|
From Diary 1, we
head ever further out 25. My neighbour's clock summons to activity at six thirty, and I continuous the  writing. A bit anxious about our camp, I wakes up in some
astonishing surroundings. We are in a narrow gorge, in which a narrow creak
falls and runs through. I walk up on the top, where I find an amassing view over
a waste valley. Compared with the landscape we have been through the last couple
of days, this is surely something else! The rocks are old coral reef, a bit
strange to find on the top of an arid country, I think.
I skip the cold shower, and we leaves the
camp at eight. Bit late, but we are only heading the 50 kilometres back to
Joubert's Pass to check out what looked like baobab, which not are supposed to
grow here. It was too dark to make any qualified guesses and especially photos
last knight. The extremely rough and wining road we took last knight, in pitch dark, is a back-breaker even at daytime. Even the river we crossed is still a challenge; Huge boulders kind of blocks the way in the middle of the stream. It is only six kilometres, but it takes more than half an hour. Guess it were faster in the dark, where the photo stops didn't exist.
Back pass the Sesfontein road and into
the mountains on C43. It is a lovely morning, and we have it all for our selves.
Well, except for the road worker we give a lift to his machine. And the car we
meet at the top of the pass, which engine have boiled over. We gives him a five
litre can of water, make some photos of the astonishing surroundings, and head
back. The light are perfect, and it turns out it was Moringa oleifera we spotted last knight. Not much leaves, but nice looking stems never the less. Almost out of the mountain range, we spot some Cyphostemmas. It turns out to be giant Cyphostemma uter, standing on almost barren fields. They are just started to get leaves, and their fruits are fare from ripen. Never the less, it is a great finding for us.
I check
out the surrounding area, and
discovers what looks like a Hoodia gordonii
and a Staphelia.
Both seems to be Here, we find again the weird rocks, looking like someone have been cutting in them. It is flint, but I have never seen anything like it. Some places, the volcanic rocks can be found, some it is volcanic gravel, and limestone is also common. Once in a while, we passes small settlements containing of three to fifteen small huts. It is a lovely mix of Hinba, Herero and other cultures, which seems to not only remain their culture, but also coexist in pure harmony. There are no crop fields at all, but small groups of cattle crosses the vast country side. Few goats, which surely benefits the rural landscape.
Their huts are small, basic, and from
square clay walled huts over the Hinba's small cone shaped cow manure Several places, we pass a valley of what could look like a apple farm. Nice, green and round trees, bit apart and yellow grass underneath. Not sure of the species, but I doubt it is crop in any form. Besides from that, we are still driving through bush savannah, more or less bushed. There are only few animals to be seen. A few springboks and an impressing Big Buzzard. Heaviest fling bird in the world, they claims. A single oestrus, which to my surprise seems to be safe between two settlements.
We still drives south, and after some
time, groups of table mountains show them selves along the horizon. The bushes
get sparse, and the grass takes over, and we find some of "our" plants on the
small rocky hills along the road. Once I find a real nice looking Cucurbitaceae
of the "melon-group".
Real fat
Pachypodium lamerei
and a "new" Commiphoras with a dark purple stem. First, I spot one
single six ridged Euphorbias on a hilltop. Astonishing view from
here, wide yellow grass valleys, table mountains, groups of lush bushes and a
beautiful sky with few white clouds.
The settlements vanish, and more wildlife occurs.
Springboks and gemsbok opens the party. We still concentrate on the plants, and
find one "new" Commiphora, which seems to be a dwarf. Two new Euphorbias
of the "stick-type", Sansevierias, Othonnas, a Euphorbia
bush and looking a lot like a Commiphora.
More and more wildlife can be seen, some close o the road,
others kilometres our on the yellow grass plains. Jackals, gemsbok,
We follows the tacks, and finally we catch up with a
old, lone desert elephant bull. He is standing rather close to the road, and when he walks away,
we passes a dip and follows by foot. We have the wind in our back and chatters,
while we closes in on him. When he confronts us, we stop. Amassing experience:
We passes a few ridges,
The first lodge we see is Palmwag Lodge. It is seven
o'clock, and high time. The lodge is perfect with large undisturbed, clean
sites. Electricity on each, nice baths After supper, we work on photos and diary. The power fails, and we are under heavy attack from the numerous insects, attracted by our computer screens. Lots of black beetles, big light brown ones, flies, mouths, and a giant insect, looking like a dragon fly, but with a less intimidating head. Finish around midnight, and enjoy the silence - for several minutes, before I pass out.
