Today is our
last day in the Richtersveld Park. We were up rather early as the clerk at the park’s
main gate had told us that travelling time from our campsite to the exit gate
would take 4 hours. Then it would be another 2 hours to Port Nolloth.
It was nice
leaving so early in the cool of the morning. The sun was still low and you
could see the mountains in a new light. It was quite easy going for the first
bit and we saw a lone baboon on our way out. Lesley seems to think that there
was a baboon doing walkabout round our car last night, but as we pack
everything away each night there was nothing for it to pinch. L:
Yeah, something was making a snuffling noise, and it wasn’t you. Also, there were very small and greasy hand
prints and nose prints……
S: We retraced our path until we got to the exit
road and eventually got onto a large plain where the going was also easy. About
30 – 40 km/h. We were making good time and I wondered where the 4 hours came
in.
We had
stopped when a large bird swooped across in front of the car and grabbed what,
I think, was a mouse. (We had seen a few of these around). It then flew off and landed a short way off to
devour its prey. We tried to get a good photo to identify the bird, but it
proved very elusive. Anyway, it was a rather exciting thing to happen on our
last day.
Then we
started to get into the hills and mountains and we realised why it was going to
take a long time to get out. It was really slow going over the bad roads, but
boy, was it fun! We were trundling along
at 10-20 km/h for ages. I just love doing these trails, but it requires a lot
of concentration. L: And hanging on to the steering-wheel, especially in the
sand-tracks where the cars pulls you into the deepest sections, leaving you
with sore hands afterwards.
S: Near the end, we came around a bend and the
mountainside was covered in red plants. It was such a contrast to what we had
seen before.
Then it was through another dry river bed and out the other side
to end at the check point again where we handed in our exit permit. I also
pumped up the tyres a bit to 2 bar as we had had them at 1.6 bar for the roads
in the park. I still wanted to keep them a bit soft as there was still more
gravel road to drive.
Then it was
off to Alexander Bay, with a quick stop to check out some strange things
decorating a B&B. L: A bit of
entertainment on an otherwise dull stretch of road.
S: We also got Nicole, our daughter, to see if
she could find us some accommodation in Port Nolloth or nearby, McDougall’s
Bay. We were hungry and decided to stop in Alex Bay for food and supplies. What
a mission to find a shop. The one and only is a Sentra and it is in a centre
with no signage. There was not much available, but we did get some tinned
salmon and rolls for lunch. It was rather nice mixed with mayo and onions. The
only fruit worth buying was bananas and we bought a bunch. Yummy. We stocked up
on a bit of other tins and dry goods and hoped we could get some better
supplies in Port Nolloth.
The Spar in
Port Nolloth was magnificent. It was clean and bright and best of all it had
just about everything we needed including fresh vegetables and fruit, as well
as meat.
Nicole had
organised us a place called Dis Al! There are two semi-detached cottages and the
place is still new. It has everything you need and is really nicely decorated
with a rowing boat in the front yard separating the two units. It even has two
potjie pots under the counter. It also has an uninterrupted view of the sea at
the moment. This might not always be so as there are a lot of plots for sale
around here.
We opted to
go to the hotel for supper. I still had not been out for my birthday dinner yet
and this was my chance. It was a bit embarrassing as I could not finish my
food. I think my stomach has shrunk. No worries … the calamari tasted just as
good for brunch the next day.
L: It is always a treat to stay in a cottage
after camping for so long as we can sort things properly and tidy out the car
and do whatever washing is needed. We
have two nights here to be able to see what Port Nolloth has going on……
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