11 July, Monday
All of us had a good night and are ready for the day. We stop at
Kamanjab for diesel and drive to Twyfelfontein through breathtaking views:
rolling golden savannahs, acacia trees, stone hills covered with tufts of grass
and at places through actually water! Willie and I keep on commenting on the
beauty and the fact that rivers have water in.
Our first ever 4x4 experience was in 1985 when we visited friends
of ours in Khorixas, Werner and Carien. They took us on a 4x4 trip to
Twyfelfontein, known for its palm trees. The existing fully developed lodge was
in its beginning phases and we slept in one of the unfinished bungalows on
mattresses. Just before we went to bed Werner spotted a zebra snake of the
spitting cobra family and considered the second most dangerous snake after the
mamba, outside the bungalow. It was a cold evening and the next moment the
snake slithered into the bungalow through an unfinished drain pipe. Pandemonium
followed. We grabbed the sleeping kids, ran to the landdrover and shoved 3
screaming toddlers, by this time, to safety. Werner finally managed to kill the
1 ½ meter snake with a shovel - a very scary experience that has a little twist
in the story which I cannot tell here. (Ps Willie likes to tell the story...)
All of us had a good night and are ready for the day. We stop at
Kamanjab for diesel and drive to Twyfelfontein through breathtaking views:
rolling golden savannahs, acacia trees, stone hills covered with tufts of grass
and at places through actually water! Willie and I keep on commenting on the
beauty and the fact that rivers have water in.
Our first ever 4x4 experience was in 1985 when we visited friends
of ours in Khorixas, Werner and Carien. They took us on a 4x4 trip to
Twyfelfontein, known for its palm trees. The existing fully developed lodge was
in its beginning phases and we slept in one of the unfinished bungalows on
mattresses. Just before we went to bed Werner spotted a zebra snake of the
spitting cobra family and considered the second most dangerous snake after the
mamba, outside the bungalow. It was a cold evening and the next moment the
snake slithered into the bungalow through an unfinished drain pipe. Pandemonium
followed. We grabbed the sleeping kids, ran to the landdrover and shoved 3
screaming toddlers, by this time, to safety. Werner finally managed to kill the
1 ½ meter snake with a shovel - a very scary experience that has a little twist
in the story which I cannot tell here. (Ps Willie likes to tell the story...)
From Twyfelfontein into serious 4x4 terrain: Damaraland! We crawl
slowly past the rhino stones and organ pipes through breathtaking beauty as far
as the eye can see. Hugo and Andrej sit on the roof and we hear them talk and
laugh kilometer after kilometer. The sun is on its way down and we need a
place to sleep. Willie drives into a narrow river bed, but we find a good enough
spot to pitch our camp and find hard pieces of wood which burns for hours.
It is so awesome to be back in a place that we loved and that we
are familiar with. We play backgammon, sit around the fire and have a thick pea
soup with smoked sausages for dinner.
Click Play
slowly past the rhino stones and organ pipes through breathtaking beauty as far
as the eye can see. Hugo and Andrej sit on the roof and we hear them talk and
laugh kilometer after kilometer. The sun is on its way down and we need a
place to sleep. Willie drives into a narrow river bed, but we find a good enough
spot to pitch our camp and find hard pieces of wood which burns for hours.
It is so awesome to be back in a place that we loved and that we
are familiar with. We play backgammon, sit around the fire and have a thick pea
soup with smoked sausages for dinner.
Click Play