Day 4 - 6: 10/6/2008 â?? 13/6/2008
Waterberg Plateau to Khorixas
We decided that we bought a piece of the mountain. So we drove around in the resort (took us about 5 minutes) and took some pictures.
Here is one of the sticking up bits I knew about in Namibia (it was in the guidebook and our paper map).
We then left for Tsumeb.
We just need to explain a bit about this decision. We are slowly getting into the minerals thing. Not serious or fanatic and we do not plan to start buying minerals on a big scale, but we are starting to read up on it, and if we know there are displays etc. we will go and have a look.
Tsumeb delivered over 200 different minerals over the years and is renowned around the world. More than 40 of these minerals are unique to the area.
We arrived in town and started looking for a place to stay.
The old municipal campsite is still beautiful however the ablution blocks are a disgrace, but I will not let my dogs sleep there. Stephan asked at an Information Centre and we were referred to â??Mausbadâ?. We arrived there and we had the first really big laugh of the trip. It turned out to be â??Mousebirdâ? â?? a backpacker establishment. Well, beggars canâ??t be choosers so we pitched our tent under the washing line in the back yard for 2 days. We learned the ropes of staying at a backpackers very fast. Donâ??t leave ANYTHING in the fridge without you name written on it. Our tomatoes disappeared into their stew and the milk got used for coffee and tea.
We walked around in town and really met some interesting people. Some of the locals were living there for years, and you can write books on the stories they tell. Apparently the old Tsumeb miners were master smugglers. There is a legendary foot high transparent blue crystal that was smuggled out of the mine in the seventies. Apparently it was sold on the pavement by some lucky guy for R250,000.00, a small fortune for those days.
Unfortunately the little shop where we thought we might be able to purchase something had almost nothing in the shop. Several mines closed down, and there is no source for the shop anymore.
Some interesting story about one of the mines is that it was flooded a few years ago. One source said that it was due to a power cut that lasted for days and another say that the miners went on strike and because the pumps were not manned, the mine flooded and all of them are now without any livelihood. The last bit of information was in one of the guidebooks. I thought the whole Namibia was a desert. ;D
Etosha Café is an oasis in down. â??Old Germanâ? according to real McCoy German backpackers. There are some Nazi stickers and badges in a display cabinet in the shop. The beergarden is at the back of the shop and really very nice. Stay away from the hamburgers unless you are desperate, the patties contained more bread crumbs than meat.
The beer was nice and cold.
â??Mausbadâ?: N$ 120 per night.
After messing around in Tsumeb, we made our way to Twyfelfontein where we planned to stay at a community campsite.
On the way there we stopped at a Crystals and Minerals shop in Outjo. Fortunately I had limited resources because I could have spent a fortune there without breaking into a sweat. As it was I broke into a sweat trying to decide what I would buy. :drif:
In the end I bought a polished fossilized nautilus and a little Lapis Lazuli elephant.
Arriving in Khorixas we realised that we were not going to make it to Twyfelfontein and started to look for accommodation. We went past the hotel because the sign did not say anything about camping. We found the Khorixas Rest Camp just outside of town. It belongs to Namibian National Parks.
At the front gate we were met by 2 policemen and 2 armed soldiers. I made a joke asking: â??Why are there soldiers and police at the gate. Are there lots of crooks inside?â? My stand-up comedy career lasted about 3 seconds. They were extremely serious and they let us in after signing a book.
At the pub after sorting out the payment, the nosey barman kept asking us questions. Who are we? Where are we coming from? How did it happen that we landed up in Khorixas?
Then he told us that the President of Namibia is on his way to stay there for the night. Oh, and the â??Old Presidentâ?, Sam Nujoma will be in the party as well. They were scheduled to have a series of meetings with the local people the next day, amongst others about plans to tar the road to Hentiesbaai in future.
After finishing our beers we left to pitch tent and go clean up.
As we came out of the bathroom we heard the noise of the presidentâ??s convoy arriving. Something was making an enormous racket. I thought it must be a huge truck with a major siren attached to it.
Second big laugh of the trip. It was a 1400 Nissan bakkie. Its roof was taken over by two gigantic lights and some megaphone type thing. It would have woken the dead.
So, that night we had dinner with the president. He was in the dining area of the resort and we were quietly eating our Salty Cracks and mussels, trying not to make any sudden movements because there were guys with big guns walking around.
Cost for a camp site for one night: N$ 125
