Namibia 2011 - A dream in red and green

Travelogue Namibia 2011 by Sandra Schaenzer & Gerhard Schoening A warm welcome!

Deutschsprachige Besucher: Bitte klicken Sie hier für den deutschen Reisebericht!

We are pleased that you have found to the travelogue from our trip to Namibia 2011. We spent tw o w onderful w eeks in the Kalahari and Namib deserts.

It had already been eight years since w e last travelled Namibia and w e w ished to re-visit some of the most beautiful parts of this amazing country again.

We visited the follow ing areas during our trip from 29th April 2011 until 14th may 2011 and drove 2200 kilometer: - Kalahari Farmhouse/Anib Lodge - Namib Rand Nature Reserve Family Hideout - Sossusvlei Desert Camp - Sw akopmund Sam's Giardino - Ameib Ranch Campsite - Guestfarm Eileen im Erongo

Like in previous years, w e rented our car, a Toyota Hilux 4x4 through Frank Krystofiak, the ow ner of Nambozi 4x4 Car Hire Nambozi 4x4 Car Hire - Windhoek If you like to see more photos, then please visit our Namibia 2011 photo galleries.

Single galleries are also linked in the daily reports below . If you w ould like to keep updated, feel free to subscribe to our photoblog at SA*GA Photography Photoblog to get informed automatically about new galleries.

We adored the colours of the Namib so much that w e designed a photo calender w ith photos of Namib Rand and Sossusvlei that you can preview and order here: Namibia Photo Calendar We w elcome your comments in our Photoblog if you enjoyed reading the travelogue.

We now hope you enjoy reading about our Af rican experience and w e also hope that it w ill evoke some Africa feeling and dreams.

Sandra Schaenzer & Gerhard Schoening SA*GA Photography

Nambia - we´re coming!

29th April 2011 Finally Africa again!

It has already been tw o years since w e last visited Africa w hich is the continent w here w e feel the most comfortable. So it w as definitely time for another trip and w e decided for Namibia this time.

We just had 15 days and Namibia is a vast country so w e concentrated on traveling in Kalahari and Namib deserts as w ell as on visiting some old friends that w e met in 2002 and 2003.

We took the train from Basel to Frankfurt Airport early on Friday afternoon. We w anted to be in the airporte on time because w e w ished to buy an upgrade to Air Namibia´s Premium Economy Class and tickets are limited.

On arrival, all Check-in counters w ere already open and after just 10 minutes w e had our upgrade and boarding passes. We w ere now looking forw ard to a relaxing flight and had a small dinner before w e passed security control and w ent to the gate.

Boarding started on time and w e took off at 8:10 pm tow ards Namibia. Well, sunset w as a bit more appealing than Air Namibia´s dinner and service! But w e did not care about it as w e enjoyed the comfortable seats and w e slept almost the w hole time of the flight.

Highlight of the day: The upgrade to Premium Economy Class Evaluation:

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Shopping, shopping, shopping!

30th April 2011 We landed on time at 05:10 am in Windhoek and it w as still pitch dark. Thanks to our Premium Class Upgrade, w e w ere among the first people to queue at the immigration counter and did not have to w ait long for our permit. Luggage w as delivered quickly and w e

still had half an hour until Frank of Nambozi 4x4 Car Hire w ould pick us up.

Sandra found an MTC Shop and purchased a SIM card w ith data tariff for her smartphone that she fondly calls Désirée; the name is derived from the phone's model name. Finally connected to the w orld again :-) Frank show ed up at 06:15 am and w e headed tow ards Windhoek. We finished the formalities in his office and took over our Toyota Hilux Doublecab.

We are going to camp about half of our time in Namibia and so the equipment included a roof tent and complete camping gear beside the normal kit like a cooling box w ith second battery, a blade, compressor, repair tools, spare tyres and w ater canisters.

Frank gave us a quick introduction in how to set up the roof tent and how to use the Hilux in deep sand conditions. Well, it has been eight years since Sandra had driven in deep sand the last time!

Frank had already organised all our previous Namibia travels and so w e had a lot to chat before w e drove the short w ay to Casa Piccolo w here w e w ould stay one night. Again, w e received a very friendly and w arm w elcome and our room w as clean and very nice.

We drove to Melua Mall for food shopping after a short break and a show er. Unfortunately, the activation of Sandra's data tariff has not fully w orked and w e had to see the MTC people. The shop w as jam-packed w ith people! We had to draw a number from a machine and to our big surprise and relieve w e w ere called after just tw o minutes! The young man w as friendly and able to fix the the missing activation w ithin three minutes. Sandra w as happy now ...

We started our supermarket trip and bought all food that w e w ould need for the follow ing 11 days: Barbecue meat as w ell as the unavoidable w ine in 5-liter-boxes w ith "tapping" functionality :-) It is indeed handy w hile camping and the quality is really good now adays. We could get anything w e needed in Windhoek including fresh bread, eggs, bacon and beans for breakfast and potatoes, onions and can vegetables to go w ith the meat. Needless to say, w e bought 20 liters of w ater to be on the safe side.

We spent tw o w ell deserved relaxing hours in the courtyard of Casa Piccolo after this shopping marathon. I continued reading "Hummdeldumm" by Tommy Jaud w ho tells the story of eight different characters traveling in a mini bus through Namibia (the individual traveller´s nightmare!). Well, Sandra could easily find herself in technology freak Matze but w e w ere so happy not having to go through his experience! Traveling individually is so much more fun.

We only had a light snack of salad for Sandra and (really!) young herring salad for Gerd that w as accompanied by a bottle of good Bellingham Premier Grand Cru. We organised our bags and photo rucksacks for the follow ing days and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Highlight des Tages : the successful activation of Sandra´s MTC SIM card!

Evaluation:

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Windhoek - Kalahari Farmhouse Campsite 01th Mai 2011 We slept w ell and had a nice long breakfast before w e started our 300 km drive to Stampriet w here w e had a reservation for three nights on the campsite.

There w as hardly any traffic on the B1 so w e arrived around 12:00 pm at our destination w here w e w ere greeted by a nice young Lady and an orange juice. How ever, w e w ere very disappointed that Sundow ner drives w ere only possible from Kalahari Anib Lodge about 30km aw ay. If w e had know n this before, w e w ould have tried for a reservation at Anib Lodge campsite instead.

Well, w e could not change it anymore and so w e chose a shady campsite at Kalahari Farmhouse. There w ere seven campsites and each w as equipped w ith a Braai fireplace, an electric lamp and an electricity plug. The bathroom facilities w ere spacious and very clean. A really nice campsite but unfortunately limited from a photographic point of view .