26. After six hours of death-like sleep, new
adventures calls. While we eat breakfast, a couple of horned billed birds pops
bye. They sit on the front of our car, which I find a bit strange, until I find
out they are trying to steel th
First, we head a bit back to get some nice photos of the
short and very fat Pachypodium lamerei, we saw last evening. Here are
also an new form of
Sesamothamnus guerichii
The plains,
which seem to be covered with wildlife last evening are almost bare. Only a few
springboks can be seen. Find a few other nice, fat bushes, a Cucurbitaceae and
returns As the name indicates, it is a road, not a town. A gasoline station, a animal disease checkpoint and ten small huts spread over a vast area. The area is famous for it's oasis and the huge amount of wild animals, especially the stronghold of the dessert elephants.
We head east on the C40 to have a look around Grootberg
Pass. It is situated in 1540 meters height, next to the 1645 meters tall Grootberg. Here are a bit fertile for our plants, but on a tall, almost vertical
cliff wall, we spot a group of
The climb is hard; steep but loos gravel, but it is worth it! A huge, and real nice looking plant, around one and half meter in diameter at the base, around four meters tall, with two main stems. It have a single develop pair of leaves and a lot new coming. As the other we have seen, the seeds are fare from ripen, and there are still a few flowers. After some time, I figure I got photos enough, and climb down to a cup of coffee. While I am half way down, the sun emerges, but I let my travel companion do the great shoots. Takes him an other hour, while I relaxes and write a bit. While the sun emerged, the temperature goes from 30C to 35C, and it is real hot in the sun! A single old truck have fought it's way up the hills, else it is only bird- and insect song I hear. We head further out of the road, which twines between huge hills (actually mountains, but we are on a high plateau), and crosses waste plains. The vegetation might look the same: Green bushes and yellow grass or gravel, but the plants we are after, have really specific terms. We passes a single donkey carriage, which seem to be a fairly common transport, the places we have been so fare. Although the wagons are small, there are three or more common, four donkeys side by side.
Back to C43 and further down south towards Khorixas on C39. For the trained eye, the landscape changes slightly, but we have to drive quite a while, before we see something new. In a ravine, a single "new" Commiphora catches our eyes, and while we explorer the area, one more turns up. The are real flat but fat. One have thick branches, the other plentiful thin branches. There are almost ripen fruits on both, and new flowers are just started. After having checked out a lot, I manages to find a few leaves on each species.
The rocks we walk on, are a story by them
selves. Dark red sandstone-like lava with crystals, some even on the size of a
finger. Some looks like flint in layers, other have formed clusters of crystals
in holes in the rocks. Time flyers, but we must go on. A car stops to ask, if we
are all right. Then he asks for water. I am prepared, and hand over a five
litters bottle. He seems to be a bit surprised.
At one point, we passes a huge, natural
column of a yellow rock. While I run back to the car, I apparently looses my
camera Next stop gives a new Euphorbia with nine ridges, and we see huge plants of these in following valleys. In the horizon walls of huge table mountains raises, and the plains in-between seem more and more arid. First, the bushes disappears, then even the yellow grass. We are descending from the high plateau, and getting closer to the costal dunes and the desert. There are even a few but huge dunes on the back side of some of the small mountains.
We are in the Twyfelfontain area, which don't have a village, but never the less a few lodges. The first we finnd looks like something from a Mad Max film. A dark painted castle surrounded with weird looking huts. They don' have campsites, and we drive back on their long, miserable gravel road.
More luck the next place, Xaragu Lodge. Quiet, but as most
other places, we are among only a few cars in rather big camps. Due to the dry
surroundings, here are almost no noise from birds or insects - but they have a
peacock! Nice, clean camp, only charging 60 N$ for each. Toilets and bath made by stone and straw, but in a real cool way, and lightened by oil-lamps. Rustic but efficient and clean. The water is firewood heated, and it comes in handy. It might not be cool in the evenings - around 20-27C, but due to the serious drop in temperature, and the never failing evening wind, it feels a bit nippy. Fast supper, and for once, I finish writing in dissent time. 27. After eight hours of splendid sleep, I feel ready for some serious exploring. We are rather close to The Petrified Forest, which have been recommended to me by a colleague. The rock impressions of the huge trees is not as impressing as a large group of the long wanted Welwitschia!
A sixteen year boy receives the payment:
20+20+10 N$, and follows me around. He have a good knowledge around the rocks
and plants, and is nice relaxed. As on so many tiny stands - one in front of
every small hut we passes - there are minerals and funny stones, which have been
found around the region. I turn my attention towards the Welwitschia plants, which sits around the hill with the petrified wood. The are just starting to flower, and while their centre sits real deep, and is very large, their living leaves are not long. I would love to start my measuring on their soil conditions, but is seems like the place is tight looked after.
With only a small detour, we passes The
Organ Pipes. Slate in a river forms these amassing formations, which also
offers some great views and plants. At the end of the road, a few hills are made
of completely black gravel.
