DAYS 17 TO 19: ERONGA ROCKS, DIK-DIK CAMPSITE
We arrived at the farm where we were to camp for the next three nights and we received a most warm welcome from both Terri and Didi, our hosts. Terri bubbled with passion and suggestions of what to do and where to go. Her obvious love for this land and its creatures was exhilarating and we got caught up by her passion.
Our campsite was outstanding. One could see how much thought and planning had gone into creating this site. The ablution, kitchen and dining areas were placed creatively between the boulders. The attention to detail, the neatness and care that had gone into the upkeep of this camp made us feel like treasured guests. This experience provided us with a stark contrast to some other camping spots that we now tend to avoid, because they are badly maintained and leave the impression that campers are necessary, but unimportant to them. Our next stop would prove to be an example of this malaise.
At Erongo Rocks, the hiking trails, car tracks and viewing sites are well sign-posted and we enjoyed doing all of them. Terri had also informed us as to where to go to best view the pair of Verreaux Eagles that nested on their farm. Malcolm and I found them soaring on the updrafts, seeking prey for their nestling that was waiting on a small rocky ledge for some nourishment.
However, the biggest thrill was waiting for us back at our camp. Around 18:00 on our last evening there, we watched the shy and smallest of the African buck, called the Damara Dik-dik, come cautiously to drink from the pond of water close to where we stood. Animal and humans were aware of each other, and trust was received and given.
Every morning too, with breakfast in hand, we would watch flocks of colourful Rosy-faced Lovebirds that flew down to that same water source and drank in short spurts. More unforgettable memories, indelibly imprinted and to be treasured for the rest of our lives.
Wherever we camped, there was this feeling of a natural order to each day. The same birds and animals arrived around the same time every day to drink water, the sunrises and sunsets constantly defined the lengthening daylight hours and, the moon that we had first seen as only a sliver at D’Urban Campsite, had waxed over the last two weeks to become so big and bright that it lit up the land like a sky-lantern.
Sitting within the gentle beauty of the full-moon light, I accepted that I had won a gracious victory…a quiet settling of the heart. A new state of being that was as tender as a seed’s tendril pushing itself up towards the light; it was still very fragile and needed to be nurtured, fed and protected.
It was with a little sadness that we left this place of peace and began to head southward, towards Cape Town. A homeward trip that would take us another twelve days to complete.
DAYS 20 AND 21: DUSTERNBROOK LODGE AND CAMPSITE
This campsite, that is situated on a game farm, turned out to be a big disappointment. The ablution block was a single building that contained two toilets and two showers that were in some disrepair. I quickly realised that if other campers arrived, Malcolm and I would have to share these unisex facilities in an amicable way. However, it was the amount of plastic litter that was strewn around the riverbed, where birds and animals drank, that saddened us the most. However, as always Malcolm and I made up our minds to make the most of our two days here and we certainly enjoyed the stars at night.
