Africa - Part 8 (Windhoek and Etosha)

We landed in Windhoek where the airport was much more modern than the one we left from in Maun. We had accommodations already booked for our one night in Windhoek, but Angel and Haide had NO idea where they would be staying – not even how they would make the 35 kilometer journey from airport to town. They were traveling with no plan, and this was their honeymoon! In Africa! For several weeks!! To me, that takes cojones!!! Our 4X4 hire company was picking us up, so we decided to see if they would take them to where we were staying, as well. Our driver, Gerson, said that it was no problem. On the drive from the airport, he was saying how hungry he was because he had been so busy today that he didn’t have time to eat. Haide offered him cookies and the little bit of snacks they traveled with, and he enjoyed them in copious amounts! He also suggested they travel with us, as they were looking for a tour to join or something like that, as they had made no provisions for traveling around the country. That put Radhika and I in a tight position, because while we liked Angel and Haide, I travel differently due to photography, and it’s not compatible for most people. But then, when we got to our guesthouse, Gerson asked them for the equivalent of €30 for the ride. A pretty steep price, so Angel and Haide chastised him for the misleading way he indicated they could travel with us, making it seem there was no added fee or cost. He was getting paid twice for the same journey, already being paid by Aloe Car Hire to pick us up and deliver us to Rivendell Guesthouse, and being slick about it. He took off €5, but he still pocketed €25. As it turned out, where we were staying didn’t have any availability for them, so the driver agreed to drive them to a couple of places close by. They called us, saying they had found a place and we would meet at this local place called “Joe’s Beer House” that is a favorite of tourists. Meanwhile, we were given a crappy room without a bath. Not what I had booked. The young girl who unenthusiastically greeted us at the gate when we arrived, and tried to tell us there was no reservation (until I pulled out proof), was now saying that’s all they had and a mistake had been made. Our room had someone else in it already. But she was kind enough to inform me that we wouldn’t be charged the rate for the nicer room. Yeah, no shit! Needless to say our stay wasn’t what I hoped for, and luckily it was for only one day. I’m still exchanging emails with the owners as they are “tracking down” what went wrong.

After a mix-up between Aloe 4X4 hire company and the subcontractor they use to provide airport and hotel pickups, we were delayed in getting to their location the next morning. Their 4X4 hire business seemed to be run from their house. Their neighborhood, like similar ones seen in Johannesburg, was full of houses all encircled by concrete walls, topped with barbed or razor wire and some electrified. The houses do seem like mini-prisons. One large step beyond developments and gated communities one finds in the states, where access is granted only to those with proof of residency or hold special permission to enter. Only things missing were machine gun turrets at the corners. A young gentleman named Opy (yes I thought of Andy Griffith right off) was there to meet us inside the compound that we entered. He made sure to close and lock the heavy steel gate with electrified wires running along the top once we were inside. I later wondered what his impression is of all this security, being a black man of Africa. The truck was there, with the tent on the roof. It was the same truck model we had in Botswana, so that was good. The paperwork didn’t take too long. He showed us the 2 options we had for insurance. One, where we paid about $5000 if the truck becomes unusable and there’s no additional fee, and another where you pay about €10 per day and the amount owed drops roughly to half. I asked him what do most people take, and he said the first option. So that’s what we took. He went inside the house to get us a sheet and 2 pillows, and said he had to give us sleeping bags. We inspected the truck, its contents, camping supplies, emergency equipment, and how to erect and take down the tent. There was ¼ tank of gas, so we were told to bring it back that way. No point in telling Opy that’s a dirty little trick, trying to make the client “guess” at their fuel usage and not come back with a full tank, as his grasp of the language was spotty, at best. So, we took off after he showed us on a map where the tourist office was located downtown. On the way, we realized he never put the sleeping bags in the truck. We called him, saying we would come back after we were done at the tourist office. We also ran into Angel and Haide at the tourist office. They were looking to stay in Windhoek a couple of days and then head out to other areas. We had already settled the idea of traveling together and they understood the reasoning. Besides, they would be in the country for a week or so longer than us, and had more time to travel at a slower pace.