Although the surroundings changes all the
time, the general components until now have been; yellow grass, gravel hills and
green bushes. New, we get a new, dominating item, the giant The area is dry, huge and astonishing. Wide fields with yellow grass waving for the wind surrounded with dark red mountains, and in the distance; Brandberg Mountain, which towers 2575 meters above the sea, 110 kilometres to the west. We cruses in only 300-600 meters height to day.
It is an other nice, war We cross - with quite some difficulties - Aba-Huab River. The bed of the dried river contains of loose rough sand, which even with four-wheel drive and differential lock needs a helping hand from the co-driver - in the back. Well over, we are being met with a gorgeous area with almost rose coloured sand, huge Euphorbias and small clusters of huge boulders. The Euphorbia are of a "new" species with frequent narrow areas and nine ridges.
Although the road is in fine condition,
we only see a very
Nice
Now, we drive through yellow
grass and dark, brown
Each campsite have it's own toilet and
bath, and to my big surprise have the water heater on ours been fired up this
afternoon. We even decided on the side our selves.
The first week have passed, and we have had
some amassing days with much more sights than we could have dreamed off. Driven
little over 2000 kilometres, and seen less than ten percent of this huge and
astonishing country. |
gazelles, eland antelopes, zebras and fowls. While botanising, I spot, what I think
might be track of elephants. First some chewed branches, then dung. Back on
the road, I see the tracks of what I assumes must be a large, lone bull
elephant. 
This is not a zoo or a national park, this is truly a wild animal!
and along with a dried out river,
a small family group of giraffes stand along the road. Later, a group of élan antelopes crosses the road, and a new, larger group of giraffes stands next
to the road. Out on the waste plains, I can spot up to five or even a hundred
grazing animals. Zebras, gemsboks, springboks and other gazelles. A few jackals,
but to our release; no lions. Here are still plants to be photographed.
The sun gets low, and it creates a magician view
through the yellow grass, leaving
the animals as black
silhouettes. It is getting
late, and thought by last night, we speed up to reach a camp in Palmwag before
dark. But we just have to stop for one more breathtaking view or a even fatter
Pachypodium or Cyphostemma. The fifth car of the day passes.
and only 80N$ each. There are even a
sheltered, platform for the tents. I have gotten way too much sun and have to be
more careful the next days. Even though the sun is vertical at high noon, I
still get burned in neck and on the arms while I photos - and that is a lot.
Until now, I have made 1200 photos, and I am restraining my selves!
e rubber from it's vipers.
Rubber
robber? 
pass the lodge to Palmwag.
Cyphostemma currori on the Palmwag side.
We head back to Palmwag
to fill up gasoline, and passes the Animal Disease Check Point a couple times
more.
We only need 60 litres, but it seems like I simply can't get the car to do
more than seven, and there are fare in-between the gasoline stations. This one is
situated in the middle of nowhere, on a bare hilltop.
On one, I find some leaves on a single branch,
which doesn't look as I would have supposed. They turns out to have a completely
different sent, and it is a parasite. A third little tree looks like
a cross between the two others, but even though the dark purple flowers looks
almost alike, it have a significantly different sent. Where the Commiphoras are
like perfume, this is more like canned sardines. Takes me a while to figure it is
an Euphorbia.
pocket. Discover it later, but it is getting late, and I would hate to be
in the same situation as the night before the last, fumbling for a camp. "Only"
paid 50€ for it anyway.
We are in a deserted area, and camping in
the wild would be an option. I have been warned about it due to robbery, and
would like to hide the car somehow. We passes some overgrown small hills, but
when we try to drive around them, we discover it is loos sand. Get stuck, but
with four-wheel drive, low gear and differential lock, we actually succeed to
"swim" out on solid ground. Then it must be a new campsite.
granite boulders.
Just like the Ayres Rock area in Australia, they form steep hills of almost
round boulders. Some small, other larger than houses! 
m day in Namibia.
The temperature passes 40C, and even though our water stands in the shadow, it
is almost coffee warm. The fake leather on the sides of the seat are way too hot for
comfort to my bare legs! We have given up the air condition, which were on a
comfy 30C, and have started to drive with the windows open. This causes for a
lot of dust, but we should save some gasoline and the planet in general.
few huts. A small group of gouts or cow are the only
man-creation besides from the road. Even birds seems to be scars, the smaller
buzzers which else seems to be so common are missing. Strangely enough are here
still the same "camel foot tree"¨, with not only large and thin leaven, but
plentiful of them.
rocks with few other ingredients. It is evening, and large
design of toilet
and bath for southern Africa, except there are no roof at all! Guess it is
seldom raining, although I can see some distance lightning. After dark, I
discover the "door" is a chain, and there is a sealing: Millions of stars!