Magical Namibia filming the new Mahindra N series videos - daily report

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Over the last 15 years, probably longer, long distance motorbike adventure touring has captivated me. On a selfish level, it has afforded me the opportunity to solo travel, explore places I never thought imaginable, develop and push my limits, internalise my thoughts and passionately embrace escapism. On a social level, the passion for adventure riding has blessed and surrounded me with friendships. teammates and bonds and it is my pleasure and honour to share in these adventures.

When Hardy from Specialised Adventures phoned me a while ago asking if I would like to be part of his team he is putting together heading north deep into Namibia with the goal of assisting the guy ( Willie) who was filming the Mahindra Scorpio N 4X4 4Eplor in some pretty challenging terrain, I was intrigued, motivated and excited. ok, sure I wont be on a bike but this could be an experience either very similar or vastly different, plus I was thinking..hmm, bike routes, bike friendly places, you name it... lets find out.

The Pitch was short and sweet... Specialised Adventures & Mahindra, creating a world class experience exploring some of the most daunting terrain Namibia has to offer, and this time, Mahindra India were bringing some VIP guests along in their brand new Scorpio N series 4x4’s as well in order to seek , experience & conquer The Skeleton Coast, Damaraland & Kaokoland , Let’s go... or as Mahindra India put it... LET'S GET LOST

The days flew past and before I could completely let go of my business & family I was in an UBER off to seek adventure and chase a passion.





Day 0: 6th June Prelude

For everyone day one would technically be at the start of the expedition but for me it started today so I have included a day 0 as a lot was happening all at once, setting set the scene and laying a foundation for what was to come..

True to form the weather in Cape Town was experiencing 4 seasons in a day, day 0 kicked off with some scattered thunder showers burying Table Mountain in a thick rolling dark tablecloth, the kind of tablecloth that makes your mind wonder how horizontal the rain is on the other side.

Many of the invited guests , Specialised Adventure crew and Mahindra management & representatives had already landed and were settling down in the Airport hotel held up by the offending weather .As the finishing preparation to the cars, gear and expedition launch festivities were systematically being dealt with at the launch venue, Hotel Verde, and, with guests eagerly rubbing their hands at setting their eyes on what Cape Town had to offer, rain or not... what else was there to do but take on an impromptu peninsula Tour?.

After hiring a 10 seater quantum on the fly, the Peninsula Tour of Cape Town or ‘Murray’s mystery tours’ as it became known launched with gusto towards and through one of the most frequently visited beach side towns in the area... Muizenburg.

The group stopped at the famous colourful changing huts or bathing boxes as they became known were initially constructed around the moral governance of beach morality in the 1900’s just 4 min from Muizenburg. We all admired the glass like appearance of the bay before stretching on through clearing weather to the home of South Africa’s largest naval base in Simons town on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula to pay homage to “Just Nuisance’ the only dog ever officially listed in the Navy and, naturally, to indulge in some quick curio gift shopping supporting the local sellers.

One of the highlights of the tour was to be found nesting right next to the boardwalk at Boulders Beach where the guests bore witness to nesting Penguins only an arm’s length away... absolutely amazing experience and a view I've taken for granted but found renewed pride in what Cape Town has to offer. Moving around Cape Point at the South Western tip of Africa the guests experienced unspoilt views of breathtaking and dramatic cliffs falling off into the sea, diminishing as we made our way towards the eclectic town of Noordhoek, the starting point of Chapmans peak, soaking up the majestic views of long beach showing off under a blue sky. A highlight, Chapmans peak revealed our final tourist attraction destination which could only include some famous fish and chips in Hout Bay harbour.

With time not on our side and with a launch function deadline looming, Grizelda Goosen the executive from Mahindra South Africa and teh lady responsible for putting everythingto gether was waiting for our arrival.... we meandered through Camps bay and back to the hotel... friends made.

Arriving early, there was more than enough time to lift the feet & freshen up after which Mahindra branded heaven awaited everyone at the gala event launch in the Picasso Room, where welcomes were the order of the day with everyone having an opportunity to introduce themselves and what it meant to them to be on the quest that lay ahead. Speeches from Vinod & Jaco as well as from Bijoy, Chief as he would later fondly be referred to was an honour and a joy as rolls on, a common theme on this expedition. A buffet awaits.

