Roadtripping
“Travelling the world in slow-motion did not equate to constant thrills and adventure – often it meant rolling slowly, mile after mile, with nothing but my wandering thoughts to populate the distance.”
– Andrew Evans –
My dad, now at the threshold of 85, has every year for the past 40 years gone fishing in Hentiesbaai (Henties Bay), a small town on the coast, not far from Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.
Not much happens here. Unless you enjoy fishing. Well, even then not much happens, as there is often more talk about fishing than actual fish caught. At least that is how it appears to me as an avid ‘non-fisher’.
Living life as an expat, I am acutely aware of how little time I spend with my family, and having had a wonderful time on a trip with him and my stepmom thirteen years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to spend time with them, and then help with the long drive home.
On one condition.
We had to, instead of driving the two thousand kilometers in two or three days, take a week and do a road trip. It took some convincing, but in the end I flew to Walvis Bay from Johannesburg at the beginning of February for one of life’s special adventures.
Lichen fields between Henties Bay and Swakopmund.
As one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world it is no wonder that the locals are welcoming and will go out of their way to turn strangers into friends. I still have fond memories to go with the grainy images captured on film of the many side excursions I did with some interesting locals during that first visit. All the experiences, from digging desert roses to driving along the dry riverbed of the Ugab, or racing up old mine heaps on quad bikes, are experiences I am not likely to forget, as they introduced me to a sense of place that was richer and more layered because I experienced them through the eyes of locals.
It is a place where I can feel my soul expand, and where the colour palette of complimentary colours seemingly takes on an infinite number of shades. The huge distances between the dots on a map indicating human habitation are perfect opportunities to let one’s thoughts meander through both the outer and the inner landscape in ways that are difficult to access in congested spaces.
Thought to be the oldest desert in the world at 55 million years, the Namib borders the Atlantic Ocean and stretches the length of Namibia’s coastline. Covering an area of around 95,000 km² it is no wonder that it means “vast place” in the Nama language.
On any road trip through Namibia, it is the road that becomes the main character, stretching often in ribbons of gravel and sand, instead of tarmac towards the ever retreating horizon. Although mostly well-maintained, these roads can wreak havoc on tires, nerves, and relationships.
Some of the most welcoming surprises come in those tiny dots on the map, with names like Solitaire and Betta, where a cup of coffee or an ice-cold drink revive the spirit and allow for an opportunity to stretch one’s legs.
No road trip through Namibia will be complete without a visit to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, and Sesriem Canyon. Unfortunately our timing was a bit off, as I would have loved to glide in a hot air balloon over this sea of sand, where one finds some of the highest dunes in the world.
Namib Sky Balloon Safaris is a family owned business with a wonderful story, and if, like me you dream of floating over this landscape, make sure you don’t visit between the 15th January to the 15th February, as they do not operate then due to extreme heat.
The D707, said to be the most scenic road in Namibia took us on a little detour, but as it was in excellent condition, it made for a welcome change from the horrendous roads around Sesriem. Just before reaching Aus we celebrated when joining the tarmac road that took us all the way to Lüderitz, and the ghost town of Kolmanskop.
At Rosh Pinah we followed the Orange River to Oranjemund and the border crossing into South Africa, spending a night in O’Kiep and another just outside the Augrabies Falls Park, before the final push to Bloemhof.
Notes:
Instead of staying in one of the expensive lodges around Sesriem, we spent three nights at The Family Hideout in NamibRand, which turned out to be the highlight of the whole trip, and deserves a blog post of its own.
Weather:
Every season brings something different to one’s experience. Follow this link and this one to find the ideal time for you to travel depending on your needs.
To Read:
Odysseys – Meditations and Thoughts for a Life’s Journey by Freeman Patterson
Resources:
Travel News Namibia is a wonderful resource when looking for information and inspiration when planning a trip.
Visited: February 2019
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Read our latest post, A Bump in the Road on our other blog – A Taste of Freedom, and if you haven’t done so already, remember to subscribe while you are there.
What a great trip!
It really was lovely. So glad I did it.
