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16 December 2009

Disaster struck a few days ago – my Denon amplifier stopped talking to me. Apparently most of these electronic appliances work with smoke, and when you see this smoke coming out of the essential components, they stop working! In pure desperation I had to revert back to Swambo’s iPod docking station thing-a-magix. Roger Waters tried desperately to shout his words of wisdom across the braai room table and out the sliding door, but with the limited help from the iPod thingy, most of these got lost somewhere in the Southeaster. Without his assistance I started packing the Land Cruiser, with the LCCSA forum discussion on “How much does your Cruiser weigh” fresh in the back of my mind. Two ammo boxes became one as the Weigh Bridge Demon sat on my shoulder. Then Elsje arrives outside with another seemingly essential item. With Dunhill in hand I decided to ignore the demon and start relaxing – I am on holiday after all. At around 11:00 we were just about ready to roll. Just after lunch Wilhelm and Christine (the outlaws) arrived and with beer in hand lively discussions about previous trips erupted around the fire.

It is a well-known fact that 4×4 owners share striking similarities with teenage girls. Have you ever noticed the way they look at each other’s outfits, hair and shoes? Well in the same manner testosterone filled 4×4 owners pace around each other’s trucks, checking out the tyre choice, roofrack packing arrangement, electrical setup and bull bar, all while serious discussions about lockers and articulation fill the air. Well it was during this phase when disaster number two struck. Wilhelm noticed that there was an oil leak on his Cruiser. We decided that not much can be done on a public holiday and that we’ll try and make a plan the next morning. The worst case scenario was that we’d have to do 1000km a day for the first two days to catch up with the pre-booked schedule.

After some “skaaptjops” and a few cold ones we called it a night.

17 December 2009

We were up well before the sun gods and the oil leak looked worse now that the Tafel Lager has been replaced with Nescafe Classic. It was just before seven when I rang the Cruiser Whisperer’s cell phone and after discussions about his skeleton staff versus our dilemma we took the N7 Cape Town turnoff.

Over a few Dunhills and a take away breakfast we watched the master at work. The oil leak was a distant memory as we re-enacted the “We’re not worthy” scene from Wayne’s World. Season’s Greetings were exchanged and we headed back home. The Cruiser Whisperer has done it again!

By lunchtime our tanks were filled with fresh Swartland unleaded, tyres inflated for the long tarmac stint and the bull bars were pointing towards Vioolsdrift. I was surprised at how few cars were on the road, expecting a rerun of the Easter Weekend circus.

Our shadows were pointing East by the time we pulled into Mesklip, just 20km South of Springbok. The campsite is not fully operational yet, but friendly staff, neat ablutions and a braai was all we needed. Just before sunset the granite rocks started their daily routine of changing from brown to orange to pink, before being swallowed by nightfall. I took my camera for a walk and almost had a heart attack when I encountered a snake a mere meter or so in front of my feet. Our resident reptile expert identified it as the Namaqualand variety of the Rubber Snake. I just hope that the Northern Cape’s medical facilities can keep up with their sense of humour!

There seemed to be an endless supply of trucks sent along the N7, but we knew this would be our last night spent in civilisation, so it didn’t bother me too much. Tomorrow the sound of a new stamp in our passports will pronounce our holiday as official.

18 December 2009

Mesklip will one day become famous for it’s insomniac rooster. So yes, we were out of the feathers, so to speak, before sunrise. But there was no hurry! Coffee first, then a hot shower, followed by a short investigation and chicken assassination!

We headed for Springbok where we filled up at the Engen and the Wimpy. Another lesson that I’ve learned over the years is that women cannot be in a large town for longer than 15 minutes without identifying another essential item to be added to the already overloaded Cruiser. So after stopping for these essentials we headed North to the border. I was amazed at the number of new government building that have sprung up at Vioolsdrift. The border crossing was busy, but without incident. It is always at this point when an unexplained feeling erupts within me and I can see myself with long hair, blue eyes and an medieval, metro-sexual man-skirt shouting “Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddooooooooommmmmm!”.

Many a traveler on the road from Noordoewer to Mariental has experienced what is known as Broken GPS Syndrome. For the uninformed, this is the condition that causes one to diagnose one’s GPS unit as being non-functional. When changing the zoom setting from 1.2km to 2km to 5km to 12km and so on, the line on the map screen doesn’t change – a straight pink line across the screen! Do not panic at this time! The road will turn at some stage! No really! It will. Just hang in there!