Just a footnote from earlier: With the entire vehicle prepping, packing, repacking & verifying Hardy realised that the radios were missing, stolen along with the gas canisters. This was the 1st hurdle to overcome, the 2nd was that we were earmarked via time constraint to start leaving, heading towards NAMIBIA, and, we were one team member short as he was flying into Cape Town from Ethiopia to write about the event and would have a delayed flight to contend with. So it was strategized that myself and Mr Zulu himself, Mhlo would be in his brand new Scorpio N, and with Mhlo hailing from Durban I was entrusted to drive the 4X4 the next day for the 1st time... we will discuss the car on and off during this daily banter but let's all agree that 1st impressions count and in this case an impression was made. This being my 1st time in an SUV of this calibre was met with curiosity as I reminded myself to make mental car review notes.

This was the quantum I loaded everyone into.. what a lekker cab, effortless even with 10 people brimming after being on chappies.

If you coming to Cape Town, you are either going to Snoekies or Fish on the Rocks.. no question about it

Simons Town.. never a dissapointment

Gala launch with all teh speeches and buffet dinner.. what an evening meeting a great bunch of explorers

Big thank you to Grizelda goosen from Mahindra SA for all the branded goodies everyone used during the trip, Ive never used a coffee mug so much in my life.

More of Grizelda's good work.

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 1: 7th Cape Town - Vanrhysdorp : Catchup

Myself & Mhlo would obtain rental radios in the morning as agreed and pick up Rishad from the airport a bit later in the day but 1st things 1st, there is a expedition coming through and after a briefing by Hardy & a silent prayer, Grizelda from Mahindra South Africa lowered the chequered flag falling one car, one team, one family of explorers at a time. I get a wave and a smile full of nervous energy from Santhosh and his daughter as I bid them a safe drive.

Radio’s collected, check, back from Paarl to the airport, poor Rishad the reporter / car jurno / writer and global traveller who we have known for 30 seconds must have felt like he had been kidnapped because we located the target, loaded him up and headed through an expedited countryside tour from the airport heading towards Vanhrynsdorp through citrus countryside where after a bonding moment between Rishad, Mhlo and myself we would all reunite at Letsatsi Road Lodge in Vanrhynsdorp right on the Rooibos route, our goal... before nightfall.

Our timing was close but it felt like a breeze in the Mahindra, the steering was a bit twitchy and I hadn’t had any time to fiddle or explore with any settings but the power delivery, comfort and cruise control made for easy and stylish driving which just ate up the km.. Keyless entry and starting takes some getting used to, I few times I simply forgot where the key was.

With just open road ahead of us, before we knew it, we witnessed the sun setting on day 1 as stories of a cricket ball getting stuck on the roof were being recounted by the guests upon our arrival, the batsman getting praise and ridicule at the same time, Vinod, one of the guests taking it all with a smile. It was my 1st time at Letsatsi Lodge, usually we breeze through Vanrhynsdorp on our way through to the Karoo, a road I must have travelled 100 times, this was a welcomed surprise to finally experience the unassuming roadside lodge which turns out is beautiful & full of surprises. The exposed sunset topped off with a Pepper fillet, medium rare at the Red Ox restaurant thank you very much... my 1st time and comes with a nod, classy place, surprising, recommended.

Meet the steeds for the expedition, brand new fleet of mahindra N Series 4x4.. impressive vehicles.

Invited guests from all over India.. some of them have been going on Mahindra global expeditions for over 14 years, catching an early morning brief before setting off

Farewell and safe driving, day one of many falling under the chequered flag

Vanrhynsdorp.. our resting destination on day 1

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 2: 8th July Vanrhysdorp – Oewerbos : Vioolsdrift baby !



There is always an excitement one feels when you know that you will be close to a border of another country by sunset, I still get this feeling travelling between our provinces as the fenced and unfenced borders create an expectation that spill over into a prepared anxiety of anticipation.

Speaking of anxiety...up to now I have been driving the Scorpio N series which in itself has been a great experience but now let me introduce you to my new steed, the media car as I call it, my beast, the Mahindra Karoo PickUp and myself & Willie’s home away from home for a while, with beefed up suspension, battery power and tyres that could move mountains, it's a 2.2L turbo Diesel 6 speed auto, never say die piece of kit, a piece of kit I would fall in love with over the days. My passenger and partner in crime, the master, the magician of anything that involves an aperture or a vape, the regulator of ambient temperature, one of the last rarely spotted alpha males and creator of the entire trips playlist, all the way from Mauritius... Willie Venter.

