567 k to Namibia – by Ellen

As we crossed the border into Namibia, the counter in the car read 567km, the total distance we’d travelled since we bought the car. “Ooh, we’re in Namibia, doesn’t it look different” I quipped, but after just a few minutes it really did. The mountains we’d been driving through opened out, revealing a flat, arid land and a token ‘welcome to Namibia’ sand dune – we’d reached desert country. The sign to our destination - Ai-Ais - took us down a D-road. Roads in Namibia start from B (perhaps they’re saving A for that 5-lane super highway?), with B being the lovely tarred motorway, C being gravel roads that are graded (big trucks driven by smiling waving Namibians spread out the gravel and sand to flatten the road) frequently, and D being not quite so frequently graded (D for dodgier perhaps?). We’d been told that we were ‘probably’ ok to go on D-roads, so on we went.

Ai-Ais translates as ‘place of burning/scalding water’, due to the hot springs (around 65ºC) that are found in the area. The campsite there is one of two that allows easy access to Fish River Canyon – one of the places on the map of Southern Africa that we’d been staring at in our little Brighton flat for the last few months. We found a nice secluded, tree-shaded spot in the corner of the dusty campsite, and sweated to put the tent up. It was hot. We were used to the heat now, but this was a sweaty, dusty, breezeless hot, warmed up in a heat-trap between the mountains. But we’d seen the pool so as we hammered the pegs in to the rock-hard ground, and fixed yet another broken tent pole, we kept the image of diving into cool, refreshing water in our minds. Once the tent was securely duck taped into position, we set off for the well earned swim. I dipped a toe in the shallow end. Strangely warm, must be the sun.

I jumped in…and the heat of the pool took my breath away. I wouldn’t even have my bath that hot. Who would put a hot spring pool in Africa?! Four lengths of the pool and I collapsed panting in the sun to try and cool off.