We took the turnoff to Aroab about 80km South of Keetmanshoop. Gravel at last! We spotted quite a few kudu and other antelope along the road on the way to Kirris Wes, where we would spend the night on the farm with friends.

We just arrived at the hunting camp when the Tyredog made unhappy sounds! I have toured Namibia and Botswana every year for the past 9 year and this was my very first puncture on a trip! A 10x75mm bolt in the left rear! One plug… nope! Two maybe…… nope! Three! I decided to rather use the spare and changed the two around! Bloody farm Land Rovers losing parts!

19 December 2009

We arrived in Keetmanshoop to discover that there is a shortage of unleaded petrol. After consulting T4A and asking around we managed to fill our tanks. Trentyre did some temporary repairs to the plugged tyre and arranged for me to collect a similar sized BFG tyre in Windhoek on the Sunday.

Brunch at the Birds Nest Hotel took almost until lunch! The waitress visited our table frequently with most sentences starting with “I’m sorry but we don’t have….”. But what the heck – we’re on holiday!

The 228k’s to Mariental always reminds me of Jan Spies’ “Oshkosh” story. At the Engen 1-Stop we stretched our legs and then headed towards Stampriet. I always stop and stare are the flood photos at the 1-Stop – unreal!

About 20km from Mariental we turned north, direction Dordabis. We arrived at Arnhem Caves just before sunset and set up camp. We’re not really cave people…. Mmmmmm let me rephrase that…. We’re not really interested to visit the cave or it’s bats, but Arnhem is a nice stopover close to Windhoek with clean ablutions and neat campsites. They also have chalets available for Lodge Johnny’s.

20 December 2009

We arrived at the tar road close to Hosea Kotako Airport and turned West. With full signal on the cellphone we phoned the after hours contact number to arrange the fitment of the new tyre. “Yes Abrie from Keetmans branch made the arrangements, but I don’t have the keys for the workshop. I’ll phone you back in 5 minutes.” A few minutes later I was informed that the person that has the keys is not available. Oh, well, this is pretty much what I expected.

We stopped at Nando’s and while waiting for our food I worked though the Yellow Pages without success. I had by this stage decided to stop worrying about the tyre situation.

The “longer than 15 minutes in a big town” effect came into play, and we stopped at a shopping centre. To my absolute disbelief the new left rear had a nail stuck in it and was slowly deflating. Sitting on the 40 degree Celsius tarmac plugging the tyre, old high school memories of a burning backside distracted from the frustration. We haven’t even really been off the beaten track and I already had my 2^nd porridge wheel. Damn!

The stretch of road from Windhoek to Okahandja was really busy as Namibia fled to the coast. Otjiwarongo, Otavi, thunderstorm, Tsumeb and Namutoni at last. We set up camp and decided to go for an afternoon game drive.

Top Gun fans will remember Maverick and Goose walking into a bar saying “This is what I call a target rich environment!”. Well, this was exactly the same – just different. I didn’t know which way to point the camera or which lens to use! The plains were filled with gemsbok, springbok, giraffe, jackal, black faced impala and even some spotted hyena! What a sight! I was a happy camper!

21 December 2009

We were booked to spend two nights at Namutoni so not much was planned for today.

Our early game drive was again amazing. It must have been the Etosha pre-Christmas rush, with animals doing last minute preparations for the big day.

I decided to do a quick maintenance session – stocking the fridge, checking which underpants have been worn in all 4 possible positions, etc. It was also time to check that the Cruiser was still happy. Mechanical maintenance included checking fluid levels and making sure the JB’s Auto Repair sticker was firmly stuck to the rear window.

Another slow puncture was plugged on Wilhelm’s left rear tyre. I was getting slightly gatvol of this new routine!

A serious thunderstorm was building up in the South and it came pouring down in buckets while on our afternoon drive. The washing back at camp was now on it’s second rinse cycle to the dismay of the SWAMBOs. About 15 minutes after the rain started only the top layer of the road was muddy resulting in the Cooper’s throwing mud everywhere, but a dust trail in the rear view mirror! Weird!!