This Mahindra karoo though, what a car, let's take a second to appreciate the Karoo’s Hummer like viewpoint, the stance you get from the bonnet and bullbar from the driver’s seat becomes evident when you pass a minion in a VW Polo, I never understood ego boosts but I’ll take one when presented. In the back tucked under an aftermarket canopy is cooler box, drinking water, chairs, compressor, foodstuffs like coffee & jam, table and luggage including Willies suitcase, the heaviest suitcase in the world. The entire back seat was Willies life, camera equipment, sensitive drone & filming equipment that he attempted, tirelessly, to keep dust free and 3 shopping bags of treats, snacks and other indulgences. I got the rookie space, that’s the bit under your seat although I was accommodated with a cup holder and a charging cable, thanks Willie.

Stocked up & fuelled up including a killer Wimpy breakfast Adventure one rolled out after Hardies briefing and silent prayer at 09:30.

Of the 380km approx. Half of it was off-road, exposing the quiver trees standing proud with the tales of how the Nama tribe used the trees to shape quivers or that the spirit of a dead person will live in the tree if the body is not buried adding to the mystique of the region and the tribe, I noted just the day before in Vanrhynsdorp that the quiver trees are in flower, a 1st for me.

We can start to see the landscape change through the Namaqua eco trail, sand for as far as the eye can see, a rock climb not for the faint hearted and landscape changing with a setting sun a feast for the eyes only afforded to those with a lengthy following distance. The Mahindra Karoo ploughing through anything and everything, the pickup’s gift to the driver is the delivery of superpower confidence, a recurring theme with Mahindra through the series..... time was not on our side with this route but the beauty of the area mixed with nostalgia from the Honda Quest event also run by Specialised Adventures suppressed any time related anxiety & created a mixture or euphoria and a giddy happiness as my senses soaked up the red landscape before me.

It's also the 1st time I got to check out everyone’s off-road skills, on these tours you are always thinking ahead, always planning, communicating and implementing something, it's constant, as a bike rider on these roads one thing you become really good at over the years is reading the different terrain at speed, so when you see people choosing a different line to you at a different speed you question it, and indeed there were a few slides and corrections from cars in front of us prompting a few ooos and ahhhhs from our cabin remembering that our youngest guest was only 18 and driving off-road for the 1st time. Although to be fair it's my 1st time off-roading in convoy something that takes getting used to with Namibian dust although I still don't think one ever gets used to dust, we just manage it & accept it.

.... the sun set on us as we entered Oewerbos at about 7pm, smashed a pizza and a beer revelling in Wi-Fi, followed by a mandatory Hardy briefing, a briefing focusing on crossing the border early the next morning where we would learn the fate of 2 of the guests who were still awaiting visa confirmation... but that’s a story for tomorrow as the owl at Oeverbos closes the evening with a ‘hoooo hoo’

Photo opportunity.. welcome to the playground of the Mahindra Scorpio N 4x4

Rishad, MJ & Willie setting up to film the approaching convoy

Those who did Quest may remember this area well.

Santhosh stalking unsuspecting prey with delicious Indian snacks - in this case chilli & puffed rice that cleared all your sinuses while Willie retrieves the drone after some epic shots

Chasing the sun through teh Namaqua eco trail

Oeverbos.. beer & pizza. Early night, early departure for the border.

 

[m0lt3n]

Cant wait for this!
Declaration of vested interest....I have a Scorpio N....


What is your normal daily driver Fuzzy? Whats your reference? Nice review and honest opinion!
I wouldnt say my Scorpio N is twitchy, but they do have light stearing, great for town driving actually.

Would like some feedback on tyres and tyre pressure also please? Mine is harsh if I dont deflate on slight imprefections, awesome suspension when roads get worse though.

 

[Jacobsroodt]

Ag nee man. Jy trek my aandag af met nice leesstof. Ek wil eintlik werk

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Cant wait for this!
Declaration of vested interest....I have a Scorpio N....


What is your normal daily driver Fuzzy? Whats your reference? Nice review and honest opinion!
I wouldnt say my Scorpio N is twitchy, but they do have light stearing, great for town driving actually.

