WOW - WHAT AN AMAZING COUNTRY! We are having a fantastic time here in the Namib Desert! The weather has been glorious - much warmer than we thought (35C during the day) and not as cold as we expected. The sand dunes (22,000 km from Robben Island South Africa all the way up to Gabon) are fabulous - so red and so big! There are 4 types of sand dunes, star, lateral, transverse and buchen. We arrived here late Monday afternoon after driving from Windhoek over the Great Escarpment - incredible scenery! Good infrastructure although most of that drive was on gravel roads. We headed out to watch the sunset and enjoy sundowners - an amazing end to the day!
We are staying at the Sossus Dune Lodge which is inside the Sosussvlei National Park. This allows us to be ot one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset. Our rooms are all large wooden rondovels with thatch roofs and a balcony that overlooks the Namib desert and the dunes - beautiful! It is unbelievably peaceful here. The Sossus Lodge is government run property (Namibia Wildlife Resorts NLW) and the service leaves something to be desired but you can't beat the location and views! The employees are all Government employees!
We have been out before sunrise (leaving here at 430am) both mornings so that we are at a perfect spot each morning to enjoy the dunes as the colours change at first light. Tuesday morning we enjoyed watching the hot air balloons take off and fly over the dunes. The day was amazing - we walked up one of the dunes and across a salt pan, we ate a cooked bush breakfast (eggs sausage bacon cereals muesli yoghurt bread coffee hot chocolate juice) watched by a black backed jackal and surrounded by the huge red dunes. Running down the sand dunes was amazing - just sinking into the very soft warm sands! At the end of the day yesterday we drove back to Sosussvlei (about 60km from our Lodge) for the sunset. Our guide Michael is hugely experienced and well know - and he managed to arrange for us all to go back and stay longre in the dunes. Cna you imagine drinking gin and tonics at the base of a huge red star sand dune, watching the sun go dwn and the moon rise with all the hanging light and colours - then climbing the dune and sinking halfway up under the full moon - the top layer of the sand cool to the touch but just a few inches down still really warm from the day's sun? It was awesome - we were the only people in the park and the silence was amazing! You could even hear the slight "hoooo" as the sands moved a little as the temperatures changed. An incredible experience!
Then we drove back to Sossus Lodge where we ate dinner (pork chops or grilled kudu (raised on a farm for consumption) sitting on the lodge deck watching the dunes under the full moon in the clear skies!
At the moment it's 10am we are on the deck in the shade and about to depart Sossusvlei for Swakopmund on the coast North of here! Too busy enjoying the adventure - no time to write the journal so I must run! More later.
LOL
Jan & Terry
Our guide Michael
Cheers ..... Jan Umbach
Sent from my iPad
SECHELT, BRITISH COLUMBIA
WINTER IS ON IT'S WAY
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
April 13, 2014 Day 1 Windhoek Namibia
it's 10:30pm on Sunday night in Windhoek Namibia we have had an amazing day - fortunately I did get back to sleep after after a couple of hours awake last night - Thank Goodness! After a traditional English Breakfast for Terry (poached eggs for me) we headed out downtown to walk around. Eerything was vrey quiet and calm being Sunday morning.
We started at the Namibia Craft Centre - amazing - so many cool things, lovely people and under the sun shining warm and blue skies. We even had lattes sitting in the sun shine outside - what a clean city and friendly people. After a couple of hours (yes new purchases in hand) we walked the streets passing another small market. Then a stroll through the Zoo park with huge date palms before we walked up the hill to see the German Church - Christuskirche (foundation laid 1907) - with many fabulous yellow and black geckos sunbathing on the warm wall outside the Parliament buildings behind the Kirche. There was a performance inside Christuskirche at 330pm - Sonntagskonzert with wine for sale if you can believe it! We actually stumbled on the Natural History Museum which we had been looking for - OMG - it was amazing!!
It was just across the street from Christuskirche - the brand new Natural History Museum with a huge bronze statue of Sam Nujoma in front, President and Father of the Namibian Nation, - the man who led Namibia to freedom even though he was exiled from Namibia, 1960 through 1989. The history is on 3 floors in a fabulous building officially inaugurated by HE Hifikepunye Pohamba President of the Republic of Namibia on March 20 2014 - just 24 days ago!! It has splendid stairs leading up to the huge bronze statue and tri towered structure. There was no entrance charge and Terry and I loved the museum.
