Call me a trusting fool, but I believed "Hentie" when he told me the beetle (car, not insect) was properly prepared for a roughly 4000 Km (2500 miles) journey from Stellenbosch, South Africa, to Maun, Botswana. Geoff and I would have to stop every 100 Km's to let the engine cool, not take her over 90 Km's per hour and perhaps deal with any "minor" mechanical issues, but we were to call if there was anything big to deal with. The car would "definitely" make it. Less than 2 hours later when the car wouldn't start, maybe we should have taken it as a bad omen? But, once the guy from Best Beetle drove out and showed us it was just a wire that needed jiggling, we breathed a sigh of relief and continued eating our Simbas and Koeksusters (chips & doughnuts) and planned to leave the next morning. Below is the intended 2,280 Km route to Maun, Botswana.
We didn't have to be in Maun until June 29th for the safari, but Geoff innocently suggested that we leave June 18th, so we'd have lots of time. I had no idea he had ulterior motives. June 18th we hit the road for Windhoek, Namibia (I thought) where we would meet up with the Canadians Geoff had met on Lonely Planet.Com. See, he met up with these guys and hitched his wagon to theirs, and snagged me along the way, too.
We stopped in Clanwilliam, South Africa for our first night, and it became clear that traveling here is not like it is in the US. There are no highway signs- or highways really, for "Motel 8's" along the way. We had a map, and a little circle in red if there was accommodation. We'd go into a "Town" and hope there were signs for a B&B or a Backpackers, etc. We lucked out our first night, as our little B&B had electric blankets! Here is a great Lentulidae grasshopper (note the lack of wings) that I found there. The places we stayed along the trip were not nearly as nice as this place- Saint du Barrys B&B.
The next day we drove through Northern South Africa, and once closer to Namibia, FINALLY, the landscape stopped being dominated by vineyards. Here are some things found just at one stop on the side of the road (roads are empty here of businesses/people). On just one stop, I found tons of termites/ants/millipedes/heteropterans/centipedes/a few succulents.
The staff at African borders have all the charm of wet socks. They are beyond indifferent to people and seem to want
you to have difficulties. You fill out a form, get a grunt, and ask if you're done- and get another grunt in reply. No one tells you about some random PRE-stamped form you need, or to hold onto another piece of paperwork if you'd like to get out of the country. Having said that, the border services in Namibia were by far, the best. They had lots of maps of Namibia and even Windhoek which had great information on accommodation.
Once we were in Namibia, we were struck by how flat it was, compared to South Africa. When we pulled off the road, we found TONS of succulents, and lots of things crawling under rocks. I think Geoff found some shiny stones too.
Night 2 was spent at the Grunau Country House, in Grunau, Namibia. In the picture, you might imagine that I look
around and would see other structures. You'd be wrong. No electric blankets, and Geoff booted me out of the room to clip my nails. Not the best night. BUT, in the morning, as we were pulling out of the gate (yes, gates/barbed wire here too) I saw something very large crawling on the ground. I said calmly but firmly to Geoff, "Stop the car immediately." I think I know what it is, and am equal parts excited to see this thing I've read about and to know the name of this thing from my studies. It's a Hetrodinae, or a Ground Cricket. I scooped it up and took easily 30 pictures then let it go in some shrubbery. Moments later, we saw them littered all over the road. I collected one to be a prisoner for a while, and fed it apples. We stopped shortly after and I let it go, and we literally had to drive around them in the road for half the day they were so prevalent. I fully intended to get one on the way back as a pet. Oh, and Geoff killed a butterfly.
On the map there was a star that read, "Extinct Volcano." We figured it was a short veer-off, so why not check it out. Why not? Because TIA, and most roads are dirt roads and we were in a 1974 VW beetle, that's why. We're stupid though, so we drove to see this volcano (Geoff, among being a physics/chemistry/math nerd, also dabbles in Geology). After only a Km or so on the dead empty road (then again, they all are pretty much empty save for unsupervised cattle), the beetle was like a toaster coming through the atmosphere, so we decided to stop. Before we turned back, we pulled over and just wandered around for a while, since there was not the characteristic fence along the road. Lots of cool things were found, and at one point, Geoff screamed for me to come immediately while I was negotiating a peeing spot by a spiky acacia (I had to compromise). Geoff was screeching over the discovery of a Pomphagidae grasshopper. Again, I'd never seen one in real life, so it was a treat. There were also lots of low lying succulents.
