Isabis and onwards

Breeding stallion at Isabis

The next day, after a hearty breakfast they got onto the road, again this graded dirt road up to Stampriet. From there onto Rehoboth it was tarred and then they left the tar to engage into the direction of Isabis where they were expected on Isabis farm.

The owner of Isabis farm, Joachim Crantz was in touch with Coen since their Congo times, Coen bought his Uri from him. When he mentioned that they were doing this trip into Namibia Joachim kindly invited them to visit the farm and stay the night with him and his wife. And so, they shuffled their dates around and made it to Isabis farm that day.

They got there earlier than even they expected and Joachim and Adele practically opened their house to them, gave them lunch. He does intense cattle farming while she raises horses for endurance riding. Their farm is a beautifully developed place, very peaceful and quiet. Their guest quarters if very tastefully made up from old storerooms and very comfortable.

View of the waterfall on the farm lands

They have the HESS project running on one of their farms and the people running the project often stay with them too. It is mainly for them that they made some conversions: rooms, living quarters etc.

Sunset on the lands

Adele explained that she has recently acquired this stallion to breed with her mares and it was one great experiment for her since the stallion has some ‘health’’ issues and she is really keen on this breeding idea of her.

They had a short nap and left Adele to struggle with her mares while they went on a sun down trip across the farm. Joachim took them to spots where they could see the extent of the farm but also the cliffs and waterfall they have there. As most waterways in Namibia, this waterfall was not ‘falling’ but there was water at the base.

They admired the scenery while the sun was setting and the baboons were barking in the distance. The view was absolutely stunning.

Baboons in the distance 

Back at the homestead, they showered and met for dinner. Their chef made springbok fillet to perfection. The rest of the meal was a delight. The malva pudding was excellent. After dinner, they sat talking for a bit and then the Crantz’s wanted to see their ‘trip’ pictures.

Landscape on the way to the city

It is a very quiet place and they all slept the sleep of the just. The table was set for breakfast when they got to the main house. Adele was also going to Windhoek on business that day. They made a hearty breakfast, bade their farewells and hit the road north. The whole place looked very green because of the rains.



It was a good sand road that has had regular grading. They even saw a grader working on it that day. They passed endless cattle farms that are popular in those areas and some game farms too. There were cattle grids this indicated where the one farm stopped and where the next one started.

Cattle grids on the road

In Windhoek they soon found the place where they were booked for 2 nights. Once settled, they had a late lunch of sandwiches. They booked the aunties on a city and township tour and settled to work a bit, nap a bit, work some more and then go to dinner at the Nice restaurant. This is a place run by chefs in training. It is in a great set up, very nicely decorated and fitted. The food was nice but service was rather slow.

The next day was Namibia Independence day. They had breakfast and then went to tour the city. The one stop they made was at the craft centre that has expanded quite extensively since she was last there. It had very nice things. The aunties had a grand time choosing what to buy.

Dinner at Joe's Beerhouse

Back at the lodge, they worked some more. They made some snack food for lunch and she went back to work while some took a nap. That evening they were booked at Joe’s Beerhouse for dinner. It was a hearty affair of game meat and fish.

Cruising to the Coast

After breakfast the next day, they hit the road east. They missed the one petrol station and when they realized there were none to be had on that road, they turned back and filled in town before starting off definitely eastwards.

Welwitchia mirabilis

After doing a few passes through the mountains, the scenery changed from green savannah to yellow grassland to sand desert. It was gradual but very noticeable as they progressed on the road. When they reached the Namib they found the dinosaur plant – welwitchia mirabilis. Strange plant that survived the ages in the oldest desert on earth.

Dunes close to Swakopmund

After this long road that seems to lead nowhere, suddenly, before them, the signs of civilization, Swakopmund. It is a very ‘coastal’ town but also has a German flair to it, and at the same time it is in the desert.

Lighthouse

With time the settlers have managed to grow quite a bit in that piece of desert. The town is very well laid out with trees growing on the sides of the main roads. They found their hotel, Rapmund hotel next to café Anton, not far from the beach and the lighthouse. It is a pleasant place except that they were having renovations done that day and it was a bit noisy. By 17h00 it was nice and quiet again.

That afternoon, while Coen worked on his course, she took the aunties for a walk in the shopping area. They went into some very nice little shops catering for tourists mainly. As they were getting the hang of shopping, the shops started closing – 17h00. After making up their minds where they go walking the next day and where they were having dinner that evening, they walked back to their lodgings.

They dined at a small place around the corner that evening, Farm Kitchen. Well prepared food and served by efficient and pleasant staff too. In general, in Namibia people seem very laid back, welcoming and pleasant. The staff of all the places they went were forthcoming and keen to assist.

Salt pan with red colour

The next morning, they had a most complete and very German breakfast and then set off to visit the Crystal Gallery. It was very interesting to see what they do with the crystals. They even bought a few pieces from the shop and then carried on with their discovery of the town before setting for to see Walvis bay and have lunch there.

Seagull landing

It is the port town and also very well laid out. They had lunch at the Raft on the sea front where they could see sea gulls taking off and landing. Carrying on with the main road, went on to the salt ‘factory’. They passed the saltpans and also the red residue that is said to give flamingoes that reddish tinge.

Lunch at the Raft

Lunch was tasty and the surroundings were quite pleasant too. They drove back to Swakopmund where  they worked for a while longer. Later when Coen took a nap, she went out with the aunties to browse the town.

Waiting at the bar of the Brauhaus

Dinner at the Brauhaus

They decided to dine at the Brauhaus that evening. They set off earlier in order to have an hour at the internet Café before dinner. It was Friday evening and they did not book. So when  the aunties joined them later, they had to wait at the bar for some people to vacate a table before they could eat. Here again the meal was copious and tasty. They had a good time watching the very ‘German’ pub life of the place.