We could have spent hours and hours there but moving somewhat effectively we were through in a couple of hours and learned a lot, Why Namibia is a peaceful country after what they went through with the Germans and South Africans are amazing! The three floors represent: Colonial Repression: Liberation War: and Road to Independence. It was so educational and informative. and again we felt so badly for the Namibian people who finally achieved their independence March 21, 1990, less than 25 years ago.
The spectacular artwork (paintings and bronze statue) throughout the Museum - unbelievable!! Later that afternoon drinking wine on the roof top at the Hilton Hotel (1 block away) we were talking to the locals and explaining what we had seen and learned and how proud they should be of this Museum and how they must go and see it soon.
The views from the Hilton 9th floor roof top Sky Bar were spectacular - Windhoek is located with rolling green hills all around. The wine just 500 rand (about $$6) per glass - where else in the world can you get wine at a Hilton for $5? The black clouds were rolling across the surrounding hills and the cool winds were picking up as we headed toward the Gourmet for dinner - it was closed. So after conversations with a local business lady who helped us find a cab we headed towards an Italian Restaurant but went next door to O Portuga - Portuguese food! It was excellent - with dishes of Portuguese sausage, Shrimp cakes, prawn curry, cod fish pasta, and pepper steak served by delightfully friendly Danny - we were well stuffed long before we finished dinner. The very heavy rain storm arrived and the plastic protectors dropped before we were through. Oh yes - the Franschoek sauvignon blanc was only 90 rand ($10) a bottle - excellent!
We were more than satisfied and tired and glad of the taxi to take us back to Galton House (80 rands) where our beds were waiting for us. We need a good night's sleep before we head out at 830am tomorrow for our day 1 on Safari!
We started at the Namibia Craft Centre - amazing - so many cool things, lovely people and under the sun shining warm and blue skies. We even had lattes sitting in the sun shine outside - what a clean city and friendly people. After a couple of hours (yes new purchases in hand) we walked the streets passing another small market. Then a stroll through the Zoo park with huge date palms before we walked up the hill to see the German Church - Christuskirche (foundation laid 1907) - with many fabulous yellow and black geckos sunbathing on the warm wall outside the Parliament buildings behind the Kirche. There was a performance inside Christuskirche at 330pm - Sonntagskonzert with wine for sale if you can believe it! We actually stumbled on the Natural History Museum which we had been looking for - OMG - it was amazing!!
It was just across the street from Christuskirche - the brand new Natural History Museum with a huge bronze statue of Sam Nujoma in front, President and Father of the Namibian Nation, - the man who led Namibia to freedom even though he was exiled from Namibia, 1960 through 1989. The history is on 3 floors in a fabulous building officially inaugurated by HE Hifikepunye Pohamba President of the Republic of Namibia on March 20 2014 - just 24 days ago!! It has splendid stairs leading up to the huge bronze statue and tri towered structure. There was no entrance charge and Terry and I loved the museum.
We could have spent hours and hours there but moving somewhat effectively we were through in a couple of hours and learned a lot, Why Namibia is a peaceful country after what they went through with the Germans and South Africans are amazing! The three floors represent: Colonial Repression: Liberation War: and Road to Independence. It was so educational and informative. and again we felt so badly for the Namibian people who finally achieved their independence March 21, 1990, less than 25 years ago.
The spectacular artwork (paintings and bronze statue) throughout the Museum - unbelievable!! Later that afternoon drinking wine on the roof top at the Hilton Hotel (1 block away) we were talking to the locals and explaining what we had seen and learned and how proud they should be of this Museum and how they must go and see it soon.
The views from the Hilton 9th floor roof top Sky Bar were spectacular - Windhoek is located with rolling green hills all around. The wine just 500 rand (about $$6) per glass - where else in the world can you get wine at a Hilton for $5? The black clouds were rolling across the surrounding hills and the cool winds were picking up as we headed toward the Gourmet for dinner - it was closed. So after conversations with a local business lady who helped us find a cab we headed towards an Italian Restaurant but went next door to O Portuga - Portuguese food! It was excellent - with dishes of Portuguese sausage, Shrimp cakes, prawn curry, cod fish pasta, and pepper steak served by delightfully friendly Danny - we were well stuffed long before we finished dinner. The very heavy rain storm arrived and the plastic protectors dropped before we were through. Oh yes - the Franschoek sauvignon blanc was only 90 rand ($10) a bottle - excellent!