Hello dear Jolandi,
What an amazing journey! I almost feel as if I too am “joining” you on the trip. While I enjoy all of your posts, this one was especially incredible. I do hope you’re feeling better😊
I bet your father really treasured that trip. That is the best thing daughter can do to father. Your writing is amazing. give me such a fresh look for a life and places. Thank you.
Thank you, Moon. I think we all, in the end enjoyed the trip. It really is a treasured experience.
Thank you, dearest Takami. It was one of those special trips I will always remember. I am doing much better, and although my body still tires quickly, I have resumed my daily chores and walks. Just slower and with more pauses.
I’ve always wanted to do a ‘slow’ road trip, but it seems like we’re always in a hurry to get to whatever destination we’re headed for. Yours was a great idea, and wonderful as well. I hope your parents felt the same way at the end! 😉
I think we all appreciated the time together, Hangaku. I love slow trips, and I would have ideally loved an even slower one, but then my dad would not have been so keen on it. This was as slow as he was prepared to go. 🙂
From here, your trip looks wonderfully exciting–love the sign at the end!
I love road trips, Greg, and this one was one of the best ones I’ve had.
The Namib desert looks wonderful! Those miles and miles of big skies and sand might drive some people crazy but I think it’s beautiful. I hope you are feeling better xx
The Namib desert really is a special place, Clare, and clearly one you would love as much as I do. You are right, not everyone gravitates towards these empty, dry landscapes, but they somehow speak to my soul differently than other landscapes. I am indeed feeling much better, thank you, and am slowly resuming my normal daily routines, although just at a much slower pace, as my body still feels a bit bruised and tires quickly.
I am so pleased 🙂
Now that’s what I call a road trip !!!!!
Yes! 🙂
This is great. Now I gotta go. 😎
I think you would love Namibia, Ray. My next blog post will focus on NamibRand, a private reserve, which I think is a must on any itinerary through the country. It is one of those unexpected gems. But more about that next time.
Cool. This is gonna be a pricy trip. One thing, I hadn’t thought of is how hard it will be on a car. That implies I’ll need a fixer. Geesh.
Start saving, it will be worth it, Ray.
Ooo what an excellent trip. Seems like another planet. Such beautiful images. I can only imagine how much more you have. Last photo is just great and full of love. ❤ I hope your health is much better already.
Thanks, Manja. Yes, it was a very special trip. I am getting better every day, and so grateful for that. Almost back to my old self, except for some discomfort and tiredness, but that is to be expected.
Wow! What an amazing trip…. what amazing images.. gee and here I thought Australia had the wide open old old country!!!
Thanks, Trees! I’ve never been to Australia, but I can imagine that it must have the same incredible open spaces in its interior as Namibia does. There are so many beautiful places in this world to explore, just not always enough time or money to do that. 😉
Agree 😊
Didn’t know you had a ‘sister’ blog… Now subscribed! Thanks a lot for the trip. we returned from a similar road trip, in Chile instead, and along the road we wondered at how it’d be comparing to Namibia. luckily no shredded tyres for us. Looking forward to read more.
Fabrizio
I think you would love Namibia, Fabrizio. And I am now curious as to how it would compare to Chile. I can imagine that Chile must hold scenery that also speaks directly to the heart (or perhaps even more so), as some of the landscapes in Namibia does. Glad you had no shredded tyres. I hope you enjoy reading about the (slow) realization of our Portuguese dream. It is a very different, but exciting journey for us.
that’s a lot of space!
real desert for your
special adventure 🙂
Yes, special indeed, and lots of breathing space. 🙂
My dad also used to go every year to fish in Henties Bay. He and his fishing mates used to drive from Durban. Sadly I never did get to share the trip …it was strictly boys only.
Yip, boys only used to be exactly the way my dad did it for perhaps 20 years, until it was just him and one friend left from the original group, which then meant that they started taking their wives with. I am so grateful that I twice had the opportunity to join my dad and stepmom. Such a pity you never had that opportunity. I think it is crazy for him to drive these distances at 85, but I guess he will keep going until he really can’t anymore.
