Ai Ais & Fish River Canyon

Today, we travelled the loooong road from the Kalahari to Fish River canyon and Ai Ais hot springs.

Google Maps claimed it would take 6 hours, but in fact, it took 9, which was a little critical because we arrived at 18:46. The reception closes at sunset, in this case, 18:45. Now in Africa, timing is rarely exact, but in this case, it was however. As we approached the gate, a car came the other way and gestured that we stop. Hi I'm Mathew, do you have a booking? Yes, we do. Ok, then just use any vacant parking and come see me in the morning. Swiss punctuality without the fixation on following the rules.

In parts the road was terrible, and the camper shook like crazy stress testing everything, and indeed a couple of latches fell off , and the trim around the microwave cracked But all in all given the level of stress and the duration, the camper held up well.

We visited Fush River canyon, and although it is supposedly the 2nd largest in the world, I was somewhat underwhelmed. Similarly, the hot springs at Ais-Ais, which it turns out, are 65C and, as far as we could tell, not visible at the surface. They do provide hot water for the largish pool.

Since the trip was so long, and it was getting late, we ate at the site restaurant and tried out onyx steaks and hamburgers. Not bad, I have to say, and $70 for eight meals, including drinks, is not bad.Read more