Aus, Namibia

Continuing south, our next stop was Aus and the Klein Aus Vista.  We stayed in the Eagle’s Nest Chalets.  Each chalet was built into the side of the mountain and were so well camouflaged that it took Marius’ eagle eye to find them from a distance.  Our chalet called The Wall, had one entire wall made from a giant boulder that had fallen from the cliff face above. 

Klein Aus Vista

The Wall at Eagle's Nest Chalets

Built to blend into the surroundings

Aus village was formerly the site of a prisoner of war camp established by the South African army in 1915 to house German inmates captured during the First World War.  The inmates initially lived in tents but later built brick houses. The number of prisoners reached 1500 but by May 1919 the last inmates left and the camp closed. A plaque marks the site today and some of the houses have been reconstructed.

The area west of Aus is noted for its herd of Namib Desert Horses a rare feral horse found in the Namib Desert.  It is probably the only feral herd of horses residing in Africa, with a population ranging between 90 and 150. The Namib Desert Horse is athletic in appearance, resembling the European light riding horses from which it probably descends, and usually dark in color. Despite the harsh environment in which they live, the horses are generally in good condition, except during times of extreme drought. The horses have been the subject of several population studies, which have given significant insight into their population dynamics and ability to survive in desert conditions.

The origin of the Namib Desert Horse is unclear, though several theories have been put forward. Genetic tests have been performed, although none to date have completely verified their origin. The most likely ancestors of the horses are a mix of riding horses and cavalry horses, many from German breeding programs, released from various farms and camps in the early 20th century, especially during World War I.  Whatever their origin, the horses eventually congregated in the Garub Plains, near Aus, the location of a man-made water source. They were generally ignored by humans, except for the periodic threat of eradication due to the possibility that they were destroying native herbivore habitat, until the 1980s. In 1984, the first aerial survey of the population was made, and in 1986, their traditional grazing land was incorporated into the Namib-Naukluft Park.  At several points, some horses have been removed from the herd, including the removal and sale of over one-third of the population in 1992. Since the early 1990s, close records of the population have been kept, and studies have been performed to determine the horses' effect on their environment. Despite being considered an exotic species within the park, they are allowed to remain due to their ties to the country's history and draw as a tourist attraction.

Afternoon Thunderheads

Great picnic site under a lone tree.

A "deluxe" horse drawn cart.

The Namib Sand Sea

On the way to Sossusvlei we passed the Tropic of Capricorn and some spectacular geological formations as well as home decorating schemes.

The Namib Sand Sea in the Namib-Naukluft Park

In June 2013 the Namib Sand Sea was named as a World Heritage Site for

-  superlative natural phenomenon and outstanding natural beauty

-  exceptional example of natural ongoing geological processes

-  globally significant ongoing ecological and biological processes

-  in situ conservation of species of outstanding universal value

The Namib-Naukluft Park, covering an area of nearly 50,000 square kilometers, is one of the largest nature reserves on our planet.  At Sossusvlei, in the park’s southern reaches, drifting, mountainous sand dunes cover the Namib Desert, the world’s oldest desert in grandeur and glory.

A road tracks the course of the dried up Tsauchab riverbed from Sesriem through a valley of soaring sand peaks to reach the most famous of the dunes at Sossusvlei.  Here, mighty ridges reaching 300 meters and higher encircle a parched greyish-white clay pan or vlei.

The wind dictates the contours of the dunes, constantly rearranging the razor-edged slopes and corrugated plains, while the sun plays artist with colors and shadows.  Richly tinted flanks, from pale pink and apricot to vivid red and orange, make this a magical, moody landscape, particularly at sunrise when the color transformation is most dramatic.

Known as star dunes because they are formed by equally strong winds from different directions, the Sossusvlei dunes are reputed to be the worlds highest.  In fact, they are not free standing but rest on the 30 million year old Tsondab Sandstone terraces which are, themselves, the petrified remnants of a much older dune field from an ancient Namib.  Thus the landscape at Sossusvlei epitomizes two distinct desert epochs separated by a long period during which a more humid climate prevailed.

On the Road Again

Apologies for the long delay between posts!

So now let’s pick up where we left off – our day with the Himba people near Epupa Falls on the border of Namibia and Angola.  The next segment of the trip was through the Namib Desert, a desolate but spectacular place, filled with purple, orange and brown hues, and a vastness that cannot be captured in photographs.

We stopped along the roadside for a cup of delicious tea that Jamie had sent from San Francisco and to experience the energy of the desert. 

There was not a thing growing that we could see other than the mysterious Welwitschia.  Up close these plants are not much to look at but with close observation reveal a self-contained ecosystem in a harsh climate that begs for rain which sometimes does not come for years.  Some of the plants have been estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.

Welwitschia

We entered the Namib Skeleton Coast Park through the back entrance and stopped to look at a table full of geodes and other assorted desert treasures included a set of springbok horns which Marius could not let pass.  They made the perfect hood ornament!!

Back entrance to the Skeleton Coast

Marius with his new hood ornament

Springbok Radar

Kalima in the Namib

Chris -  the Sean Connery look!

