After a windy night I get up quit early and secure the towels we hung up to dry last night. From the pretty shower stall I can watch zebras grace – perfect.
It’s our day off today. If you set out for an off-road safari you should always plan some extra days for contingency. Since everything went smoothly (not a single flat tire or the like) we spend this extra day here at the Palmwag lodge.
For breakfast we put everything we find in the various boxes on the table. Everything must go as our group safari will be over tomorrow when we all go our separate ways.
After breakfast we clean all the equipment and put it back to where it belongs. Also, since Akiko and I will spend another 10 days in Namibia we have the lodge staff clean a bag of our cloths. In contrast to what you pay at the Epupa falls campsite it’s expensive because every piece of clothing is counted and registered on a “order sheet”.
Since I have a lot of time I try to charge the battery of the small digicam – with the power adapter of the razor as I forget the camera’s adapter. The voltage of the two adapters is the same but the jack isn’t. So, with little hope I try nonetheless…Of course it won’t work.
We hang around, read at the pool and check the equipment in the car once again.
Akiko and I are both utterly sad that our group will break up tomorrow. We both really like all four other members. Very nice people. All have a good and honest heart. I never experienced before how a group of six strangers (ok, three couples) can operate in perfect harmony in an instant. I somehow hope that the others are sad too and that they have similar feelings towards us.
From now on we’ll be on our own. No guides who decide ahead of time what today’s menu is. No one who’d happily answer our questions about off-road, Namibia or the world. Akiko and I wouldn’t mind staying at lodges for the rest of the trip but we booked camp site or nothing at all. Also, we wouldn’t mind if this were the end of the trip and we had to fly home tomorrow. We’re really down and depressed and I have a lump in my throat. Of course, we’re looking forward to the rest of Namibia, particularly Etosha, but still…
Since it’s our farewell dinner tonight Stefan and Marga ordered a fantastic buffet at the lodge!