Day 7
Door: Elke
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Elke
15 September 2018 | Namibië, Sesriem
We continued our way early towards Sesriem. To sum up the day in short; we started in the middle of nowhere, drove for a loooong time, had lunch when we were NOT far enough, only to still end up in the middle of nowhere.
I had not been sleeping well that night, presumably because I had been dozing too much on the truck the days before, so I told myself not to sleep on the truck anymore. I already failed at around 10.00… and then again at 12.00. I kept that last one short, only to fail AGAIN at 13.00. I just could not keep my eyes open, with the endless wagging of the truck and the heat of the day and a quick glance around the truck revealed that I was not the only one.
In between those naps, I was amazed at how many types of empty vastness there can be. At times the landscape could completely change with 15 or 20 minutes. The colors of the soil, rocks, and vegetation varied (green hardly ever being one of them though), the types and patterns of rocks and vegetation varied. The land could be flat without end, have rolling hills, sharp rocky mountains, or intricate erosion patterns. But the one thing they had all in common was that it seemed completely devoid of humans or even evidence of their existence. We could literally drive for an hour without passing a single car and at most we would see one or two long-abandoned shacks… and of course fences. What was also lacking, not just here, but pretty much throughout our trip, was trash alongside the roads. Granted, the average road there sees less traffic in a year than ours see during morning rush hour, but signs regularly reminded us to keep our surroundings clean and it was good to see that so many apparently hold themselves to this.
We stopped quite late for lunch at a place with a sign that said “vergenoeg”, yet we continued driving afterwards. At one point I found myself in a predicament, on the one hand I wanted the drive to be over, on the other hand I did not want to be left in a place that looked so barren and hostile to human life. I do have to admit however, that once we got there, somehow they had managed to make the campsite look friendly and inviting. And this was not just there in Sesriem, but pretty much at all the places that we camped at. Many of the campsites North of Fish River Canyon even had swimming pools, although to me it seemed a bit decadent to have swimming pools in the desert. Since the water in this particular pool was quite cold and the wind at the end of this early spring day still a bit chilly (as a sign on one of the campsites indicated “it does get cold in Africa”), I only dangled my feet in the water for a bit, while enjoying a cold beer.
The showers and bathrooms offered an amazing view of the surroundings and that’s when I noticed how spoiled I had become. During previous trips I would have been in awe upon seeing this beauty, but here I found myself almost desensitized, having to actively remind myself of where I was and of how beautiful it was.
I had not been sleeping well that night, presumably because I had been dozing too much on the truck the days before, so I told myself not to sleep on the truck anymore. I already failed at around 10.00… and then again at 12.00. I kept that last one short, only to fail AGAIN at 13.00. I just could not keep my eyes open, with the endless wagging of the truck and the heat of the day and a quick glance around the truck revealed that I was not the only one.
In between those naps, I was amazed at how many types of empty vastness there can be. At times the landscape could completely change with 15 or 20 minutes. The colors of the soil, rocks, and vegetation varied (green hardly ever being one of them though), the types and patterns of rocks and vegetation varied. The land could be flat without end, have rolling hills, sharp rocky mountains, or intricate erosion patterns. But the one thing they had all in common was that it seemed completely devoid of humans or even evidence of their existence. We could literally drive for an hour without passing a single car and at most we would see one or two long-abandoned shacks… and of course fences. What was also lacking, not just here, but pretty much throughout our trip, was trash alongside the roads. Granted, the average road there sees less traffic in a year than ours see during morning rush hour, but signs regularly reminded us to keep our surroundings clean and it was good to see that so many apparently hold themselves to this.
We stopped quite late for lunch at a place with a sign that said “vergenoeg”, yet we continued driving afterwards. At one point I found myself in a predicament, on the one hand I wanted the drive to be over, on the other hand I did not want to be left in a place that looked so barren and hostile to human life. I do have to admit however, that once we got there, somehow they had managed to make the campsite look friendly and inviting. And this was not just there in Sesriem, but pretty much at all the places that we camped at. Many of the campsites North of Fish River Canyon even had swimming pools, although to me it seemed a bit decadent to have swimming pools in the desert. Since the water in this particular pool was quite cold and the wind at the end of this early spring day still a bit chilly (as a sign on one of the campsites indicated “it does get cold in Africa”), I only dangled my feet in the water for a bit, while enjoying a cold beer.
The showers and bathrooms offered an amazing view of the surroundings and that’s when I noticed how spoiled I had become. During previous trips I would have been in awe upon seeing this beauty, but here I found myself almost desensitized, having to actively remind myself of where I was and of how beautiful it was.
Reageer op dit reisverslag
Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
