Arriving at the beach, we park and have a walk around. It's a huge bay, pretty clean with course sand further back and very soft sand down at the water. There are picnic spots available and we are the only people there. Thank goodness the hectic wind from yesterday has died down, and it's actually a really pleasant warm day. Dad arrives and shows me the tiny pieces of agate in the course sand.
Next we head to the Luderitz waterfront, initially with the intention of grabbing a milkshake. It's a lovely area, with restaurants, a market, and a jetty into the bay, next to the Harbour with its huge ships. We take a walk down the jetty and spot tiny fishes in the sea, two half sunk boats and many other vessels both for pleasure and commerce. At the end of the jetty we spot a small black dolphin in the distance, occasionally surfacing in the sapphire blue water.
We grab a nice outside table at Ritzis seafood restaurant, and the idea of just a quick milkshake turns into a light lunch. We order eisbein, pizza, salad and chicken strips. The portions are huge and despite getting confused, the waitress is very sweet. While we are relaxing, a group of potential beauty queens arrives at the waterfront for photos, with sashes draped over their shoulders. They later head to the restaurant as well, led by their gay manager, while everyone gapes at them.
After lunch we start the drive to Aus. We pass signs warning against brown hyenas crossing, but unfortunately do not spot any. We see a lone wild horse near the side of the road, and snap away, thinking it might be the only one we will see...
We turn towards the Garub pan, and spot a few more horses along the way, walking in a straight line, and then cantering a little, kicking up the dust. Then we reach the pan, there is a really nice covered seating area from which to view the horses drinking. There must be at least 50 horses surrounding the pan, all waiting for their chance to drink! There are also three oryx standing anxiously to the side, hoping the horses will give them an opportunity.
We sit for a long time, relaxing in the shade and enjoying the horses. Some of them climb right into the water and splash it around, trying to get cool, even lying down. In the distance, two of the horses are rearing and fighting, quite an exciting display. The oryx makes his move for the pan, but is unsuccessful, there are still too many horses around. We watch as the horses gradually move off, but don't stay long enough to see the poor oryxes get their turn.
We leave and head for Aus. Shortly thereafter we arrive at Klein Aus Vista, and head to the reception. The building is beautiful a double story with a new set of wooden stairs still being built. The bottom houses the reception and a bar and lounge, and the top floor is the restaurant. We check the Sanfords into the Desert Horse Inn, and the Groblers into the campsite. We also pay the N$30 each for hiking permits, with the intention of doing a sunset hike.
We head to our campsite for the next two nights, number one. It is a lovely site, with a wooden stick shelter to one side, and a huge tree in the middle. We share our tree with a huge sociable weaver nest, which must be home to 20-30 families of weaver birds. They all come to greet us shortly after arriving, and we can't resist feeding them some crackers. The adorable tiny little birds are so comfortable with humans that they will even jump onto our hands to eat!
We check out the ablutions, only one for all sites, which is way too far away for us. And then get the potjie started, while enjoying a gin and tonic. We are making chicken and ginger ale potjie, a Grobler favourite. As soon as it's bubbling, Dad arrives to share the hike with us. But the sun is already low in the sky, and we don't want to risk another return in the dark, so we just head up a nearby hill and enjoy the spectacular sunset, a real golden glow, from there.
We spot horses from the hill and go to check them out, they seem more tame than the wild ones, but still bolt when we try to feed the apples!
For dinner we enjoy the delicious potjie with fresh bead, followed by campfire caramel apples, delicious. We decide that since it's a warm night, we will sleep under the stars instead of in the tents. We fall asleep, snug in our sleeping bags, despite the chilly wind, admiring the uninterrupted canvas of light in front of us. Unfortunately, the wind picks up quite a hit during the night, and our gazebo takes flight, so we have to fight with the tree around one in the morning to free it!
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Location:Aus, Namibia
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