We set out from Windhoek a bit late on the first day and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the trip. Our first leg was to be from Windhoek down to Helmeringhausen—a distance of about 430 km or 300 miles. We stopped and had lunch at a place called Hardap Dam. Namwater, the national Namibian Water Company uses it for its purposes but there is a recreation area around the reservoir where people can rent “cabins” and have conferences. The facilities there have definitely seen better days, but it was a nice spot to stop and stretch our legs and get a bite to eat especially with the pelicans soaring overhead.
It was at about this point that the tar ended and the rest of the journey to Helmeringhouse was on either dirt or gravel. It rained along the way and that made for some pretty tricky driving conditions but also gave rise to a beautiful rainbow above the countryside. We made it to Helmeringhouse then quite a bit after we had intended.
Helmeringhouse consists basically of a hotel and a petrol station. It serves as a stopping point for all sorts of tourists making their way to various parts of Africa. We had decided that we’d stay in the hotel for the night instead of camping. Having a large family, we were given accommodations across the street in what essentially turned out to be a house which had just as much if not more room than our flat in Windhoek. It was exquisitely decorated with a completely equipped kitchen (except for the fridge), a veranda, braaii pit and garage for the car. It was missing the refrigerator because it was powered entirely by solar energy and the fridge would have taken too much energy to run. The hot water tank was of the variety called a “donkey geyser” (see photo). This means that one must got out and light the fire within the compartment and then wait for the water in the tank to heat up before showering. Once heated, it makes for a wonderful shower.
That evening we ate on the terrace of the hotel under the magnificent stars of the Southern Hemisphere. The “menu” was pre-planned and consisted of several courses—an appetizer of a slice of quiche; a main course of some sort of springbok in the form of a steak with a gravy sauce, sweet potatoes and veggies (delicious); and a dessert that looked like it was prepared by a Parisian pâtissier. We split a bottle of estate red wine that cost about $10 Am and the hostess threw in a shot of Jagermeister after dinner to top it all off.
There was a group of German tourists staying for the night as well (at least we assumed they were German because they spoke the language, but they could very well have been Swiss or other nationality). They were obviously retired and enjoying the fruits of their youthful labor. They had not however lost their youthful outlook on life. One of the old guys pulled out his accordion during dinner and entertained us with his rendition of various folk songs. The rest of the group often joined in with the singing and our girls had a fabulous time running around and dancing to the music. It was all very enjoyable if not rather surreal eating such wonderful food, listening to German folk music and imbibing Jagermeister in the middle of nowhere Africa.
It was at about this point that the tar ended and the rest of the journey to Helmeringhouse was on either dirt or gravel. It rained along the way and that made for some pretty tricky driving conditions but also gave rise to a beautiful rainbow above the countryside. We made it to Helmeringhouse then quite a bit after we had intended.
Helmeringhouse consists basically of a hotel and a petrol station. It serves as a stopping point for all sorts of tourists making their way to various parts of Africa. We had decided that we’d stay in the hotel for the night instead of camping. Having a large family, we were given accommodations across the street in what essentially turned out to be a house which had just as much if not more room than our flat in Windhoek. It was exquisitely decorated with a completely equipped kitchen (except for the fridge), a veranda, braaii pit and garage for the car. It was missing the refrigerator because it was powered entirely by solar energy and the fridge would have taken too much energy to run. The hot water tank was of the variety called a “donkey geyser” (see photo). This means that one must got out and light the fire within the compartment and then wait for the water in the tank to heat up before showering. Once heated, it makes for a wonderful shower.
That evening we ate on the terrace of the hotel under the magnificent stars of the Southern Hemisphere. The “menu” was pre-planned and consisted of several courses—an appetizer of a slice of quiche; a main course of some sort of springbok in the form of a steak with a gravy sauce, sweet potatoes and veggies (delicious); and a dessert that looked like it was prepared by a Parisian pâtissier. We split a bottle of estate red wine that cost about $10 Am and the hostess threw in a shot of Jagermeister after dinner to top it all off.
There was a group of German tourists staying for the night as well (at least we assumed they were German because they spoke the language, but they could very well have been Swiss or other nationality). They were obviously retired and enjoying the fruits of their youthful labor. They had not however lost their youthful outlook on life. One of the old guys pulled out his accordion during dinner and entertained us with his rendition of various folk songs. The rest of the group often joined in with the singing and our girls had a fabulous time running around and dancing to the music. It was all very enjoyable if not rather surreal eating such wonderful food, listening to German folk music and imbibing Jagermeister in the middle of nowhere Africa.
The following morning when we tried to tank up, we learned that although there was petrol, there was no diesel to be found. Ole Bess only drinks diesel and we were a little concerned about finding more along the way. Additionally, I didn't feel so good after the previous evening's Jagermeister. Fortunately for us the next stop was only a couple of hours away---albeit on gravel.
No comments:
Post a Comment