Twyfelfontein, Kunene, Namibia
Monday, October 18, 2010
I was restless that night and was awake at 03:00. I packed up camp and had breakfast. Around 05:30 I made a quick call home, as I know my wife was already awake with our eldest boy that has an early routine. It is always good for the moral to have such contact on these trips. That day, me and the onther riders decided to go our separate ways. The other two was on their way to Epupa falls and I would be going to Twyfelfontein and after bidding them farewell I quickly refuelled, 14.71km/l…ouch! What were you expecting from a single cylinder, 4 stroke? From here on it would be smooth sailing as the Tenere was now in its backyard and ready for business. My program was more relaxed this time then my first time here and I had ample time for stops to take photos. I drove to Sesfontein T-junction and did not go to refuel as before but headed for Ongongo. When I arrived at Ongongo Hot Springs around 09:45 it was desolated as all the tourists had already left and it was wonderful to experience such quietness. I had a quick dip and some wieners for brunch
. I really want to come here again if my trips allow it. When we have our 4x4 sorted out I will surely bring the family here to stay for at least 2 days. The boys will be safe here and they have a lot of opportunity for exploring. Not long and I was off again. I turned off at the Khowarib Schlucht and stopped at the Khowarib Lodge & Campsite for some intelligence gathering about the Schlucht. I last passed thru the Schlucht in 2005 with a 4x4 trip and did not find it that tough, but still wanted to do it with my bike. It takes about 4 hours to drive thru, but is very renowned for its choking dust and having to pass thru riverbeds (sand driving is not a biking speciality of mine). I would have to come back one day to do the Khowarib Schlucht as my bike was too heavily packed for the sand and it was already too hot at the time when I wanted to attempt it very early in the morning.....Bucket List. The road between Ongongo and Twyfelfontein is very bad. Not poorly managed but very rock and the going are very slow. On route I found group of ten bikers with a support vehicle and trailer. They were on their way from Epupa Falls and all of them were tourists from abroad taking a biking trip thru Namibia. Their trailer broke and they were busy to repair this. Luckily for them they had all the tools with them. About 8km before Palmwag, I noticed 6 elephants about 300m from the side of the road. What an experience to see this and this can only be seen in Namibia. This also one of the reasons why I prefer the motorbike as you are more close to nature and it's elements
. As usual I stopped at Palmwag for a cold one. I refuelled and was back to normal with my fuel consumption of 20.78km/l and was on my way again. Around Vrede there is the most beautiful settings and I had plenty of time for photos. On arrival in Twyfelfontein I set up camp at Aba-Huab Rest Camp. The receptionist informed me that the evening before an elephant grassed thru the camp and provided some "entertainment". I decided to set up camp where I would be safe, so the elephants do not mistake my tent for a rock to scratch against. The wind started to pick up heavily and before long I found myself in a sandstorm. I set off to Twyfelfontein Country Lodge for a dip in their pool and a cold one or two. On arrival back at Aba-Huab Rest Camp I found that I just missed the elephant passing in the riverbed (Aba-Huab River) close to the camp. I managed to beg for some ice at the reception and had a braai with an ice-cold drink in hand...this is life!