So w e settled at the campsite and tried setting up our roof tent for the first time. We managed w ell but the rain coat looked somehow strange...

Gerd lighted the charcoal at the braai but somehow it w on't produce enough heat. Gerd frustrated gave up and fried our meat in a pan on the gas cooker instead. How ever, w e still enjoyed our first steaks and the w hite w ine very much! There w ere about forty beautiful cattle egrets in the fields around us as w ell as bulbuls and some curiously looking w eaver birds.

It w as dark very early and w e tried star trail photos the first time w hich w as lots of fun. We w ere very tired and settled for the night in our roof tent around nine o´clock already.

Highlight of the day: the cattle egrets Evaluation:

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Kalahari Farmhouse - Anib Lodge 02th Mai 2011 We both did not sleep w ell during our first night in the roof tent. We w oke up frequently because w e got used to sleeping in a sleeping bag again slow ly. We anyw ay felt fresh and prepared our breakfast having beans in tomato sauce, fried eggs and bacon. Soon the sun w as strong enough to w arm us up and removed the dew drops of the night.

We decided to stay one night in Kalahari Anib Lodge to join the Sundow ner Game Drive through the red Kalahari dunes. Unfortunately, there w ere no options to drive individually w ith our car.

The Lady in the farmhouse arranged the sw itch of accommodation for one night w hich w as easy because both the farm and the lodge belong to Gondw ana Collection. We put the camping equipment in the car and folded up the roof tent w hich took us almost 15 minutes to complete. Well, there is some room for improvement!

We arrived at half past nine at Kalahari Anib Lodge and w ere accompanied to our room. The Anib Lodge is a typical tourist lodge w here groups usually stay one night only. We w ere lucky and no big groups w ere expected

for this day.

The Lodge people prepared w alking trails and w e soon started for a hike. The grass w as very high due to much rain in the past months and the w hole environment w as more green than the yellow that w e remembered from our previous visits to Namibia. We spotted Springboks crossing the pad quickly after they saw us. There w as a lot of w ater in the valley and w e came across w ater birds like Blacksmith Plovers and Sandpipers. We enjoyed our lunch break and w ere passed to the right and to the left by tw o groups of Red hartebeests. Beautiful antelopes!

Shortly after the break, w e met our personal Carlos. Carlos is the Ground squirrel w ith a sad end in the book "Hummeldumm" by Tommy Jaud. Our Carlos w as having lunch and posed for us nicely w hile chew ing roots. What a cute little chap he w as! And he w as luckier than Carlos because he definitely w ould not share Carlos' destiny.

We spotted a group of w ildebeest in the plain in front of us and they w ere not concerned about us at all so w e could easily pass by. We w ere delighted by the many birds, huge groups of Springbok and the numerous blooming flow ers like Tripteris microcarpa from the family of asters. We saw geckos on the ground from time to time and f inally w e found a patient one that w as w illing to be Gerd's photo model. We met Gernot and his w ife Ingrid on the w ay back to the Lodge and they turned out to be a very nice couple from Germany.

Time passed quickly w hile w e w alked back chatting and it w as soon time for the Sundow ner Game Drive after a quick show er.

Each open Landrover had space for 10 people but as the Lodge w as not fully booked w e had only 8 people in our car and enough space. Our guide w as Deon and he first stopped next to a camel thorn tree w ith a huge nest of w eaver birds. We w ere all very fascinated to make out a Yellow Cape Cobra making its w ay through the nest looking for eggs and chicks. But w e felt very pity for the cute little birds!

Nevertheless, w e all admired this very toxic snake before w e continued our drive.

It w as sunny now and the w arm afternoon sunlight bathed the Kalahari landscape in a very nice soft light. Springboks and Oryx antelopes passed by and observed us carefully. What a peaceful atmosphere!

There is only one place to find giraffes in this area and it w as exactly there w here another Landrover got stuck in the mud. The other guides laughed at him first but w ere very helpful to get him out. Deon took an old plastic hose and used it as a rope betw een the tw o cars. We w ere all quite surprised that none of the cars had a tow rope as getting stuck is quite likely due to the recent rainfalls.

In the end, Deon tore the Landrover out of the mud w ith the help of the plastic hose and w e continued our drive to the sundow ner dune. Deon stopped once again to give us more information about the Kalahari desert. Sandra found it hard to pay attention as there w as a pair of green bee-eaters flying around Deon. What nice little gems they are!

One of the other guides had already set up a small bar on top of the sundow ner dune and w e w ere looking for a nice location to take some photos in this beautiful light. It w as quite difficult and so w e just took a couple of snapshots and enjoyed a glass of w hite w ine. It w as almost "Hummeldumm" funny how the other people w ere lined up on the dune filming or taking photos of the sun that slow ly disappeared behind a distant hill :-) The drivers quickly stored all bottles, cans and cups in their boxes and w e drove back to the Lodge. The grass w as even higher and pollen flew directly into Sandra's face. Well, this w as no good and she had a heavy allergy attack soon after w e arrived at the Lodge. She took tw o capsules of black cumin that eased the w orst pain and w e could go for dinner.

We shared a table w ith Gernot and Ingrid and spent a very nice evening chatting w hile enjoying the delicious four-course menu. We exchanged Email addresses and had another drink at the bar before w e w ent to bed. It has been a long but very interesting day.

Highlight of the day:the Oryx antelopes and the pair of bee-eaters Photo gallery Namibia General: Photo gallery Namibia - General Evaluation:

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Kalahari Farmhouse 03th Mai 2011 We slept very w ell this night and intended to get up early to take some photos in the nice morning light. The alarm clock rang at 05:15 am and Sandra took a look outside: it w as completely overcast and looked like a foggy morning in Basel! So w e returned to bed rather disappointed and Sandra used the time to fight dow n the last signs of the allergy.

We had breakfast at around eight together w ith Gernot and Ingrid. We w ere w ondering if w e w ould meet again at Sossusvlei because our time frame w as similar w hile having a different route. We w aved goodbye and w ished them all the best before w e got our stuff ready and checked out.

We w ere allow ed to leave the Hilux in the car park and started for another hike. It w as sunny and hot in the meantime so w e took lots of w ater and our hats w ith us. We did not see any animals during the first stretch but w e very happy to f ind our Carlos having lunch at the same place as yesterday! He decided to pose w illingly again for us and w e spent some nice 20 minutes together.

We did not trust our eyes a couple of minutes later w hen w e spotted a leopard turtle slow ly moving betw een the mud holes. The turtle w as not so excited to see us and kept moving so w e left it alone and the turtle moved on further deeper in the mud.

