The traffic noise did eventually quieten down and we slept soundly. It was very fresh this morning and we realized that winter was now really approaching and that as we were moving south, the temperatures were going to drop. Paul filled up in Otjiwarongo and we popped into the Cymot shop (like Midas) to check on the price of gas canisters for our little Bushbaby stove. They were very expensive (R62), but I bought one for emergencies as our gas was getting low. I suddenly remembered that there was an excellent Super Spar here and made contact with Petra to suggest that we do our shopping here. We bought excellent meat, fruit and vegetables and I even bought some vacuum packed butternut soup. We both could not resist buying a milk tart (which was delicious!).

We were heading for the warm waters of the Gross Barmen Spa just outside Okahandja, but the most important business was to pick up the “elusive” seal for Troopy at Toyota. I had planned to buy take-away coffee in Otjiwarongo, but the queue was too long. It was already very late for a coffee break, but the milk tart was waiting! We pulled off under a Camelthorn along the now busy road for a quick coffee stop. The milk tart was delicious. Stephen found a broken propshaft lying in the bush. He always manages to salvage something useful from the “throw away” things he finds along the way and he decided to just take the propshaft along and later take off the bolts and some other useful things. Close to Okahandja we stopped at The Country Hut for a quick lunch break. There was a little wooden shack, and they were advertising biltong. It looked all shut up, but on a closer look, I found a very bored looking young lady sitting inside playing with her phone. The dried wors (sausage) looked great and we bought a packet. We found Indongo Toyota easily in Okahandja and Pieter had the seal for us. It cost R120 and we decided to buy an extra one as a backup. I have always stopped at the German bakery in Okahandja in the past and I was relieved that it was still operating (Dekker’s). However, it being late in the afternoon, they did not have much left on their racks. I did buy a packet of delicious butter cookies.

Paul and Petra had gone ahead to Gross Barmen. We could not believe our eyes when we approached the gate. It was now a monstrous edifice and very impersonal. The humble old Spa building had been replaced by a big monstrosity!! A very disinterested lady got us to fill in all sorts of information and told us that our friends had already paid their share and we now had to pay ours. Petra arrived to show us where they were standing. She also bought a very nice T-shirt for her brother at a reasonable price. The campsite was bleak and there was not a hint of shade. A strong and cold wind was blowing and it just looked miserable. We had read the negative reviews on iOverlander and we were prepared for it, but it still shocked us. There were two other campers in the far corner. The lovely old campsite at the reeds near the water was no more. Instead we were in a desolate campsite which must have been an afterthought by the architect. It used to be a favourite stop over for us in our early days of travel. Stephen got going to fit the proper seal. It was a very unpleasant job in the wind and dust. I could not get into the car and just stood around feeling a bit useless. Stephen got the hub off quite quickly this time and in no time had the new seal fitted. Paul assisted. Then Stephen started to take various pieces off the propshaft he had found and there were actually round washers to replace the one over the cone washers that had disappeared at Shakawe! At least we could now get rid of this huge piece of metal that had occupied our rear seat. I was wondering how we would be able to make a fire in his wind with the very tall dry grass very close to us. Petra and I decided to go and reconnoitre the place. The Spa buildings are totally out of scale and character, considering that the actual Spa bath is very small. One had to walk very far to get to an entrance and we came across closed doors everywhere and could not find a way to get to the front of the building where the outdoor facilities were. In the end we just jumped over some outlet pools to get to the big swimming pool outside. We had found an escape route! The architect was Jaco Wasserfall who had been a final year external examiner in Stephen’s architecture department. He must have made a good bit of money out of this over designed assignment! Paul and Petra went for a soak in the indoor thermal pool and we moved Troopy to a slightly more sheltered spot. We got a fire going and had our braai in the wind, which mercifully died down a bit. A ginger kitty suddenly appeared. It greedily ate our veggie peels and was obviously very hungry. It was also very tame and quite happy to be picked up and carried. Now Stephen and I also walked down to the indoor Spa. It was actually quite a walk in the dark to get there. He could not believe what the saw. The ramp up to nowhere was totally out of scale and when you were up you just went down again! The vast indoor spaces which catered for large crowds of visitors, rang hollow. I do not think these spaces have ever been put to use. The staff were on their way out as we arrived. They already had the keys in their hands and the lights were switched off. They reluctantly had to open up again. The Spa was supposed to close at 22h00, but at 19h00 they were already wanting to go home! It was just as well that Stephen and I had gone ahead, otherwise we would have stood in front of closed doors. We were also surprised that there was no proper lighting at the pool, only coloured mood lights that dimmed and brightened. Not very good for finding one's stuff. Paul and Petra came to join us and two ladies who were staying in the accommodation also arrived. The temperature of the indoor pool is cooled down to 40 degrees, while it is 65 degrees at the source. But it was far too hot for us and we could not stay in the water for long. It was actually quite debilitating. The jacuzzi pool and other remedial facilities had not been used for a long time, if ever! It was a good soak, though, and we felt really clean after so many days “in the bush” and the fact that there was no hot water in the campsite showers was not an issue. The wind had died down now and we went to bed feeling very “well washed” and rather tired.

Geschreven door Leartravels