Heading north from the canyon, I turn off eastwards after Mariental towards Stampriet and the Kalahari Desert to overnight at Kalahari Anib’s Camping2Go.The large safari tent is completely kitted out with an outside kitchen with gas-cooker and fridge, an en-suite bathroom, crockery and bedding. You can even pick up a braai pack and salads from reception on your way in. It’s a different type of camping to what I’m used to and I savour the unaccustomed luxury.
I arrive to the red sand glowing at the end of the day. The desert is carpeted with long green grass and punctuated by flowers. The day cools and thunderclouds build up dramatically on the horizon as night arrives in its star-flecked cloak. Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes in the distance. I wake in the night to the smell of rain and raindrops on the roof, turn over contentedly and go back to sleep. In the morning the earth is washed clean and birds are bathing in the puddles on top of the vehicle.
Later in the morning I continue thirty kilometres eastwards to make a turn at Kalahari Farmhouse in Stampriet for a pizza lunch and a swim. The lush garden encircled by towering palms has the feel of a secret garden where magic resides and I love this alcove of enchantment in the midst of the Kalahari Desert. Stampriet is blessed with a good supply of artesian water, nourishing the small Eden.
It’s always my preference to take the road less travelled. And it is so worth letting your adventurous spirit out to play. There are many delights to be discovered off the beaten track. So, from there I take the 100km gravel route to Kalkrand via Hoachanas (a recommended route to or from the Kalahari lodges). There is good reason for the detour besides avoiding the tar. The last stretch from Hoachanas to Kalkrand is through a series of small, red longitudinal dunes, dotted with camelthorn trees, that provides a delicious Kalahari treat.
The first 60km flows by in a wash of green and I pause in Hoachanas to visit the old Lutheran church and to have a cup of coffee at Autere in the business park. Owner Eljo Jansen is a burst of energy and a bright ray of sunshine even after the crazy topsy-turvy year that has put everything on its head. But, there is no getting her down. She always says how Autere has the best coffee in Hoachanas and then adds laughing “Well, the only coffee,” but I know that she’s being modest because in this unlikely place she produces a state-of-the-art Cappuccino and will whip up a toasted sarmie and Russian and chips in a flash. She gives some wise advice that is more relevant now than ever before: “Live life every day to the fullest, it is so short.” And so it is.
I leave Eljo and Autere smiling. She has made my day, as does the next 40km on the C21 to Kalkrand. The series of dunes that I usually so enjoy are now cloaked in a verdant green making the exceptional landscape even more impressive. Flowers brighten up the already vivid scenery, long grasses blow in the wind and butterflies are out in profusion, revelling in the abundance. It’s always about the journey rather than the destination, and on days like today the slow road is soul food.
Back on the tar, heading north to Windhoek, the beauty of the verdant countryside continues with flowing emerald grass and feathery seed heads that catch the light and are accentuated against the stormy sky. I’ve missed the rain showers in Rehoboth and splash through the puddles as I make my way through the hills to Windhoek. I have two nights to meet up with friends in the city before continuing to the heart of Namibia, Etosha, and all the gifts that beckon in this extraordinary time of plenty.
