Etosha and camping next to the road

It was already dark yesterday when Alfred drove me with safari company's jeep to the neighbouring lodge to withdraw money from my maestro card. That was the only way how to pay my safari trip to Etosha as I don't carry so much cash in my pocket everyday here in Africa. You know, 'they' might rob you. :)

Alfred is 34 and is a safari guide. He was born in Etosha. His mother and his sister still live here, his father runs a cattle and goat farm 80 kms away.

As Alfred noticed I will do camping and as he knew I cant do it close to the lodge, he told me his uncle is camping nearby. He's name is Boy and is a road worker. They are camping with other road workers just 20 kms away, next to the road of course. It was dark night already when I found the workers. They were sitting around the fire. I said hello and told them that Alfred is my friend. They welcomed me to stay with them. I pitched my tent, put my Chalaka can into the fire and we had a nice little chat about life and lots of laughs.

Later during the night I watched namibian stars again and listened to some music from my iphone. In early morning (4am) it is getting pretty chilly outhere, anyway it's winter time here in Namibia. :) One hour before sunrise I've heard one of the workers came out of the tent and I saw he started a fire. Thank you man, it was freezing already. :) Brand new day in front of me, what a feeling! :)

Btw.

Etosha is 100 and some years old national park. I call it big zoo as it is big as my country Slovenia. They don't let motorbikers in so I had to find another solution how to get in. I did it with a neighbouring lodge's safari drive. 

Inside of the park I saw many very loud cars and trucks (more than on the main road), packed with tourists, some of them equipped like Rambos with all those huge almost one meter long photo objectives. Animals don't even pay attention to cars and people anymore. We saw girrafes, elephants, zebras, kudus, springboks, rabbits, you name it. 

My impression about national (game) parks in Africa again and again repeats. I mean I like the idea of national parks in general, how it was at the beginning. But how it turned out after so many years, I don't like national parks anymore. It's turning to another big industry, destroying more than rescuing. It's similar than charity with no idea if it helps or spoils.

Milk at petrol station in Oshivelo

Drinking up the Oshivelo
cattle milk

Turn to Etosha park

Alfred driving

View from our safari vehicle

Somebody's sleeping

Morning next to the road

Hansie, Rice, Oupit, Rubben 

& Boy

With Rice & Oupit

Oupit, me, Rubben & Boy

Position of my tent

'Rice' with my guitalele
in the morning

Tsumeb town

It looks meteorites fall down 
often around here

Slowly turning right

What a start of a day! I woke up this morning in my tent pitched next to Kunene river the night before. No signs of crocodiles's visits overnight. So everything fine. I drank my coffee together with two couples from South Africa which actually brought me to this amazing place. Two brothers (around age 42 plus/minus 20 - that's our joke:) ) and two wifes, all from South Africa. We had a great fun last night, also with my guitalele (little guitar-ukulele) which is traveling with me on motorbike and entertaining people here and there.

Anyway, I started my engine and after 50m I felt to sand and dust. Karel helped me to pick up my bike. Not even 300 metres later I felt again, this time to rocks. Karel and his brother helped me to pick up my bike. I drove 500 metres further to reach more normal road. I stopped my bike and stepped to puff adder. Yes, the snake! But little one, just 20 cms, but pretty hectic reaction from her. The brothers explained me it was some Horned or something-adder which is very very poisenous. What a start of the day. :)

Geograpchical description:
After reaching Namibian-Angola border at Epupa Falls there was no way further up for me. I slowly turned right if you look on the big map of Africa. My way was to Kunene river lodge and from there to Ruacana falls / dam. Falls are of course dry because of the dam. Damn. The road from Ruacana led me to the town of Oshikati, which was 170 kms east. I am staying here in Oshikati for the second day.

Himbas, bike and dust

Camping next to Kunene river

Dusty and bomb proof engine

Ouchh on the steep uphill

Steep downhill

Direction of Ruacana falls,
next to Angola border

Big plant provides 80 pct of
Namibia electricity

Where meteorite hit the ground
three days ago. That was close.

My heroes in Opuwo

Today I asked a youngster (security guy) at Opuwo Country Lodge camping if he wants my tent. He looked at me soooo bright and he just uttered 'yes'. So I gave him my tent. He was so happy that he was almost crying. He said that I've realized his biggest dream. 'Now I have my house', he said. 'You gave me a house. I'm so happy'. I've told the guy that it's was my biggest pleasure and that I am really happy even more happy than him as I know that the tent will be in right hands. We almost started arguing who is more happy... :) Anyway, his name is Mbimbo, he is Himba and he is around 18 (I suppose, I didn't ask). He lives in a small village Ofeoupaua 20 kms north of Opuwo. So if you see a green tent with sign 'Easy camping', that is his tent now. It has been served me for a long time in Africa and it's still in good condition. I have another one.