We came across groups of Red hartebeests and Springboks and w e stopped to take some close-up shots of the nice yellow asters that grew betw een the grass. There w as not a single cloud in the sky and it w as very hot so w e w ere relieved to reach the Lodge soon after.

We had a cold drink at the bar before w e drove back to Kalahari Farmhouse Campsite, w here w e chose the same campsite that w e left yesterday. It looked as if it w ould be going to rain so w e first set up our roof tent. And yes... w e finally understood how to attach the rain coat correctly! Our roof tent now looked dead professional!

Gerd w as not w illing to accept the first barbecue disaster and put the charcoal on fire once again. He w as successful this time and had enough heat to grill the steaks after almost 45 minutes. Sandra prepared fried potatoes w ith bacon and w e enjoyed our first real barbecue. Being camping beginners, w e w ere a bit proud of ourselves :-) More and more dark clouds w ere coming in and w e tidied up the place and got everything ready for the night. It started to rain slightly shortly after w e w ere finished and w e took a bottle of w ine and tw o glasses inside of the car. The Hilux is spacious and sort of cosy but as it kept on raining, w e w ent up into the tent to get some sleep.

Highlight of the day: to meet Carlos the second time

Photo gallery Wildlife: Photo gallery Namibia - Fauna Evaluation:

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Namib Rand Nature Reserve - Family Hideout 04th Mai 2011 The second night in the roof tent w as much better than the first - so there is hope that w e w ill eventually become real campers! Anyw ay, Sandra w oke up w ay too early around 4:30 am and w as happy that she had bought the data tariff for Désirée. She spent the time until sunrise surfing the new s w ithout w aking up Gerd.

We started tow ards Namib Desert after our usual breakfast w ith beans in tomato sauce, fried eggs and bacon. Our travel distance to the Namib Rand Nature Reserve w as 350 km and w e stopped in Mariental w here w e bought all fresh food w e w ould need the next couple of days.

There is no supermarket nor village near the Family Hideout so w e had to make sure that w e don´t forget anything substantial. Well, barbecue meat obviously w as on top of our our shopping list!

The tarmac road ended in Maltahöhe and w e slow ly cruised on the gravel roads tow ards Namib Rand. We came across a rock leguan tw ice but they both w ere shy and disappeared in the grass once w e stopped the car. The further w e drove w est, the more clouds covered the sky and w e started to have a bad sense of forboding...

We reached the gate of the Family Hideout / Tok Tokkie premises around 01:00 pm and slow ly completed the last 16 km farm pad to the house. Ricardo, the housekeeper and guide, w as in the last stages of cleaning the house and w e w alked around to explore the area.

Some things have clearly changed since w e had been here the first time in 2003.

Grass now covers the sand of the w hole area and there are many birds around like martins and finches. It w as absolutely amazing to see green grass in the Namib desert!

In the house w e haves a large living room w ith eating table, cosy cane chairs, a small playroom corner, a spacious kitchen w ith gas cooker, fridge and freezer, tw o bathrooms and three sleeping rooms for a total of 10 people. There is a table w ith comfortable chairs on the veranda w ith cosy storm lamps and certainly a Braai f ireplace.

We talked a bit w ith Ricardo after he finished cleaning, released the tire pressure of our Hilux to 1.5 bar and attached the pollen net to the radiator grill of the car. The ow ners of the Hideout have set up an authorized 4x4 track that guests can use if they buy a permit. Ricardo w as so kind to accompany us on our first short trip into the dunes w hich calmed dow n Sandra's nerves enormously. Well, it has been eight years since she drove in deep sand the last time and some support sounded like a good idea.

How ever, the feeling and fun for driving in deep sand returned quickly after the first couple of meters and Sandra drove enthusiastically along the 4x4 track over the dunes. She finally managed this challenge very w ell after eight years!

We returned to the house very happily, thanked Ricardo and w aved him good-bye until tomorrow before w e settled in the house.

The sky remained overcast and w e could already see the first thunderstorms in the distance. After dinner, thunderstorms w ere all around us w ith very strong rain and w e w ere already aw are that w e w on't get any nice morning light. We breathlessly w atched the thunderstorms around us w ith lightning and thunder every couple of seconds - none of us has ever seen anything like this before!

We enjoyed a delicious meal w ith marinated chicken, fried potatoes w ith onions and w hite w ine w hile observing the exciting spectacle that nature had on the plate. Nevertheless, w e started to feel concerned about the huge amounts of rain that w as falling.

Highlight of the day: driving over the high dunes in deep sand and the thunderstorms Photo gallery w ild flow ers: Photo gallery Namibia - Flora Evaluation:

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18 hours of rain in one of the driest deserts 05th Mai 2011 It has been a very turbulent night as the thunderstorms persisted the w hole night. We got up frequently to marvel at this amazing nature spectacle around us.

Indeed, there w as no beautiful morning light and w e starred shocked at the lake in front of our house. The pads w ere full of w ater, too, and they looked as if w e could take a canoe instead of our Hilux.

It w as 10:00 am in the meantime and it had been raining continuously for 15 hours in the desert! It w ould not make sense to go hiking or to take the 4x4 f or a drive so Sandra w orked on this travelogue and Gerd relaxed. Ricardo came to visit us and w e could w atch his car sliding through the w ater and mud. So driving w as possible but not really f un and it w as also quite likely that the car w ould get stuck.

We had a small chat w hile drinking milk coffee and Ricardo told us about the local birds and that he has never experienced so much rain before in this area. He had checked the rain gauge w hen he came and it measured 60mm!! When he left, he promised that the sun w ill be shining at 01:00 pm!

Okay...?

Ricardo continued to the Campsite w here a small group of campers w as expected and w e prepared our lunch. Braai w as not possible (this time ow ing to the rain!) and so the

steaks w ere fried in the pan once again.

There w as no sunshine at 01:00 pm but it eventually stopped raining - after 18 hours of continous rain! It cleared up quickly and w e left the house for an afternoon drive on the 4x4 track tw o hours later.

The w ater surprisingly quickly drained aw ay in the sand and the pads and dunes w ere easy to drive on. The panoramic view from the highest dune over all the other dunes and into the plain up to the Tiras mountains further aw ay w as just breathtaking! We admired the sea of red dunes covered w ith green grass as w ell as the green colour that dominates the plains - so unusual! It w as still partially cloudy but the sun spread little patches of light onto the dunes and mountains and the sand dunes w ere shining deeply red in the sun. Just incredible!

We w ere now approaching the big dune to cross and Sandra mastered this challenge w ithout any problems. Yes, made it - result! The certain uncertainness has now disappeared completely but surely w ithout losing the respect for those conditions w e are not used to.