So, we find the tourist office and park. Now, from what we experienced in the several urban places we visited, this is how it’s done. There may be parking meters, but there are also men and women, most with a colored vest, usually orange, standing in parking areas. Whether they put money in the meters for you or not, I’m not sure. However, they watch the vehicles, keeping them safe. When you return to your car, you give them some money. That’s how it was here. We got a lot of useful information inside the tourist office and even booked a campsite in Etosha using their phone to call the park! It was the best, most efficient and thorough tourist office I can recall ever experiencing. They even told us how much we should pay the gentleman watching our vehicle. Across the street was a grocery store, and after a little difficulty, we found what we wanted and stocked our small fridge that came with the truck. We proceeded back to Aloe where Opy gave us our sleeping bags, got directions to the closest gas station, filled up the spare tank, as well, and then went to an ATM where it promptly digested Radhika’s card. The reason we needed cash was because Namibian gas stations do not accept credit cards! That was going to be a pain in the ass as it’s a large expenditure. Gas was not near as cheap here as it was in Botswana. We pulled some money out at a different machine with another card and headed north for the 4-hour drive up to Etosha around 12:30 or so.

The road was paved most of the way, so that was good. It enabled us to keep our speed at 120kph or higher. We had to not only be inside the main gate by 6pm, but also inside our rest camp gate, which was 70km from the main gate. It was called Halali, and when we hit the main gate, the lady was so nice and concerned about us making it in time she let us pass and pay when we left several days later. The road into the park was paved for a little while, and the speed limit dropped down to 60kph, but I went a little over that to get to Halali’s gate before closing. I had read online that if you get there late you can honk your horn and someone would come out and open the gate, but you may get a fine or at the least perhaps a less-than-cheerful vibe. I would prefer to avoid that. And as it so happened, the guy was in the act of closing the gate when he saw us drive up, and reversed his course and widened it so we could pass through. No dirty looks from him either, instead we got a “you just made it” smile. As we made the journey from main to Halali gate, we saw a fair amount of game. The land was very different from what we saw in Chobe or Moremi. Chobe is riverfront and forest, Moremi more broken brush and marsh, especially in the Okavango, and Etosha is really flat with a lot of scrub – much drier than the other two parks in Botswana.

Once inside, we went to reception to get a campsite, and the process was a little slow. We had been told (as we will be told every time we try to book in an NWR run camp) that they were fully booked with precious few spots remaining open. But the woman at the reception counter told us to drive in and find an open spot and take it. That was like a 3 Stooges bit for us, because we must’ve pulled into 3 or more, and once in the spot, we didn’t like it for one reason or another. It’s dark, so our headlights are blasting away into people’s camp area, and I just knew they were thinking, “What is wrong with this guy? Pick and spot, already!” I was about to pop a blood vessel, but we finally agreed on a spot. I had a hard time even recognizing where to pull in, perhaps being the camping novice that I am. Nightfall and the lack of bright lighting didn’t help me understand the layout, either. We also wanted a spot close to where the waterhole is, and in close proximity to one of the shower and toilet houses. Once the truck was positioned as we wanted, it was time to open up the tent, get the cooking gear out, and start dinner. Oh boy! Cooking the frozen chicken pieces we bought was an adventure, as first I tried them over the open fire, but that didn’t seem to be going so well, and we also wanted to eat before we woke up for breakfast the next day. So I busted out the mini LP tank and attached the top burner, and tried the covered pan method on the chicken. It heated them up plenty, but what was left was not recognizable as foul by a long shot. Actually, it was fortuitous that the lamp didn’t provide ample lighting, because looks-wise it was visually foul looking. After removing 80% of the chicken from the pan to our plates and leaving the other 20% as a baked-on crusty cratered lunar surface looking mess in the pan, I scooped out most of the mixed vegetables that was also cooked on the LP tank onto our plates. Ummmm-good! Those vegetables came in cans, and of course you know our camping kit did not include a can opener! Luckily the people next to us had one that I borrowed. I was quite surprised how good both tasted, and Radhika enjoyed our first camp meal together too. Washed down with some ice cold Lychee juice and I was good to go! We walked to the waterhole, and as we got to an area far enough from camp where the lights dimmed significantly, we both looked up into the southern hemisphere night to enjoy the show and both witnessed the same falling star! It was magnificent! The waterhole had quite a bit of spectators at it already, so we merged right in and watched as elephants already present chilled out and filled their trunks with water. A rhino was also there, and through the time we were there several different species paid a visit to quench their thirst in this dusty environment. It was a bit on the chilly side here, not as warm as it was in Botswana. We walked back to our site, checking out the sky along the way. Maneuvering up into the rooftop tent was a unique experience. Changing and storing our clothes out of the way was a little tricky, but it worked out okay. Our first night “roughing it”. How would it work out by morning?

The album for this post can be found here:

http://www.photoshop.com/user/johndp/?galleryid=bf5a76d3d4d34a889564d7c51185c281&rlang=en_US&wf=sharegrid&trackingid=BTAGC