The Wife, the Ex and the kid do Namibia - Page 3

Captain Crash · 10-20-2009, 03:22 AM

Great to see another RR. I have only ridden the very southern end of Namibia and it looks like I definitely need to see a lot more of it!!!

pandawa · 10-20-2009, 07:01 AM

Awesome

Steady · 10-20-2009, 07:02 AM

Respect.

Sandino · 10-20-2009, 07:04 AM

Great report mate!!, great pictures too, and the company could not be better. Family is a great plus

fatalerror · 10-20-2009, 10:37 AM

demmit daai laaitie is 'n tuff kabouter. mooi so man!

JulzHW · 10-20-2009, 11:39 AM

Eks in!

Dit lyk lekker...

XPLORZ · 10-20-2009, 11:48 AM

Captivating!

Now thats how to make family memories!

GallopinTICO · 10-20-2009, 12:09 PM

Great pics

Horton · 10-20-2009, 12:35 PM

I like this one

Jenn · 10-20-2009, 12:53 PM

Great trip report - I like the pictures of the trees at sunset - but also like this one -

Quote:

Originally Posted by metaljockey

I just snapped a similar one - bigger feet, smaller playa cracks -

metaljockey · 10-20-2009, 01:59 PM

Day Four - Maltahöhe to Solitaire

Solitaire has that solitary thing going. Or it used to. Fifteen years ago it was a fuel pump and a shop sitting solitary out on it’s own on the dusty C14. In the shop you could get fresh apple crumble. This apple crumble was written up in travel magazines as the best in the world.

Now tourists from all over the world come here to have apple crumble. There is now a lodge, camping, two shops, a garage and a restaurant. And if you were looking for some solitude, it’s not in Solitaire anymore.

Oh, and the apple crumble you ask? It’s ok.

Namibia has actually changed quite a bit recently. Tourism is very well developed in certain parts of the country. Luxury lodges have sprouted all over and they aren’t scared to charge a pretty penny either. A room generally goes for anything from R800 pp (yes, per person) to R3000 pp per night. At Canõn Roadhouse for instance a beer is R16 and a double Brannas & Coke will set you back R45.

You generally get two kinds of tourist, self drive and overlander truck groups. The C14 has plenty of these. A vehicle would come past at least every 10 – 20 minutes.

We thought that by doing this trip just after the July school holidays, we will have the place to ourselves. What we did not take into account is that August is high season for the entire Northern Hemisphere. So the whole of Europe is over here on holiday. Germans, Spanish, Dutch and a lot of Italians all over.

We check out the lodge and it is full. We check out the camping but it is just too busy, so we decide to ride to the first guest farm that looks lekker. Just 500m down the road we get a turn-off to Solitaire Guest Farm & Desert Ranch. http://www.solitaireguestfarm.com . The road in is a red sandy affair that is a joy to ride if you go at 70km/h. This turns out to be a wonderful place with pool, honesty bar and everything else you could want, including a hospitable Simone to make you feel welcome. They also have four camp sites, each with its own private ablutions. I can highly recommend this spot.

There’s a tame springbuck that likes to kiss, or lick the salt off people’s faces, who knows?

Note the Pratley putty on his horns; springbuck are notoriously combative little bastards. This one hasn’t become too much of a problem yet, but better safe than holey, haha.

The kid is getting on nicely with the tent pitching thing, I am only needed at the last step where the poles have to be bent to fit.

At long last it looks like we have outrun that cold front, or maybe we are far enough north to be shot of the cold weather for the rest of the trip. We go to bed happy and content. Tomorrow we ride the Spreetshoogte and Remhoogte passes.

mrbreeze · 10-20-2009, 02:19 PM

lovin' it!

Thorne · 10-20-2009, 02:20 PM

Captivating RR......

El Saguaro · 10-20-2009, 05:13 PM

xmonger · 10-20-2009, 06:12 PM

Loving it!

I'm in.

10-20-2009, 07:01 AM	#32
pandawa Nubie Joined: May 2008 Location: ID Oddometer: 230	Awesome __________________ God must be a painter, He does so many colors http://yufinurcan.wordpress.com

10-20-2009, 07:02 AM	#33
Steady Flogster Joined: Sep 2006 Location: Johannesburg South Africa Oddometer: 281	Respect. __________________ "1200GS. It's like the girl you marry, reliable, maybe a bit overweight but you know she will always look after you even though she may not be the most exciting ride. HP2. It’s like the pole dancer you have thoughts of running away with, you know at some point it will end in tears but you just have to come back for more, at times it makes no sense but when you get down and dirty who cares about sense." - scotsmun

10-20-2009, 07:04 AM	#34
Sandino Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Dec 2008 Oddometer: 139	I am on for this Great report mate!!, great pictures too, and the company could not be better. Family is a great plus

10-20-2009, 11:48 AM	#37
XPLORZ Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Mar 2006 Location: Battle Ground, WA Oddometer: 307	Captivating! Now thats how to make family memories! __________________ '09 BMW R1200GS Adv '06 Suzuki DR650 '02 Kawi ZX-12R

10-20-2009, 12:09 PM	#38
GallopinTICO Gnarly Adventurer Joined: May 2009 Location: Central NJ and Costa Rica Oddometer: 148	Great pics __________________ EL MAYOR RIESGO ES EL QUE NO SE TOMA !!!

