Namibia chapter eight
To Sossusvlei.
In the morning I take breakfast outside on the terrace. The other two guests appear shortly after I’ve begun and we strike up a conversation.
It’s a father and his daughter from a small town in Germany. She’s been working with horses at a lodge in Namibia for the past few months and he’s come for three weeks to tour with her before they head back home. It’s not their first time in Namibia; neither is it her first time working at the lodge. At home she works with competative horses, though she doesn’t compete herself.
They’ve rented a VW Polo for their trip and I’m astounded. He admits it might have been a mistake, but it was the economical choice and it’s been an adventure. Last night it took them four hours to go 120 kilometers, which is why they arrived after dark.
Julie tells me it’s not the most basic car she’s driven in country. The lodge had a Volkswagen from the 80s that was fully manual for staff use. She and a friend drove it through Etosha, joking that the most stressful part was having to fantically roll up the windows manually in a race to keep out the dust from passing cars. I tell her that I have to stick a key into the ignition of my car and I thought that was ancient. She tells me that people kept offering to buy the VW off of her; it’s practically an antique.
They’re on the way to the Fish River Lodge and I’m excited for them. They ask me how the road is and I tell them it’s not so bad. They warn me of some more difficult roads ahead, but I should be fine in my 4x4 Hilux.
Julie tells me that last year there were more animals in Etosha. Coincidentally, she was traveling at the same time of year. Last year was also colder. She remembers it being colder last year. She remembers wearing a fleece and cuddling with her friend wrapped in blankets as they sat by the water holes. This year they’re were able to make do in regular shirts.
She asks me what I do. She finds it cool that I can work from anywhere. It doesn’t work that way with horses, unfortunately. They have no concept of Christmas or holidays. On competition days she has to be at the stables by 05h. So much for partying on Friday nights.
They will be spending the day at the lodge but I’m off to Sossusvlei. I take down Julie’s Instagram and promise to tell her how I think the roads compare so they can be mentally prepared for the drive to Fish River Lodge. (Later I’ll see that they saw giraffe.) I tell them that the road isn’t so bad, save for the one narrow part near to the lodge itself. I wish them well and leave them to pack the car and prepare for my onward journey.
The C27 is well-graded and I drive along without seeing many people. I admire the red desert landscape as the kilometers roll by. Now and again I see oryx and I stop every time. They’re easily spooked and even if I spot one by the side of the road, by the time I approach it has wandered deeper into the desert away from me.
Cows are the animals I see the most of, small herds grazing or collecting by water holes.
As I get closer to the lodge, I pass through a small notch in the mountains. I’m close and I scan the landscape wondering where the lodge is, uncertain of how close it may be to the road.
A few kilometers from the lodge I pass a zebra crossing sign, without sign of zebra. At the lodge, I’ll be told that they can sometimes be found on the other side of the mountains from the camp. If we’re lucky we’ll spot them on one of our explorations.
As I leave the NamibRand Nature Reserve there’s a sign that bids me farewell with a quotation from Nelson Mandela:
And I dream of vast deserts, the forests, and all of the wilderness of our continent, wild places that we should protect as precious heritage for our children and for our children's children. We must never forget that it is our duty to protect this environment.
Just beyond I see the sign for the andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. I turn into the road and climb the mountains to the lodge. I have arrived.
Sabine from guest relations welcomes me with a drink and I sink into a sofa in the spacious lounge so that she can brief me on the activities and the schedules of the lodge. I ask her how long she’s been with andBeyond and she tells me she’s older than the furniture. The lodge was completely renovated in 2020, she explains, after she started. She’s been at the Desert Lodge for six years.
There are drives and walks and optional helicopter and balloon trips over the desert. The helicopters are booked double occupancy and while I am eager to book my first helicopter ride, I balk at the price times two. I ask if I can hitch a ride with anyone and Sabine tells me she’ll let me know if the opportunity arises. Currently they have a few private trips already booked. Later in the afternoon I’ll see a helicopter leave from the lodge, heading east towards the sea, further piquing my interest. I express interest in ballooning and she tells me she’ll check for availability.