I found a Mantodea, and some ants seemingly raiding a termite nest. The termites didn't seem to be responding to the influx of ants, but we followed 2 ants carrying away a dead termite. It was again great to see things I've only read about.
Driving....driving....driving. Geoff casually says, "Oh, the Sossusvlei Desert isn't that far, we should check it out." He didn't mention it was on his agenda to see the desert the whole time, or that he wanted to spend days there. I say "OK" as we have time, and I'm not yet aware of his treachery.
It's starting to get dark, and the town we arrive in with a little green dot has only signs for lodging, no actual lodging (a frighteningly common occurrence in Africa) and we have to go farther than we intend to. We end up driving for hours, past 6, 7, 7, 8...we wonder if we'll have to set up a tent and the trip takes a tense turn. Finally I spot a hand written sign for "Hammerstein Lodge" and our spirits rise. We keep driving....driving....driving. Did we pass it? No, TIA. Is that another sign? I have to get out of the car and walk INTO the bush to get close enough to see the damned sign with my flashlight. YES! Another sign with an arrow. Driving....driving. We get there at about 10pm and they have room for us. It's the most expensive place we stay the whole time, but it's not like we have another option. We're walked to our chalet, or bungalow or whatever the hell they call these little rooms and I'm excited to see a Springbok lives on the property and follows people around. She's not yet showing us her true colors, and I think she's sweet. We get a cold dinner, but a filling one and go to bed.
In the morning I learn that we're in the town of Sesriem and that the Springbok- Daisy, is a monster. She doesn't like me and rams me, seeing me as a threat to her dominance. I have to stand on steps when she sees me, and hurry to/from the car. "Cujo's" horns were even removed because she mamed some other woman. I also find huge grasshoppers stunned by the cold all over, and that's cool, too.
We drive about an hour (60 Km's) to the Sossusvlei Desert Gates (bumpy dirt roads), pay the entrance fee and drive into the park. Another hour, on tar and then pay more $ to ride a heavy duty shuttle to the inner parts. These pictures are before we're officially into the desert. You'll notice the abundance of small plants- I was surprised too, but it's just been raining, so there are more grasses than normal- but there are grasses here.
We don't have much time, since it's over 2 hours to just get there, so we only see the Deadvlei side that day. We walk (some of us struggle with walking in sand more than others) into the desert and up some dunes. There are Darkling Beetles (Tenebrionidae) scampering on the sand everywhere! They dig into the sand and fall over dunes, righting themselves head over tails. There's also an old mudflat (that for some reason hasn't been covered with sand.... and more grasses. Geoff used my camping air mattress in a failed attempt to sled down a dune while I dug in the sand for insects.
This plant is a mystery to me, though was common. What's weird about it, is that when you touch it, it feels cold and wet, even a little spongy. Imagine slime, but a solid- you look at your hand, expecting to see residue. I'll keep you all posted. LIkewise, there was a strange basidiomycota like growth coming out of the sand. I have no idea on that one, either. Geoff also found a great Orange Dung Beetle- though he's renamed it "Sossusus cyclopsis."
