Namibia

It is with full hearts that we move inexorably down the straight road towards South Africa. Our three month stay in Namibia has been a success that met, and exceeded our expectations, on all fronts.

Ngoma Border Post – a scary official who taught us that borders are nothing to be feared if you have nothing to hide. Friendly people in the queues. Basic working class much more pleasant to engage in conversation than self important ‘travel retirees’.

Katima Malilo – fresh fruit and vegetables, bustling streets, air time, no indications of SANDF history. Magnificent river views. Coffee at the Protea. Laid back friendly people ‘hakuna matata’.

B8 – a good quality road lined with dusty villages, goats, cattle and smiling people. Roadside picnic benches under shade trees. Burned veld. Bushmen. Checkpoints into and out of Bwabwata. A cutline through the Caprivi with ‘guests’ traveling in Toyotas topped with tents, diesel cans and spades.

Kongola – internet access! Chats to the family. Dogs, petrol, basic groceries. Hot bread, cold coke. Oh where is the coffee shop?

Mukolo ‘bush’ Camp – flood plane water, tree covered caravan sites. Superb showers with hot, hot water. Sunsets over the riverine vegetation. Boat trip. Hippos. Dust. Leaves. Wood Owls. Swamp brubru. Mourning doves and fruit bats. Timmy, Tiger and Milla. Warm friends. Good food. A place to dream, plan and laugh. The dynamic Cisco, tall Van Wyk and silent Eric.

Bwabwata – elephants! Huge trees. Sand, sand, sand. Buffalo in their hundreds. Flowering knob thorn trees glowing in the early morning light. Letchwe, sitatunga, kudu. Spectacular views over the horseshoe oxbow. Veld fires. Quiet escapes at viewing decks. Fish eagle calls. So few other people you could bask in the solitude. Changing the Cruser’s flat tire.

Mudumu Nature Reserve – camera traps, roan, cheetah, Mopane forests glowing in the setting sun. Sneaking in and out with Hatchiko (‘you can take her as long as she doesn’t bark. Your dogs are not like our dogs’). Hippo Pool with no hippo. Thick sand. Viewing deck over the river. Jacana’s. Ground hornbills. Zebra dust bath in the sunset.

State Forest – Soaring teak trees. Indigenous forest with no invasive species. Thick scrub bush. Questionable camp sparking our imaginations – Anti Poaching? Poachers? Bush meat hunters? Game paths. Roads grown closed. Wood thieves;bleeding trees. Border road with strange holes alongside it. Stories of landmines to make your heart race. Woodcutter camps. Lion spoor in the road.

Conservancy – a dream for the Caprivians; if only they could remain sustainable, honest and with a fair distribution of income. Glowing open woodlands. Giraffe sailing through the grass. Animals and surprising topography around every corner. Proud Foster. A relief to know that the decimation of the wood layer seen along the roads is localized and much of the bushveld remains pristine.

Heavy hearts crossed the border into South Africa. Love and thanks fly back to all who made our trip a dream come true.

Every word has a story, a taste, scent and texture to be savored and remembered.