Planned route: Epupa Falls - Swimming Area - Epupa Falls
Distance: 1km
This has to be one of the most relaxing days ever. It was spent doing a bit of washing, updating the diaries, calling home (there's a cell phone mast about 150m from the camp), swimming, going for walks along the river etc.
Maverick updating the diary, Nambabwe fixing the video camera, me enjoying the company:
The uncles:
Brakenjan all domesticated:
That's Angola on the other side:
The camp, Epupa Falls Campsite, is really nice with warm water and proper toilets. It doesn't have electricity, but that's not really a problem. The camp is underneath some palm trees – the Makalani palm. It has a hard round "fruit" which tastes quite nice. Or maybe that's just how it tasted when I was still as boarding school. We used to buy the stuff for 5c a piece. That's in the days when petrol wasn't even R1 per litre. Mmm, just realised that was a rip-off! Good thing it takes you about three days to finish one.
Makalani Palm fruit:
Shower:
The falls, which is actually a series of small falls. The river wasn't very high as it was at the end of the dry season, but I'd love to see it when it's in flood.
Here is a Kunene river panoramic all the way from the West to the North to the East (left to right):
These Kremetart trees grow in the most amazing places:
The main fall:
Nambabwe and Doubleoseven found a very nice secluded beach...
Some lizards in the trees by our tents. The blue and orange one is the male and the brown one the female:
In the afternoon I was itching for a ride. The others were still saddle sore from the previous day so I decided to go on my own. That's when I realised how big a "safety net" we have on the trip with the support vehicles and by simply riding in a group. It was a bit sobering and I decided after about 45 minutes that I'm not quite ready for this. Don't know why it bothered me then especially since I used to spend days in the mountains around Stellenbosch on my own without ever worrying about "what if?". Ignorance is bliss hey...
The others went for a ride in one of the support vehicles in order to charge the battery (and because they were too lazy to put their kit on). Apparently they saw some monkeys. Decide for yourself which is which:
Some local flora:
This part of the world at sun set is absolutely awesome:
That night we had "ribbetjie" for dinner. Couldn't help but think of Metaljockey and co eating the goat when they were here. Following his advice we also stayed away from the Copperband... Fortunately he didn't say anything about the beer, whiskey etc.