We w atched the sunset and its beautiful colours on top of one of the dunes that are closer to the house and w e even managed to take some moody photos in this w onderful atmosphere after the rain. Namib desert looks great in its green suit and w e simply couldn't get enough of the colours. A real flush of colours!

It w as quickly getting dark after sunset and w e drove the short 1,5 km back to the house w here Gerd prepared a small dinner w ith sausages, potatoes and some bread w hile Sandra w as w riting the travelogue.

All clouds have been disappeared and the sky w as clear except for some lightning in the east. Perfect conditions f or taking star trails! We used one of the trees as a foreground and exposed for 40 minutes. The result looks great and w e had lots of fun. You can see the result in the first thread on top of this travelogue.

We w ent to bed early as w e intended to get up very early for the morning light.

Highlight of the day: No rain anymore and the beautiful evening light of the Namib desert More photos of Namib Rand: Namib Rand gallery Part I Evaluation:

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A perfect day in Namib Rand Nature Reserve 06th Mai 2011 The alarm clock rang at 05:30 am and a short glimpse outside promised a good day: it w as perfectly clear w ithout any clouds.

Just a quick catlick and w e jumped into the Hilux to drive the 1,5 km long w ay to the big dune. The delicate morning light shortly before sunrise is simply amazing and w e started taking photos as if w e w ere in a land of plenty for photographers. The sun peered over the mountains in the east and a moment later the mountains in the w est w ere bathed in a golden glow . The w hole dune landscape w as subsequently a photographer's dream of orange and red. It is such a joy being outside in the quietness of the desert in this gorgeous light! We almost forgot taking photos as w e w ere overw helmed by this mood and the explosion of colours w as almost an overkill for the eyes and senses.

We w ent back to the car w hen the light became brighter and continued a couple of kilometers along the track to park the Hilux for a short w alk into the dunes. We found w onderful landscape photo opportunities as w ell as blooming flow ers like the beautiful Crotalaria damarensis. We w ere still captivated of how amazingly green the desert w as and how the landscape has changed during the last eight years. The grass w as very dry and yellow and just a couple of centimeters high during the dry period in 2003. Now it is lush green and about half a meter high.

We returned to the house around eight o'clock for a hearty breakfast. We had the full program today w ith fried eggs, bacon, sausages, beans and fried mushrooms. Yummy and just appropriate after this amazing early morning! Ricardo came at 10 o'clock for a chat and milk coff ee and w e bought tw o T-Shirts and a cap from the Hideout collection. The light w as very harsh now and w e used the time for cleaning up and relaxing.

We again slow ly drove the 4x4 track in the af ternoon and found many photo subjects. It w as interesting to see how the landscape has changed and compared it to w hat w e remembered from 2003. We spotted both male Oryx antelopes that never leave this area. The other groups of Oryx are only around during summer and leave for Namib Naukluft over w inter time. The male Oryx posed close to us in best light just before the big dune w e had to cross.

We parked the Hilux in the middle of the dune and spent the last hour before sunset in the surrounding dunes. We concentrated on sand structures and tracks in the sand that are made by w ind and animals. The w arm colours w ere once again a treat for the eyes.

Preparing the barbecue fire after w e returned again w as a challenge. We had bought firew ood in Mariental but it did not burn properly and produced a lot of smoke instead. Gerd became upset and refused to give up. He threw more and more firelighters and even fire accelerant into the fire but it did not help at all. The fire burnt for a moment and w ent out again w ithout producing any glow . It seems as if someone did not w ant us to have a nice barbecue!

So Gerd finally gave up and w ent completely f rustrated into the kitchen to fry the meat - once again! - in a pan on the gas cooker.

But, oops... w hat w as this? Obviously the gas bottle for the cooker and fridge has run empty and so he could not f ry the steaks on the cooker. Well, w e got our ow n little gas cooker from the Hilux and finally had dinner - only after tw o hours since w e started.

Camping is stressful!

We escaped the camping stress by w atching the magnificient star sky and taking some star trail photos along w ith a glass of w ine.

Highlight of the day: the beautiful morning light in the dunes.

More photos of Namib Rand: Namib Rand gallery Part II Evaluation:

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Namib Rand - Sossusvlei 07th Mai 2011 We again got up at 5:30 am as w e could see another colourful morning sky looming in the east. We drove to the dune and w alked around looking for subjects. This delicate light and the blaze of colour in the red dunes under a steel blue sky is really hard to describe. Well, this is w hy w e take photos - to capture the light and to share it w ith you :-) Time flew w ay too quickly and w e saw more and more details like animal tracks in the dunes from birds, death w atch beetles, foxes and antelopes. Dead sure enough, Sandra spottet some - for her - very ugly big Orb spiders (Argiope australis) that Gerd found very beautiful and he had a hard time trying to photograph them in the blow ing w ind.

We returned to the house around 8 o'clock and Gerd pumped up the tyres up to 2.1 bar w hile Sandra packed our stuff and prepared breakfast on the gas cooker. We took our time for breakfast and heard Ricardo coming soon after. It w as already time to w ave goodbye to the Hideout! What a pity, it has been a w onderful time as alw ays and saying farew ell w as hard as ever - it is simply a magical place for us.

We hit the road after a final chat w ith Ricardo and he w as happy about the tip w e left him. He really deserved it, he is doing a really good job. We had just 110 km to go to Sesriem w hich w as a nice short drive.

The farm pad back to the gravel road w as slightly muddy but w ell drivable and w e easily and quickly reached the C19 road. We came across a herd of zebras on our w ay to Sesriem and the first glimpse of the huge red dunes w hen approaching Sesriem region w as breathtaking as ever. We stopped every now and then to take some snapshots of this dream in red, green and blue. We found a huge blooming flow er called Wilde Sesame (Sesamum capense) during one stop that w as very difficult to photograph because of the strong w ind. A blooming desert - just gorgeous!

We took our time and reached Sesriem at 01:30 pm. We passed by the reception to buy our permits for today and tomorrow so that w e w on't have to queue tomorrow morning as the gate does not open before sunrise at 06:15 am. Time is short enough and w e w ould miss the first most beautiful light anyw ay.

We continued the last three kilometer to our accommodation at Desert Camp w here w e w ould stay tw o nights. The Desert Camp belongs to Sossusvlei Lodge and is a very charming self-catering accommodation. Each unit consists of a big tent w ith double bed, sofa and cupboard and a spacious solid bathroom. There is a kitchenette in a seperate tent outside on the veranda w here w e had a braai fireplace and a table w ith a bench. The Desert Camp is supposed to be for self-catering guests and they don't provide any cutlery, crockery nor pots and pans w hich w as not a problem for us. Guests alw ays have the opportunity to make a reservation for breakfast or dinner in Sossusvlei Lodge though.

