As everyone already knows border crossing days rank highly as our least favourite days but both our entry into Namibia a little over a month ago and again our exit into South Africa have been super easy. Although they are different countries most of the time Namibia has just felt like an extension of South Africa, right down to the fact that you can pay with and often receive change in Rands, so apart from some stamps in the passport we could have just been changing provinces.
The border did though bring us, for the first, time face to face with the Corona virus fear taking hold of the world as all the border officials where wearing face masks & gloves and we had to have our temperature taken before entry into the SA border area. This is not a unique experience on the trip, for most of our time in East Africa they had been battling an Ebola outbreak which meant many borders had quite strict hygiene measures in place. For instance when entering Rwanda we had to exit the vehicle, have our temperature taken and then walk across sanitized mats while washing our hands.
Due to the vastness of Namibia we have often been quite disconnected from both social and mainstream news media the last couple of weeks and so the way that the Covid-19 has impacted the world has been very difficult to get our minds around. We re-entered South Africa mid-March and at that stage, the same number of people die on South African roads over the festive season as had died in Italy over it’s worst month (then but it got worse) but yet the road death toll just gets passing mention and thought each year. 10 days later as South Africa entered lockdown this statement was proven to be naive but we have left it in because that’s what it felt like for us at that stage… However we also understand the precautions required given the rapid spread of the virus and on more than one occasion have thought perhaps we are better off staying out in the countryside and not heading to Cape Town.
After spending our first night back in South Africa at the west coast dorp of Kleinzee we headed southwards to the Namaqua National park. Entry at the northern gate is done by opening the gate yourself and then using the two way radio housed in a box on the side of a building to talk to the park headquarters some 80km to the south and obtain “approval” to enter. After lowering the tyre pressures for the soft sand ahead we enjoyed a lovely wander down the coast stopping many times to admire the views and little bays, finally stopping at “Kwaas se Baai” to camp. Later in the afternoon some officials stopped by to officially sign us in and collect our camping fees.
The campsite at “Kwaas se Baai” was just perfect: on top of a little rise overlooking an aquamarine bay dotted with kelp and fringed with white sand. The only thing preventing longer stays is the often inclement weather and that you need to be totally self-sufficient as there is no water, power, etc. Our first afternoon presented us with all the west coast “seasons”: from sunny to windy, then very misty and finally mild clouds which gave us a lovely sunset. The following day however dawned still and clear which is exactly what we had wished for, so the day’s activities consisted of a short wander down to beach for some sand&sun time, back to Mr J for lunch and then back down to beach again for more sun&sand time combined with white wine. A perfect day!
On our 3rd day we woke to the ugly “season” with lots of mist and cold winds coming off the Atlantic. Over the fire the previous evening we had discussed staying another day as we had sufficient water and the solar panels had kept the battery well charged, but that idea had now quickly evaporated. The drive out of the park, firstly inland and then further south, felt hard going which was possibly not helped by a hand brake which was emitting a burnt brake pad smell. Stuart had forgotten to disengage the handbrake 2 days earlier when setting off from one of our stops to admire the coastline and with Mr J being in low range at the time due to the thick sand it took a while until we noticed it (that while, being long enough to burn brake pads and possibly bind them to the drum!!).
We were undecided were to go for the night and eventually landed up at Standfontein because the reviews on iOverlander described “Horse Shoe Campsite with lush green lawns and shady trees”. The lawns were green but certainly not lush, trees rather small and the wind was honking, added to which the ablutions are nothing special given that it is in fact a municipal campground but sadly with private camping rates. We were not impressed but being tired and hot, had no other choice. Supper was cooked and eaten inside Mr J while the wind howled around us, the van was rocking but with the mood inside you certainly could have come a knockin…
The one advantage of our detour to Standfontein is it put us only 9km from Doring Bay and Friars Cove winery. So after a leisurely start in the morning, including taking time out to loosen the binding hand brake, we trotted down the road to the winery for some tastings and a lovely lunch of Calamari and snoekkoekies (fish cakes). Having stocked up Mr J with white wine, we headed further south towards Citrusdal (and it’s mineral baths) with the intention to park off, relax and kill time before getting to Cape Town for the end of the week.
It was however extremely hot on the road (with no aircon we recorded 38deg Celsius inside Mr Jones! ) so when we passed a spot called Roodeberg resort bordering on the small Bulshoek dam, it didn’t take much to persuade us to do a u-turn and decide to spend a few days camped on the lake shore. When it started to cool down in the evening, the SUP was unloaded from the roof box and inflated ready for some paddle time the next day. Incredibly the last time we used the SUP was 4,5 months ago in Malawi, we had hoped to use it on both Lake Kivu (Rwanda) and Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania) but in both cases a combination of iffy weather and concern re potential lurking crocodiles stopped that.
A couple of very relaxed days followed with a few paddles thrown in for good measure, all the while blissfully disconnected from the world and the escalating corona issues as there was no cell reception down by the lake. We did however, once again, get a taste of what lay ahead of us when the campsite put up a notice “barring foreigners from staying due to Corona fears” as we prepared to leave.
While we could have easily headed straight into Cape Town from Roodeberg we weren’t due there (due because Tania sister, Nicole, was flying in for a birthday celebration) for a few more days and so decided to stop, as intended a few days priors, at Citrusdal mineral baths. While checking in at reception it quickly become apparent to us that now that we are back in SA we may perhaps have to start pre-planning with regards overnight stops as they had limited availability and only 2 sites available if wanting to stay multiple nights. A routine of a mid morning swim followed by a lazy afternoon next to Mr Jones and then a late night swim quickly developed over the next couple of days.
The arrival of the weekend and the start of SA’s school holidays, with the resultant influx of campers, was a clear signal for us to move on and complete our journey into Cape Town. The final drive across Western Cape’s Swartland with it’s mix of agricultural (wheat, grain and wine) and rugged mountains was a nice reminder of how much variety South Africa has to offer in terms of scenery and tourism.
Sadly the planned birthday celebrations for Nicole were not to be, as the impact of Covid-19 really hit home and South Africa went into lockdown. By pure luck we had made it to SA and the safe haven of Cape Town just in time, (for which we are very grateful as being on the road would be extremely difficult during this time), but it is surreal to think that not 10 days earlier we had been sitting on the West coast totally disconnected and downplaying the impact of the virus.
We have been very privileged to take the path less travelled the last 8 months and move about with no destination or deadline in mind, and have big plans to take Mr J over to South America and continue the journey but with the world now sailing unchartered waters (April 2020) it is impossible to know if or when that may be possible. We have however learnt over this journey how little a person really needs, how simple life can be and that the simple pleasures are often the best pleasures so remain quietly optimistic that this will become possible. In the meantime we are staying isolated (as we hope you are) and doing our very small bit to “flatten the curve”. Stay safe everyone, Stuart & Tania