Would like some feedback on tyres and tyre pressure also please? Mine is harsh if I dont deflate on slight imprefections, awesome suspension when roads get worse though.

I'll be discussing the car as we get further north and into the rough stuff when we film .. my daily driver is either a Golf GTI or a Corsa Utility bakkie.. I have zero experience with a 4x4 , when I mean zero I mean that I have driven a 4x4 on the road once or twice and a jeep or 2 in Atlantis dunes, that's it. I didnt even know what 4H or 4L was before this trip so im coming at everything from a complete noob point of view.

I was constantly surprised by the Scorpio N, coming from an adv bike background I am always scanning terrian and determining lines or difficulty.. in many places I thought the Scorpio N would battle but it continues to exceed all expectations. I think in total over the 18 days we had 3 or 4 recoveries and each time it was a case of literally anything would get stuck there. If I recall correctly we had 2 tyres that developed weak spots and bulged, matbe from hitting the side wall on rocks and around 3 or 4 punctures which were dealt with pretty quickly.. all in all, taking the terrain into account, I anticipated 10 times that.

Tyre pressures were as low as 1.2 bar in sand, around 2 bar in rough terrian.. I was driving the Karoo but the Scorpio N has the tyre pressure and tyre temp monitors.. very handy.

 

[Kamanya]

My neighbour raves about his.

Cool flipping trip.

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 3 9th June; Oewerbos – Vioolsdrift – Mariental


Here we go... Namibia baby. I have done a few tours generally intensified to the Southern region of Namibia, this will be about my 6th or 7th time back.. I have missed Namibia and find myself itching in anticipation to get a sense of the familiarity of the land I have been missing.

Long tours, adventurous routes, big groups, different skill levels, mechanical failures, varied goals etc means scheduled departures are never like clockwork and today would be one of those days, starting with a slight delay at the border as Jaco attempted to assist the guests who had been awaiting their visa acceptance, a situation they would ultimately loose and had to turn back to Cape Town. We had passports stamped and 530/ 550km to cover in the opposite direction. Our 5:30am departure from Oewerbos to get to the border crossing by 06:00, a strategic master class in getting a large group over the border, would hopefully put us in a good position to cover that comfortably... or so it wasn’t to be

Wimpy brekkies are a traveller’s staple when on these border crossing roads and today was no exception but a frustratingly long delay in getting our crispy goodness was dealt a further hammer blow when we discovered that one of the cars was leaking more than its fair share of coolant... On one hand it would have been beneficial to have picked up the damaged radiator earlier but on the other hand we have Hardy who quickly sourced a mechanic who knew and even drove a Mahindra, on a Sunday, and, who could fix the problem within a few hours in a parking lot. One round robin style cricket game on the lawn later the cars radiator was successfully pressure tested and refitted, big thanks to Gert the mechanic, what a legend... onwards to Mariental, Named by German missionaries, Mariental was founded in 1912 as a railway stop between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop. It was proclaimed a town in 1920 and a municipality in 1946 and The River Side Chalets, our resting place for the evening was in our sights as we pushed on relentlessly chasing the sun.. . I can’t wait to get stuck into the meat of the tour and get off this tar as Im an off-road guy but getting to know the guests has filled time and it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know everyone on tour, at every stop or rest point everyone is full of stories, laughs and cricket talk.

For now it was just a case of sitting back and enjoying the scenery heading into Mariental

A dop & a chop after arriving at sunset and everyone was settled, discussions lingered, planning and shaping the creativity of the upcoming filming sessions as we got closer to our objective.

Well done to Gert who fixed up that radiator quickly

Cricket was a big theme of the entire trip

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 4: 10th June Mariental – Windhoek


A short day which started off wondering through The Riverside Chalet Zoo, breakfast followed by water and lunch distribution to all the guests. Big thanks to Chantal for her early morning lunch preparation work. After a short briefing & refuel, Windhoek was on the radar just a brisk 250km away but never let short days fool you, daylight waits for no man. Driving past Hardap Dam we entered the Rehoboth District .Rehoboth is the core territory of the Baster community which still lives according to their Paternal Laws.The Basters are a Southern African ethnic group descended from Cape Coloureds and Nama of Khoisan origin. Since the second half of the 19th century, the Rehoboth Baster community has been concentrated in central Namibia, in and around the town of Rehoboth. Basters are closely related to Afrikaners, Cape Coloureds, and Griquas of South Africa and Namibia.