We moved our food into the fridge and drove into Sossusvlei park. This is our third visit to Sossusvlei but our fascination for these huge 150m to 200m high deep red dunes remains unw aned. There is nothing more exiting and beautiful f or Sandra than to be in this special dune landscape!

We reached the river crossing of Tsauchab river, that w as still running, after 21 kilometers. We spent some time there because running w ater in Tsauchab river is something very special and occurs very randomnly. There must have been come dow n an enormous amount of rain three days ago!

The light became less harsh around 04:00 pm w hen w e reached the famous (or infamous...) Dune 45. This is the most busiest place in the morning as all tourist busses usually stop here first and people climb up the dune like little ants. Contrary to the morning, there are hardly any people in the af ternoon, w e had the dune for ourselves and the foot tracks of the morning w ere blow n aw ay by the w ind. We climbed up the dune w hich is quite hard in the deep sand and against the strong w ind but the view from the top of the dune is w orth every effort. We spent a w hile up there enjoying the breathtaking view over the high dunes before w e slided dow n one less steep part of the dune w hat a fun that w as!

We drove back very slow ly and stopped frequently to photograph the dunes in the nice w arm light of the late afternoon. The light and shadow play on the dunes never becomes boring and w e fully enjoyed this last golden hour. The gate unfortunately closes at sunset at 5:30 pm already so w e had to drive back very rapidly w hen w e left the last dunes behind.

We started yet another try to barbecue our meat after our return to Desert Camp. Gerd used the charcoal again this time and the pyramid burnt w ell. After just one hour w e had enough glow to barbecue the meat. My goodness, this w as a completely new camping experience!! We had ordered Oryx and Kudu meat before w e left in the afternoon and w e absolutely enjoyed our perfectly barbecued dinner. Is there hope that w e w ill ever become good campers...? :-) We w ent to bed dead tired and very early as there w as another early morning already w aiting for us.

Highlight of the day: Dunes, dunes, dunes!

More photos of Sossusvlei: Sossusvlei gallery Part I Evaluation:

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A dream: Sossusvlei with water 08th Mai 2011 The alarm clock rang as usually at 05:30 am and w e drove to the gate after w e freshed up quickly. Six cars w ere already w aiting in front of us, the gate opened on time at 06:15 am and most surprisingly all cars except one turned right to park at the reception to buy a permit w hile w e proceeded to the second gate and show ed our permit for registration.

Sunrise began shortly after w e started driving and w e saw that the high dunes far in the distance w ere bathed in the most beautiful morning light - Sandra's photographer's heart w as heavily bleeding but w e continued bravely. We passed the Tsauchab river and noticed that the river w as not flow ing anymore. How ever, as the w arden at the gate told us, the last five kilometer into Sossusvlei on the 4x4 track w ere still closed because dow n there the river w as still flow ing and not drained aw ay. We w ere disappointed on one side that w e could not drive the track but it w as a good reason to return once again on the other side! You have to take w hat you get and w e w ould try to make the best out of this situation. And not to forget that w ater in Sossusvlei is a rare occurance!

We passed the hustle and bustle at Dune 45 and continued slow ly w ith lots of photo stops until w e finally reached the 2x4 parking place. The river w as indeed running and the ground w as deep and muddy so that driving w as impossible. We had a quick breakfast and decided to w alk to Sossusvlei to see the w ater inside. It w as a pretty interesting w alk w ith unusual and stunning sights. Normally the 4x4 track runs through the riverbed and now there w as w ater inside and blooming flow ers everyw here. The hike w as exhausting but fun. The area around the 4x4 parking area w as flooded so w e had to make our w ay around it. Well, w e have never ever before returned from Sossusvlei w ith muddy hiking boots :-) It w as an amazing experience w alking through this dune landscape w ith the w ater everyw here and our hearts got carried aw ay completely w hen w e caught the first glimpse of Sossusvlei filled w ith w ater! Every time w e had read about w ater in Sossusvlei w e w ished to be there and now f inally, w ith a bit of luck, w e w ere standing breathlessly and fascinated just in front of this aw esome sight. There w as so much w ater that even the picnic areas w ere flooded and the river must have had its peak at about half a meter as w e could tell from the rims of the river bank.

As soon as w e settled dow n for photos and a w ell-earned sw allow of lemon w ater, the little cape sparrow s came to see if w e had something on offer for them. Needless to say that w e brought sunflow er seeds w ith us that they happily picked up. We stayed quite a w hile, fully enjoyed this experience and took some photos. It w as already 10 o'clock and the light w ay too harsh for good photos but in this case, it w as more the experience that counted and not the photo result. The Namib desert is one of the driest deserts in the w orld and the Tsauchab river reaches Sossusvlei very rarely so w e appreciated very much w hat w e had in front of us. How ever, it has been the second time this year that Sossusvlei had w ater because there have been a lot of thunderstorms w ith massive rainfalls in March already. Climate change or just coincidence? We can't tell..

We w alked back to the 2x4 parking place across the dunes w hich w as possible because w e alw ays had a huge distinctive dune w ith lots of footsteps in front of us. This w as a very w elcome shortcut and w e enjoyed w alking through the dunes a lot. We reached the river bank quickly and w ere very surprised to find no w ater flow ing anymore. Within four hours all the w ater has disappeared in the sand! So w e w ere able to cross the river w ith dry feet and made a rest under a shady tree on the other side. Sandra could not believe her eyes w hen she saw a young man coming around the tree: it w as Gernot! Ingrid turned up, too and there w as a big shouting and cheering. What a huge coincidence in the middle of the desert! We had know n that w e w ould be in Sossusvlei area approximately about the same time but meeting in the desert at the same time using the same path really w as luck! We chatted half an hour about our rain experiences and adventures and arranged for a drink after dinner in Sossusvlei Lodge w here they stayed.

While Ingrid and Gernot w alked tow ards Sossusvlei, w e slow ly w andered back through the river bed taking photos of the unusual looking landscape and blooming flow ers like Caltrops (Tribulus terrestris) until w e finally reached the 2x4 parking place again.

Back at the car, w e had a short lunch break and drove back to Desert Camp. It w as just enough time for a refreshing show er and the time of the golden hour began. We did not have to drive as there w ere beautiful mountains around us that w ere bathed in orange light and w e found a big w eaver bird nest in an attractive tree that made a good background. In front of the Camp w ere some very good looking rock formations that looked great in the evening light. What a gorgeous end to this w onderf ul day!

