to ourselves, but we are enjoying it. Left to see the local waterfall about 20 kms from the town. Not a lot of water, but impressive with the gorge it runs into all the same. Definately worth the visit. Drove out to see a petrified forest a bit further on from the falls. These trees, although they aren't grow very high, can live for up to 400 years and survive on more or less no water and burning sun all the time - bit like a camel!!! We are visited by all sorts of things at the cottage. Peacocks are constantly here checking to see if there is any food going. Then there are the cockrills, large grasshoppers, large birds, small birds and yes the spider which we removed from the house - it wasn't paying rent. Tomorrow we will be moving on towards the Cederburg mountains.	Peacock performing for us
	A peacock performing for us
A peacock performing for us
	19-22/11/12 Our destination today is Algeria campsite in the the Cederburg mountains. Stopped for lunch at a little restaurant we pulled into. Asked a bit about the state of the roads further on and a guide from a Leopard Foundation or some thing gave us a few good tips. As we talked to him he reminded me of a guy who was a guide on a trip we were on in 1992 with a firm called Drifters. I thought nothing more of it until a couple days later at a Lodge where there was a photograph collage from the same Leopard Foundation. His photo was included and I thought it's him. We asked at the desk if they knew him - jep, everyone knows Quenten and you guessed it, that was his name!!!
While we were at Algeria we climbed up the mountain to the waterfall. It was well worth the effort. We spent an hour and a half up there. Agood stay at the site. Chatted to some South Africans and got a few invaluable tips for later.
	A couple of tourists enjoying themselves
Drove on through the fantastic countryside, not really knowing where we would overnight. We drove through Roobus Tea valley as it's called and further on we hit the Olive plantations.We ended up in a campsite called Mount Cedar. We were all all alone with the mountains and the olive fields for company, plus a few Hadadada Ibis birds, which have a "call" which they use in flight, hence the name. Can be quite an irrating noise if you have to hear it every day. Rolled on towards Capetown and arrived at about 12 noon. Really great to see the Selanders again. We love "em" and really feel part of the family. A lot cooler in Capetown compared to further north where we have just been.
	23-26/11/12 We spent some good days with our friends, catching up on what they have been up to lately. Played some football with Selas and Linus, Karen was let loose in the front garden with some very aggressive equipment. The jungle was transformed to a desert!!! Had to get the lights on the vehicle checked again. Well it's Africa, things don't last very long. It's been a couple of weeks since they were repaired in Swakopmund. Let's see how they last this time. Drove over to The Mount Nelson Hotel and parked the vehicle and walked down to the waterfront area. When we arrived back at the hotel we went in and tried their famous afternoon tea menu. Lots of tasties and some delicious cakes. Nick and Lauren came into the hotel and we enjoyed chatting to them for a couple of hours. Hopefully we will see them again before they fly home.
Two dolls out in the garden
27-30/11/12 We are leaving today. The boys woke us at 7.30am. They were banging on the door with our missing washing from the day before. They were a bit sick today, so no school. Had breakfast together before we started to get our stuff moved back out to the vehicle. Two guys, one from the BBC arrived to talk to Toby. We said our farewells (always so difficult) and left. Thanks to you four lovely people for letting us into your home again. On our way to Franschhoek where we endevour to camp. The road down was out of this world, It wound its way through the mountains, through the vineyards and olive orchards and zig zagging around the lakes. I don't know how many times we stopped to just stare at what we were driving through, but it was worth it
	Just had to stop and look
	When we got to Franschhoek we couldn't find the campsite. We just pulled into a the entrance to a camp of some sort and Karen hopped out to ask if they could direct us to the campsite. There was a big statue of Nelson Mandella in the middle of the entrance road. A bit strange it was placed here. Karen came back and said "drive up to the gate, a guy is going to show us Mandellas house". I didn't really catch on straight away, but we had just pulled into the entrance to the prison where Nelson Mandella spent his last 18 months before being freed. Its name was The Drakenstein Correction centre and at the present time home to 3000 inmates. Mr Edgar Fischer a senior warden at the prison would take us down to see the house where Nelson spent his last time in prison. The house lies outside the confines of the normal prison, probably about 2 kms away. Edgar told us that it was top secret where he was. When president De Klerk came to see him it was through the back door, so no one got surspicious about what was going on. The house has been empty since Mr Mandella left and no member of the public have access to the house, so you can imagine how we felt at being allowed to see it.
Where the meetings took place
The idea was to prepare Mr Mandella for his release, whick De Klerk was preparing the way for. We were shown through the house, sat on his bed and at the small dining table where Mr Mandella and President De Klerk held their many private meetings. Just think that we were allowed to feel Mr Mandella's soul, because it filled the house. A warden once told Nelson that he would never leave prison alive, so when he was on his way to freedom, he said that he wanted to walk down the last road out of the gate on his own. The long walk to freedom is personified in that last gesture. A film with the same title will be released next year, some of it filmed in the house we have just visited. Thank you Edgar for using some of your own time to tell and show us his house and thus giving us a glimse into what the great man went through.
Found the camping site okay after leaving the prison. Next day we were on the road to Hamanus. Had a fish lunch and met Lauren and Nick again - great. Caught up on what they have been up to. They have now hired am ordinary car, because they won't be doing anymore camping. Who knows we might bump into them again. We found a nice campsite in Gansbaai. Drove down to Emma's project (she is the daughter of friends of ours). Unfortunately Emma has just returened home, but Katcha and her room mate Anna were very friendly and gave us the run down on the work Emma had been doing. Following and recording the movement of whales and dolphins is basically the work they are invloved in. Using theoderlights and working from an old water tower which gives them the height they need, they spend up to 5 or 6 hours a day collecting the data they need to help in their research, which will tell us a lot more about the behavour paterns of the many species out there.
Had to rent a chalet in Swellendam because the weather turned cold and rainy. We are also having problems keeping the tent dry. The cover is not really waterproof at all. Savanna have promissed to sort the problem out, but not heard more from them yet.
Weather still not too good. Cold and wet at the moment so we hope we can camp tonight. Before we left the chalet we talked to a Namibian who lives in South Africa. He gave us a few tips on which roads to use and what we could see. In Swellendam we got onto the net and updated our homepage and checked our mail. Savanna have arranged for us to pick a new cover up in De Rust after the 2nd of December. Drove over Tradouws Pass on our way to Ladismith where we would over night.
	Water cascading down the mountain
	Lots of "farm camping" in the Ladismith area and as the weather is still not ideal for camping, we will have to sleep inside. Called at the information office which is situated in an old church. They found us a place to stay. Elandsviei was the name of the place and as always we were greeted by a friendly face and we were made to feel welcome. An old water tank has been turned into accommodation with all the facilities we needed. We grilled lamb chops outside over the fire while we enjoyed the usual gin and tonic.
Our water tank house at Elandsviei


December