Some of the zoo animals..

Namibia really never holds back when it comes to scenery changes. Leaving Mariental bought a fresh wave of excitement as guests witnessed the barren landscapes of Namibia. About 13 or 14 years ago I had a massive crash on my Honda Transalp 650 just 5km South of Maltahohe delaying my Africa Trip by weeks after finding myself in the Medi Clinic in Windhoek awaiting recovery by my mate, a situation I was reminded about as we passed the turnoff to Maltahohe.

Andile Mtule, the marketing manager for Mahindra South Africa was due to fly in from SA to join us conveniently while we were in Windhoek and we were close to an airport. He would be picked up by Mhlo where he would join us in Arebbusch and from there accompany the team to Swakopmund where filming would commence, everything is leading up to this point.

Its worthy to just make a mention of team meetings. Team meetings revolved around managing client’s expectations, meeting the brief of Mahindra, strategy to convey the cars capabilities within scripts, storyboards and clips of footage. Discussions surrounding how to split the guests from the cars being filmed became logistically more difficult than anticipated and sometimes operational discussions such as the possibility of putting together a short off-road course for the guests with the focus on mechanical sympathy, protecting the assets so that they are protected during the rigorous demands that will be imposed on the vehicles and drivers in a remote location. The mark of a good team lies in their leadership and Hardy was on the ball making plans, sorting itineraries, delegating responsibilities and keeping everything on schedule... his work ethic noted


The farm stall and eatery in Mariental.. very comfortable

.

The rest of the evening was spent at the restaurant in Arebbusch where we had a choice of an Indian dish organised by one of the guests Neily Naidu, sharing her authentic Indian recipe with the chef or we could order off the menu.. After a long day and lots of work still to do we prepare for Swakopmund.

The Arebbusch accommodation, their hospitality and restaurant was a pleasure to witness , if you ever find yourself in Windhoek this is an oasis in an accessible part of the city and looked forward to our return there on our way back home.

Conversations and laughter during every break alongside the road..

 

[Hardy de Kock]

Just got back from the Project-X recce and stoked to see this report. Not sure where you found the time to compile it but well done so far and thank you for the nice things you wrote.
Murray - Thank you for all your hard work during this expedition. It is always difficult for a first timer to join up with a team of people that has worked together so many times but you fitted right in. Your extraordinary attention to detail was appreciated by every team member and even more by the clients.
Thanks again
H

 

[Cage]

Lekker writeup - looking forward to the rest.

Mariental is "burned" into my memory. Heading down to CT on pass from the north by bus (one of the kak passes when all of the space on flossies and daks were fully booked), must have been 1989, we stopped in Mariental at about 8.30pm. It was definitely the hottest place that I'd ever been to in my life. December - must have been close to 45 degs at that time of the evening. I remember the heat off the pavement burning my feet through the takkies that I was wearing.

Seem to remember that there was a Hansa Hotel there at that time too.

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 5: 11th July Windhoek- Swakopmund


With the new day came early morning script writing, testing and re-writing bouncing between Hardy & Willie to see how the script worked with potential shots we anticipated getting. I love being in the meat of the creative process.

After sunrise came the usual morning routine & departure, B1, through Okhandja , Karibib, Usakos then enjoying a tasty spread of cold meats, rolls, cheese, micro greens and pesto’s to taste, lunch was served bush style. Treats, great lunch and good vibes as anticipation mounts

Spurred on by just the thought of being on the dunes by sundown we pushed through a refuel and curio shopping spree arriving early at our accommodation in Swakopmund – Gecko Lodge. Chantal swiftly gets the guests settled and joins the Specialised Adventure team, it's time to get to work, there is an anticipated excitement the closer we get to filming. Gecko Lodge was ample and comfortable, shout out to Gecko Lodge and Rekesh for the Geckjo lodge pics

To the dunes..


