Namibia chapter three
A day in Fish River Canyon.
Last night after dinner I sat on my terrace to look at the stars. A meterorite burned long and hot to the west, a slow flaming streak that exposed a redorange slice in the night sky before the dark healed around it.
I woke up a few time during the night; each time I stepping out to gaze once again at the stars, watch the progress of the milky way. I wondered if I could move my bed outside so that starlight would fill my eyes each time I opened them.
At breakfast I ask if it’s possible to sleep outside; it is. Am I interested in doing so? Yes! A bed will be made up. I had been wondering what the concrete slab is that sits just to the right of the terrace. It turns out it’s an outdoor box spring.
I get up just before the dawn to eat breakfast and prepare for our day in the canyon. The sun is just coming up as I finish breakfast and I take some photos around the lodge while I wait to meet up with our guide and driver.
There are two groups heading into the canyon today. One is a large group traveling together and the other is made up of my new Belgian friends and our companion from the night before. This time, his companion is joining us.
Our guide and driver and chef for the day is Justice. We’ll be driving along the rim for a bit before reaching the road that leads into the canyon itself. At the bottom, we’ll stop by a swimming hole for a dip and a bbq lunch before heading back.
After detailing out our journey we climb into the jeep and begin our drive. Along the way he points out the original cabins as we pass them. A family owns the lodge and he tells us that they come
He tells us that a family owns the lodge and that they come once a year to hike. They’d just been a few weeks ago.
Justice stops the car to let us admire the view and offer some facts about the area. The canyon itself is 151 kilometers long and 27 kilometers at its widest part. It is 550 meters deep and is the second largest canyon after the Grand Canyon in the United States. The Fish River one of the longest interior rivers running to the Orange River from Sossusvlei.
Further along, he stops and plucks a leaf from a nearby plant. Given the lack of water, animals get some of their water from the plants in the area. He squeezes the leaf and moisture spurts out of it. Later he stops to talk about the basalt composition of the terrain, some of the grey rocks mimicking the look of elephant hides.
We reach a windmill pumping water into a storage tank. The road forks and Justice turns to the left, following an increasingly rocky path as it climbs up the hill. At one point the Landcruiser gets stuck amidst the loose rocks and uneven track. Justice invites us to disembark and walk up the hill as he works to extract the truck and drive it up to the summit.
We continue driving through the arid landscape, dotted wtih brush and quiver trees. It’s a clear cool morning and the I welcome the air that washes over me through the open canopy.
At one point in our descent Justice stops the Landrover and invites us to walk down. When we reach an intersection, he tells us we should go left. The other group has arrived at this point before us even though they had been behind us in the morning. They had taken the right fork at the windmill, a shortcut.
Justice meets us at a campsite used for those who are doing multi-day hikes in the area. There are screened-in pit toilets and ample space for campers. I’ve lapped the other group and arrive before some of their guests. When Justice pulls up some of my group have already boarded the Landcruiser. I pull myself up into my seat and we continue on our drive.
It’s amazing how much the colors and landscape change within a narow band of arid features. The earth mixes shades and textures throughout our drive, constantly engaging me and my eyes.
Soon we reach an overlook and stop to look down into the river. Justice points out animal tracks near the banks and uses his binoculars to see if he can spot any animals in the area or fish in the water.
I ask if this is where we’re to siwm and he tells me no, it’s a little further on. We climb back into the Landcruiser and continue on.
Soon we reach our destination. I help Justice carry items down into the canyon to a sheltered spot by the swimming hole, change, and dive in. The water is warm, much warmer than the water in pool at the lodge, with pockets of even warmer water that I swim through. I swim to the end of the canyon and climb up the smooth rock face to find another pool just beyond before I swim back.
I pass our companion and he asks how far the canyon extends. Not far, I tell him. He says I’m always the first to all of our activities. I smile and wave.
I drape a towel around my shoulders and let the water evaporate off my body. Justice and the other guide have set up the grill and are beginning to prepare our lunch. Tables have been set up and I grab a chair next to Alain and Lucy. Soon our other companions join us and we talk about traveling around Namibia.
I ask Alain how they chose the direction in which they drove. I’m actually not sure how I chose to drive clockwise. He tells me his brother had done this trip and they basically followed in his footsteps, but he saw a lot more cars traveling clockwise. He said that they should have drive clockwise to have a better chance of seeing stars in the desert. I tell him I’ve also done it wrong from a stargazing perspective; it’ll be almost a full moon when I arrive in Sossusvlei.
He tells me that I should eat at the Tug when I am in Swakopmund and that I should eat the apple crumble when I stop for gas in Solitaire. I ask him how he knows about the apple crumble. Everyone knows, chips in our companions. It’s in all the guidebooks. I realize then that it’s been years since I’ve bought a guidebook.
They also tell me that it’s worth stopping at Spitzkoppe on the road from Swakopmund to Hohenstein.
Lunch is announced: beef skewers, bbq chicken, delicious game sausages. I wonder what the game is; Alain says it’s probably oryx. I tell him it’s funny to me that in South Africa they eat springbok, the national animal. He tells me oryx is the national animal of Namibia.
After lunch we’re allowed a bit of time to linger as our guides tidy up the camp and pack up. It’s beautiful spot at the base of the canyon, and I’m happy to spend some more time sitting sated amongst the stones.
After packing the Landcruiser, Jutice noticed the tire pressure in one of the tires seemed low. He unpacked the compressor and started the engine. He motioned the other guide on; he could take care of this himself.
The tire filled, we drive on. Until we realized that the tire has gone completely flat. We’re on an incline, climbing out of the canyon; not the best spot to change a tire, but the spot we’re in.
Fortunately, the other car had gone slowly and we wave to them at the top of the drive to ask for help.
The other guide quickly made his way towards us as we scramble out of the way. The two of them change the tire quickly and we are once again on our way back to the lodge.
We take the shortcut back, on better roads. I wonder aloud whether we’d make it back in time for cake; tea time ends at 17h and we’re cutting it close. Along the way we spot two eagles circling the late-afternoon skies.
At the lodge we’re welcomed back with fresh towels. I ask if cake is still out. I’m told the waiter will bring cake out if I ask. I ask. Lucy is thrilled. She tells me that the last bit of the trip was a bit tiring and that the promise of cake is what kept her going.
I chat with the staff and the guides. Tuva has an 11 year-old son in Windhoek, where she goes when she’s on break. I tell her I like Windhoek. It’s chill and quiet. One of the guides from Damaraland shakes his head. For him it’s far too busy a place to be.
I join Lucy and Alain for dinner and they offer to take me to Antwerp when I am in Belium. I accept their generous offer and look forward to seeing them again in a few months’ time.
I ask for another scoop of ice cream after dessert; Alain asks for the same. I bid them goodbye when they excuse themselves to retire to their rooms. I’m palnning on an early start in the morning and so there’s no guarantee we’ll see each other again before Brussels.
A bed has been set up for me outside. After washing up I climb into it and lay on my back, my eyes are wide as I seek to take in as much of the expanse above me as I can. I keep myself awake until I see a shooting star and then, greedy for more, wait for another until the day catches up with me and the weight of my eyelids increase and I am asleep. 🇳🇦
18 May 2024