Our w eaver birds w ere already w aiting for their sunflow er seeds that w e served w ith a cup of w ater. What a crow d there w as w e just love happy birds :-) Gerd started yet another try w ith charcoal on the Braai fireplace. Wow , this time it w orked perfectly fine and w e had Kudu and Oryx steak on our plates after just one hour! Well done - Sandra w as very proud of Gerd!

We drove over to Sossuvlei Lodge after this delicious meal to meet Gernot and Ingrid. We spent a lovely evening and laughed a lot so it w as hard w aving good-bye for the rest of the journey. What a nice couple they are!

Highlight of the day: Sossusvlei w ith w ater More photos of Sossusvlei: Sossusvlei gallery Part II Evaluation:

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Running out of petrol before Swakopmund 09th Mai 2011 Sandra w as up and running early again and found some nice photo opportunities in the morning light. The mountains as w ell as the rock formations near the entrance looked fantastic in the soft light.

We served our thankful birds breakfast w ith sunflow er seeds and w ater that they happily and busily picked up. They also had young birds and it w as lovely to w atch them chasing their parents for their portion of the food. Just like our little sparrow s at home in Basel! We also had beakfast, packed our stuff once again and Gernot and Ingrid came along to see the accommodation and w aved us goodbye.

Our tank w as more than half full but w e filled in another 20 liters just to be on the safe side for the 350 km to Sw akopmund. This turned out to be a very w ise decision as w e w ould find out a couple of hours later...

We planned to stay one night in Sw akopmund to buy food for the last tw o days of camping. We don't like Sw akopmund in particular because it is foggy very often and reminds us more of a foggy November morning in Basel. We simply cannot share the common enthusiasm for Sw akopmund! We enjoyed the last view s tow ards the red dunes in the green grass that stretched up to the horizon. We suddenly couldn't believe our eyes w hen w e spotted a group of five giraffes ready to cross the pad some kilometers before Solitaire. We have never seen giraffes in this area and w e w ere rather excited. We w atched them quietly f or over half an hour until they felt comfortable enough to cross the pad slow ly and gracilely. Once again one of those typical and unexpected Namibia experiences!

We passed Gaub Pass and quickly reached the curvy Kuiseb Pass w here another highlight w as w aiting: Kuiseb River w as flow ing heavily and so much w ater in this moon landscape w as an amazing and very unusual look. After this lush valley, the landscape changed dramatically to a plain desert w ith hardly any vegetation. This is definitely the ugly side of the desert! We intended to stop at Vogelfederberg, w hich is an interesting rock formation, but it w as midday and the light ultra harsh so w e decided to drive on. The D1984 to Sw akopmund diverges from C14 ten kilometers before Walvis Bay and passes Dune 7. Our tank w as almost empty and w e happily drove tow ards our destination of the day. Our happiness turned into horror after w e reached the junction to C28 and saw signposts that the road to Sw akopmund w as closed! Shortly af ter the junction w e could clearly see the reason: Sw akop river had high w ater and w as impassable. It remained a riddle w hy it w as possible to place "Closed road" signposts at the junction to Spreetshooge Pass in the middle of the Namib and w hy the same should be impossible just ten kilometers aw ay from Walvis Bay! So w e had to drive back all the 25 kilometers and the petrol level in our tank sank to the Empty indicator. We only just made it to the petrol station in Walvis Bay w ith a red flashing w arning light! We learned later that the petrol meter only show s the level of the regular integrated tank w hich is 70 liters but not the total of the extra tank (that usually is a custom built-in tank by the rental company) plus regular tank w hich w ould make 150 liters! This lesson w as learned and all's w ell that ends w ell.

We did not feel like camping anymore after this experience and drove directly to Sam´s Giardino hotel to ask for a room. We have stayed there in 2002 and both accommodation and food plus the ow ner's Saint Bernard dog had alw ays remained in good memory.

We got a room, brought our stuff upstairs, booked dinner and w ent into the city center of Sw akopmund w hich w as just ten minutes aw ay. Dead sure, it w as foggy.

Dinner w as a fantastic 5-course menu that Gerd enjoyed fully and Sandra just partially. The menu consisted of salmon w ith Sw iss roesti, tomato creme soup, salad, beef filet w ith porcino risotto and self-made vanilla ice-cream as dessert. Sam is Sw iss, a very talented cook and oenophile w ith his ow n good w ine cellar. He spent some time at our table and w e had an interesting conversation about life in Namibia and Sw itzerland.

We fell into our beds very tired but happy, even if it w as foggy!

Highlight of the day: the giraffes and the petrol station in Walvis Bay Photos "Colour & shapes" of Sossusvlei: Sossusvlei Colour & shapes Evaluation:

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Swakopmund - Ameib 10th Mai 2011 Most surprsingly (?), Sandra w oke up very early in spite of the good bed and quietly read the new s in the internet w hile Gerd w as still deeply asleep. She got some coffee from Sam at half past six and continued w riting the travelogue until Gerd turned up for breakfast. The breakfast table offered everything that the heart desires from cheese to cold cuts, Nutella, scrambled eggs, jam, Bircher-Muesli, joghurt and frest fruits. A very w elcome change to eggs, bacon and beans!

Sam joined us for a chat and time just flew . We said goodbye, changed some money in the city centre and finally left this foggy little tow n on the B2 tow ards Usakos. We only had to drive 140 km to Ameib Ranch w here w e w ould stay on the campsite for tw o nights. The river shortly after Usakos w as still running and w e had to cross it tw ice w hich w as fun for Gerd and nerve-racking for Sandra. But it w as not very much w ater and underground w as solid so w e crossed w ithout any issues - the Hilux is a very reliable car.

We arrived at the farm and w ere greeted by Waltraud KĂśgl. She is an elderly Lady w ho has lived all her live on the farm and is running the business on her ow n since her husband died some years ago. How ever, the farm has been taken over by a hunter and future is uncertain but for now she had everything under her strict control. We got a map of the rock formation area and drove over to the campsite w here w e chose a nice shady place. There w as a seating area and a Braai fireplace but no light nor electricity like at Kalahari Farmhouse campsite. We had lunch and as the light w as harsh and temperatures quite high, w e relaxed in the shade until w e drove five kilometers to the famous rock formations of Bull's Party. One of the rocks resembles exactly an elephant's head and w e w ere fascinated by this look and the perfectly rounded rocks that w ere created by Wollsack erosion. It is the same type of granite stone as Spitzkoppe mountains and the w hole area reminded us of Bushman's Paradise although yet different. Water w as still flow ing and created little pools so w e w ere able to achieve photos that are different from the mainstream as the rocks reflected perfectly in the pools. Almost kitschy! What a nice photo playground this w as and w e happily enjoyed our time until the sun disappeared behind a mountain. Staying at Ameib w as w orth w hile and w e happily returned to the campsite.