We're happy to go "home" to Hammerstein, though it's a 2 hour drive. We get an amazing hot dinner and have clean laundry to come back to. In the morning, we plan to go out again, as really, we didn't have much time to see the desert, and I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw and was eager, too. In the huge, impressive common area of this fancy lodge, they have some reptiles on display. Geoff asks what sort of snake it is and I tell him it's a Puff Adder. He says no way, that they can't have a poisonous snake like that here. The wrangler guy happens to be nearby, and starts to talk to us about the snakes/couple of lizards. He casually says that it's a puff adder, and it was found on the grounds- as were the other olive (constrictors) snakes and baby monitor lizard. Geoff and I enjoy the full bellies, nice chairs and heated environment for a bit, until I notice that just to the side of Geoff's head, there's a snake waving about in the air. I look at Geoff and say to wait right there, and that I'd be back. I go to the adjacent bar where the wrangler guy is, lean on the bar and say: "Hello. You know the snakes in there? (to which he nods) One is out." He just looks at me and says calmly, "Which one?" I reply, "My demeanor would be much more excited if it were the puff adder." He laughs, gets up and heads to the cage. Geoff is standing on the chair. He and another fellow open the cage, finding that the olive snake has used a chain to get to the top, so they take him out and set to removing the chain. The guy hands me the snake and casually asks me to hold it. I don't actually say yes, he sort of just puts it in my hands while all the blood drains from my face. This was unexpected and slightly unbearable. Several of the longest moments of my life pass, and they return the prisoner to his cage. As we leave, I enter our names in the book and note about the AWOL snakes. In the morning, we learn that the staff saw my note and checked, only to find that both the constrictors HAD in fact gotten out again. Fancy that.
The next day began our car complications. While getting info on a balloon or plane ride over the desert, Geoff notices an oil leak, then while getting gas and inquiring about a mechanic at the entrance gate, I notice one of the tires had patches of exposed tread so deep wires sticking out of it. This was bad, but luckily we were AT a tire place and a mechanic was a phone call away! Too bad it was a tire place in a desert in Africa, as they didn't have a tire that would fit (which in itself was a marvel, seeing as how the car had three different size tires on it) nor the ability to take out the gearbox, where the leak made birth.
We eat at a lodge there, and drive back- this time, we camp right outside the entrance to the park. See, Geoff has this stupid desire to see the sun rise in the desert, over the dunes. I couldn't be less interested, as it means getting up at 5 fucking am. Alright though, team player and all, so let's go see this damned thing. Turns out, it's COLD in the desert at night, and it's one of the more horrible nights of my life. My tent isn't thick, and even with my mattress, I'm shivering most of the night, and though he'd never admit it, I know Geoff was cold, too. I could see his breath. In the morning, I tried to pretend I didn't hear the alarm, but he did and we got up. Freezing cold, frost all over the car (FROST), fingers numb putting away the tent while Geoff thought it was hilarious and made me pose for a picture. I was not amused.
We get to the gate, it's not open (shocking) and we have to wait. Why? Because Namibia does a whole daylight savings time thing we weren't aware of, and we're EARLY. I stay calm, but am hating every moment of this blackened hell. We enter, and race against the sun, being passed the whole time by huge 4x4's and group vehicles that look like they're capable of giving a tour of the moon. I can't climb this big dune, so Geoff goes up and I (encased in my sleeping bag) stay on the ground and get some pictures (into the sunrise/away from the sunrise).
This day we go to the Sossusvlei part, where there's a small lake. It slowly warms up, and while it doesn't get hot, it's really warm, and I enjoy the time when Geoff wanders up a dune to ruin his camera with sand, basking in the sunlight. At one point, on a smaller dune, I have a verbal exchange with an unknown figure:
Voice: Sarah?
Me: Yes?
Voice: I wasn't sure if it was you, but then I saw your net and knew it was you.
Me: Gesa?!
Who the hell runs into someone on a dune in Namibia? She also stayed at the Hammerstein Lodge and had seen my note- double whammy. Geoff is enthralled with how some of the sand looks like green grass from a distance and is determined to collect the surface layers. Note the magnifying glass- what a nerd. BUT, I do have to admit that he's a great entomology helper, and did bring me back lots of little insects from the dunes.
We head back to our new campsite, a freebie, given to us by the manager of the Oasis station, upon seeing our not-so-mighty-steed. He was pleased that we came back from getting our tire to see the desert more, when we could have just kept going to Windhoek (the capitol of Namibia, where there will be honey, gold and tires galore) and gave us a swank site. Geoff goofed off while I took a horrific shower (cold). After which, I explored the rear of the shack and found an ON/OFF switch to the hot water. Isn't the man supposed to take care of such things? I found me another ground cricket and fed it some of Geoff's cookies and we had a nice night. The scenery shot is the view when you pop your head out of the tent.
In the morning we headed off on the dirt roads to get to Windhoek, to save time. Would this prove to be a good idea, or a terrible idea? Will we reach Maun by the 29th? Stay tuned.
