It is what it is

Day 14, 10.01.23, from Oanop Resort to Bagatelle Game Safari Ranch

The Ford Ranger has been a faithful companion for the past two weeks, but even it has a bad day, even if it's just in the form of a door mechanism. But let's start from the beginning...

Once again, we are treated to a breathtaking view of the Oanop Dam early in the morning, inviting us to enjoy our first coffee on the balcony. And right on time, like the pelicans always are, we observe our two birds swimming towards us again, just like yesterday. However, it seems that there was some unrest in the pelican relationship last night (or this morning, we're not quite sure), because this time Mrs. (or Mr.) Pelican turns away earlier to create some distance in the cool relationship. Unfortunately, we cannot say how this story continues, but we hope it resolves itself.

Let's move on to the planning for the day: since we have to check out of the chalet at 10 o'clock, we decide to do some sports activities now, then have breakfast, and after check-out, go kayaking for an hour before heading to our next destination, the Bagatelle Game Safari Ranch, about 210 km away.

So we grab our swimming gear and head down to the lake. I ask Cindy how long she wants to swim, as I only want to do a short session today. She says about half an hour, starts swimming, and, no surprise, comes back after a good hour. I decide to add a short run after the swim, put on my shoes, and start running... Why am I not surprised to see a gravel bike coming towards me halfway through the round, of course with Cindy on it. A brief chat and we both continue, so that we arrive at the chalet for breakfast at 9 o'clock sharp.

Since we will be on full board for the next three days, we have a leftover breakfast, which could be worse: fresh yogurt with fruits and granola, scrambled eggs with bacon, coffee, and juice. And the best part: we have earned it...

Unfortunately, our time at the Oanop Resort is coming to an end. We pack everything up and drive to the reception for check-out. Here we learn that it is unfortunately not possible to rent a kayak today, as a staff braai (a kind of employee party in the middle of the week) is planned from noon onwards and everything is closed. It is what it is...

A little sad about this, we decide to head towards Bagatelle. When we turn on the refrigerator, we suddenly hear a beep from the second battery, and even though there are a whole engineer and a half engineer present, we can't figure out what's wrong. Even after a phone call with Alan, we are still not wiser. It is what it is...

We agree that by turning on two lights, the second battery is very weak and it expresses this with the alarm, and we will satisfy it by driving.

So off we go... but not really: when Cindy tries to close her passenger door, the mechanism doesn't catch anymore, so the door keeps opening again and again. Of course, not a problem for us: we fiddle around with the mechanism, take a look at it on the driver's door, fiddle some more, and decide to ask for help. It is what it is...

Fortunately, there is still a security guard on site, after all the staff had disappeared for their braai. He knows a man named Tossi who works in a workshop in Rehoboth, 10 km away. A quick phone call and after Tossi said he could only send someone in 2 hours, we decide to drive to his workshop. With a quick fix using a tension strap to secure the passenger door from the inside, we set off.

When we arrive at the workshop, Tossi is already waiting for us. We briefly explain the problem to him, and after he says that he has to open the whole door, we think it's a good time for a cup of coffee and let the guys work in peace. But we can still hear him saying: "Shit plastic," as everything is made of plastic.

After half an hour, Tossi comes to us with the door mechanism in his hand and says, "No good news, the snap is broken." It is what it is...

Fortunately, Tossi has connections, as they say in English. He makes a quick call to a Ford dealer in Windhoek and tells us that they have a spare part. Yebo, it screams in our heads. Ok, Windhoek is now about 100 km in the opposite direction of our original tour, but who cares, it is what it is...

To install the part on-site faster, Tossi recommends leaving the door in the inwardly open position. We are already experienced in that. So we carefully pack all the parts, secure them with the tension strap, and off we go to Windhoek. During the drive, we think about how lucky we are that this happens in an inhabited area. Otherwise, it can take days to get help. And Cindy still has the opportunity to see Namibia's capital, even if it's just briefly.

Windhoek, officially in German and from 1903 to 1918 Windhuk, is the capital of Namibia and the country's economic and political center. The city is located in the Windhoek Basin, the approximate geographical center of the country, surrounded by the Eros Mountains to the east, the Auas Mountains to the south, and the Khomas Highlands to the west and north. Windhoek was first mentioned in 1840 and founded as a modern city in 1890. At the last census in 2011, Windhoek had 322,500 inhabitants, with an annual population growth of about 4.5 percent.

When we arrive at the Ford dealer, there were only 5 conversations with 5 employees until we find the one Tossi spoke to. Contrary to Ford guidelines, he makes us an irresistible offer: either we get an original Ford spare part for 5,400 NAD or we take a used spare part for 2,700 NAD, which will be installed by a nearby independent workshop. By the way, he mentions that the original spare part is not in stock and we would have to wait for it for about 7 days, more or less. The decision is made within a tenth of a second, maybe even less.

We drive the car to the workshop, meet a young mechanic who immediately installs a new mechanism for us and gratefully accepts the 2,700 NAD in cash, which we had withdrawn in the meantime... out of the books, as they call it here.

We finally leave around 4 pm and embark on the 3-hour journey to Bagatelle. Without any incidents, we reach the Bagatelle Game Safari Ranch and arrive in time for dinner. But not before we have inspected our new home for the next three days: a small chalet on a red sand dune with its own small pool. It takes about a minute for Cindy to claim it and enjoy the beautiful sunset from there.

On our way to dinner, we encounter 3 kudus grazing peacefully about 5 meters away from us.

The greater kudu is an African antelope genus with four species. The genus is found in many African savannah areas. The animals reach a head-body length of up to 248 cm and a shoulder height of up to 157 cm. Male animals can weigh up to 344 kg and are thus up to 150 percent larger than females, which weigh up to 210 kg. With the given measurements, these species are among the largest known antelopes after the eland antelopes. The males have a gray-brown coat, while the females and young animals are medium brown and have six to ten white stripes. The animals have large, round ears and a bushy tail. The males have screw-shaped horns that can grow up to 105 cm long. Measured along the spiral, it reaches 160 cm.

A nice buffet awaits us with a served main course and dessert, a good bottle of wine, a cold beer, and about 15 other German tourists at the other tables. It is what it is...

We enjoy our dinner after this eventful day and fall tired into bed. And yes, it is what it is, but that makes this journey and life all the more interesting, exciting, and full of experiences!