We made our way to Terrace Bay for a couple of days of Atlantic Ocean fishing.  Marius with his fishing pole and Chris and Kalima with their surfboard which had traveled all the way from Cape Town. 

Terrace Bay was a diamond mine funded by Aristotle Onasis in the 1960’s.  They never found anything of substance and it was abandoned.  The Namibian park service took it over in 1977 and took a gamble that it might become a successful fishing destination.  After more than 30 years it is now a primo spot for the Manly Men fishing trip. 

Remains of the abandoned diamond mine.

The place was completely booked and I was one of two females present.  However, the second of the female gender was truly a fisher”MAN”.  She was someone not to mess with and was there with 5 other rotund manly men totally focused on fish.

Chris caught a couple of waves in the 55 degree water much to the surprise of the fishermen observers (unfortunately I didn’t get a photo). Marius caught two fish, a Kabeljou and a Steenbras, which we fried up fresh from the sea just the way cousin Tommie Ferreira showed me when we stayed at Cape St. Francis during the first month of our trip.

Kabeljpou

Fresh fish for lunch!

At Terrace Bay the cafeteria provides breakfast and dinner in a large dining room.  Over the years visitors have written messages that cover every inch of wall space.  Of course we had to leave evidence of our presence but all that remained was the ceiling tiles.  So up onto the table I climbed to leave our unique signature for future visitors to see. 

After our departure we made our way down the Skeleton Coast to Swakopmund.  There wasn’t much to see but sand and ocean but the emptiness of it all was the experience we sought.  We passed an abandoned oil-rig that looked like a Mad Max movie set and found this, appropriately named fishing spot, St. Nowhere.

Oil rig resembles a Mad Max movie set

A lot of nothingness...

How appropriate??  St. Nowhere

Just before we arrived at Cape Cross, Marius suggested that I learn how to drive the Cruiser in the deep sand.  Needless to say I got stuck but he was able to get us out with ease and demonstrated the process.  Chris and Kalima also got very stuck which I think was the plan in order to try out the super duper winch system on the Cruiser’s front end.  We had a good time and the equipment worked exactly as it should.

Cape Cross brings us back to the Portuguese explorer Diago Cao, who was the first to set foot here in 1486 and erected a cross marker.  Cao preceeded Bartolomeu Dias (who passed Cape Cross and landed at Mossel Bay).  When the Germans took over South West Africa they removed the original cross, moved it to Germany and replaced it with one of their own.  Later someone discovered that the Germans had placed their own cross in the wrong spot, so an exact replica of the original was made and positioned correctly.  Now there are two crosses marking the spot that Cao landed.

Cape Cross is also famous for its large colony of seals.  I had never seen so many in one, concentrated location.  I was also impressed with their mastery of Yoga!

Hohenzollern House - 1906

Swakopmund is a beautiful German town, very clean with great restaurants and historical buildings.  






We stayed at this great place called The Alternative Space B&B which we highly recommend: 

Disclaimer: "the accommodation at the Alternative Space B&B is NOT RECOMMENDED for those who are miserable, or find pictures of nudity and mixed race relationships, offensive." 
www.thealternativespace.com

We also rented quad bikes just outside of town and went tearing around the dunes for an hour and a half.  It was great fun!  We learned that Brad Pitt was a frequent visitor to this same concession and went sand cruising 13 times during one visit to Swakopmund!

One of the activities while planning our trip was watching Voetspore – a men’s travel, cooking and survival show in Afrikaans.  During one of the episodes 4x4 Pizza was featured.  Naturally we had to try it and Marius put Chris in charge of the process.   He got up very early on the day we were to leave Swakopmund to prepare all of the ingredients and assemble the required materials.  The instructions are as follows:  take a loaf of unsliced bread, cut in half and scoop out the insides, fill with choice of pizza toppings, place top half on bottom half and wrap in foil.   Preparation took place without a hitch and it looked beautifully delicious.

Step 2 4x4 Pizza

We proceeded out of town for Step 2.  Put foil wrapped loaf into a plastic bag and drive over it (very slowly) with front tire of vehicle.  The process and conversation went something like this: 

Flattening the 4x4 Pizza

“Chris don’t you think you need to leave an opening in the bag for the air to get out?”

“No, it will be okay.” 

Plastic bag placed under the tire.  Drive forward.  Plastic bag explodes with a pop and the pizza ingredients shoot out the bag covering the tire and the ground.

OH NOOOO!!

Susan and Kalima stand with arms folded observing.  Susan looks at Kalima and says, “Well that was a major - - -  up.”  Kalima says, “Hmmmm”.  Marius remains silent.

Chris jumps out of the car and sees the result.  “Oh NOOOO!”  He salvages the remains and moves on to Step 3 which is to take the foil wrapped loaf (what remains of it) and place it on the vehicle manifold for heating while driving a long distance.

The plan is to have hot pizza upon arrival at destination.  Needless to say that although most of the ingredients were missing the 4x4 Pizza was a tasty success for four hungry travelers.  And, we had a very good laugh as we headed toward Sossesvlei.