Melrose to Sesriem

Hils and I share a tent and wake early after a fairly sleepless night. We are going to have to get used to tenting and the snores of one of the men in a nearby tent. Jonas has set up breakfast and it is to be the norm for the Namibian part of the trip; cereals, eggs, orange juice, bread, jams, coffee and tea. We pull down our tents pack up the van and start out for our next destination, Sesreim, about 7 hours drive away.

  

After about an hour we start to notice an oily smell wafting through the truck and are becoming nervous when Ronney notices a wheel nut fly off the front, right wheel. Ronney and Jonas walk back along the road about 100 metres and fortuitously find not one but two wheel nuts on the road. We are lucky to be travelling with several practical New Zealand men, some of them ex farmers, and before long they and Ronney have the vehicle repaired and on the road again.




Our trip today is through the spectacular scenery of the Namib-Nauklauft desert - vast, barren, stoney flat lands surrounded by mountains with absolutely no indication of human habitation. We stop at various times to photograph springbok, oryx, ostrich, baboons and the huge and remarkable nests of the tiny bird, the sociable weaver. It is an apt name for the birds which live in large colonies within their enormous nests, some  the size of a small car. We marvel at the birds' skill in building their nests in such a way as to ensure snakes cannot get in.  




      

 

  Way out in the middle of nowhere we stop to give a young goat herd some apples. He is delighted and we are rewarded with a radiant grin. We stop to lunch under the shade of a tree. The tree is right beside a pile of animal droppings and there are baboons capering up and down the opposite side of the road, we are not impressed but since it is the only tree for miles around we decide to stay there....needless to say it is a quick lunch!





Early afternoon we arrive at our camp, at Sesriem. 

It is attractive with good facilities including a swimming pool, shop and bar. Hilary, Gary and I waste no time in making for the bar and enjoy cold drinks under slow turning fans.
Late in the afternoon we all head off to visit a deep canyon with a dry river bed at its base. We walk down to the riverbed and along it for about 500metres. We jump and play on the rocks like a bunch of school kids. Ronney spots some fresh leopard tracks in some soft mud. We are pleased to learn that the leopard visits only at night when all visitors are gone!




 Back at camp we have a tasty meal of mashed potatoes, sausages, pumpkin and cabbage. I am so tired that I nod off during briefing around the camp fire and head to bed while Hilary heads off to clean her teeth.




 



  



 Photos: (1) Gary displays a wing nut, (2) The Namib-Naukluft Desert, (3) A sociable Weaver nest, (4) Lunch en route, I'm centre photo in blue shirt, (5) Ah, cold beer. Raewyn. our tour leader, with  Gary and Hilary  (6) Sesriem Canyon, (7) Hilary and me in Sesriem Canyon