22 December 2009

We did an early game drive, topped up fuel and then headed for the gate.

It was the first time that I drove through Tsumeb, as the main road to Etosha doesn’t pass through town. It was a lot bigger than I imagined, but what struck me was how neat and tidy the park and streets were.

Today was a short tarmac stretch to Roy’s Camp, 60km North of Grootfontein.

I’m not sure how this referendum came into being, but there was a voting session on whether the men should do the cooking for supper. The results were:

Elsje – Yes

Christine – Yes

Heinrich – No

Wilhelm – No

A clear majority in favour of the women. Wilhelm was the designated braaier for the trip, so for him it was business as usual. Over a few Windhoeks I pondered over the results of the referendum and concluded that it was a conspiracy against me! Being my typical “grootbek” self the bar was set pretty high, with everyone expecting the BBC Food film crew to follow the action via Google Earth. Unfortunately I only have 3 recipes memorised – Steers, Wimpy & Nandos. I needed help! A young girl came to my rescue, introducing me to someone that she referred to as Ouma. Ouma! She must be an expert if she’s called Ouma! I strolled over to their campsite, with some ingredients I discovered in the left hand drawer. I got somewhat sidetracked as stories about the big ones getting away at Henties earlier the week were relayed, and was later summonced back to camp for my cooking duties. My potato potpourri was described by the critics with words like “scrumptious”, “out of this world” and “what the hell did you put in here”. This was the last request for cooking assistance. I think I set the bar too high!

23 December 2009

I kicked off the morning with coffee, Panado and a hot shower. Rory Bruins, a member of the LCCSA came over for a chat – they were on their way to Zambia.

After breakfast we headed north to Rundu. Rory’s mate drove a Land ROver Tdi 110 and we caught up with them quickly. The airwaves were filled with comments about Toyota 4500 EFI engines, rivets and air polution (mostly at his expense). A few minutes later Francois Muller, another LCCSA member, drove past us in the opposite direction. After a short VHF chat we were all on our separate ways. We topped up fuel at Rundu and headed East.

We arrived at Ngepi Camp around midday. After camp was set up and a burger on their river deck, we departed on a boat trip. Those that are familiar with Ngepi, will know about their stunning bathrooms on timber, river facing decks. This design, however, has some shortcomings as the sunset boat cruise drove within meters of some unsuspecting bathers! (Photo’s available at a small fee.)

There are not many things that can compare to making a fire at sunset next to the Kavango River! Awesome!

24 December 2009

You absolutely have to get up early at Ngepi – the sunrise over the Kavango is something not to be missed!

The week before we left home I popped into the local fishing tackle shop stocked up on lures. With names like Tiger Wacker and True Tiger on the packaging, success was guaranteed. Uhm… but enough about the fishing….

We headed further East along the Caprivi strip. I remembered Jan van Niekerk telling me about a permit office just before the bridge over the Kwando River where we had to report before heading to Nambwa. I stopped at the Kongola Checkpoint and was pointed in the right direction. We arrived at the Sesuwe office and filled out the paperwork.

Permit in hand we crossed the tar road and headed for Nambwa. It was not long before we encountered our first Ellie! Passing through Fort Doppies I wondered if the military chose the location for the magnificent view or for strategic reasons.

Nambwa is a great campsite!  Lucas, the camp “manager”, is a very friendly and helpful fellow. He came running into camp from time to time to report a cheetah or buffalo at the waterhole.

We drove to the Horse Shoe for sundowners. Wow! It is absolutely magical! Kudu, Impala, Lechwe, Ellies, Hippos, Crocs and even Wild Dogs – all in a 6km game drive!!

After supper Santa arrived and handed out small presents.

25 December 2009

We went for an early morning game drive to Horse Shoe, which again did not disappoint!

We decided to take it easy for the rest of the day! Not much movement, besides trying to keep ourselves in the shade and the solar panels in the sun.

This was our first long trip using solar panels to help keep the electrical side of things running smoothly. If you don’t have one yet, get one! The one lesson learned is to make up an additional extension lead for the panel. My lead is 10m long, but I’ll definitely invest in another 10m extension. Yes, there will be the inevitable voltage drop and cable thickness debates around this, but a panel in full sun using a 20 or 30 meter lead is still a lot more effective than a panel in partial sunshine connected via a 5 meter lead. I looked at the chainsaw solution, but they take up too much space.

