Day 102 Monday April 22 Sesriem to Tolou's

by Henry

Monday, April 22

111 km, 732 m total ascent, 29°C maximum. Clear skies.

Long shadows with the early-morning sun.

 

Upscale Coke stop at Le Mirage Desert Lodge at 22 km. The outdoor and indoor architecture was reminiscent of a medieval European castle. Normally, we don’t stop so early in the day for a break, but the resort truly was an oasis in the desert for an elegant cappuccino.

 

The road goes on and on in the desert. 

 

We passed a mini-Matterhorn, but without the snow. 

 

Lunch stop at 61 km in the endless open landscape.

 

This mountain looked like ski runs were carved into it. 

 

The sun was in full force, intensifying the desert heat, and we use every opportunity to refill our water bottles when TDA trucks pass by.

 

There are large swaths where the sand is a rare coral color. 

 

The pinkish sand is otherworldly, and it appears at times that we could be on another planet, as might be seen in the 1960s Star Trek series.

 

Coke stop at 91 km at a private farm. Afrikaans is a strange language, but sometimes even I can guess the meaning. 

 

Isetta was a very gracious host. She was named after the BMW Isetta, a quirky two passenger automobile that was produced from 1953 to 1962. The front of the car was the door.

 

Entrance to Tolou’s, our destination for the night. It had been a challenging day on the roads; deep sand, corrugation, and crosswind. We arrived around 5 PM. Upgrades to a cottage were only $20, so we took advantage of that.

Unusual tree with equally unusual bark. 

 

The cottages at Tolou’s were very cute and functional.

Bennie, the proprietor, allowed campers who didn’t upgrade to a cottage to sleep on the restaurant’s floor on a mattress for no extra charge.