with this trip i was so excited and nervous at the same time. but this time the nervousness wasnt for the flying but for the reason that i was going to see otto, wasnt sure how it would be!
i landed at about 19:00, we then drove to outjo which was our stop over for the evening. the drive to outjo was a bit awkward with many unsure feelings. we got to outjo late, luckily the tent was pitched from the night before. the next day i met otto's boss, wife and the bosses son. we had to go and fetch things at their house. after that otto took me for a drive on the bosses farm.
ct airport, outjo and farm
it was then into etosha, the first amimal i saw was a heffalump :-) what a stunning place, i loved driving through etosha. it was damn hot though! we first stopped at the little shop to get some refreshments, HUNTERS!!! one six pack should be enough, hey?
a pit stop at the etosha pans and otto's selfie pic, lol!
then back to the little shop for another 6 pack, hehe! we then headed to olifantsrus, this is where the site is that otto was working on and where we will be staying for a few nights.
the caravan was home for a few nights, cold water outdoor shower (which is a bit see through, BTW), open air kitchen, need to walk through a food storage room to get to the toilet (oh so not good!)
otto took me for a walk around the site and explained everything, was very interesting. i recently saw the finalised pics, the final product is amazing! i definitely want to go back to see what it looks like.
while we stayed on site, at lunch time otto took me for a drive around to see some more of etosha :-) so many giraffe's! and look at the size of the spider that visited us the one night while we were having a braai on site, eeeeeeekkkkk....
next destination was epupa falls, it was a very long drive. all the way up to the north border. we arrived there very late that night, we stopped at a camp site and asked if they had available space. the guy gave us a spot right next to the river, now with it being so dark, we couldnt see much. we pitched the tent and then went up to the bar to sit on the deck in dark and have a few drinks. it was so nice, listening to the river and gazing at the stars.
the next morning when we got up, we realised how close we were to the river, a few steps!!! we then took a walk to go and have a look at the epupa falls. beautiful place! was kinda weird thinking that we on the border and on the other side of the river (what we were seeing) is angola.
we were only in epupa for one night, then off to kamanjab for one evening. we stayed at oppikoppi resort in kamanjab. we pitched the tent and then to the bar/restaurant for something to eat, drink and a swim :-) oppikoppi is very famous for selling a loooooot of jeigermeister, hahaha. we landed up meeting some interesting characters in the bar and later lit the fire at our camp spot and carried on kuiering with them there.
you see animals everywhere!
namibia has such beautiful landscapes and it changes so quickly from km to km, love the place!
petrified forest tour on our way to uis or there about.
otto had come accross a small "abandoned" camp site a while before i went to visit. this is where he wanted to stay for the night. we took a drive further in to see if we could find anything else or the "owners" of the campsite. we land up chatting to a guy from mauritius who funny enough, SMALL WORLD, knows otto's cousin who stays in mauritius. he gave us permission to stay at the abandoned camp site for the evening. we invited him over for a drink. what an amazing experience, i just loved staying there, accept for the flies! you sit on the toilet and its all just open around you, there was not running water, so unfortunately couldn't use the open air shower :-( below are many pics of the site and surrounds.
rusted wash hand basin, open air toilet (check the view), shower and braai area
my bath for the evening was in a green amo box, which we eventually realised that it was leaking through little holes, hahaha. we lay on the mattress outside just enjoying being outdoors. then the mozzies got too much and we went to sleep in the tent, haha
then was our trip to spitzkoppe, we had to go there again. had to climb and just be there, another awesome place in nam. on our way was a stop in hentiesbaai to get food, etc.
otto being oh so silly again, hand stands! there are so many koringkrieks around, they get squashed by vehicles in the road and then the live ones eat the dead ones, eeeewwwww....
the different cultures: ovambo tribe, bought a little lady doll and then the himba's, the two kids at the fence
live scorpion and dead snake on our way to spitz
did one climb route in the morning, a 15, i battled so much. no other climbing for the day. as the sun was setting otto said lets do a night climb, i was nervous about this. i did it and it was so much easier that the morning climb and it was the same route, hahaha. the night climb was an awesome experience and definitely got me more interested in climbing.
on route somewhere
etosha pans
brandberg
once again i had an amazing time in namibia and there is still so much to see.
thanks otto for a great holiday!
