12th
April 2012 Tsumeb, North Namibia
Two
years ago, when we were here, most of the country was a dry scorched
land. The warthog warning signs on the side of the road could often
be photographed with a family of warthogs in the background feeding
on the scant feed being offered near the asphalt. On this visit,
after floods last year and good follow up rains this year, the land
is green and grass long. On the drive of over 470kms today we managed
to see just the two of the ugly but loving creatures as they scurried
across the road. The waterholes are full and the feed such that there
is no need to venture to the road verge.
We
left Windhoek after an extra night's stay at Pension Christoph as the
bakkie took longer to service than first expected. I told then to
give it a good check over as we were expecting to go on some marginal
roads. It cost a fair bit more than quoted but we now know the
vehicle should go a fair distance with little trouble. Amanda, the
owner of Pension Christoph, surprised us when we went to pay for the
extra night by saying it was on the house. That we were good return
guests and had to pay out extra on the vehicle service so she was
happy to waive the cost. We were taken aback, so if any readers are
looking for a nice, inexpensive place to stay when visiting Windhoek,
I would recommend Pension Christoph.
We
made a detour on our way north today to visit the vulture aviary
where we had volunteered two years ago. Maria, the owner was not
there and neither was Martin & Brenda, the Namibian couple we had
gotten along with so well. The guard on the gate off the main road
said that Martin had been sacked not long before. It surprised us as
Martin was one of the hardest workers we had met. When we were there
he intimated he was disillusioned with his situation, Maria was a
hard taskmaster and we felt, took advantage of Martin's situation.
Margaret, who had just started working there, showed us the vultures.
It brought back some vivid memories to the both of us and we were
pleased to see the birds looking healthy although Carl, the lappet
faced vulture, was now wearing a broken wing. He and Ollie, the
Batelaur Eagle seemed to be more receptive to people than two years
ago. The place seemed overgrown and not that well kept but that could
be because of the lush growth the last 12months had brought on.
We
are now at Tsumeb, some 300kms from the border and hope to get to the
border tomorrow and cross the next morning. There are two crossings
here in the north, the main one is at Santa Cruz but have heard it is
a bit of a shambles, also the road north of there is badly potholed.
The alternative is to the west at Omahenene, quieter but the road
back to the main road some 80kms north, is dirt and meanders
somewhat. I think the latter may be the best option.
Blog
posts may be a bit erratic until we pick up a workable sim card once
we hit a city in Angola.
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