a long journey cont...

Unfortunately Christiane and Tom's luggage didn't make it because of a missed connection in J-burg.

Eventually the three of us met up and were on our way by taxi to Bitterwasser where we were planning to meet up with my brother Michael who had been flying the rented Arcus E out of Kiripotib, Namibia  for two weeks in a program called Flying with the Champions.

It was an interesting drive. Soon the paved road gave way to a smooth gravel road which allowed to drive at the speed limit of 120 kph.

I saw a number of warthogs close to the road which worried me a bit. There was also a herd of baboons. The alpha male didn't look like he had much of a sense of humor. Good thing we had swapped out the car for a somewhat newer and hopefully more reliable model.

After two and a half hours of driving through what looked like an arid no-man's land, the Taxi turned and proceeded through an impressive gate with the well known Bitterwasser logo featuring a palm tree and the setting sun framed by the shape of a diamond.



  www.bitterwasser.com

It was like arriving at a beautiful oasis, after a long trip through the desert: Palm trees and beautiful landscaping utilizing local shrubs and cacti. The sun was just setting as we entered the Bitterwasser grounds.

A long journey

I left Canada in the Evening of  Tuesday November 17, arriving at London Heathrow on Wednesday morning of the 18th. I must have had the worst seat on the plane, in the middle of the middle and in the back. After getting a good 5 hr rest in a hotel near the airport, I boarded an aging British Airways Jumbo to Johannesburg for another overnight flight. This time I had the option to select a bulkhead aisle seat which made the 11 hr flight bearable. My seat neighbor was a friendly Namibian. I told him that I was traveling there to go gliding. I majorly put my foot in my mouth when he asked me what else I was planning to do in Namibia and I replied - is there anything else to do? Apparently there are lots of interesting places to visit and wildlife to see in this country which is a very popular destination for German tourists and wildlife enthusiasts.

Arrived on time in J-burg at 10am on Thursday, November 19th to catch my connecting flight at noon to Windhoek, Namibia. I enjoyed the two hour flight in an old BA 737 with comfy and spacious leather seats. I got a good view of the task area with a sky full of cu.

In Windhoek I was happy to see that my check-in luggage had made all connections. To be on the safe side I had packed all the essentials in my carry-on, so I could have survived for a few days.

I stayed overnight at the Etango Ranch near the Windhoek airport which is about 60km outside the city. It turned out to be a good place and very reasonably priced. All the guests were either Swiss or German tourists who were either returning from Safaris with lots of tall tales or were setting out to explore the country.


The place was great to acclimatize. Fortunately the temperature was only in the low 30Cs with very low humidity which wasn't too much of a shock coming from November in Ontario.

 My brother Michael's wife, Christiane and son Tom where scheduled to arrive next day. The plan was to meet up with them and take a taxi to Bitterwasser which is a bit less than a 3 hr ride. Michael had already been flying out of Kiripotib, Namibia  for two weeks in a program called Flying with the Champions. He was planning to fly our rented Arcus E over to Bitterwasser and meet up with us there.