Spitzkoppe

We left Etosha on a definite high but our guides just said 'Namibia isn't finished yet!' With a warning that most of the next drive would be on gravel we braced ourselves for the familar lumps, bumps and lurches. Happily the roads were in fantastic condition and we didn't really notice too much difference to tarmac. We passed a few small herds of Springbok and Oryx grazing beside the road and a Guinea Fowl tried very hard to fly straight into the windscreen, waking quite a few of us up with the thud.

Eventually we started to notice some massive orange rock formations starting to appear on the horizon and realised that this was where we were heading. As we drove towards the entry we started to see cars coming towards us with some pretty fancy looking pushbikes strapped to the roof. This kind of site is common in cities around the world but not one we thought we would see surrounded by desert sands. It turns out that there had been a half marathon and mountain bike fundraiser on. The temperatures were again in the high 30's and we were in awe of the competitors.

The only downside of this competition was that the camp was very crowded and we ended up bushcamping in an area not normally used. The rock formations are granite and all of us couldn't wait to be off the truck and able to explore. The surface of the rocks were surprisingly smooth and that meant a few people who didn't have hiking shoes were reduced to staying on the lower levels.

After the worst of the heat had passed a few of us were taken on a guided walk to see some rock paintings. The guide from the local village showed us some of the local plants and explained how they would have been used in the past. The site of the paintings is quite easy to get to and although faded we could see the depiction of Zebras, Giraffe and other animals. There is no real protection of these paintings so hopefully they are still around for many years to come and not vandalised. Sunset in this location was spectacular. The granite boulders changed colour along with the sky and it was great to just sit back and watch nature at work.

Like the previous camp in the Kalahari we were told to keep and eye out for Scorpions and the like but it was a spider that gave us the biggest scare and entertainment all in one. A couple of our fellow travellers were quite scared of bugs and during dinner a huge furry pale grey spider was spotted. Many screams and laughs later we bravely threw a container over it and got Jacques to inspect it. He proceeded to say it was nothing and released it back into the bushes (much to the horror of some). All visits to the bush bathroom were then carefully deliberated and extra precautions taken in case of 'the spider'.

Special mention to Jacques for the fabulous meal that night. Homemade bread and pumpkin soup!