I last visited Langstrand on my very 1st motorbike tour through Namibia, I was so green when it came to riding that I would never even attempt sand dune riding and so one of my clearest recollections of Langstrand was coming across 2 guys on 1200GS BMW’s ripping up the dunes as we took on one of the slowest quadbike sand dune tours ever recorded. It fundamentally changed what I considered possible with a big, heavy bike on sand and being behind the wheel of a Mahindra Karoo pick-up or the Mahindra Scorpio N series back at these magnificent dune formations was again fundamentally challenging my perceptions of what was possible in a Mahindra 4x4. With low tyre pressure and in 4H you could attack the targeted soft stuff with gusto never doubting these vehicles abilities in sand... a revelation to my rookie status.

Watching Hardy and Willie work is like attending a motivational seminar, well orchestrated and with intent the creative vision is etched digitally, on repeat, until there it is... the shot, a combination of teamwork and vision fighting against the elements and fading light until it's just right. It was a pleasure to have Andile from Mahindra with us to experience the process and give instant feedback surrounding the 1st section of filming. The planning never stops and every spare moment is either about capturing the shot or preparing for it...

Hardy and Willie working their magic

If this was just a taste of what we were going to be filming then buckle up... these Mahindra Scorpio N series SUV’s are impressive in the sand, it can't get out of a fishbowl but if you sticking to thick sand tracks there are no problems.

Headed back to the accommodation on the quick we collected the guests and indulged in some pretty darn good Indian cuisine at Garnish in Swakopmund with great company. Debrief and meetings late into the night where the dynamics between client, agency, creative, production and guest experience are thrown into a pot of debate as well as planning the upcoming northward push into more technical territory and everything that came with it.

Sunsets, scenes & scripts

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 6: 12th June Moon Valley shows off.


Swakopmund true to form was thick with a sea fog that hung heavy in the air in the morning but you got the optimistic feeling that the sun will eventually win the war so after postponing the morning brief due to weather we headed off via an incredible viewpoint into the heart of moon valley for a picture session then onto Goanikontes Oasis https://goanikontesoasis.com/ a feast for the creative eye and our lunch spot for the day, or was it? the guests picked up a few fantastic bronze castings of Himba women & children at the curio shop, refreshed themselves with milkshakes and awaited their surprise which had been hinted at a few times in briefings.

Moon Valley in all its glory

The surprise: A few hours of Specialised Adventure magic, a bit of off-road training in preparation for some gnarly roads ahead... stories and laughs were swapped at lunch in a riverbed, off-road initiative trial run complete, guest experience activated and the expectation vs reality when it came to some clients off-road skill sets has been narrowed resulting in a growing confidence, this is of great importance when travelling to remote places and increases the chance of success.

Hardy giving a briefing on what the guests could experience, how to overcome some tricky bits and an overall confidence boost.

After lunch & some 4x4 training the film crew headed back to Langstrand and the dunes where filming sequences had to be laid out.. at long last we get to sink our teeth into the filming side of things.

All the skills in the world will not necessarily stop you from getting stuck if the terrain dictates it, sometimes it's just bad luck, inexperience or changing terrain, but Murphy will make sure the episode will happen 200m from the filming location, deep within the dunes of Langstrand. The team works quickly if there are any delays as the sun is setting and there is a prefect shot waiting to be exposed.

Film shoot 2 ... totally in the swing of things and loving it, sun setting awaiting that perfect spray of sand which the Mahindra N series took in its stride.. After all was done and dusted, the next common daily theme was born, the quest for shots, more shots and one more shot. All the while the guests were being taken on a dune driving experience lead by Jaco... bucket list stuff for many as the dunes hug the ocean in a sun soaked dramatic landscape.

Rishaad pushed one of the Mahindra's too hard with deflated tyres.. quick fix.

For the foodies out there, dinner was at the famous JETTY 1905, if you have never been... look it up and go experience it at least once. The Jetty on which the restaurant has been built was erected after the Herero Rebellion in 1904 with completion by the Zweiten Eisenbahn Baukompanie in 1905, hence the restaurant’s name, Initially 275m long and 9m wide it was later extended 50m and widened by 5. After a few upgrades building on the jetty was stopped after World War 1, in 1986 work was undertaken to save the jetty with renovations in 2003 resulting in what we see today being reopened as a public space in 2006. The restaurant we were currently dining in was constructed around 2009/10.

The day ends with a team meeting back at the accommodation to discuss the aspects of the filming, identify challenges and ways to streamline time management restraints.. A good day in Namibia.

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 7: 13th June: Swakopmund – Brandberg. An off-road adventure.


