Tags
Aus, Brandberg, Etosha, Hoanib River, Kamanjab, Palmwag, Puros, Sesfontein, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Vioolsdrift/Noordoewer, Windhoek
We had an early start this morning to ensure we miss the traffic through Stellenbosch. Safe to say 5:30 was early enough. We had most of the roads to ourselves.
I can scarcely believe our adventure has started. It was a hectic week to say the least, ending with a surprise and may I say costly visit to Cara Camp Somerset West the day before departure. We had to purchase a new fridge after our trusted Waeco decided to end its’ tenure with us.
We saw the first hints of the sun over the “koppies” of the Swartland as we passed through Malmesbury at around 6:30, breathtaking to say the least. I feel overwhelmed knowing God created all this beauty for us to enjoy.
Shortly after summiting the Piekeniers Pass and just before the Marcuskraal turn off on the N7, we reached the first of two stop and go’s at 8:00. Thankfully we did not need to stop at either. The road has been under construction for what seems ages and will be for many months or even years to come. Last year we drove through 13 stop and go’s on the N7 which added two hours to our day.
20km before Van Rynsdorp we stopped for breakfast at the Engen garage. Bathrooms are not exactly new, but lets just say they served their purpose…
Temperatures ranged from 16 degrees when we left at 5:00 am, to 24 degrees at Springbok and 36 as we crossed the Namibian border at Vioolsdrift/Noordoewer around 14:00. The border crossing was uneventful, besides for the less than friendly Namibian road tax officer. Remember all your certified vehicle and trailer documents, although in three visits they have never been checked!
Our first point of business was to buy a sim card so my hubby can continue “working” on our holiday. This always proves to be a stressful event as things do not always work according to plan and it seems to take forever. Once connected and online we proceeded to our overnight destination, Amanzi River Trails.
We decided to book a chalet for the first night as the previous trip was extended with two hours due to road works. Our chalet was situated on the banks of the Orange River, with a beautiful view of the river and kloof. They were busy clearing the site next to us, but we were informed that it would only take place till 17h00. Not exactly tranquil. This is not a luxury chalet, neither new and modern but rather rustic and with an incredible view. My favourite aspect being the outside shower and toilet separated by a reed wall from each other and hopefully prying eyes. I just love nature showers!
The kitchen area is in a separate building (left). Very, very basic but for what we needed, it was adequate.
Ananzi scores high on the view from the bedroom and the outside bathroom however the leftover food in the microwave, the bugs that fell out of the air conditioner and the ants in our bed seriously dented our enthusiasm. Their camping sites looked amazing. Next time we would much rather camp than stay in this chalet. Felix Unite and Orange River Chalets are also options.
Tomorrow we drive to Windhoek to meet up with our travelling companions from Johannesburg.