From Wolwedans and the Namib Desert, we made our way to Mount D’Urban, one of our favorite campsites, both because it’s beautiful and because the people who run it are so kind. There’s a little farm shop at the owner’s house where you can buy camping necessities like firewood, but you can also by homemade preserves, salads (we got a macaroni salad and it was delicious!), cookies, spice mixes for your braai and some frozen farm meats.
There are only ten sites at Mount D’Urban. They are moderately close together, but that has never impacted us. This time when we were there, there were only a couple of campsites occupied. For our first visit in 2022, we had the entire campground to ourselves. Each site has a well-made structure that includes a sheltered sitting area with a braai and sink and a spacious outdoor shower and toilet. There are ground hooks for securing a ground tent, if someone is so inclined. There are also cement bricks with strong hooks embedded so that you can tie down other parts of your camp as needed. And you really need to secure things. The wind can be intense as it blows through the valley. We actually had a tremendous wind storm when we were there this time. It was part of a weather system that caused torrential rain and strong winds all the way down to Cape Town where it caused extensive damage. Incredibly, it was such a big storm that we felt it in Namibia. The wind whipped through our campsite most of the day, and I spent all day cursing it, trying to hold on to things and secure the tent so that it wasn’t endlessly flapping and making a racket. The back door of the rig kept slamming and pulling every time I got in or out. I managed to pinch my finger, hit my head (several times) and break my glasses all in one day. F*&!ing wind! At least it was calmer the next morning.
One of the things that makes the campsite so beautiful is that you’re on a hill with the valley around you surrounded by hills and table top mountains as far as you can see. It is quiet, and has the peacefulness of the desert. The campsite is so well designed and kept up that you just want to make yourself at home and stay forever looking at the mountains and the sunsets with your G&T in hand and your feet up. If only the wind would behave itself!
Two stayed two nights at Mount D’Urban and then, with the advice of our host, we headed to the border crossing at Alexander Bay near Oranjemund instead of continuing to the larger crossing at Vioolsdrif. Our host said that Alexander Bay and then on to Port Nolloth was the best and most enjoyable route as we headed southward. It turned out he was absolutely right. Alexander Bay was a small and friendly border crossing. (Friendly border agents are a rarity.) We were in South Africa within twenty minutes.
It was a long drive to finally reach Port Nolloth on the coast. We didn’t have any accommodation arranged, so that made it stressful. We were already late in the day when we arrived. After some unhelpful help at the town butcher’s shop, and some driving around to survey options in town, we decided to follow Google maps past a small township and onward to Mcdougall’s Bay. I’m always a bit wary of driving along, or through, townships when I don’t know anything about the area, common sense I think for every South African regardless of their race or ethnicity. In this case, we were in a small enough town and felt semi-comfortable even in not knowing entirely where the road would take us. We put trust in Google and drove onward. It was a fine call. The area turned out to be ok and the road led us onward to Mcdougall’s Bay and a lot of beach-side accommodations. Since we were still a bit unsure where to go, Richard stopped at the beach and asked one of the fishermen where we could find a place. The guy pointed out a woman he recognized as someone who handled bookings for at least a dozen beach houses. Thank goodness! What luck. She hooked us up with a house on the beach in no time. We liked Mcdougall’s Bay so much that we opted to move to a second beach house later in the week, just so that we could extend our stay.
We spent five days loving the beach and eating the 20lb yellow fin tuna we bought on the beach for about $12. Richard cooked it on the fire and we ate it for lunch and dinner almost everyday until it was gone. The last night we bought some lobster-sized prawns and cooked them on the braai with the fisherman and his family, who we invited for beer and dinner. That actually is another story in itself for another day…
After five days, we left Mcdougall’s Bay and did a long-haul to get as close to Cape Town as we could. Richard found a nice little Airbnb — Olive Grove Cottage in Koringberg. That put us two hours from Cape Town. The Airbnb was owned by a transplanted Brazil guy who was really nice and a dog rescuer. He won several points with me for the sweet dogs he had. One just came over from the neighbors’ and kind of moved in. The other three or four were in their forever home. We delighted in the company. Our room was comfortable and homey. There wasn’t really much in the way of kitchenette-type stuff, just some dishes, a coffee maker and a small fridge, but it was all fine for us. We had some snacks from the drive and we were exhausted, so after some doggy kisses, Mrs. Ball’s potato chips and a couple of drinks, we crashed out and got some sleep.