10-20-2009, 03:22 AM	#31
Captain Crash Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Oct 2006 Location: Durban - South Africa Oddometer: 183	Great to see another RR. I have only ridden the very southern end of Namibia and it looks like I definitely need to see a lot more of it!!!

10-20-2009, 10:37 AM	#35
fatalerror skrik vir niks Joined: Jun 2006 Location: South West Florida, USA [formerly, South Africa] Oddometer: 832	demmit daai laaitie is 'n tuff kabouter. mooi so man!

10-20-2009, 11:39 AM	#36
JulzHW Adventurer Joined: Aug 2009 Location: Garden Of England Oddometer: 17	Eks in! Dit lyk lekker...

10-20-2009, 12:35 PM	#39
Horton Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2008 Location: Niederrhein Oddometer: 432	I like this one __________________ Horton dä rumtreibär

10-20-2009, 01:59 PM	#41
metaljockey ^OP Dodgy SOB Joined: Jun 2005 Location: Eastern Cape, South Africa Oddometer: 279	Day Four - Maltahöhe to Solitaire Solitaire has that solitary thing going. Or it used to. Fifteen years ago it was a fuel pump and a shop sitting solitary out on it’s own on the dusty C14. In the shop you could get fresh apple crumble. This apple crumble was written up in travel magazines as the best in the world. Now tourists from all over the world come here to have apple crumble. There is now a lodge, camping, two shops, a garage and a restaurant. And if you were looking for some solitude, it’s not in Solitaire anymore. Oh, and the apple crumble you ask? It’s ok. Namibia has actually changed quite a bit recently. Tourism is very well developed in certain parts of the country. Luxury lodges have sprouted all over and they aren’t scared to charge a pretty penny either. A room generally goes for anything from R800 pp (yes, per person) to R3000 pp per night. At Canõn Roadhouse for instance a beer is R16 and a double Brannas & Coke will set you back R45. You generally get two kinds of tourist, self drive and overlander truck groups. The C14 has plenty of these. A vehicle would come past at least every 10 – 20 minutes. We thought that by doing this trip just after the July school holidays, we will have the place to ourselves. What we did not take into account is that August is high season for the entire Northern Hemisphere. So the whole of Europe is over here on holiday. Germans, Spanish, Dutch and a lot of Italians all over. We check out the lodge and it is full. We check out the camping but it is just too busy, so we decide to ride to the first guest farm that looks lekker. Just 500m down the road we get a turn-off to Solitaire Guest Farm & Desert Ranch. http://www.solitaireguestfarm.com . The road in is a red sandy affair that is a joy to ride if you go at 70km/h. This turns out to be a wonderful place with pool, honesty bar and everything else you could want, including a hospitable Simone to make you feel welcome. They also have four camp sites, each with its own private ablutions. I can highly recommend this spot. There’s a tame springbuck that likes to kiss, or lick the salt off people’s faces, who knows? Note the Pratley putty on his horns; springbuck are notoriously combative little bastards. This one hasn’t become too much of a problem yet, but better safe than holey, haha. The kid is getting on nicely with the tent pitching thing, I am only needed at the last step where the poles have to be bent to fit. At long last it looks like we have outrun that cold front, or maybe we are far enough north to be shot of the cold weather for the rest of the trip. We go to bed happy and content. Tomorrow we ride the Spreetshoogte and Remhoogte passes. __________________ If it makes you happy, how can it be that bad? Trip reports: Transkei dual sport tripAm I the Camel Man?Goat meat, good friends & riverbedsMozmalzambots, a Southern African loopAngola, it's not like they saidNiassa, Chucky Norris and John The BaptistNamaqualand and three girls (by Michnus)The Wife, the Ex and the KidZambian Joyride metaljockey screwed with this post 10-30-2009 at 10:36 AM

10-20-2009, 02:19 PM	#42
mrbreeze Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jan 2007 Location: God's Country Oddometer: 4,980	lovin' it!

10-20-2009, 02:20 PM	#43
Thorne Sherpa-ing around Joined: Oct 2008 Location: Lone Pine, ON, Canada Oddometer: 1,196	Captivating RR...... __________________ I'd rather die living than live dying.

10-20-2009, 05:13 PM	#44
El Saguaro Adventurer Joined: Jul 2009 Oddometer: 19

10-20-2009, 06:12 PM	#45
xmonger Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Central, NJ Oddometer: 113	Loving it! I'm in. __________________ Keep Safe, Jerry

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