How important a stamp can be...

March 23.

We leave Kgalagadi in the morning. Our stay here was not particularly special. It has a kind of zoo feeling and the whole national park, including the campsite, has little to do with wilderness as we know it!

After about 110 km, we reach the border to Namibia. First the border formalities on the South African side - 100 papers for the car and the passports. The car is fine. The nice lady from the Immigration Police claims she cannot find an entry stamp for South Africa....😳

We were indeed at Mata Mata at the border with the border officer and even paid 400 Rand in bribes...

Yes, she says, but we should have gone to the Immigration Office at the campsite in Kgalagadi afterward.... No one told us that - and now there is a stamp missing in the passport. We try to persuade her in every possible way - in vain! You have to go back to Kgalagadi to pick up the stamp - Oh great!!!! 😱 110 km back, get the stamp and then 110 km to the border! Gritting our teeth, we set off - thankfully there is little traffic! After about 2 hours, we are back at the border with our stamp in the passport. Now we are allowed to pass. The border officials in Namibia cause no problem, so we can continue our journey to Keetmanshoop. The road in Namibia is a real(!) dirt road! Every car leaves a huge cloud of dust behind it - there are always large puddles that need to be crossed.

The land becomes incredibly vast - such vastness is unknown to us in Europe!

It has also rained a lot here - very unusual for these otherwise so dry countries! We even cross a river on a bridge - it is filled to the brim with muddy water - incredible for this time. The dry season should have already started! The climate is going crazy here as well.

Now we have arrived at the campsite in Keetmanshoop. It is very warm 33° just before 6 PM. We will go to the restaurant today - a somewhat oily pleasure here: steak for about 8€!

Tomorrow we continue to Fish River Canyon!

When I have internet, I will get in touch again!