Sixth week - The best of the rest of Namibia and South Africa

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Driving 4 x 4 to Sossusvlei in Namib desert


After Swakopmund, which I like to call Truman Town,"  we continued in the truck toward the Namib desert. After setting up our tents in Sesriem, during our first mild sand storm, and waiting to cook until the winds died down, we were treated to a beautiful starry night and cool sleep.Woke at 4am, in another sand storm, to take down our tents and drive to get to the sand dunes in time for sunrise. We, along with other tourists, scrambled, well, more like walked, up the ridge of the red sand dunes against raging winds.....or so it felt against our legs. We made it to the top and you tell me, isn't this a pretty site worth getting up early for?

Slid, walked down the dunes to meet our truck and have breakfast. Kirsty, one of the gals from New Zealand,  took great shots of our descent.  And yes, Patti, a little bit of the Namib is coming your way!

Our time in the desert stretched the rest of the day to include a walk in what is called the DeadVlei  (prounced flay), in a place called Sossusvlei. A dead vlei is basically a section of what was once riverbed, that over the years, the dunes shift and close in on both sides, stopping any water from getting through and killing off whatever was in the "live" vlei. Looks sorta like a Harry Potter death valley stage set to me! A bit more walking and then we travelled by 4 x 4 open jeep to return to our truck and drive the rest of what was already a very long, hot day starting at 4am. It isn't a surprise that Aaron and I chose to upgrade for 16 US dollars and sleep in a little cabin, no tent set up, and 2 beds. Ahhhhhhh, what a good feeling after showering off the sand! Bed came with pillow and a towel! A novelty when camping.

Today, still no wifi but a lovely campsite in Fish River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world. Dont know how it compares to the Grand Canyon yet, but after our sunset walk, I will have a better idea. Until then, some of us read, hung out by the pool, did a bit of laundry or nap. Yep, the latter would be Aaron. This canyon is allegedly, second in size to the Grand Canyon. Perhaps in total volume, but it seemed a lot smaller to me.

One surprise "guest" joined us as we rolled up our tents in the morning. A fairly good sized scorpion decided to spend the night under one of the travelers tents....thankfully, not ours!

Trip with our group is winding down. After tonight, only 2 more nights before ending in Cape Town, where Aaron and I will travel on our own, before heading home. A few personalities are showing strain, anxiety for what is next, or weariness which is not a surprise. The youngest gal on our trip, Lauren, will be ending a 60 day odyssey,  without one upgrade! To be 23 years young!?  The oldest of our gang, Mari, continues to keep an amazing pace at 64, with 2 hip replacements in the past 5 -7 years! She climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro just a few weeks before joining us. An inspiration for all!

Onward to Orange River, a beautiful drive past vast grape farms full of green grape vines, with the Orange River cutting through Namibia and South Africa. Along the way, we could see the straw and stick homes of the workers. Our leader guesses 6-8 people live in each shack and reminded us how cold it gets off season in these simple accomodations. A few of our fellow travelers went canoeing and actually stopped on the South Africa side without passport or customs! That's how close we were. We opted for the pool with a view of S. Africa. Quite a contrast to the grape pickers digs, I know.

Looking into S. Africa across the river from our pool

Our final stop on the tour and last night of camping was in West Cape, South Africa along the Oliphante River (Elephant River). We stayed at a lovely vineyard where we set up camp, some, like me, attended a wine tasting, and then we were treated to a "home cooked" meal by the staff. The owner used to run overland tours like ours, with Intrepid, before settling down and buying this place.

Mari and I try our 3rd of 6 tastings before dinner

Last day was a long drive to Cape Town and the truck's final destination where the trip ends. We say goodbye to our travel mates, the Intrpid team (leader, driver and cook), check in to the hostel, and begin exploring this very pretty city, mountains, ocean, history, architecture and all.

A BIG THANKS to Simon, our cook, Ingway, our leader and John, our driver

A great adventure with Intrepid and now a week to ourselves before returning home. One more post of Cape Town and the Garden Route (east) should do the trick!