Camping at Savanah Game Lodge, 40 km from Grünau
Distance 112 +12360 = 12472
Average 16.2
Time 7 h 18 m
Total from Amsterdam 17872
Location
Left camp 06h05 and popped into Bonjour at the Total garage to swop warm cool drinks for cold ones. From scorching heat in Mariental to a pleasant night of cool weather last night and this morning it was freezing … two windbreakers, buff pulled over heads and socks. It warmed up so peeled off the layers, keeping the yellow reflective jacket on. We had scones and jam for our second breakfast but minus the butter and cream.
This was at a picnic spot a short distance from ‘Restaurant 51’ which has guest cottages, a small vineyard and two huge banks of solar panels, looked pricey and slightly out of place in arid Namibia.
Found another picnic site two hours later when Peter’s tummy started rumbling again so stopped and had egg mayonnaise. Nice seeing the quiver trees dotted here and there. At 77 km an orange Mercedes van stopped and waited for us. Nigel Reynolds left SA 8 years ago and now he and his wife live in Tsumeb and he works for ‘Bicycles for Humanity’. He gave us coke, dried sausage and we chatted for ages about Namibia and possibly going back to SA where he has a small holding in Swellendam.
It was a good day but I wasn’t as strong as Peter and the flies irritated me to point that I was swearing at them. We had a lovely encounter with Andre and Anita Meyer from Virginia in the Free State who stopped opposite a roadside stall selling biltong and dried sausage. Peter and I initially thought they were going to the road stall but they were in fact waiting for us. Turns out they camped next to Dennis and Jane last night at Mata Mata, Kgalagadi who had told them to look out for us on their way home. We chatted for a short while before riding the last 20 km to Savanha Game Lodge.
I was very happy to see the sign ‘2 km to Savanha’ … the 1 km to the lodge was the best gravel we’d ever ridden on. On arrival I got a whiff of a fig tree, my favourite fruit. Unfortunately they are far from ripe. We are camping out in the veld right next to the ladies ablution where a few wild horses roam … amongst the horse poo?? Rather smell the horse poo than a dirty drain. Supper was a lovely home cooked meal washed down with a Windhoek Draft for Peter and I had a Savannah. Very tired so ending off here. My bed in the Mutha Hubba is calling. Night xx