She also tells me there’s an observatory. The resident astronomer is currently in Windhoek, however, having driven his wife there. He’ll be back sometime later today, and should be available for stargazing in the evening.
She tells me that we can talk schedules after lunch and introduces me to Wilhemina, my butler. She asks if I want to go to my room; I decide to ease in and have lunch first.
Lunch is delicious. I linger over my coffee and birds come to pick at the crumbs on my plate, flitting around the outdoor pool. Sabine returns towards the end of my meal and we make a plan for my stay.
Tonight I’ll do a desert drive with sundowner. Tomorrow morning, pending availability, I’ll balloon over the desert; in the afternoon I’ll explore the desert by ATV. The following morning I’ll visit Sossousvlei (the jury is out on whether I’ll try to climb the 325 meter-high Big Daddy, the tallest dune in the Sossusvlei area), and will visit the petrified dunes in the afternoon. On my final day, I’ll plan to climb the big dune on the andBeyond property in the morning and visit a nearby cave to look at rock paintings in the afternoon. It looks like a solid plan.
Once we’re set I am shown to my suite., complete with indoor/outdoor showers, and a private pool. It’s beautiful; one of the best I’ve had the great fortune to stay in.
I can’t resist the pool and immediately take off my clothes and go skinny dipping. The water is cold, but not as cold as at Fish River Canyon, and I swim a quick lap before getting out to lounge on one of the many chairs and lounge areas.
I FaceTime Angela so she can relive her time at the lodge. She tells me she hates me. I ask her who her butler was and she says Wilhemina. I’m excited that she’s my butler as well. She sends me pictures of her son for me to share with her. Wilhemina took care of him when they went on their excursions.
I return to the main lodge before the drive for snacks. I meet Jo, one of the guest relations leads, and more of the staff, along with a couple from Mexico City on their honeymoon. I’ll meet two more couples from Mexico City on their honeymoon; two of whom know each other. They’re all on multi-week trips through southern Africa. It turns out the lodge is a very popular destination for Mexicans on their honeymoon.
I share photos of Angela’s child with Wilhemina; she’s excited to see how much he’s grown. She remembers him fondly, telling me that she watched him when Angela and her husband had gone to Sossusvlei. Angela sends me photos of the two of them at the lodge as well, which I share.
Chico takes us out on our afternoon drive. We head out towards a set of dunes within sight of the lodge. He stops along the way so that he can tell us a bit about the area. We see a hawk circling and he tells us that the hawks and jackals help keep the rodent population down.
As we drive towards the dunes the sun sets. The reds deepen and then pale as the sun disappears behind the mountains that enclose the desert.
Chicco parks by the dunes and invites us to explore them while he prepares sundowners. I head into the hills, quickly outdistancing the older couple that are also along for the ride. It’s preparation for climbing Big Daddy.
Back at the car Chicco has his bar set up and asks me what I’d like to drink. I request a gin and tonic, made with a local brand of pink gin.
While Chicco mixes drinks I wander off into the desert plains to take photos in the dying light of the day.
On the drive back the skies deepen. The pale blues and violets darken; the sun casts the mountain ridges in silhouette.
The balloon trips are booked for the duration of my stay and so I decide to change my schedule around a bit. I decide to move my visit to Sossusvlei and the ATV exploration to tomorrow.
Bruce, the astronomer comes to introduce himself, and I promise to visit after dinner. The moon rises as I eat and afterwards he has one of his many telescopes trained on it, showing us craters and contours. He also shows us Omega centari, a cluster of vibrant stars and Centaurus A, a galaxy some 13.05 million light years away.
Tomorrow it’s an early wakeup call for Sossusvlei. The gates open at sunrise and we want to make sure we’re there when it opens. I big Bruce good night and retire to my room. And while I should get to bed as soon as I can, I can’t help but sit outside and stare once more at the stars and the sharp peaks cast in moonlight. 🇳🇦
25 May 2024