The previous day in the dunes, an overzealous Rishaad pushing the deflated tyres to their limits managed to peel a tyre away from the front rim in an epic shot failure attempt filling it with sand in the process, only a minor inconvenience as Jaco made short work of fitting the spare but Mhlo & I needed to get that tyre de-sanded, rebalanced, and fitted as well as refresh the tyre repair box just in case. Hardy & Chantal went to buy all the provisions we would require for the entire convoy over the next few days. Jaco took the guests on an epic historical architectural tour of Swakopmund with all of us reconverting at the Jetty for our departure North, and in my opinion, the much anticipated real deal was about to reveal itself. The Skeleton Coast.

Some of the historical buildings are well worth the pause to admire them.. one caught my eye before we all joined up at the Jetty to continue our adventure.

Leaving Swakopmund: Destination, the Zeila Wreck, which had been sold to an Indian company as scrap, ran aground shortly after leaving Walvis while being towed in Aug 2008. Coincidentally having guests from Bombay the Zelia was on its way to Bombay when it broke free and ran aground which quickly became a topic of conversation..

The Specialised team and MJ were haed at work, drone shots and stills, interviews and an effortless parade of the cars driving on the beach with the shipwreck in the background made short work of good planning. Willie was building his collection of shots in the running for being selected for the final edit...

After another satisfying lunch prepared by Chantal onwards to Henties for a refuel and quick departure as time was once again against us as we headed North into the Dorob National Park towards Brandberg, another 1st for me and bucket list destination activated.

Brandberg is deceptive, you can see it rising majestically from the barren sandy landscape but what looks like 20km away is in reality further away than you can imagine. It's an impressive 30 x 25km at its base rising to 2573m into the air, it has a dominating, awe inspiring presence casting a shadow from the setting sun far into the flat, barren distance. The crazy yet beautiful off-road track Hardy lead us through to get there just highlighted it's beauty and with the sun setting we got to witness the beauty through the golden hour of light cast by the setting sun... amazing, no doubt, I was having the time of my life, the Mahindra Karoo was effortless and a lot of fun to drive in this terrain of rocks and deep sand patches. Following the Scorpio closely, the Mahindra continues to impress.

Arriving at dusk it was a long day, a satisfying day and The White Lady, our accommodation for the next 2 evenings bore surprise after surprise, a real gem, the guests singing and dancing along with a performing choir to round off the experience after dinner...

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 8: 14th June - rest day - not so fast

Revealing Brandberg’s red appearance at sunrise was earmarked as a rest day but in the life of these tours there is no such thing as a rest day, just a day to catch up on what needs to get done. My task for the day was to drive Andile back to Usakos about 180km on a rutted dirt road in stunning weather, from there Andile would be collected by the dealership in Windhoek to catch his flight back to JHB from there. A 6 hour round trip, one half chatting to Andile, a cool, calm and collected man who has a vision for Mahindra, always asking the right questions and sharing his corporate journey from when he used to flip cars to support himself & his pregnant wife & his time at Honda, I enjoyed our time together and the time flew past. The other half I was in my happy place, driving solo through a jaw dropping landscape on the D1930... Spitzkoppe so close I felt like I could touch it... I’m usually a straight laced fellow and a task to go there and back is exactly that but the opportunity to drive for a few km down the D3716 just to get a closer look was more than I could handle so I just sneaked maybe 5km closer just to grab a picture or 2. Spitzkoppe holds a very special place in my heart and I have fond memories and stories of a few memorable camping trips to Spitzkoppe, usually the furthest North I travel in Namibia... I couldn’t be more excited to be heading further North onto more rugged and unforgiving terrain, but for now I knew there was some filming still to do in the afternoon, time to leave Spitzekoppe behind.

Revealing herself under the bright sun.. elephant tracks as fresh as they come, Hornbills snacking and views worth stopping to admire Brandberg White Lady lodge comes into view. Brandberg is a special place and definately worth exploring. One could be forgiven for thinking that the lodge where we are staying 'Brandberg White Lady Lodge' was named after her owner however, The white Lady refers to rock art. The White Lady painting was discovered in 1918 by German explorer Reinhard Maack and is estimated to be around 2,000 to 4,000 years old. The more you look into The White Lady the more myth and legend expose themselves shrouding mystique and mystery. The captivating piece of Bushman and Damara rock art tucked away in a small rock overhang at Tsisab is believed tio have been created by the San people..

