Day 29 Grootfontein
The journey from Divava and the Caprivi Strip took us to Rundu
for petrol and then turned south heading some 350 km for an overnighter in
Grootfontein (Big Springs, though we saw no evidence of springs of any size).
The lodge has a waterhole that is lighted and attracts for you
assorted bucks and zebra to view during supper.
Nice. And, here in the middle of
nowhere, a chef who prepared an outlandish meal of kudu strips and oryx steaks
with all the little niceties of a cutesy, nouvelle cuisine presentation.
After the meal I was excited to watch the homeboys, the
Namibia Welwitschias (remember that word from Day 13-15?) playing the world’s
#1 team, the All Blacks from New Zealand, in their World Cup rugby match. I had anticipated some locals crowding around
the TV and getting into it. But it was
only Mimi and me, and three Dutch couples, so the only person giving a shit was
yours truly.
There were no great expectations, as Namibia is considered
one of the “Minnows” in Rugby World Cup competition, one of the second tier
teams (like the USA, Romania, Uruguay, etc.).
They had lost to Australia last time 168 - 0. By halftime the All Blacks were well ahead
and I took pity on the weary young German trainee behind the bar and called it
a night.
Since not much happened at this one night stand, let me take
the opportunity to talk about a different topic, The Ginometer. This scientific measuring tool was invented
by me, way back in…Sept. 2015. About 6
hours ago, actually. This highly
calibrated scale allows one to accurately determine one’s “Distance from Civilization,
or DC, for short.”
As an example, among our provisions when we began our Road
Trip, was a bottle of Jorgenson’s Gin.
Mimi and I enjoy Gin and Tonics as our accompaniment to
sunsets, wherever we may be. Anyhow,
this bottle lasted us bravely only until Luderitz, Day 8, when we shared the
remainder with our delightful hosts.
Before hitting the road again the next day, we went to the
bottle store (liquor store) and bought their best gin: Gordon’s Gin, in that
familiar orange, yellow label. In
Afrikaans we say this stuff is “kak,” shit. But, a careful reading of the Ginometer
indicates that the DC was currently over 2400 km. Very accurate.
We choked down this bottle over the next many evenings, all
the way through Etosha National Park and all those game drives. And it served us well. But, we found the bottom of this bottle, too,
this time with no outside help.
As we were readying to leave Hakusumbe Lodge and pass
through the larger town of Rundu on our way into the Caprivi, we thought we
should stock in some more provisions.
Mimi asked the hostess at breakfast, “What time does the bottle store in
Rundu open?” What a look! She’s thinking, this mature white woman is
hardcore, asking about her liquor fix at 7:15 AM.
In Rundu, it seems the DC was nearing the Red Zone, a
location so far from decent hooch that grown men weep. And when Mimi emerged from the supermarket,
she reluctantly showed me the new bottle of gin. Old Buck.
“Uncle Buck,” as I referred to it.
The Ginometer pegged out and may have been damaged. I know my brain cells have been. Note the Uncle Buck warning label. (Don't drink and walk on the road. You may be killed.)
All is not lost, however.
At this stage, we are pointed south, toward home, and by making a small
detour, we can stop by the Jorgenson Distillery and stock up for the next many
moons, and re-calibrate the Ginometer.
Off to the Capital City, Windhoek. (Ven-dook)
ganz toll geschrieben
ReplyDeleteLG Neidhammel :)