12/9/19
With a long drive ahead of us, we left the campsite by 7:00 with our packed lunches ready to go. Most of the day was simply a blur, just sleeping through the drive. Occasionally I would look up from under my blanket to see more mountains and more sand, but that was about it. Getting well bored with the sand now…
We arrived at the campsite around 14:30, and were shocked to still be cold getting off the truck. This time we are definitely int he Southern Hemisphere during winter! The reception of the campsite was a nicely made up roadhouse style restaurant, which most importantly offered us Wi-Fi, and thus a brief portal to the outside world after a few days of nothing.
Once we had set up our tents we made our way to the pool area to chill out for a little while. Not to swim because it was freezing, but just to use up the free 100mb of internet each of us had for the day. I also used this time to swap from shorts into longer pants. I’m no hero, I’m a wimp and I’m cold!
Ali picked us up at 16:15 and drove us to Fish River Canyon. As the name entails, the canyon had a river flowing through it called Fish River – though apparently has no fish. At this level of dryness, barely any water was actually left, but I believe even in the wet season the level is never one of a full river.
The canyon itself is spectacular. Depending of how one calculates the size, this is arguably the second largest canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon of course. Most interestingly, it was formed both from tectonic movement originally and then through erosion, offering visible differences in sedimentation throughout.
Ali dropped us off at one of the lookouts and pointed us to the other lookout where he would pick us up after the sunset. We had ages to do the reasonably short walk however, so we took our time admiring the spectacle. And taking photos all the way through. Including a number of silly group photos, making the most of our last few days together.
The main lookout offered a lot of information on the canyon and the people who used to live here. At times, it is also possible to do a trek inside the canyon and through to some hot springs about 80-90km away – that’s a 5-day trek. Judging from how massive it looked and how high above the river bed we were standing, I can safely say I am not attracted by this idea in the slightest, but I can appreciate the walk would be amazing.
Once the sun had set behind one of the rock formations, we finally hopped back onto the truck and made our way back to camp. Justin had been cooking during our absence, and therefore our dinner was almost ready when we arrived. To my delight, the showers were boiling hot – a welcome treat given how dramatically the temperature had fallen during the evening. Expecting a very cold night’s sleep on this one…
13/9/19
It’s very possible that this night was even colder than the night we spent on the Ngorongoro crater a few weeks ago. I went to sleep with socks, jumper and beanie, Sarah zipped herself up in her jacket and then sleeping bag. And still we were freezing all night long.
In the morning, all we could see were shapes of people wrapped in their blankets trying to put down their tents with frozen fingers. Screw fashion, I was proudly sporting my pretty purple blanket as well and had absolutely zero intention of letting it go. It makes packing up slightly more difficult, but I cannot stress enough how cold it was – Only Lizzy the crazed British was enjoying this!
Today’s programme was mainly a short enough drive to our campsite. We stopped along the way at a set of shops for a bathroom break and to pick up some last minute drinks and snacks, and made it to camp by about 10:00. With heavy hearts however, as this was our last drive in our beloved truck, Tana, which due to having a UK registration was not allowed to cross into South Africa with tourists onboard.
So began the awful task of taking all of our items off the truck, emptying out our lockers and checking under the seats. And then to get onboard Rumphi, our South African registered truck to finish the tour. After already losing our tour leader and driver, losing our truck was simply the final blow to our hearts, and watching Tana drive away definitely left a pang.
The campsite on the other hand was fantastic. The pool was massive – albeit freezing as usual – with a nice bar serving cheap cocktails. Most importantly, the view from the bar area was beautiful, overlooking more mountain ranges and the Orange River. Across the river, we were looking directly into South Africa, our final destination of the trip.
We headed to the pool bar for a cheeky drink before lunch, and returned shortly after lunch was done. About half the group decided to do a canoe safari during the afternoon, but I decided I could use an afternoon of relaxing and reading with cocktails once after the other. And with perfect timing, I was able to sneak in a super hot shower just before the rest of the group returned from their excitement.
For dinner, someone had suggested to Justin that we should make carbonara for dinner. He agreed whole-heartedly, but the condition was that we do it ourselves. So I, along with a couple of others, stepped up to the challenge of making carbonara for the whole group, without any cream – Italians would be proud…
If I’ve now learned one thing, it’s that I will not be hosting parties for 20 people at my house without ordering food in, ever! Between the stress of getting the doses right for each element, cooking a separate portion for our gluten free members and a 3rd portion for our vegetarian/non-pork eaters, all this over only 2 hobs, it was definitely an experience I will not be repeating any time soon!
In the end, it took us just over an hour and a half – for a dish I make in 20 minutes or less at home – but tasted quite nice. Despite the lack of cream, garlic, pepper, or even the correct pasta and lardons. Justin gave us the run-down for the next day, and before long we were snuggled in bed in our freshly cleaned tents. One more sleep to go after this!
14/9/19
Most of the morning pack-up was spent trying to figure out how to pack this new truck. We had breakfast and packed sandwiches for lunch so we wouldn’t have to stop on the road for too long. South Africa is currently experiencing some riots and strong xenophobia towards other Africans with many people having been killed in the last weeks. Us mzungus are perfectly fine, but Ali and Justin were clearly uneasy – and rightly so – about stopping too long in any one place.