Today I've also noticed that my motorbike has got an injury. The frame at the back where the suitcase is attached to it was broken and it would probably fall off if we've wouldn't weld it right away. It looks that the last road from Sesfontein to Opuwo gave my bike a lot of pressure. Bobi was really kind and he welded my frame well I hope. Thank you Bobi, you are my hero.

Capital of Kaokoland

Opuwo Country Hotel

Resting

Dirty bike

Himba Moms in Opuwo
are buying it

Camping site no. 4

With Bobi The Welder

With Mbimbo, new home owner

No speed limit and Gyroscope effect

Yesterday I arrived to a farm called Aussicht in Kaokoland, north west Namibia, 70 km south of Opuwo. For last 5 kms I needed 30 minutes as the road is so bad that I couldn't drive in average more than 10 km/h. It was also very steep. On the way I saw all these funny signs as 'No speed limit' and ‘The road will be tared next week’. :) The farm is on top of the hill / mountains from where I had a nice view of surrounding hills. The owner lives here for last 26 years but he turned the farm into tourist farm only 10 years ago. It is self-catering but you can book a dinner with owner even if you are just camping. Otherwise meals are included in price if you stay in the rooms. I was camping.

There is a big problem with water in this area. Last year they've got just 250 mm of rainfall per square meter, this year might be even worse, as it they've got just 70 mm by now and it's already May. All of the water on the farm is collected from rain. If it's very dry for a long time, the owner will be forced to bring the water from more than 10 kms away. The water is transported by so-called water-vehicles. I wonder how the Himba tribe is coping with water problem as they have no cars. I will discover this later, probably in following days.

We had some interesting talk at the dinner with the owner Marius and two other guests from campsite, Franz and Anita from Freiburg, Germany. Marius explained one theory why Namibia has such an incredible geological surface. As the scientists claim that many milions years were needed to Gondwana continent (Africa and South America together) split into two continents, Marius (Aussicht lodge) beleives it was a huge meteorite which hit the Earth +-8000 millions years ago. So everything happened fast. That explains fossils. The explains unbelievable landscapes in Namibia and also Northern Cape and Western Cape in South Africa. When meteorite hit the surface, a large quantitiy of water splashed from the ground. Ocean between the new continents was created right after. That is prooved by shapes of the mountains which are all parallel to the sea. As meteroite gave Earth huge shock-momentum, Earth started to spin around its axis differentely and under a certain angle, with so called Gyroscope effect. That explains climate changes. We had different position to the sun for a long time. As the angle is coming back to more vertical position now, that's why we feel climate is changing so fast in recent years. So the Earth is just going back to normal spinning position to the sun as it was before the meteorite hit our planet.

So no worries, the Earth is not heading to any climate catastrophy. The catastrophy is hidden in humans, greedy humans. Climate change and following industry is more an invention of the new world system how to collect more money and how to enslave more people to serve to the system. But as money value is in danger to completelly collapse in next few years, there will be more suicides and new wars. So it will be very interesting and hectic around here on this planet. Only if we humans finally decide to start to use common sense again. And it must be started by each individual. 

In every step we just need to start to use common sense and we will see how many stupid things we are doing every day. Just because we are scared, unsecure or maybe just lazy.

Filling station in Sesfontein

Red rocks

Aussicht lodge, south of Opuwo

Aussicht lodge, south of Opuwo

Aussicht lodge, south of Opuwo

Aussicht lodge, south of Opuwo

Marius Steiner on the right

Little Himba

Damaraland and desert elephants

Uh, another hot day in Damaraland, Namibia and a lot of driving yesterday. From Uis to Twyfelfontein. On the way I visited EHRA campsite which is run by Johannes from Swakopmund and his girlfriend Rachel. Unfortunally none of them was there. I met Johannes in October 2011 in Tanzania and we went sailing in Mozambique. 

Just before Twyfelfontein at Aba Huab camping site I bumped into a singing competition, sponsored by Standard bank. Local groups were singing and dancing, it was very nice and big fun.

Today I drove to see few thousand years old bushmen paintings in Twyfelfontain. After that I drove to Palmwag to pour some gasoline into my thirsty bike and checked also lodge over there. After that I drove to Khowarib, all on gravel roads. All together around 250 kms today.

I am camping at community campsite in Khowarib tonight. No desert elephants spotted by now but many springbok running paralel with me while driving. It is very windy here at the camping during the night.

Damara(land) ferrari

My friend's Joe camp

Bought baboon stick @EHRA

Damaraland has water problem 

Damaraland lizzard

Road sculptures

Damaraland roads and hills

Somewhere on the road

Somewhere on the road

Natural sculptures

Sign

Speed limit

Sprite unleaded

Palmwag

Palmwag

Time for rest

Nice gravel roads

Before Twfelfontein

Living museum

Singing competition in Aba Huab

Singing competiton

Strong wind during the night
and also in the morning

Organ pipes

Twyfelfontein lodge