Journey Impressions: Mokuti

Mokuti:
Namibia: approx. 2.1 m inhabitants
Population growth (2008): 1.9%
People per km²: 2.6
Gross national income per person in 2008 PPP: 6,270 USD


01.02.2011 Winduk: The flight from Hanover to Windhoek with Air Namibia was uneventful. We were even able to sleep a few hours over night.

After landing, we received our luggage and tried to get a taxi. In the airport building someone was waiting with a 'Hotel Heinitzburg' sign which read Anne and Carstens. We spoke to the man holding it and said that we also wanted to go to Hotel Heinitzburg. We agreed to wait for ten minutes and then go with his two guests Anne and Carstens. But Anne and Carstens didn't turn up. Our driver was very unsure of whether to head off with just the two of us or not. In the end we guessed that the sign meant us because in South Africa we had already been taken for a couple. Martin decided he could get used to the name Anne.

We then went to the hotel, but couldn't check in yet. After all, it was still only 10 a.m. We had to wait till 1.30 p.m. And on the patio with a view over the town, drinking cap-puccino, that was not such a difficult job.

I used the time to call Carolin Nieder-Entgelmeier from the local Windhoek newspaper who had previously sent me an e-mail asking for an interview. She had time and within 20 minutes was also drinking a cappuccino with us and conducting the interview during the morning.

It turned out that Carolin comes from the Lower Rhine and was working as an intern at the Windhoek local paper. After the interview she wanted to take pictures of us - with Marie if possible. She said that without the rose-painted plane her report wouldn't be the same. It was to be the lead story in the arts section that is published each Friday. Because we wanted to take over the plane anyway at the airport, this was a very good opportunity.

As we still couldn't check in at 1.30 p.m. we went to the airfield with Carolin. Marie was still there. Oxygen was replenished, the plane was refuelled with avgas, 10 litres of oil were provided and the plane was given a wash. Westair had done everything for us so that we would actually be able to take off on 3 February. Carolin took her pictures and we met our handling agent. Then the preparations were completed on the first after-noon already and we were able to return to the hotel.

With its enormous patio looking over the town, Hotel Heinitzburg is a place that you enjoy being in when the sun's shining like it was then. Minor shortcomings are then of course not so important. This time it was Martin's turn. His junior suite no longer had any main entrance door. After several days of rain, the door stuck so much that it was impossible to open. He had to go through the patio door to reach his room. In the afternoon he also discovered that the shower unfortunately only had cold water.

On the other hand, the WiFi in my junior suite was so bad that I had to work in Martin's room.

02.02.2011 Winduk: We hadn't planned anything much for 2 February, so having breakfast on the patio, reading and drinking cappuccino were our main pursuits. Martin didn't even manage to take a stroll through the town with me. But I still went to Windhoek to buy Michelin North-West Africa maps that we'd forgotten in Germany. After searching in two book-shops, I found them in the Kalahari Sands store with its adjacent hotel. Two German-speaking women proudly gave me Michelin North-West Africa maps. I ambled a while through the town. Once again I noticed that people were usually very well dressed and to the standard you might expect in the west. At a fast-food restaurant I noticed two women who were selling clean hypodermic needles. Drugs are clearly a problem here too.

On my return to the hotel, I sauntered again over the African market where you could buy souvenirs, little figures, crafts, necklaces and similar articles. On one stand, three African women had thought of a special way of selling their necklaces. They were topless and wore their necklaces on their vast, brown breasts. It was interesting to see, but I still didn't buy one.

03.02.2011 Winduk/Mokuti-Lodge: Our stay in Windhoek ended on the morning of 3 February. We went to the airfield to prepare for the flight. After landing, two employees of the Mokuti Lodge - a Kempinski Group hotel - took us by electric buggy to our accommodation.

Mokuti Lodge is on a large, park-like piece of land, has a reception, two bars, two pools for children and adults and a group of about ten springbok roaming the park.

We were given a very warm welcome and taken to our suite by electric buggy. Our suite was a hut with a straw roof and a spacious living area. After we had settled in, we took off at 3 p.m. for a game drive. We went into Etosha National Park with the usual Range Rover. Mokuti Lodge is in the east, outside the National Park, but still very near to the entrance of the park. People on photo safari enter the National Park to visit all the different areas. Because of the current rainy season the whole area was covered in lush grass and green trees. Both in the bush and on the massive plains you could see huge herds of different animals: gnus, springbok, impalas and other well-known animals. During our two trips through Etosha National Park we saw both lions and a rhino. But the most impressive sight was all the giraffes. We hadn't seen as many giraffes in the whole of Africa as we had seen here. Sometimes they appeared in large groups of 20 to 30 animals and wandered majestically, their heads held high, through the bush. There were also a lot of young animals. Our guide explained that during the rainy season the animals don't just stop at the remaining water holes, but graze over the whole area. This was the reason why there were so many huge herds to be seen. Without doubt, the Etosha Pan is Africa's giraffe country. In contrast to the Serengeti, we weren't able to see one single elephant. During the rainy season they withdraw to the bush forest higher up and are therefore not to be seen in the open. Basically, February is the height of summer in Africa. So we were rather surprised that it still rained a lot and temperatures weren't as high as we'd thought and merely between 23 and 26 degrees. Higher temperatures are prevented by heavy cloud which doesn't allow many of the sun's rays to penetrate.

At Mokuti Lodge, we visited an area like a zoo, where you could see lots of snakes that you don't see in the wild.

All in all it was a very interesting finish to our photo safari. Tomorrow we're off to Ondangwa.