We set up our roof tent, arranged sleeping bags and light inside and Gerd once again produced a perfect barbecue fire. We had bought game meat in Sw akopmund that w e enjoyed w ith fried potatoes and w hite w ine.

Hightlight of the day: the rock formations around Bull's Party Panorama photos Sossusvlei: Photo gallery Namibia - Sossusvlei Panoramas Evaluation:

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Ameib 11th Mai 2011 We both slept very badly this night. We could not fall asleep until about 03:00 am but still got up at sunrise, folded dow n the roof tent and drove to the rock formations of Bull's Party.

Unfortunately, it w as rather cloudy and the sun does not illuminate the rocks until one hour after sunrise. So w e climbed up the rocks and enjoyed the view over the w ide plain until the rocks w ere bathed in acceptable w arm light. We found some nice photo subjects of rocks reflecting in the little pools. The w ater w as still flow ing attractively but a bit less than yesterday. We observed a bunch of beautiful Rosy-faced lovebirds taking a bath in a w ater poodle on our w ay back to the campsite.

What cute little busy birds!

We had coffee and prepared breakfast on the gas cooker. It w as hot again and w e spent a relaxing time until 02:00 pm at the pool. We drove slow ly to Bull's Party and w ere blessed once again w ith a beautiful afternoon light. Rock formations never become boring and the longer w e stayed, the more subjects w e found. We spotted a pair of snake eagles lazing in a tree very high in the rocks. We w ere happy to see them and

took some photos although they w ere very far aw ay. It is the experience that counts in these cases and not the photo.

This w as our last camping evening and w e had no charcoal left so w e prepared the meat in the pan on the cooker and enjoyed our last camping dinner. How quickly time flies! We felt as if w e had just arrived! We w ent over to the bar and met a group of photographers w ho w ere on a round trip organized by a Sw iss photo tour operator. We talked a w hile, mainly photographic topics, and had a lot to laugh about. In the course of the discussions, Gerd mentioned that w e once sold a photo of electricity poles taken in Albula pass region to a pow er supplier through our stock agency. One of the guys w orks for a Sw iss pow er supplier and said he know s the Albula area w ell and that he is almost sure that this photo is in the annual report publication of the company he is a member of the board of directors! We simply w ere speechless about this coincidence!

We w ent to bed in our roof tent dead tired and hoped to sleep better this night.

Highlight of the day: the reflections of the rock formations in the poodles Photo gallery Ameib: Photo gallery Namibia - Ameib Ranch - Bull's Party - Elephant's head Evaluation:

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Ameib - Farm Eileen Erongo 12th Mai 2011 We indeed slept much better and it has actually been the only night that w e slept w ell in the roof tent. How ever, it took us a lot of time to fold up the tent before sunrise today. We find the roof tent not to be ideal if w e need to drive to a location for morning light photography. You pay for the quietness and idyll of camping w ith a lof of time effort and w ork.

We eventually drove to Bull's Party, w here w e already found the other group of photographers and w e all w aited for the sun that w as hidden once again behind thick clouds. It w as w orse than yesterday but w e managed to take at least one nice photo of the rocks glow ing in the w arm light w hen the sun came out for a brief moment. We drove slow ly back and w atched the lovebirds feeding their young in the now w ell-know n location on the drive back. So cute!

Back at the campsite, w e prepared our last camping breakfast; most surprisingly w e had scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and beans in tomato sauce. We packed our stuff and drove off tow ards our final destination, guestfarm Eileen. It w as just a short drive to the farm that is located at the edge of the Erongo crater and w e w ere very much looking forw ard to meet Rita and Frederick van Alphen again.

We had to drive around half of the Erongo massif to reach Eileen as there is no path across. There is a pad on each Namibia map but people told us that this road has not been used since about 1940!! We admired the high mountain of Hohenstein w ith its interesting rock structures that are actually the remains of a volcona and finally spotted a Lilac-breasted roller sitting on an electricity pole! Sandra just loves these colourful birds and w as very happy.

We reached the diversion to farm Eileen quickly and the farm pad w as in excellent condition. Namibian authorities decided to stop maintenance for D1926, removed all road signs and the road w as in w orse shape than the farm pad. Eileen's farm pad has a bad reputation in German Namibia forums but w e cannot confirm this. It is a 2x4 track and people definitely do not need a 4x4 to reach the farm. Frederick improved the pad very much since our last visit in 2003 w hen there w ere a lot of large stones to drive over in river beds. Now the w hole pad is almost like a farm motorw ay! There w ere 7 km left on the f arm pad to the guest farm that w e reached after 15 minutes. Rita aw aited us at the terrace and greeted us happily.

Soon after, Fredrick came out of the house and there w as a very w arm w elcome from both sides. We w ere all very delighted to meet again after such a long time and most amazingly w e have never lost contact! We settled around the large table and talked about our trip and the last eight years. Another tw o guests arrived and w e w ent to our little bungalow . The rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated and have a large bathroom. Our bungalow had a second little room w ith a small table and chairs. We felt comfortable as alw ays and enjoyed a refreshing show er after tw o days of camping. We had coffee and cookies w ith our hosts and all other guests before w e left for a short afternoon w alk up to a small hill not far from the house. The view around the long-extinct volcano in the w arm light w as gorgeous! We enjoyed the atmosphere, took a couple of photos and w ent back to the farm after all sunlight had been gone.

Rita cooks very w ell and had prepared a perfect dinner that w e had altogether at the large table on the terrace. We had bread, mushroom soup, tomato-cucumber salad, rice, pasta, vegetables and goat meat. We all found the goat meat very tasty although some of us w ere a bit skeptical w hen w e had talked about goat meat earlier. Frederick explained that goat meat tastes differently in Namibia because the goats are bred for meat production and not for milk production like in Europe. Time flew , it w as a very nice dinner that w e enjoyed w ith a bottle of South african Sauvignon Blanc.

Frederick's narration about life on the farm and in Namibia w ere amusing and refreshing as alw ays and there w as a lot of laughter around the table. It had been a w onderful evening and w e hit the pillow s very tired but happy.

Highlight of the day: to meet Rita and Frederick again after eight years Evaluation:

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Erongo 13th Mai 2011 We slept very w ell, actually the first night that w e slept perfectly w ell. We w ent off for a w alk in the first morning light along a farm pad and enjoyed the soft and delicate light. The small streams w ere still running and w e found fresh leopard tracks in the sand of the banks - the size of the paw s of this beautiful cats is quite impressive! We did not see any leopards as they are very shy and w e learned from Frederick later that they are currently in the middle of their mating season.

