Day 5 - Bag Full of Hot Air

11:00
The 04:00 alarm is brutal. I feel like I’ve not slept brilliantly, though not sure why. I don’t think it’s tenting related. I was a little anxious about packing up the truck in the dark, and at such an early time, conscious I could easily wake my neighbours if noisy. Happily, it’s more straightforward than I’d feared, and I’m actually packed and ready to go a little ahead of schedule

The Balloon company is 20 clicks South of Sesriem. As I park the truck, I can hear a hubbub of excited chatter. It’s still pitch dark, but the sun will start to rise soon. I’m introduced to my pilot, also called Tim! We agree to distinguish ourselves as Captain Tim, and Tim the flight attendant. I’ll leave that to your imagination…

The flight is sensational. Think it’s my 4th balloon flight in total, and vying with the flight over the Masai Mara as my favourite. The views over the desert are incredible - and a completely different experience from 1,000m up. The size and scale of the dunes is that much greater, even though I’m that much further from them. The sunrise is spectacular. I unpacked my digital SLR for the flight, and am so glad I did. Suspect many of the pics will be stunning.

We land around 30km from our launch point, and only 100m from the bush breakfast that’s been set up for us. Unless you’ve flown in a hot-air balloon, you might not realise how ridiculously accurate that is. Bush breakfast is accompanied by a couple of glasses of a decent Cap Classique (i.e. made like Champagne) sparkling wine from South Africa. Conscious I have to drive in the not too distant future, I refuse a 3rd glass. The sun is beating down, so much so that I rotate myself to ensure I don’t overcook one particular spot. A sort of human rotisserie, if you will. And on that, I’m gonna get on the road. Not a super long drive today, but a few stops I want to make along the way….

21:00
The drive may be fairly short, but it is tough. The road surface for much of the way is washboard, cover with loose sand and gravel. Even at modest speeds (c. 60 km\h), I can feel both the front and back ends of the truck want to slip and slide. The first 90 minutes or so are the toughest - so much so that I barely look around at the scenery, so hard am I concentrating on the road. There are, as there always are, folks that overtake me going MUCH faster… Judging by their vehicles, they’re local. All the hired vehicles I see are more circumspect in their approach, and I congratulate myself on not sticking out TOO much…

Around 13:00, I pull into Solitaire - a truck stop with a couple of shops and cafés attached to it. It feels awfully like the last civilisation before heading into the abyss. This whole region feels a little like a cross between Mad Max and the Wild West. Fewer guns, for sure. I reward myself with a super cold Savanna, top up the fuel tanks, and grab a few camp supplies for this evening - water, Savanna, Simba chips. The essentials. It’s only another 22km up to my overnight stop, so push on.

Just before I reach Camp Gecko, I stop at a lovely little roadside café/shop type affair. I feel like I may very much be the only customer they see today. I grab a coffee, and sit outside making use of cell signal I have to let Vicki know I may not be in touch later. Near the gate, there are a couple of astronauts driving a tractor, because of course there are.

Arriving at Camp Gecko feels like arriving at the end of the earth I mean that in an entirely positive way, but it won’t be for everyone. I’m met by Hailey (the cat) and Leia (the owner). Everything’s super chilled here. There’s actually a WiFi network in the reception area, and some charging points if I run low on juice. I’ve brought my iPad with me with some TV and movies downloaded, but haven’t cracked it open since my flight. I head up to my campsite, and it is breathtaking. I have a small covered lapa, with views over the vast and open desert plains. I can see from the sun’s position that it’s going to set directly in front of me. I smash through a couple of Savanna while I get the camp set-up. It’s a much easier proposition than my first attempt. My pitch has an outdoor shower, with sun warmed water. If the water’s too cold, there are some wood logs underneath the water tank I can use to heat it. There’s an open air toilet, and I do mean open-air. I shall grab a pic from the throne before I leave. What there is more than anything else is an overwhelming sense of tranquility. I feel like I could be the last person on earth so detached am I from whatever might be going on wherever else it might be going on.

When checking in, Leia mentioned a natural freshwater pond I can use for swimming, and that my pre-booked braai pack will be ready for collection from 17:00. I decide to combine the two, and head off at a brisk walk in the direction of the reception area. It’s a quite hilly, and also quite treacherous path. I’ve stupidly worn my slops to walk down a loose and steep gravel path. Eejit. The pond is amazing. No chemicals, but tons of fish. That’s correct. You go swimming with the fishes. I ease into the very cold but superlatively refreshing water, and cool my bones. Several fish come to investigate me. Refreshed, I grab a Savanna from the fridge (honesty bar type situation) and settle in to air-dry while I read my book.

Dinner is sensational. A marinated zebra steak, a Wagyu boerewors, a sort of sweet and sour cabbage salad, and a gem squash, stuffed with tomato, corn and mozzarella. Oh, and slice of zebra cake for dessert. Leia puts these together daily for her guests, and it’ll always feature a cut of local venison. The zebra is sensational - and much more tender than the beef I cooked last night. As I’m cooking, the sun is setting off to the West, and the views stop me in my tracks. Such incredible colours…

After I’ve eaten and tidied up, I settle back in to read. It’s pitch dark, and I’m suddenly conscious that the super isolated feeling I enjoyed so much earlier is a slightly different proposition when I can’t see 6 inches in front of my face. Every noise, every whistle, every crack - I feel myself looking up from my book, and vainly looking around to see if I can see what’s making the noise. I’m pretty sure that this is going to be the most remote campsite I stay at during my trip. Most of the others are pitches grouped together. Here, part of the appeal, in daylight hours at least, is that I can’t see another human being. At least I don’t think I can…

By 20:30, I’m flagging. One of the downsides of the camping/truck combo is that it renders a nap almost impossible. I spose I could park up at the side of the road, but with the engine off, the cab would get VERY hot, VERY quickly - and the tent would be no better. Nope - naps are gonna be restricted to the days that I have B+B accommodation, the first of which is tomorrow, in Swakopmund. If you don’t hear from me for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon, you’ll know why…

I climb into my tent, which is much cooler than last night. I’m at a total of around 1,000m above sea level here, and it shows. I actually climb straight into my sleeping bag, which was NOT on the cards in Sesriem. I read my book until my eyes can stay open no longer. I’ve been awake since 04:00, and it’s time for sleep…Read more