Traveling . . .

[imcarthur]

Richard

We drove 323kms from Windhoek (pronounced vindhook) Airport to our lodge. About 4 hrs including a 20 minute stop for supplies. The first 110 on tar went fast but the gravel was much slower averaging 80km/hr but much slower in spots. Truly in the middle of nowhere for most of it. I think the baboon is the national animal - we saw hundreds beside the tar roads - not so much on the remote ones. More pics tomorrow.

Ian

Edit: I ended up with a Toyota Hilux. I got shifting with the left hand down quickly (same pattern) but the stupid blinker is on the right so I keep turning on the wipers which are on the left . . . I only needed 4WD twice.

[motion]

I'm going to try and make it to Jordan Winery. Did you try Fork?

I have the same problem with right hand drive cars... takes a bit to figure out the blinker thing.

[imcarthur]

We have one night in Cape Town proper after Kruger & Johannesburg before our flight home. We will probably go then.

Btw we are staying just south of Solitaire, Namibia for the next 3 nights. We asked the manager here if there was anything 'out there' that could kill us. She said no. Except for the black mambas & the Cobras . .

Ian

[imcarthur]

Part of Spreetshoogte Pass. Easy this time of year with only one seriously smelly small wet to power through in 4WD. Flash floods in the spring can make this pass undrivable.



In the early morning light. On the outskirts of the Namib Desert.

Ian

[Willem Fick]

Nice thread guys! I find myself living vicariously through the eyes of Motion and Ian..

[imcarthur]

Well, I am glad somebody is still following . . .

Today was a do absolutely nothing day for us. I always have to schedule at least one 'holiday within the holiday' to keep my spouse from rebelling. Tomorrow we head into the desert for the Sossusvlei area & the amazing dunes. They are predicting 33C so we will aim to arrive at Sesrium for gate opening @ 6AM or shortly thereafter.

So . . . more pics tomorrow night.

Ian

[recycled sixtie]

Ian this is a seriously impressive vacation. Not your average safari. Thanks for posting these pics.....

[creaturecat]

nice.
my s.i.l. works here: https://www.facebook.com/AERUVolunteers/

wanna visit elephants? she is an elephant expert. : )

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by creaturecat

nice.
my s.i.l. works here: https://www.facebook.com/AERUVolunteers/

wanna visit elephants? she is an elephant expert. : )

We have 6 nights in Kruger starting Thursday. 4 nights in the public camps in bungalows & 2 nights in a deluxe private camp in Kruger. I rented a van so we can move around a bit to take pics. My wife fears that it will be a target for the elephants. For years, I have wanted to self-drive in Kruger. We are really looking forward to it. Our Sanpark fees (not cheap btw) go to the parks for conservation so it's all good.

Ian

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

Part of Spreetshoogte Pass. Easy this time of year with only one seriously smelly small wet to power through in 4WD. Flash floods in the spring can make this pass undrivable.



In the early morning light. On the outskirts of the Namib Desert.

Ian

Ian how many cars do you see when you are driving on these roads? Do you have a real spare tire or two?

[imcarthur]

Btw . . . Our lodge in remote Namibia. Fast fact: Namibia has one of the lowest population densities of any country in the world.

Time for a nightcap & bed.

Ian

[LakeCleElum]

Ian - Great photo's - Thax.....

[Willem Fick]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

Ian how many cars do you see when you are driving on these roads? Do you have a real spare tire or two?

There are areas where the roads are literally only used by a single family on a once a week basis, and in the quieter areas you may literally spend days without seeing another car.

On a family holiday in this area, years before mobile phones, we got stuck with 3, yes 3, punctured tyres punctured simultaneously on my dad's car. Talk about being up sh@t creek... Waited around for probably the better part of a day before the folks we were headed to realized something was wrong and came looking for us.

In another incident in the same region my cousin and his family were involved in a very serious accident with the only other car on the road (driver had a heart attack and plowed into them head-on). They lay next to the road for a day before help arrived.

Mobile phones have helped a lot but most people that live in this region carry at least one proper spare, a couple of inner tubes, and a set of tyre levers. Mag wheels are not popular...

[imcarthur]

Heading into Sossusvlei. This is a small accessible area in the Namib desert protected area. The Namib is a massive area with the largest dunes in the world.



After 60 kms on tar road, 5 kms on loose 4WD sand & a 1.2 km walk up & down through sand you get to an area called Deadvlei which is a clay pan with long dead trees. A river used to flow here 600 years ago but the dunes choked it. The images of the area are quite unique & you may have seen them in movies etc.



This dune towers over Deadvlei. It is called Big Daddy. You won't see it in this resolution but there are climbers on the ridge.



On the way in, we saw a black backed jackal, several springbok & some gorgeous oryx.

And on the subject of tires etc, as Willem mentioned, you prepare. I checked that we had a good spare, all of the necessary tools & I took a quick look at the wheel lugs to make sure that they weren't rounded. We saw two people changing tires on the side of the road in the last two days.

Ian

[imcarthur]

One more from Deadvlei.



Ian

[imcarthur]

I went out for an early morning walk before our drive to Windhoek. I spied these in the distance . . . A springbok & some ostriches.



Our drive back was easy except when we got to the wet in the pass, 2 Hiluxs were there staring at the water & wondering how to get through it. All from LA btw . . . They asked me to go first & show them how. Wimps. I easily showed them how it is done. They made it through shortly thereafter . . .

Ian

Edit: Windhoek is Namibia's only city & it accounts for a huge percentage of the country's 2.5M population. And it is rumored to not be particularly safe. We are at the Hilton in the CBD & don't plan to investigate very much. Motion is due to arrive here about 4 hours after we fly out tomorrow morning for his whirlwind drive.

Edit edit: my next posts will be from Kruger National Park in SA.

[Willem Fick]

Deadvlei s quite spectacular isn't it?!

Off in 30 min to meet up with Motion for supper here in Jhb. Between you and him you guys surely know how to cover ground!

[imcarthur]

Yes, it was stunning, Willem. Say hello to Richard.

Windhoek at night.



Ian

[imcarthur]

Just a quick post before a 4AM run to the airport.

Namibia fast facts: 90% of the cars & trucks are white. More that 50% are Toyota Hiluxs. OK, not real facts but observations . . .

Ian

[motion]

Wonderful photos, Ian. Keep em coming!

Tell your wife not to worry about the elephants. I was fairly close to them in Kruger yesterday (within 10 meters or so), and found them to be quite passive. They will warn you if you're getting a bit too close. Just remember.... stay in your van! You picked a great time to visit. I saw well over a thousand animals during my 8 hour drive in the park, and was fortunate to see all the big 5.

Last night was a great pleasure meeting up with Willem in Sandton. You're in for a real treat when you get to meet him in a few days! Keep your wife away from him: the women really do tend to swoon over that accent

I'm off to Namibia in a couple hours. Looking forward to it.