Daan Viljoen and Sossusvlei

This story is about two short trips we did in Namibia: To the Daan Viljoen wildlife park from the first of August to the third, and to Sossusvlei at August 27. Even though there is almost a month between the trips, and the parks are very different, I have still put them both in the same story, because they show the relations in our group quite well. In short: In Daan Viljoen, the Austrian couple (Christian and Beatrice) still got along very well with the Australian couple (John and Mary), while in Sossusvlei, they were no longer on speaking terms.

The wildlife park Daan Viljoen was dry and covered in lots and lots of thorny shrubs. Despite that, there were a lot of animals to be seen: Tsessebe Topi, Zebra, Kudu, Eland Antilope, and Babboons. There were five of us: The Austrian and Australian couples, and me. We would meet the rest of the group when we would get back to Windhoek (50 km away). The walks each day were not too long (about 12 km), but with rather steep hills. In that respect, it was a good start of a holiday in Namibia and South Africa. In addition, we got along really well, and the conversations were lively and interesting, as often happens when different nationalities meet.

Towards the end of Daan Viljoen, Beatrice noticed she was less fit than usual. Earlier that year, she had undergone an operation, which was thought to be the cause. However, during the Waterberg walk it became clear that she had a flu. She became grumpy toward Christian and had to push herself hard on the last day in order to complete the walk. You could tell from her face that she was having a tough time, but despite that she hardly complained. As a precaution, she started an antibiotics treatment to prevent the operation wound from becoming infected.

During the evenings in Waterberg, Christian and Beatrice would share with us their vision of the world, and the Australian immigrants policy in particular. It is true that Australia treated its boat refugees quite badly, and had even put them in a kind of concentration camps. Beatrice was focussing on the humane part of this, while Christian considered it as a part of politics he disapproved of. They are both very concerned about these things and want them to be known, but after a few days, the Australians are not that willing to listen to their complaints anymore. In a typically Australian manner, they acknowledge the problems and then leave it at that.

This "let it be" attitude of the Australians was precisely what the Austrian couple disapproved of. Beatrix, alreay a bit grumpy because of her flu, then decided to talk in German to me from then on, thereby deliberately excluding the people that did not understand that. When I suggested that it might be considered impolite to do that, she answered that she did not always want to give in to the fact that native English-speakers usually only can speak English. She got a point, but I kept feeling uncomfortable to have an extensive conversation in German while the people next to me did not understand that.

In Etosha, it appears that Christian is a bit ill too. Even though he later thought it had been caused by the alcohol the night before, he would have a genuine flu a couple of days later. In addition, he also became grumpy when he felt bed, and from the backseat he continuously commented on Johns driving. The Austrian and Australian couple had been together in one car, which caused the virus to have spread after Etosha. Mary did not feel to good either and together with Beatrice (who still felt weak) decided to skip the climbing of Brandberg. This was a really good decision, because Brandberg was very tough. Christian did come along, but was having a hard time. It must be said: He did not complain either.

The atmosphere in the car of the couple quickly sickened, and there no longer were lively conversations. Because of the flu however, the group decided to leave the situation like this: A kind of quarantine. However, this would enforce the isolation of Christian and Beatrice. In retrospect, it may not have been such a good decision to keep the couple together in one car for so long. A better mixing of the group might have led to more communication and fewer problems.

In order to get enough rest and to recover, Beatrice and Christian often locked themselves in their tent on the walks. The bad side-effect of this was that they lost contact with the group. Decisions the group had taken were therefore sometimes perceived as statements. Additionaly, they continuously brought forward their world view during conversations. My remark somewhere that the area was stunning was answered by saying that there were areas like that in the United States. Which was then followed immediately by saying that the Americans had a better attitude than the Australians.

This isolation caused Christian and Beatrice to depend on eachother more and more. During difficult moments of the walk (hard climbs for example), the started to bicker amongst themselves. Christian was someone that easily steps over a bit of strife. He kept on talking to people. Beatrice by contrast had become very quiet toward the end of our holiday.

In Naukluft, the virus had finally been conquered. Therefore, the rest of the group (Bruce, Russell, Annabel, and I) decided to change the car arrangements, so both the Australian and the Austrian couple got other people around them. However, it had been too late. In Naukluft, we suddenly realized that we were very close to one of the top tourist attractions of Namibia: Sossusvlei. Even though it had not been part of the original itinerary, Bruce made the proposition to go there anyway. However, we only had one day between Naukluft and Fish River, and the distance was just too much for that. But because Naukluft was very tough, and Fish River was going to be that again, the solution was found in shortening the Fish River walk. This would allow us to get enough time to visit Sossusvlei at our leisure.

Christian was totally against this decision, but accepted that he had been outvoted together with Beatrice. His point was that he had booked a walking tour in order to walk. This last decision limited him in that respect. During the visit at Sossusvlei, they made a statement by remaining at the bottom of the sand dune and not climbing up. The rest of us did climb up and was rewarded with a view that had been worth all trouble. Sossusvlei really is one of the highlights of Namibia.

From then on, Christian started to accuse Bruce of promoting Sossusvlei within the group, and that that had cost him part of the Fish River walk. Personally, I was very happy with Bruce's action because it gave us a welcome change from walking among more rocks and stones. In addition, it was fabulously beautiful. I also got some disagreements with both Beatrice and Christian, and even Russell became the target of their disappointment. In the end, only Annabel succeeded in keeping peace with everyone.

It must be said that six and a half weeks is a long time to spend with other people, and this trip was no exception. Apart from the things I have mentioned, there have been many other small, nearly forgotten incidents between the various members of the group. However, the isolation of Christian and Beatrice was a sad climax. The differences in opinion could not have been solved, but a better communication could have kept the relation more relaxed. But that is said in retrospect. At the time, I did not ask them explicitly to join us at the campfire either.