19.12.2018 Hardap Camp

After almost freezing in Africa during the summer, I finally woke up at around 9:00 am in a comfortable 20 degrees. After a bit of back and forth, I managed to pack my things. And so the journey through Namibia began.

At the beginning, we were driving on wide paved roads, until eventually we heard: 'Turn right here'. We then continued on endless gravel and sand trails towards the south. After two hours and about 150km, we passed by a small sandstone tower. I was told that it was an old war tower from around 1905, which has been well-preserved due to the dry climate. During a short break at the tower, I ventured into the basement. It was a small disappointing room, filled with lizards and cobwebs. The only thing in that room, besides the sand, was a yellowed skeleton of a cow or something similar.

Soon after, we continued the journey.

After another stop and a midday snack under a tree in the prairie, we finally arrived at our destination. The clock showed 5 hours and 370km.

Hardap Dam awaited us. It was a picturesque reservoir, with a rocky coast on one side and many small bungalows. A beautiful sight for such a bad lodge. It all started when we arrived at the reception to check in, only to be told that our names were not in the system and no rooms/bungalows were reserved.

After a fifteen-minute conversation with Frauke, the receptionist eventually decided to provide us with 2 bungalows (we noticed that the keys to almost all bungalows were hanging in a cabinet, even though the receptionist had told us that all rooms were booked.)

Finally, we turned the key in the door of our bungalow and found ourselves in a small flat house with 2 bedrooms, 1 toilet, 1 shower, 1 kitchen, 1 living room, and a small terrace with a stone grill.

The bedrooms were alright. The toilet was so small that I hit the wall with my knees when sitting down. The shower was large, but cobwebs were hanging in every corner. The kitchen was neither clean nor did it have anything that belongs in a kitchen. There was no cutlery, no plates, no glasses or cups, and even the existing microwave didn't work. The 'grill' was simply a niche in the wall with 5-6 loose stones and a filthy grate.

The 'pool' seemed nice at first glance. It was partially located above the cliff, offering a beautiful view. However, when I jumped into the freezing cold pool, I discovered that it had been treated with a sour, slightly stinking disinfectant. But since I didn't want to get out of the pool immediately, I stayed there for about half an hour, enduring the unpleasant water while enjoying the view.

Back at the bungalow, I quickly took a shower and freshened up.

We spent the evening with the Röschlaus, drinking a couple of beers and grilling on their terrace.

Despite the 148 degrees in the bedroom, I fell asleep relatively quickly.

Jan