June 10th 2001

Endless horizons...

Today we were still struggling with African organisation. The extra trailers for our luggage just wouldn't come, so we left for Etosha with considerable delay. We still had to store all our luggage and equipment - Wolfgang's 10" was still missing - in the three vans. Not a piece of cake.


How should we get it in? There will be two more vans and a trailer
but it will still be a tight fit.

Arriving ten minutes before sunset. Of course it was enchanting to see the herd of zebras in the light of the setting sun, but the parkgates close at sunset. So we just made it. Arriving within ten minutes of closing time after five hours on a dead straight highway through the deserted landscape of Namibia - that's what I call a precision landing!


Open land, endless horizons. For hours no
human soul but more and more animals. Namibia is ten times as
big as Austria and has as a population comparable to the city of Vienna.



So, here we are, in the dark. Great. We have zero experience in putting up our tents. After a short time chaos reigns, nobody knows what is where. Moreover one van with some members of our group and important equipment like mats, sleeping bags and tentpoles is missing.

Late - very late - they arrive and so we can put up our tents in complete darkness under a breathtaking sky. This is adventure. It must be said that the campsite is really luxurious. It could serve as a good example for quite a few campsites in Europe.


Putting up our tents in complete darkness and without practising before.
The camping-experience of our Dutch delegation
turns our to be really valuable!



After a good, plentiful and inexpensive dinner and a short trip to the waterhole under floodlight (which can also be admired live on the internet!) we started observing, just at the right time for moonrise. :-( The southern Milky Way successfully offered resistance to the moonlight and we could observe with various telesckopes from 60mm to Gerhard's 12,5" Portaball. For a detailed observation report in German click here..

As we have to get up early next morning, I just type this report and then go to be - well, into the tent, of course.
 


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