We were more than satisfied and tired and glad of the taxi to take us back to Galton House (80 rands) where our beds were waiting for us. We need a good night's sleep before we head out at 830am tomorrow for our day 1 on Safari!
APRIL 10-13, 2014 Vancouver BC to Windhoek, Namiba AFRICA
After two gruelling over night flights to London and Joburg and a short flight to Windhoek we arrived safely in Nambia to be greeted by a downpour. No problem our driver Pietros arrived with 4 large umbrellas to get us over to the parking lot. Before we left Terry bought a SIM card for my Iphone so I am set with cellular communications!
After checking in to Galton House, Windhoek and a refreshing shower we headed out to Joe's Beer House - a local happening place for a great evening with our buddies from Sechelt Doug and Darcy who we met as planned in Joburg. They arrived a few days earlier to take in a wonderful and eventful safari at Rhino Camp in Kruger Park .
Galton House is contemporary design with all the facilities that you need with all the rooms (about 8) opening onto a courtyard with tropical plants, and a good sized swimming pool and sitting area - great for relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. Our stay here included breakfast each morning - a large menu with everything cooked to order plus yoghurt, cereal and juice buffet.
Joes Beerhouse has a large funky eclectic outdoor bar area and several different eating areas with a wide menu featuring exotic foods. We all managed to stay awake until close to 9pm before heading back to our beds.
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I thought it was after 5am but my watch was apparently upside down so it was really just after midnight and I had only had 3 hours sleep - not the 8 hours that I thought I'd had so I'm going to try and get some more sleep shortly.
Yesterday during the 45km drive in from the airport - Namibia , along with our driver Pietros, has shown us beautiful scenery with lots of lush green bush, rolling hills and varying mountain ridges all around. Very peaceful with excellent infrastructure for the highway system and the little we've seen of Windhoek so far shows very well maintained subdivisions. It's going to be an amazing trip.
Oh we did learn yesterday - first hand - that you can't buy wine beer or alcohol in the stores after1pm on Saturday or all day Sunday!! The good news is that at Joe 's Beerhouse you can (and we did) buy excellent South African wine for about $17 cad per bottle!! Night night!!
Cheers ..... Jan Umbach
Sent from my iPad
After checking in to Galton House, Windhoek and a refreshing shower we headed out to Joe's Beer House - a local happening place for a great evening with our buddies from Sechelt Doug and Darcy who we met as planned in Joburg. They arrived a few days earlier to take in a wonderful and eventful safari at Rhino Camp in Kruger Park .
Galton House is contemporary design with all the facilities that you need with all the rooms (about 8) opening onto a courtyard with tropical plants, and a good sized swimming pool and sitting area - great for relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. Our stay here included breakfast each morning - a large menu with everything cooked to order plus yoghurt, cereal and juice buffet.
Joes Beerhouse has a large funky eclectic outdoor bar area and several different eating areas with a wide menu featuring exotic foods. We all managed to stay awake until close to 9pm before heading back to our beds.
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I thought it was after 5am but my watch was apparently upside down so it was really just after midnight and I had only had 3 hours sleep - not the 8 hours that I thought I'd had so I'm going to try and get some more sleep shortly.
Yesterday during the 45km drive in from the airport - Namibia , along with our driver Pietros, has shown us beautiful scenery with lots of lush green bush, rolling hills and varying mountain ridges all around. Very peaceful with excellent infrastructure for the highway system and the little we've seen of Windhoek so far shows very well maintained subdivisions. It's going to be an amazing trip.
Oh we did learn yesterday - first hand - that you can't buy wine beer or alcohol in the stores after1pm on Saturday or all day Sunday!! The good news is that at Joe 's Beerhouse you can (and we did) buy excellent South African wine for about $17 cad per bottle!! Night night!!
Cheers ..... Jan Umbach
Sent from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)