Road trips are one of life’s finest pleasures, and a road trip with family is an even more special category. I’ve done a few whoppers with my parents (who, like your dad, are still cracking off huge distances themselves at 86 and 87)! A road trip in Namibia is near the top of my list, and your post has just strengthened that interest. Glad to hear you are feeling better!
I think you would love Namibia, Lex. It is a country I can return to time and time again, and every time find something new. For me it feels like a second home. Perhaps because Afrikaans (my mother tongue) is the language most widely spoken there, although English and German is obviously too. There are still a good couple of places I would love to see in Namibia, including Etosha. It is an ideal place for camping, as the camping sights in general are fantastic (often with a private kitchen/bathroom), and one feels closer to nature that way.
With my dad and stepmom I booked self-catering accommodation along the way, which worked out either the same or cheaper than hotel rooms, yet gave us more space and the possibility to cook on those occasions we chose to.
We really are blessed that our parents are so active at their age. I had to learn to just be patient and take it slower than I usually would.
There are also some good hiking opportunities in Namibia, which I know would interest you. I will mention an excellent one in my next post, which I would have loved to do, but couldn’t as they are not running them when it is so hot, and unfortunately we did our roadtrip during the hottest time of the year.
Love your photos. They bring back such good memories of our road trip in Namibia (probably my favourite travel experience ever). I can relate to the flat tires as well, but everyone was so helpful.
I’m so glad I could jolt some of your own good memories, Caroline. We also had lovely people who stopped to help. It is definitely also one of my favourite destinations.
I fell in love with those desolate roads and powder puff clouds. I just read a post on Namibia on another blog. I wish we get to travel there someday. It’s on our list! Until then, thanks for taking me on a virtual ride!
So glad I could take you with me. I think you guys would love Namibia. It is every bit as beautiful as photographs of it.
These landscapes take my breath away, Jolandi. What a mind-stretching journey!
I completely agree, Tanja. Just when I one thinks it cannot get more breathtaking, it does. Such a fantastic country for a road trip.
With your first picture, I was like ‘I know that road’. So wonderful to revisit Namibia through your lens and to be taken to a few additional places that we sadly missed.
I felt that same soul expansion you write of along these magical roads. As you say ’these roads can wreak havoc on tires (we had a flat) and relationships (it got ugly at times) …but I’d do it again in a heartbeat and I am certain you would too.
There are, sadly, always more places to discover than one has time for. And you are so right, Lisa, I will do it again in a heartbeat. Namibia is one of those places I can happily return to over and over again.
Clearly I am working backwards through my accumulated emails, so I have now come to this one after namib. What an incredible journey, and so wonderful you could do it with your father (although I can guess there were a couple of moments when “wonderful” wasn’t quite the word of the moment). I must also jump over to your sister blog to see what has been happening in that part of your world.
I know exactly what you mean with ‘accumulated emails’, as I also have a rather long backlog at the moment. It was a good trip, with, like you know, those special ups and downs one has with family. I am very glad I could do this though, as my time with my dad is a bit like having ‘borrowed time’, especially because I live so far away and don’t see him often. Michael and I just had a quick break in Baku, as we needed to go somewhere where we don’t have a to-do list as long as our arms in preparation for our upcoming trip to the land in three weeks time.
How lovely to still have a Dad and the chance to store up these memories. I never had one myself, so I recommend you soak it up, and turn a blind eye to those little gratings that come, no matter who you travel with. But of course, you know that already.
I jumped over and checked what’s happening in Portugal. Yep. That’s going to keep you young for many years yet. Perhaps your to-do list should have a companion. That’s the YES – we achieved THAT list.
I like your idea of a companion list, Gwen. It will definitely put things in perspective for us, and give as a sense of accomplishment.
And you are so right about storing up memories, as time has a terrible way of running out and erasing all those opportunities for making new ones. So often we only appreciate things, when it is too late. That is why I am so grateful that I could do this trip with him.
Wow, lucky you!
Just read this again .. remarkable journey, beautiful words
Thank you so much. It was a very special trip.