Day 18: Opuwa to King Nehale – Etosha
After breakfast we headed down the hill into the town of Opuwa. It was like a clash of African civilisations: traditional Himbas talking on cell phones, traditional markets set up next to shopping centres and a mix of local tribes and cultures.
While filling up with fuel in town, we discovered that the bad roads of the past day, had again taken its toll and we had a crack in the spare long range fuel tank.
Today’s journey was 360km along tarred roads, so totally different from the gravel tracks of the past week, our biggest obstacles were livestock crossing the road.
The scenery into Oshakati was that of Makalani palms and salt pans.
We were definitely back in civilisation as we passed through towns all beginning with an O. There were banks, fuel stations, shopping malls, shabeens and the standard Pep stores.
Gray spent 16 months based at Oshakati and Ondangwa travelling between this area and Angola during the border war. We spent some time driving around Oshakati, we found his old army base. We drove through streets with homes, areas that were once used as shooting and mortar ranges.
The road between Ongwediva and then Ondangwa was busy. Lined with people and malls. You can find any shops from Spec Savers, to CTM and KFC. As it was Sunday, the shebeens were all doing a roaring trade.
Gray was saying that during his time here, there were just army bases. The gravel roads were swept every day for land mines and you had to have army escorts travelling between the towns.
Ondangwa was a big Air Force base, now the Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo Airport. We went to the airport and again there were fenced off areas of remnants of army bases.
After the town of Omuthiya we turned on a white gravel road for the last part of our journey to Gondwana’s King Nehale Lodge at the gate to Etosha.
This lodge was a real spoil with awesome staff and cheaper than the previous night at Opuwa.
It was an oppressive 38 degrees yesterday, the plunge pool at our room was a welcome relief. The bed was comfy, champagne cold and the dinner starter of mopani worms …. Not so sure.
Pandas in Africa 