Day 13 - This place is WILD.

12:45
I have a great sleep. Just over 8 hours and pretty much uninterrupted. More of that please. My plan (vague as it is) is to get moving this morning, and get over to Divundu by midday. Stop for some groceries and lunch, then meander down to Ngepi Camp, my home for the next two nights.

Phase one goes well, and I arrive into Divundu around 11:30. The drive has been a little dull. A very long and straight road, with few distinguishing sights by the roadside. I’ve cruised along at a pretty decent clip. Grocery shopping is successfully completed, but my lunch plans are scuppered, when it transpires the café I was aiming for is no longer there. I push on to Ngepi, which is only another 20 minutes down the road, and reason that I can feed there instead. The last 4km of the road are really a dirt track that leads to the middle of nowhere. I see glimpses of a river, nearly get stuck in sand a couple of times, and have a sense of detaching from reality.

Ngepi is a beautiful place. I’m trying to think of where it reminds me of, and it’s Ordo Sounsar - a temporary beach camp I stayed at a few times in my early visits to Goa. It’s got the same super laid-back, sand in my toes kinda vibe. The staff are super friendly. I’m a little early to check-in, but grab a Savanna and a better than decent game burger. I sit one of the several decks overlooking the river. I can see some hippo on the other side of the river. To my left is the swimming pool, which is a cage in the river, so that one can swim with the hippos and crocs without actually being killed by them. I definitely want to see someone else successfully swim in it before I’ll dive in - so to speak.

17:30
This place is WILD. I’m in a tree-house. Not the up in a tree variety, but an open air hut type thing built out of tree, and around several trees. It has some bamboo doors, a sort of thatched roof, a wooden deck that hangs over the river with a few different seating options, including a hammock and some bean-bags. The shower, such as it is, is in the middle of the room. As I’m exploring, I notice there’s a crocodile in the river. About 5m from me. I’m up on a raised platform, so not in immediate peril, but Vicki makes a good point that I should probably NOT nap in the hammock… I’m pretty sure my description isn’t gonna do it justice, so I’ll record a walk-around video to help bring it to life…

It’s incredibly peaceful, and I’ve already decided to have a day of chill today, before some organised activities tomorrow. I stretch out on my bed to read, and drift off into a deep, dream filled sleep. I wake up after maybe 90 minutes. Super deluxe. I’ve got some braai supplies to use up this evening, but no braai. Happily, there’s a small kitchen involved in the room.

At first, I think the set-up is the same as last night, with Namibia on one side of the river, and Angola the other. Turns out I’m wrong. The river has meandered South, further from the Angolan border. Oh, and the river has changed name. Down by Rundu, it was the Kavango. Here, it’s called the Cubango. Further down in Botswana, it’s the Okavango. All the same river, just variations on the name.

21:30
Dinner is a delightful protein-fest. Some marinated chicken breast - hot with pepper and chilli, and some Chakalaka Boerewors. Chakalaka is a spicy vegetable stew/relish, native to South Africa, and a super tasty accompaniment to braai food. Here’s it’s been mixed through the spiced beef used in the Boerewors, giving the sausage an extra dimension of flavour. YUM.

It’s been a proper scorcher today, and there’s much less breeze than previous days. Don’t know if that’s because my treehouse is a little sheltered, or just because - but it’s made it extra sweaty. I have a series of very brief, but very cold showers throughout the afternoon and evening to regulate my temperature. I would go up the reception area where the pool is, but it’s 500m away, and I honestly can’t be arsed. So - cold shower instead!

I settle into the hammock, and read my book for a while. Around 21:00, my eyes start to feel tired. No - let’s amp that up a bit. Around 21:00, I find myself close to falling asleep in the ultra comfy hammock, and decide bed’s for the best. Early (ish) alarm clock tomorrow!Read more