It took barely 15 minutes to reach the border crossing to South Africa. We left Namibia without any hassle, then drove about a kilometre to the other border which took a bit longer. Eventually we retrieved our passports, got back on the bus, went through a customs check without the sniffer dogs – a shame as we would have loved to pick them up to reach the lockers at the top of the truck – and we were through.
So welcome to South Africa, our last country on this itinerary! The landscape difference here is striking. While the southernmost part of Namibia had finally started getting a little green with a few more bushes, the more we drove into S.A., the greener it got. Fields of agriculture and vineyards can be seen all around and the beautiful mountain ranges are actually covered in green, not just rocks.
Unfortunately although the conditions of the roads had greatly improved, the condition of the truck comfort had significantly decreased. Rumphi’s suspension has long since died – if he ever had any – and every single bump jolts the truck in every way possible. Quote of the day: “I can feel the exact layout of the road in my bum!”. I attempted to get some sleep which resulted in great neck pain from basically head-banging the whole time – with video proof, curtesy of my bored co-travellers.
You would think the extra greenery would make the bushy bush stops easier, but turns out not so much. Field are delimited on the side of the roads and fenced off leaving very little room between it and the road to get a cheeky pee in. One of our options had a solid meter or 2 of dip between the road and the fence, which made us get a climb in with our toilet break. Suffice to say I look forward to no longer having a challenge ahead of me each time I need to pee!
The drive took a long long time, as we were covering some 600 or so kilometres. Well and truly bored out of our minds – and aching all over thanks to the new truck – we finally made it to our final campsite around 16:30. We were offered an upgrade, but after all this time, this last campsite would be special and dammit were we going to camp it out one last time!
The campsite was situated in the middle of several vineyards and itself farms grapes for making wine. As such almost the entire group took part in the optional wine tasting experience to try to the local vintages. 6 wines later – including a particularly smooth and strong dessert wine – and we were ready to dinner and party!
Dinner was offered by the accommodation this time, in an effort to keep our newly cleaned equipment as clean as possible. Add to that a few more glasses of the local wine, and you had a very happy group celebrating their last official night on tour. We cranked up the music in the bar, and danced up a storm until our host kicked us out of the bar – and the pool! – around 23:00. Last night in a tent!
15/9/19
And thus, for the last time we put down our tents, in the cool dark morning hours. Justin made us some french toast for breakfast, I went up to the bar to order a coffee for the road, and then off we were. With only 240km or so to get to Cape Town, we were apprehensive at splitting up once arrived, yet eager to let go of the bad new truck that hurts.
We stopped along the way for a quick ATM stop and shops. This included a KFC which Michael and I threw ourselves onto. I’m not normally into fast food chains, but I have to admit this trip has made my heart leap every time I spotted a KFC. Looking forward to not touching it again!
Around 11:00 or so, we started the drive into Cape Town. It is so completely different to every town we have been to in the last 2 months. For starters, it’s a big city of course, but it feels so out of place after seeing so much of “real Africa”. Big shopping centres sky scrapers, fancy restaurants. I simply wasn’t ready for all of this.
We finally made it to the hostel which marked the end of our trip and would be the accommodation for most of the group. While a few people had gone for single rooms, I had booked the cheapest possible option and found myself in a dorm room. To my delight however, despite the 6 beds it looked like only Olivia and I would be sharing the room.
After checking in, we all started going back and forth between the truck and our rooms, trying to clear out absolutely everything from our lockers and chairs. I said goodbye to my pillow, blanket and sleeping bag which I would not be taking with me, and carried the rest of my immensely large amount of stuff to my room.
When it became apparent that our plan for the afternoon of getting to the top of Table Mountain wouldn’t work out because of the windy weather, we figured it was time for a late lunch. After so many days of packed lunches, there was one craving we had spotted on the way to the hotel: Pizza Hut. Finally I was devouring a Hawaiian pizza – judge all you like, I like my pineapple pizzas! – and feeling all the better for it.
We returned to the hostel where Kerrianne and Brenton picked up their stuff and headed off to their own accommodation a few kilometres away. For my part, I decided it was time to start reorganising my bags. More specifically, the bag made up for tent purposes and the souvenirs left in the back of the locker for the whole trip now needed to all make their way into the big bag. By the time I was done, it still looked like I had achieved nothing!
A few hours off being alone took its toll on all of us though. After so long being constantly surrounded by people – even when sleeping alone in my tent, there was still always another tent nearby – it felt strange to suddenly be alone in quiet silence. So I got ready for dinner and headed to Sarah’s room, where I found Vincent had already had the same idea! How will we ever live without our big group?!
The whole group met up at 18:30 to head out to dinner. Following a recommendation, we went to a place which served a mixture of African dishes from all around the continent, and did so with music and entertainment. An all you can eat serving of food, though by the time we were through with all the included items, we were way too full to order any additional serves!
The restaurant was phenomenal though. While the decoration was already splendid in itself, the entertainment was just great. Once we had sat down, a woman came around to do some basic face painting on each of us with some traditional motives. Musicians and dancers came around several times offering songs, costumes and the opportunity to join them in dance, and it made for a fabulous last night all together.
Although our smaller group of 8 would still see each other in the following days, it was the beginning of the end for the rest. We said our goodbyes to those not staying in the same lodging or flying out the next day, and hope to see the rest in passing one last time before the final goodbye. It was beautiful to finally rest once again in a bed with a real duvet and blanket, but this could only mean we would soon be split up for good, and that did not help the sleeping at all.
Elodie's Travel Diary 