Day 8, Sept 15 – Dry river bed bush camp to Otjihaa bush camp

We left the dry river bed early in high spirits.  We retraced our steps back to the intersection where we left the main track to Otjitanda and continued over what would prove to be the most difficult terrain.  First I snapped a few photos hanging out the window looking back.

Bertie going over a rough spot

Then we came to a particularly difficult spot and stopped. The lazy photographer thought it was time to get out of the car for some action shots.

Rocky road to say the least!

No problem for Salome and her land cruiser!

Tom negotiating a tricky spot

Needless to say, we weren't making very good time on this stretch of road known as the D3703. I noticed on the Garmin "tracks for Africa" map that it was "not recommended".  However, it was the shortcut to the Marienfluss valley and without taking it we would have had to go all the way to Opuwo, which was about 240 km from Okongwati to the Red Drum cutoff whereas this route was just 75 km.  The shortcut took us through a series of small mountains and rocky outcrops.

Road through surrounding mountains

Road conditions were also affected by the large amount of rain Namibia had during the last year and these roads aren't well maintained or frequently travelled.  The only people we met were two Himba men who watched us drive by with a great deal of curiosity.

Before leaving this difficult section of road, we had to make a steep and rocky ascent.

View of rocky ascent from my seat

This section got lots of discussion.  I took pictures of all the vehicles making the ascent.

Tom building speed

Roelof starting to ascend while Martie looks on

Roelof nearly up

Nico with trailer behind. Front tire off the ground. Should be an Isuzu advert!

Nico and Rita nearly up.  Rykie looking on.

Waiting at top for Nico. All vehicles up safe.

At about 11 am the worst is finally behind us.  We found a nice shady area for a break.  Later Nico said if he had known the road was going to be so rough he wouldn't have brought the trailer.  Roelof loved it and was ready for more challenges!  We were all full of adrenalin and at the same time relieved to have made it without incident.

Break time!

We made it to Otjitanda about 12:30 and with all respect, Otjitanda wasn't exactly the biggest town I've been in.  It was comprised of a shop, what looked like a couple of storage sheds, and a tent.  We thought we would take a chance on getting Leon and Martie's tire fixed.  Since one of their tires was ruined by the sidewall puncture they wanted to take the damaged tire off the rim and put their good spare on.   With no power tools, other than an air compressor that ran off a car battery, this turned out to be an enriching cultural experience.

Otjitanda receptionists

Life in Otjitanda just as we arrive

We start the delicate process of removing the tire from the rim.  Roelof, behind the wheel, is the technician in charge. 

Interested villagers start gathering

Making progress!

An interesting Himba custom is that the men carry a walking stick.  Nico was well aware of this and came prepared.  Several of the men in Otjithanda carried sticks and Nico fit right in

Nico with "special" walking stick

Village chief? With walking stick like Nico's

I suspected the man in the photo above was the village chief because he commanded a certain amount of respect, never really did anything except occasionally move his chair for a better view, and he had a chair...and a nice walking stick.  Meanwhile, the women were hanging out in the shade.  Funny how simple luxuries transcend culture and bring us together!

Rita, Rykie and Salome relaxing in shade with Himba women.

Meanwhile the process of mounting the "new" tire onto the rim was underway.

That's the man in the skirt on the right and the woman in slacks on the left. :-)

Final critical steps of tire mounting.  Roelof with hammer and lots of patience...yes...patience!

Filling the new tire with air

This local "strong man" helped us a lot! 

Finally we were nearly on our way.  The villagers gathered for a good bye.

Preparing to leave Otjitanda

Now we were on the road again headed South towards the Otjihaa pass to the Marienfluss rather than going north towards van Zyl's pass.  Van Zyl's pass can be a bit rough. It is apparently very steep and rocky…and only for experienced drivers, of which we have plenty, but we had decided early on to take the easier route.  That night at the campfire, however, we discussed the possibility that the road we travelled that day was probably as bad or worse than van Zyl's pass.

Back on the road with fewer hazards...such as an occasional cow

Along the way we came across a Himba graveyard.  Bertie explained that the Himba who were wealthy had lots of cows in life and many cow horns near their grave.  Those who were good hunters had pictures of animals on their gravestone.

Himba graveyard. Cow horns in tree and raised on sticks to the right.

Gravestone of a Himba hunter of elephant and giraffe

What a day this turned out to be! We arrived outside of Otjihaa about 4:30 to establish another bush camp near a Himba residence on a flat plain. We were very tired and happy to be setting up camp.  I was especially happy to take a shower!! Yes, courtesy of Nico and Rita, I was able to take a very nice bush shower…full privacy…lots of warm water and was finally CLEAN!!!

Bush shower. Small pump run by car battery provides water to shower head.

For those interested in the toilet facilities…here it is!

Bush toilet!

That evening we enjoyed an excellent meal cooked by Roelof, who cooked many meals and changed every flat tire...and we had 14 or 15 in total!  What a guy!!!

Martie, Rita and Nico finally relaxing

Roelof putting the finishing touches on a terrific day!