As for the Specialised Adventure team & protagonists it was time to catch the perfect light and shoot as much footage as possible, with some extreme off-roading to showcase the chassis and suspension of the Mahindra Scorpio N series as well as some lifestyle shots in the river bed.. Off we set into the void below Brandberg to seek some rugged terrain to capture as much technical footage as possible.

Again and again the professional team of Hardy & Willie shines in these moments as every second of great lighting is used up efficiently with Chantal, Jaco, Mhlo completing the scene & creating some epic shots. This car raises the bar for family SUV 4X4, no wonder it got SA car of the year in that category.

The great thing about these cars is that you can just enter a sandbed without much fuss..

Shots for the day complete the night is full of conversations about scripts and direction as well as war stories from the day... Pineapple pizza & beer ended off a memorable time spent at Brandberg in Namibia

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Day 9: 15th June Brandberg – Twfelfontein


Probably one of the most anticipated days that I have most been looking forward to, heading North from Brandberg with a 6:30am start, Willie and I have a timeline process that works well, double checking and triple checking each other’s checks so that a charger or something doesn’t get left behind, we have that pickup packed super quick now as we settle into a chaotic rhythm, breakfast... a few sunrise close up photos of Hornbills and we are off... heading into the Torra conservancy.

Formed in 1998, Torra is a large conservancy in Kunene region, deriving its name from the Red Torra rock the conservancy covers 3,493 km2. To say it's sparsely populated is an understatement with a smidgen over 1,100 people residing in the area. I've never been to the Kunene region, it can be barren in its beauty with a sprinkle of wildlife spotting .Today would be a big filming day for the team with Willie always looking for the shot to suite the vision. The road leading out from Brandberg became rutted with deep sand and mini sandy whoops shaking us around as I tried to pick a line.. at a point you just give up tryingto find the best line and simply go for it but the Karoo took everything we threw at it and then more even as the roads got more challenging and rocky. I was checking the tracks out constantly.. challenging but not super difficult by any means.

We drove ahead after a quick still photo shoot in order to capture some suspension shots in the deep rutted sand, with drone footage galore in a landscape as daunting as it is beautiful, It’s hard to not fall in love with this destination and this route. The tracks around Brandberg are worth exploration just on their own.

Willie working his magic in the relentless persuit of usable footage

Before long we were lead into a canyon where traditional jaffels on coals were expertly prepared and cooked up with some of the guests experiencing this for the 1st time. The Indian guests always produced sweets and delicacies to compliment the meals, this generous contribution giving us an experience from India to compliment the meals was graciously received and a delight. Jagruti in particular was like a baked, hard battered ball of curried inspired heaven, deeply spiced and delicious.

Arriving at Twfelfontein as the sun moved on means a quick refuel, keys to rooms distributed, guests settled but the sun waits for no man, the team, Hardy, Chantal, Mhlo, Willie, Myself , Rishaad who you met earlier and his sidekick MJ, videographer and a gentleman from India all headed into the river bed of the The Huab River. The Hba Huab is an ephemeral river running right past Twfelfontein. Its source is southeast of Kamanjab and today it was our filming playground all the while keeping an eye out for elephants who's very fresh tracks we couldn’t help but notice.

Film shoot complete we were afforded the privilege of indulging in the extremely pleasing construction of Twfelfontein while sharing a beer and stories to a deep red sunset heavy in dust but the work has just begun, creative meetings into the night, multiple scripts being produced by Hardy. Willie editing like a man possessed, working and reworking it then submitting back to Mahindra for feedback, a process not exactly designed for efficiency in a fast paced environment with limited good light hours and distance between extreme environments. Good teams pull together and push through

 

[punisher]

brilliant thus far

 

[Beserker]

Must have been a hell'uva interesting trips, 1st time 4x4, 1st car trip to Nam, going with a team that knows the area backward, with interesting guests and another culture.

Great stuff Cuzzy

 

[m0lt3n]

Awesome read, and an idea of what goes on behind the scenes with these types of things.


@Hardy de Kock I hope you told them you want the favour returned, Himalayas with Scorpio N will be a great trip!

 

[Dwerg]

I saw a few of these branded Mahindras in the Overberg yesterday