We had a chat w ith Frederick before breakfast until the other guests joined us. Rita dished up everything that our hearts desired: cereals, cold cuts, cheese, smoked meat, scrambled eggs, joghurt, jam and even f reshly baked rolls.

We all took our time to f ully enjoy this fabulous breakfast and Frederick gave us an overview about the geology and history of the Erongo crater before w e set off for a 2 1/2 hour long trip around the farm. Frederick still uses his 60 year old Landrover, that he calls Amalia, for the farm trips. What a contrast it w as to 2003 w hen the landscape w as yellow and dry! Now all streams are running, the

landscape w as lush and green. We jolted along the farm pads up to a hill w here w e had a fantastic view over the w hole range of the Erongo and Frederick explained some medical plants used by the bushmen to us. Most of them have a calming effect on the gastrointestinal tract :-) We continued to drive through the magnificent landscape until Frederick stopped and explained to us how to use a dow sing rod. People do not dow se for w ater; they look for underground cleats w here usually - but not alw ays - w ater is found. Frederick found all his locations for w ater boreholes using a dow sing rod, never failed and now w e should try how sensitive w e are. We had tried this in 2003 and Sandra had been more successful than Gerd so w e w ere eager to know if this has changed. Frederick show ed us how to hold the rectangular dow sing rod and Gerd w alked off. And yes, the rod moved slightly to the right w hen he passed the cleat. He w as happy that it w orked for him now ! Now it w as Sandra's turn and the rod almost turned around w hen she passed the cleat. It w as an enormously strong effect and Frederick said that some people are more sensitive to dow sing than others. Sandra w as rather proud and tried it once again w ith the same result - just an amazing feeling if you are not able to control movements that happen in your hand!

It w as time now to return slow ly to the farm and w e spotted a group of female Kudus w ith their calves and a pair of large eagles w as sailing in the deep blue sky. We reached the farm at lunchtime and had a tuna sandw ich. We relaxed an hour, Sandra w rote the travelogue and looked through the photos w e have taken so far w hile Gerd arranged our traveling bags. Yes, unfortunately w e w ould fly back to Sw itzerland tomorrow !

But the day had not been over yet and Frederick took us up to a hill over the farm w here w e w ere looking for tourmalines like w e did in 2003. At that time, w e found a very nice piece of tourmaline embedded in quartz and Gerd had a pendant made out of it by a goldsmith. We had a lot of fun looking for nice pieces or w orking on big pieces w ith a hammer and w e eventually found some good-looking tourmalines! Evening light w as beautiful and Frederick stopped on a rock high above the farm. The sun bathed the w hole crater in w arm light and created interesting light and shadow structures. This eventually w as the very last sunset in Namibia for us at the end of our holiday. We w istfully returned to the farm.

We took a show er and w ere ready for dinner. Rita and Frederick had prepared everything for a cosy barbecue in their custom-built grotto. Frederick lighted a big and bright fire that Gerd admired w ith w ide-open eyes and he looked rather flabbergasted... Sausages and large pieces of Zebra meat w ere barbecued quickly and Rita brought tomato soup, stuffed squash, vegetabels and potatoes. The zebra meat w as perfectly tender and very, very delicious so w e all enjoyed food and even more Frederick's stories.

Our last evening in Namibia passed w ay too fast and w e w ent back to our bungalow for our last night in Namibia.

Highlight of the day: the farm trip and looking for tourmalines Photo gallery Erongo: Photo gallery Namibia - Erongo - Guest Farm Eileen Evaluation:

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Farewell to Namibia 14th Mai 2011 The last morning daw ned and Sandra w ent up the plateau alone for the last sunrise of this holiday; Gerd w as too tired to join. She met Bambi, a Kudu cow , w ith her little calf on the w ay up. Bambi has been living around the farm for almost seven years now and never joined a w ild Kudu group. Bambi w atched Sandra carefully but her calf w as not so brave, vanished into the bush and Bambi follow ed slow ly.

Sunrise w as colourful and Sandra took the last photos of this holiday. She w istfully enjoyed the quiet morning mood before w alking back to the farm. There w as already a hustle and bustle as tw o other guests w ere about to depart today, too and w e all met for a first cup of coffee on the veranda. Breakfast w as ready soon after and w e fully enjoyed Rita's lovingly prepared delicious tidbits.

We packed the rest of our stuff and it w as time to say farew ell to Rita and Frederick w hich w as hard for each of us. We had never lost contact over all those years and w e really took them and their farm to our hearts. It is just a very idyllic and beautiful place! Frederick described how to by-pass the running and silted up river near Omaruru w here many cars have already been stuck and now it w as really time to w ave goodbye. We left the farm for a 250 km ride back to Windhoek after a w arm goodbye.

It seemed as if the animals of Eileen w ere ready for a farew ell parade w hen w e w ere on the farm pad: w e met a Kudu bull w ith his queen of hearts and tw o little cute Dik-Dik's looked at us curiously. Finally tw o Yellow -billed hornbills joined us for a w hile next to the car. We quickly came across the by-pass over the river and reached the tarmac road near Omaruru soon after. We just had a short lunch break and passed the rest of the stretch to Windhoek smoothly so w e reached Frank's gate at 02:30 pm already. Our trip has reached the f ull circle and Frank drove us to the airport after w e returned the car and a friendly chat.

We again w ere successful in purchasing an upgrade to Premium Economy Class as w e arrived very early but the price of 3000 NAD w as much higher than in Frankfurt at 275 Euro. We did not care as w e really appreciated to spend the fligh on comfortable seats. We passed security control and surfed the internet w hile sharing a bottle of w ine in the w aiting hall.

It w as already dark w hen the Air Namibia plane took off tow ards Frankfurt and our holidays have come to their truly final end. We slept very w ell and landed on time and fully rested in Frankfurt. We got our luggage quickly, passed passport control and w ere on the train to Basel just 50 minutes later.

It has been w onderful and eventful tw o w eeks in Namibia's nature that w e greatly enjoyed. Our main conclusion is that camping remains a sort of love-hate relationship for us. We absolutely appreciated the freedom and independence of camping but it is a lot of w ork and very time consuming on the other side. The roof tent w as a nuisance in the morning w hen w e needed to drive to a photo location but sleeping in a roof tent w as alright. Well, the next time w e most probably prefer a ground tent just to save time.

Highlight of the day: the last sunrise in Erongo crater We hope you liked reading our travelogue and w e thank you for your interest.

Please visit our photoblog for current photos and information about our w ork: SA*GA Photography - Photoblog of Sandra Schaenzer Evaluation:

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