Again sundowners at Horse Shoe rounded off a relaxing day.

26 December 2009

There was quite a long day on the road that lay ahead – Nambwa, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma Bridge border post, Savuti.

We stopped in Katima to stock up on supplies. This always takes longer than planned.

Down the road from where we live, there used to stay a retired SAAF colonel. Colonel Wyn Steyn, with his airforce mustache and voice, spent a large part of his career at Mpacha Airforce Base near Katima Mulilo. I was standing in the shade, while the rest of our party shopped, wondering what he would say if he was still with us. A Pick ‘n Pay and Shoprite in Katima Mulilo! He’d probably call you a liar!

Ngoma Bridge border post, on the Namibian side, was quieter than what we’re used to, so the formalities didn’t take too long. On the Botswana side the paperwork took almost an hour. Long discussions in the local tongue between stamps and signatures.

In 40 degree heat we turned onto the gravel road to Kachikau. They are currently upgrading this section of road, with all the frustrating detours taking more time than one would expect. We stopped to deflate tyres as the first “tweespoor” sand started. Some rain along the way cooled things down – temporarily.

We arrived at Savuti at around 18:00. The office was locked so we checked the site number on our booking and set up camp. We were here for 3 days, so we did the full Boswell & Wilkie setup! This comprises of a ground sheet and wind shelter.

South of camp a lion roared…. ***To be read slowly while thinking: Jaws theme song***

27 & 28 December 2009

We spent two days relaxing at Savuti.

If you ever have the time, take a drive up to the lookout point on Quarry Hill. Seeing the area from up there gives one a whole new perspective. It was quite a weird experience, hearing the sound of rocks under the tyres after days of just driving in sand.

The lions escaped us for most of the time, but the Ellies were there in full force. Some were also lucky enough to see a wild dog kill at the gate. All the other usual suspects were in abundance, with the zebras arriving in drips and drabs.

It started raining on the 27^th and remained overcast for most of our stay at Savuti. I realised that the trip down South would be muddy and pondered on whether we should rather take the Sandridge Road….

We also bumped into Jean Vos, a Cruiserclub member, at the campsite.

29 December 2009

The rain had stopped and the sun was back! We packed up camp and headed South.

We came across a few vehicles parked next to the track with many lenses pointing in the same direction. A fleeting glimpse and blurred photo was the sum of our leopard sighting.

I decided to take the Marsh Road and my “mud forecast” was spot on! There was very little water in the track and the semi-dry mud just clogs up the tyres. Even with the STT’s on my vehicle there were times when steering didn’t have any effect on the direction we were heading.

The further South we went, the more game we saw. Herds of zebra heading North and an elephant around every second corner. The amount of mud and water also increased and even though the track was dryer than on our 2006 trip, the going was pretty slow.

Just after Mababe Gate we came across the new gravel highway! Yes, I know all about infrastructure development and the other positives, but it still spoils the experience of being in the un-spoilt African bush!

After a few kilometers along the depressing gravel road, the Garmin 276C announced a left turn towards North Gate Moremi. Back onto tweespoor – yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaa! The track became wetter and wetter, water crossing after water crossing. Each one longer and deeper than the one before. After I tried a small dead end track, Wilhelm decided to push on further and see what was around the next bend. We waited… It started raining again. No, pouring!

His voice came over the radio: “There’s just water everywhere…. I can’t really see exactly where the track is going…. What now?”

“We’ve still got 12 km to go and the way it’s raining at the moment, it’s just going to get worse. Let’s be sissies and rather head back.” I replied.

“Ok, I’ll try and turn around….” Here the key word was try.

Out came the winch control, tree protector and all the other equipment. I started the long, slow walk through the water towards his vehicle. In a few instances the gap between the lightning bolt and the rumble (read gunshot) was a split second. We’re talking 100, maybe 200 meters! I wondered what would happen if the lightning struck the hectares of knee deep water I was wading through. The logic of Stellenbosch physics was replaced with some ancient feeling, best described as FAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRKKKKKKK!

Even with both front and rear ARB lockers engaged there was no movement. Winch plus tree seemed to be the easiest solution. The rain didn’t stop, and by the time the recovery equipment was packed away, we were soaked!

