Rock paintings…into the tourist traps of Namibia
It’s no good just doing wild off-the-map tracks we still have to visit the touristy things.
The rock carving in Namibia are world heritage status stuff and attract 40,000 visitors a year and at £30 a head they bloody earn well from them.
You have to use a guide who tells you about them, she was a local tribal woman and wasn’t, particularly clewed up on world stuff, she bragged that they were about 2600 years old and were an amazing picture when I pointed out the Egyptians were doing hieroglyphics and Pyramids 5000 years ago she was amazed.
there was a small natural fountain close by and a small derelict farmhouse, she told us that this was a german farmer who came here and farmed for eighteen years, he names the location Twyfontein it meant unreliable water or fountain.
she said he left because he couldn’t make it work after 18 years, but actually, it turns out he left because the government gave the land back to the local tribe, who then managed in two years to ruin the farm and abandoned to nature, luckily there were some rock carvings and now tourist gives them money to walk around with and easy life.
we left after bumping into some South African in a group of three cars again, we would meet them again trying to block the road so they could get the details of our camper, it’s getting a bit tedious giving tours of dogger on every campsite…well maybe not 😁
around the corner are the organ pipes and the burnt mountain, as usual, there is a man at a gate demanding money to see the sacred sites, I told him we were going to my Brandberg and he had to let us pass, if we had paid I would be well pissed, the organ pipe required drugs to actually see organ pipes in the rock formations and the burnt mountain looked like a small slag heap from an old factory.
anyway, the track was great, halfway down we came across some old farms and cars abandoned.
at the campsite we enquired about why they were there, turns out the same story, the government took the land from the German farmers and gave it to the local tribe, who then said it was impossible to work and abandoned it, but this time they didn’t even try, it was so good all the farms where brick and all had cars, now they live in mud huts beside the road begging from tourists. bit of a pattern is emerging here.
At the white lady lodge at the mt Branberg mountain thingy we bumped back into the South Africans and we spent all night talking land rovers and getting drunk, ( this doesn’t happen with white goods 1600 spin cycle Toyotas) they took a million photos and sketches of dogger, one of them was a Jones !! and has an Iveco 4×4 he is also building a 130 defender overlander, the other has a Mitsu Pajero and wants to convert it, they could not believe their luck at seeing dogger. we will meet them again in Ceres ,SA later hopefully.
And so we did meet again. An absolute honor spending time with you. Sure was one of those memorable nights around the camp fire that will be remembered forever. The stories were legendary.
Sela.
Certainly a little highlight of the trip.
Hi guys . I am the other Jones that you spent the evening with at White Lady Lodge . Loved your stories , and your Rangie build .
Enjoy the balance of your African Safari . The two of you fit in well
Hi SA Jones,
thanks for the laughs it was great meeting you guys, hopefully we will get to Johans farm in Ceres when we pass by next week
bd
What an honor spending time with the two of you. We are the lucky South Africans you met on your travels. Hope to see you again at Johan’s in Ceres. Otherwise, we’ll see you on your next trip to SA
Hi erika,
Thanks for the warm South African hospitality, we enjoyed all your company by the fire. we will call Johan when we know better what date we will be in Ceres.
bd