Day 14: Sunday March 28th 2004 Continued. Once I had crossed the border I soon hitched a lift with a couple of young Windhoekians, one of whom was incredibly helpful, in getting me right to the door of 'Cardboard Box Backpackers' once we got to Windhoek.
That evening at the backpackers, I met Matt the crazy Irishman, who had a car hired for the next day for a trip to Sesriem and Sossusvlei, home of the biggest sand dunes in the world. I agreed to go with him and split the costs. Beery night.
Day 15: Monday March 29th 2004 During the 5 hour drive to the dunes I got my first taste of driving African gravel roads - like normal roads, but missing the tarmac and full of dips, holes and rocks! Despite the obvious need to take it easy, we made it in good time to camp and then drive to the first of the dunes - dune 45 - in time to catch the sunset.
 |
 |
 |
| Dune 45 | On the road | Dune 45 |
 |
 |
 |
| Dune 45 | Sun setting | Sunset |
We had planned to Braai (i.e. barbeque) that night, but the decision to buy meat en-route had backfired, so we had no choice but to eat at the posh lodge next to the campsite. Although we paid a whole 15 quid a head, the buffet was superb, overlooking a (baited) wildlife watering hole teeming with small game. More beer, late night...
Day 16: Tuesday March 30th 2004. We got up at 4am after 2 hours sleep and headed for "big daddy", a huge 300M+ dune for the sunrise. The 65 km journey ended with a short 4x4 ride (8 quid!) across the Dead Vlei (dead valley). After shooting a shedload of pictures, Matt and I invented a new sport - dune rolling! Head over heels down the dune until you bail (i.e. lie flat) All good fun.
After breakfast back at the lodge, we went back to the tent where Matt had a sudden fit of accident proneness, knocking his head on the tree three times, much to my amusement! We then went to see the canyons nearby before driving home to celebrate the trip...
 |
 |
 |
| Dawn | Sunrise | Daylight |
 |
 |
 |
| Film crew | Dune rolling movie | Desert birdlife |
 |
||
| Panorama | ||
Day 17: Wednesday March 31th 2004. Hung about in Windhoek, trying to sort out website stuff. Posted CDs of pictures back to UK. Admin day - boring!
 |
 |
| Namibian rocks | Namibian Moth |
Day 18: Thursday April 1st 2004. Laundry, sorting, planning.
Day 19: Friday April 2nd 2004. There is a place called Swakupmund on the Atlantic coast. The name is derived from two words, one German and one in a local dialect. The local word, swakup, means shit - a fact unknown to the early settlers who gave the area the name. Shit-Mouth is full of adventure sports, so I took the local bus there. It was a real treat to see the sea again, but the water is freezing - is the Atlantic warm anywhere in the world? Went for dinner at 'The Tug' one of the best eateries in town with Mika and Ursula, two long term residences at the backpackers. Ate Kingsklip (fish) in sauce - luverly.
Day 20: Saturday April 3rd 2004. I booked up for a sandboarding trip and for some quad biking over the dunes. After a spot of sunbathing (buring) on the beach with Mika, it was time for - Quadbiking! What an unexpected source of fun that turned out to be. I had a 250cc Suzuki, and after a really bad start trying to lean the bike around corners, I got the hang of it. Right at the beginning one of the two girls (Helen and Nikky) wussed out and got on the back of the guides bike. Helen the other girl, was good fun, and seemed to be loving it too. The dunes were much like those at Soussusvlei, only smaller. So much fun. Towards the end of the trip, we stopped for Champagne and photos with views over the dunes, the sea and of Swakupmund it'self. After that we went back to the bar to watch the video - bit of a theme emerging there...
After the video, Helen and I stayed on for drinks and went out for food. Good company, good food, good wine - altogether one of the best days so far!
 |
 |
| Quad bike | Champagne stop |
Day 21: Sunday April 4th 2004. The clocks went back, affording me an extra hours kip before Sandboarding. I think I sweated out any remaining hangover on the first climb up the dunes. Reagan, a US peace corps volunteer who was staying in the same dormitory as me, was of similar ability, due to snowboarding. You meet some gutsy girls in Africa, and here was one! Loves her adrenaline sports, cool bird.
By the end of the session I had nailed jumping off the ramp. I found it easier than snowboarding because of the lower speeds involved, although it was faster than I expected. I also had a go at the lie down boarding which involved tearing down the dune on a piece of shiny hardboard at speed. The sandboarding, including transport, lunch and beers came to less than twenty quid - bargain! We all met up again in the evening to watch the video of the days boarding and drink beer. By bedtime I was aching, sunburnt and happy!
 |
 |
 |
| Sandboarding | Ripples in the sand | Lying down version |
Day 22: Monday April 5th 2004. I've heard a lot of good things about Mozambique. I'd like to try and get there for some diving...
Second day of quad biking. I arrived at the departure point, only to find that to my dismay, the rest of the group consisted of an older French crowd. I was quickly assured that the guides had 'something special' for me. They gave me one of the Yamahas, which were the guide's choice of bike, and a one-to-one guide called Gunter. Gunter was mad for it, and I struggled to keep up as we went for it, both on the dunes and up and down the dry riverbed. I even pulled a couple of airs - lots of fun! I was so glad I'd decided to take that second trip.
We went back to the bar to watch the video, and I ended up having dinner with Jo, a Scots girl who'd been quad biking with the French crowd, this time at the Lighthouse (posh restaurant no 2). More good company, food and wine!
Day 23: Tuesday April 6th 2004. I decided I was spending too much money in Swakupmund, and so checked out of Desert Sky and caught a Combi (minibus) back to Windhoek. Back at Cardboard Box backpackers I bumped into Kathy (Vic Falls). We went out for dinner - huge game steaks, lubberly.
Day 24: Wednesday April 7th 2004. I set out on the Windhoek to Capetown early. I got a taxi to the 'truck port' just outside the city, where I had to wait until midday for a lift in a double trailer articulated lorry. I managed to negotiate a price of 200 Rand for the trip to Capetown, well under the price of the cramped tourist coach.