Heading back to the gravel road the increase in the water level due to the constant hard rain since we passed there a few hours ago, was unbelievable! We made the right decision!

The new steel bridge over the Kwai River is still under construction, but usable none the less. Just a few kilometers further we found a pack of wild dogs trotting down the road. We followed them for about 15 minutes and then took the turn off to Mankwe Lodge, hoping to find a camping spot. We enjoyed a cold Windhoek Draught at the bar while discussing the events of the day.

The rain stopped just as we started setting up camp at one of the Mopane campsites. We enjoyed hot showers and a braai before heading up the rooftop tent ladder.

30 December 2009

We had breakfast at Mankwe Lodge, while eavesdropping on the conversation at the other table. A crowd of Yuppies discussing their program for the day. “It’s about a 3 hour drive to Kasane” the one said pointing at the map. “But with the rain it could take up to 4 hours” another commented. More like 2 days, I thought out load.  After breakfast we watched them depart in their Range Rover Sport. Wonder how that went down…… low profile runflat tyres and all…..???

We arrived in Maun a lot earlier than planned and spent a relaxing day at Island Safari Lodge. Unfortunately their was some construction in progress at the camp site and that spoilt the atmosphere ever so slightly. Wilhelm did some DIY on his charging system that seemed to become confused when the system was on 220V charge, and receiving current from the solar panels.

31 December 2009

The locals at Riley’s said our planned visit to Kubu Island was not a good idea. It is always a good idea to listen to the locals’ opinion on road conditions and fuel availability when touring in Africa. This advise was nonchalantly ignored and we headed West – direction Kubu.

As we turned off the tar road we noticed a storm brewing in the distance. When watching TV programs like CSI, you always hear the cop saying “There doesn’t seem to be any sign of a struggle…” Well, the track heading to Kubu showed many signs of struggle – deep tyre ruts in the mud, branches used to try and extract a vehicle and many new tracks around wet areas. For us the going was pretty smooth, but the thunderstorm in front of us was now opening up it’s taps!

We eventually arrived at Kubu without incident – a bit disappointing considering the amount of adrenaline we wasted while listening to the advice dished out in Maun.

We bumped into a fellow traveler from the Netherlands who came up to Kubu from the South in his rented Patrol. I asked him about the road conditions between Kubu and Lethlakane, to which he replied “Oh, it’s f^&*ken terrible! Some places were so slippery that I had to use the front difflocks!” As the conversation continued we realised that the “front diff locks” were in fact the hubs, and that he has been driving in 4wd with the hubs unlocked! Mmmmm! We also gathered that most of the places that he has visited were “f^&*ken terrible” so a pinch or two of sodium chloride were added to his previous comments.

You know you’re getting old when you go to bed before 23:00 on New Years Eve!!

1 January 2010

When visiting Kubu Island the most important thing to do is to get up an hour before sunrise, walk down onto the pan and absorb. Absorb the colour of the sky changing. The colour of the island changing from pale to pink to orange. The baobabs coming to life as the sun peeks over the flat Sua Pan horison. If you miss this event, you’ve not been to Kubu Island yet!

When we arrived in Letlakane we topped up our fueltanks with fresh unleaded. When it came to the handing over of money we were told that they don’t accept old money. The pump attendant’s limited command of any Western language was not helping the situation. We eventually gathered that a new set of banknotes were in use as from the beginning of 2010, and that the old notes were no longer legal tender. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Botswana Parksboard, Jambo Safaries, ABSA Forex and the staff at the border posts for NOT informing us of this change! Luckily Wilhelm had some new notes to see us through.

We arrived at Khama Rhino Sanctuary and set up camp. Late afternoon we…. No guess….. Come’on guess….. We went on a game drive to look for….. Come’on…. You can do it….YES as the name suggests we went out to find rhino!! Good!! Oh, yes, we did see rhino. White ones. There were some Asian tourists in the camp next to ours and the scene from Here comes Untag (I think) stuck in my head.. Ah, soon your horn will be my horn!

2 January 2010

We started heading home, and decided to stay on the beaten track. You know, take the route most travelled. We arrived home safety on the 5th.

The end!

(Click on the images below for larger view)

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