Next Time!

One last entry to our trip through Namibia, it was very cool. It is not possible to see Namibia in one trip.

When we go again to Namibia:

• Travel the Etosha park in October dry season
• See the far north of Namibia
• Go to the skeleton coast
• make a better sand board with wax or floor polish
• quad bike the dunes at Walvisbay
• Eat more apfelstrodel pie
• See the oldest known meteorite on planet earth
• Visit some shipwrecks lying in desert sand
• View the 2,000 year old Welwitschia Mirabilis plants near Swakopmund
• and more, etc.

Thanks to all for following and commenting on our blog, hope we can next time take some friends with on a road trip.

Road South

Leaving Lüderitz we took the B4 back to Aus and then turned south to Rosh Pinah.  The Spar at Rosh Pinah we refill the cooler with cool drinks and ice.  Then I took over the driving from Fran and we took the road to Aussenkehr, Namibia grape valley.

They told us the Sendelingsdrif crossing to South Africa is closed due to heavy rain and the Orange river was to strong.

Gave us nice opportunity to have afternoon picnic at Sendelingsdrif on the Orange river. 

Driving alongside the orange river towards Noordoewer it was green mixed with desert like mountains.

Nice surprise was the the tar road from Aussenkehr, the Namibian grape valley area.  The tar road went all the way to Noordoewer.

Bringing us back to where we started our road trip.

Best Namibia Apfelstrudel

I tested several apfelstrudel on the road trip and the following is my rating of Namibia’s best:

1. Swakopmund Spar, do not be fooled by the packaging, the Spar got great ratio of apple and crust.

2. No picture available - Pitty Cafe Treffpunkt in Swakopmund was closed on Sunday, I was told by the locals they also make mean apfelstrudel.

 

3. The famous Moose strudel at Solitaire was ok, maybe the people and stories made me expect more. 

     Fran loved this one.  I thought it had too much apples and too little crust.  

 

4. Duwisib-castle kiosk surprised us with good apple cake, not really apfelstrudel.  Again little crust

                                    but served hot from the oven.

 

5. Lüderitz Diaz Coffee shop was the only place where they offered me choice of ice-cream or cream with their apfelstrudel.  

    This can be seen as cheating because it made the taste sensation better. 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately the decision is undecided – need to plan another trip to Namibia.

Sea, Sand, Wind & German town

Arriving in Lüderitz around noon the wind was blowing, I loved it, Fran hated it.  We both did not think the campsite on shark point provided enough shelter.   We decide on Obelix Village guesthouse.  Really friendly and helpful staff and the room with en-suite bathroom was great.

Breakfast at Obelix was super!     :)

The evening we went to Ritzi’s restaurant on Lüderitz waterfront, for beautiful sunset over the harbour and yacht club.

Next morning we woke to beautiful day, and sadly no wind. :(

Off to discover the ghost diamond town – Kolmannskuppe

You can see from the technology such as running water, electricity in the old buildings for those years were amazing, diamond money paid for it.  The first x-ray machine in South Africa was here at Kolmanskop.  There is a De Beers diamond shop and they tell us this is the only place where diamonds are sold directly to the public, Roux I should have brought more money!

We saw few old bath tubs on the dunes, can only wonder?

There was still no wind, thus we discovered Lüderitz town and surroundings. Maybe the wind came later the afternoon.

 

The wind never arrived, then we went to Agate beach and made the best of the day.  Agate beach is 5km north of Lüderitz and is where sand roses are found.

Adele here is the sand roses we got at Agate beach, not sure if we would be able to ship it to Canada?

We took a drive south to Diaz cross, more then 500 years since the first Europeans set foot here and they haven’t returned since, wonder?

We saw some more pink Flamingo's on the road to Diaz point and the road going south along the beach also look like the moon surface.

On the road to Rosh Pinah.

Wild Horses in Namib Desert

We arrived for the night at Klein Aus Vista just outside Aus. We pitched camp as the sun was setting.

The camp is on the edge of the desert, next to the road going to Lüderitz.  The bathroom window has most beautiful view.

The wild horses came about when many years ago domestic horses where taken to the area for work, but some escaped overtime.  They think the population of horses are about 300 now.  There is a water point next to the road where we stop to see some of the horses in the distance.

 

Leaving the wild horses we continued on to Lüderitz, on the straight B4 road west.

C 27

Leaving Sesriem we decide to take the scenic route C27, I manage an average speed of 80km/h on the good gravel roads.

At the Engen fuel station outside Sesriem we refill the cooler with ice to keep the cool drinks for the road icy, and they also have a soft serve machine with vanilla and strawberry, was great in the heat.

We took detour to stop at the Duwisib-castle build by Baron von Wolf.  He build it for his American wife but when World War I started they returned to Germany where he was killed in action and his wife never returned.

 

The live stock and furniture was shipped to Lüderitz harbour, and then by ox wagon to the castle.  Magnificent view from the top of the castle.

We took the gravel roads past the town of Helmeringhausen,

the town is so small it fit on one picture. :)

These hills on the way to Aus looked like pudding with chocolate sauce, yum hmm

 

We stopped at the wind turbine on the C13 towards Aus, it is custom designed and build by Mr Schnebel.  He build it because of the strong winds in the area and a normal wind turbine would not survive, the water source is 30m deep.  The turbine have sail he can deploy at different angles.  On his farm he water small acres of fruit trees. 

Onwards we go to Aus on the C13.