Originally
I had planned on taking a minibus from Luderitz to Keepmanshoop for N$170 ($15aud),
where I would stay the night and then the next day catch a bus over the border
to South Africa. The owner of Luderitz Backpackers somehow organised me a ride
with some other guests that were staying at the backpackers. They were
engineers from Zimbabwe and had been working in Luderitz for the day and were
headed back to Mariental that day, passing through Keepmanshoop. The owner was
adamant that I would travel with them instead of take a minibus, as he knew
them and believed I would have a much more enjoyable trip. So it was organised,
I would go with them at 7am the next morning to Keepmanshoop.
The only
hitch was that they were travelling in a bakkie
(a ute) which only had two seats, so I would have to ride in the back for the
340km journey. It was covered however, so I didn’t have to worry about wind,
and I was able to stretch my legs. Once I was sat on my travel pillow I had a
pretty comfortable ride and a nice nap before we reached my destination. It was
actually a lot more comfortable than a minibus would have been and we made good
time, reaching Keepmanshoop at about 10:30am.
The drive
from Luderitz was very picturesque. I had missed most of the scenery on the
drive there as it had been dark, so I was able to watch the the white sand dunes
go past. At times there were wild horses in the distance (there is a group of
wild horses near Aus, a town between Luderitz and Keepmanshoop) and I was able to watch the
grazing cows and goats. Time went by very quickly.
At
Keepmanshoop I was headed to Rachel’s Backpackers, which is where I am now. It
is supposedly the cheapest in the area at N$180 a night, but doesn’t have wifi.
I have a room to myself though, and they are letting me using their washing
machine and dryer for free which is great because its been nearly two weeks
since I last did laundry and I’m running out of clean shirts … I spent the
afternoon looking for wifi, and planning what to do next. Tomorrow the
Intercape bus will leave Keepmanshoop at 11pm, so I have all day tomorrow to
fill in and find something to do, of which there isn’t much, particularly as I
don’t have a car. From Keepmanshoop I will get off the bus at Upington, in
South Africa, and then catch another one to Kimberley where I will stay the
night. The next day (Sunday) I shall board a train to Cape Town and should
reach by Monday afternoon. I am very excited for some good food (ie. vegan
restaurants) and to be in a proper city again. It is also where I shall be
buying most of my Christmas presents so if anyone has any particular requests
….
Half a day
has been even too much in Keepmanshoop, and I’m not sure how I will fill in
tomorrow before I catch the bus. It’s hot here, and I’m looking forward to
being back on the coast where it should hopefully be cooler.
Red tool chest.
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