We get up early, something that has already become a habit here. With
the cooler morning temperature, it is nice to walk down to breakfast with the
sun rising and lighting up the rocks around us.
After breakfast, coming out of the shower, I get the surprise of a
small cake with a candle from Myriam to celebrate my birthday. There is even a
present she has hidden from me until then, and life just feels so good.
No news from Avis this morning either, so we pack our stuff in to our
Toyota, pick up our picnic lunches from reception, and set off for Etosha.
The Monkey Mountain
We first make our way to Khorixas. On the way there, we pass by
numerous places with petrified forests, but we decide not to waste any time to
stop for this. Instead we roll on until we reach the paved roads traversing
Khorixas. There is a service station here as well, but as I know we will pass
another town in about 100km also having a service station, I decide to push on
as I still have well over 600km of range in the car.
It is nice to get a short break from the gravel road, but this does not
last for long as we turn back on to the C35 heading for Kamanjab. The landscape
quickly begins to change as we head north, and we are clearly out of the desert
by now. The fact that we are still in the wet summer season is obvious as it is
very green all around us.
Kamanjab is really nothing of interest, other than the fact there is a
service station. We fill up the car, and empty our bladders pretty quickly. The
lingering guys looking to sell stuff are not particularly reassuring in their
demeanor, and so we are happy to be on our way out of the village.
The road is now again properly paved, and should remain so until we
reach the Etosha National Park. Since we are a bit hungry, we pull over in the
shade of a small rest area to check out our picnic boxes. Two chicken wraps
each, a peach and a power bar proves to be far too much food. So, we have a
wrap each, and also the peaches that are delicious. No need to spend any
unnecessary time here though as we are both far too excited about getting to
the park.
With the help of the paved road, progress is swift, and we quickly find
ourselves at the Galton Gate to enter the park. Getting the entry formalities
done, we are disappointed to find out that they do not have any maps of the
park available. Luckily I had printed one out before leaving, so we are not
going in blind. Besides, the way to the Dolomite Lodge is well indicated, and
there are not so many road options at this side of the park.
Time to get in to game drive mode! I click the seatbelt behind the seat
so as to not be bothered by, and with my camera placed in my lap, and Myriam
ready with her camera and binoculars, we set of at the customary snail pace so
as to not miss a thing.
The landscape in this part of the park makes animal spotting tricky.
Being near the end of the wet season, grass has grown tall, and there are trees
everywhere. This does not stop us as we soon come across our first giraffe and
zebras. I soon spot what I mistakenly take for a lilac breasted roller, and it
turns out to be a purple roller. Almost as beautiful, but slightly less
colourful.
After a while we do begin to grow a bit restless, and the journey so
far is taking its toll. I decide to speed up a little bit so as to get to our
camp for the next two nights. It is hot and dusty with the windows down, so
when we see the camp on the hillside we are relieved.
We discover pretty much right away the main problem with this camp. It
is up on a hillside, and you have to walk up there! We reluctantly tread up the
steep hill, and arrive at the reception. Getting our room, we are happy to
learn that our cabin is the first one, so at least we have the shortest
distance to walk. Still, a fair bit to go. We are also informed that since this
camp is not fenced in, we are not to walk around the camp after dark due to the
risk of meeting wild animals.
A big quad helps us go get our luggage (yes, we empty the car fully yet
again) and bring it to our cabin. Driving down to the car we cross paths with a
group of Germans we had seen a bit earlier in the park, and that we had
overtaken. They tell us they just saw a group of lions just before getting to
the camp, and we get quite a bit frustrated for having missed this. Ah well,
there will no doubt be others in the days to come.
As we get to our cabin, we are blown away! It is a sort of permanent
tent set on a wood deck. The deck has a plunge pool and some lounge chairs, all
overlooking the savannah. Simply stunning, and that plunge pool looks so
inviting in the heat. So, we dump our bags, pull on our swimsuits and get in
the cool water to wash of the dust. There is a heaven!
With time having gone by, there is not enough left for a late afternoon
drive, and instead we go down to the bar for a drink. Here we bump in to an
American couple from New Mexico who arrived just after us, and who tell us they
also saw the lions just before getting to the camp. Pretty frustrating to say
the least, but the cold beer still tastes just great!
Dinner is a delicious oryx steak perfectly cooked, and we are happy to
find that the cooking at this place seems to be okay. Then, as it is time for
dessert, and I am wondering what the milk tart proposed on the menu will taste
like, I hear singing coming from the kitchen. The whole crew shows up singing a
local version of happy birthday for me, and bring in a huge chocolate cake! I
know I should have expected Myriam to prepare something for me, but out here I
really thought it wouldn't be possible. No matter, I am as happy as I can
possibly be, and have had my birthday celebrated in the perfect place together
with the love of my life.
The cake is huge, and so I cut it in just the right amount of slices so
that all the guests get a piece. They are all strangers to me, but I guess they
will have a story to tell when they get back home.
Quite exhausted, we are finally driven back to our cabin for some well
needed sleep. It is hot though and not really easy to sleep, and we are getting
up at 5 the next morning so as to be out in the park as early as possible.
Still, we do manage.
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