{"id":4643,"date":"2019-01-16T12:43:14","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T11:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/?p=4643"},"modified":"2019-01-16T13:16:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T12:16:11","slug":"lesotho-le-centre-nord-richtersveld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/lesotho-le-centre-nord-richtersveld\/","title":{"rendered":"LESOTHO – LE CENTRE NORD – RICHTERSVELD"},"content":{"rendered":"

LESOTHO – LE CENTRE NORD – RICHTERSVELD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jeudi 20.12.2018<\/strong>
\nApr\u00e8s avoir gravi le Sani Pass<\/strong>, point d’entr\u00e9e au Lesotho<\/strong>, nous avons pass\u00e9 la nuit sur le col \u00e0 2873 m\u00e8tres d\u2019altitude<\/strong>.
\nHier\u00a0soir, sans que l\u2019on s\u2019y attende, la brume a fait son apparition \u00e0 la vitesse d\u2019un cheval au galop et nous a envelopp\u00e9s durant toute la nuit.<\/p>\n

December 20<\/strong>.
\nIn our last article we\u00a0had just arrived in Lesotho<\/strong> via the rough and famous Sani Pass<\/strong>.
\n<\/em><\/span>With this we entered in a different world. Even though Lesotho is \u201csurrounded\u201d by South Africa it is much less developed and it feels like we made a step back in time.<\/span>
\n<\/em>We stay the night next to a little village at 2873m. In the evening the temperature drops very quickly and a thick fog roles inn and covers us at a surprising speed! It feels almost spooky!<\/span> \ud83d\ude2e
\n<\/span><\/span><\/i>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous quittons ce petit village de bergers de montagne baign\u00e9 dans sa grisaille matinale\u2026.<\/p>\n

The next morning the fog lifts slowly and after a few km on the road the sun is back.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

.\u2026…et entamons la descente.
\nTr\u00e8s rapidement, nous retrouvons un ciel comme nous l\u2019aimons et commen\u00e7ons la d\u00e9couverte du Lesotho<\/strong>.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cette Monarchie<\/strong>, enti\u00e8rement enclav\u00e9e dans l\u2019Afrique du Sud, dirig\u00e9e par le Roi Letsie III,<\/strong> grande comme la Belgique, compte 2 millions d\u2019habitants et est l\u2019un des pays les plus pauvres du monde, plac\u00e9 au 161\u00e8me<\/sup> rang sur 188 pays.
\nEnti\u00e8rement montagneux, y circuler suppose passer d\u2019un col \u00e0 l\u2019autre \u00e0 des altitudes souvent sup\u00e9rieures \u00e0 3000 m\u00e8tres en une succession de mont\u00e9es et de descentes vertigineuses.
\nIl n\u2019est pas rare d\u2019avoir des tron\u00e7ons que l\u2019on doit effectuer en 1\u00e8re<\/sup> vitesse, \u00e0 20 km\/h.
\nLa plus grande partie de la population vit diss\u00e9min\u00e9e dans les parties les plus basses du pays qui\u00a0se situent cependant\u00a0toujours au-dessus de 1500 m\u00e8tres d\u2019altitude et habite la plupart du temps dans des huttes typiques Xshosa<\/strong>, de forme circulaire afin d\u2019\u00e9viter, selon des croyances ancestrales, que les mauvais esprits puissent se cacher dans les coins.<\/p>\n

Lesotho<\/strong> ( the white\/rose spot centre right in the map above) is a little Kingdom<\/strong> \u201cwithin\u201d South Africa, made essentially of one big Mountain range. Roads continuously wind up and down between 1500 and more than 3000m. It is as big as Belgium with 2 million inhabitants and it is one of the poorest countries in the world (#161 of 188). Roughly a quarter of the population works in ZA. Unemployment is very high and the majority of the people still lives in the country side in their little round houses. They\u00a0grow maize and own a small number of goats, sheep and cows. Life expectation is around 44 mainly due to a very high AIDS infection rate.
\nThe people are very friendly and unlike in other little developed countries we have visited, there is no garbage or plastic along the roads. The houses and villages are\u00a0all neat and\u00a0clean.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Un passage en milieu d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi aux grottes de Liphofung<\/strong> nous fait d\u00e9couvrir l\u2019histoire du peuple des Bushmans <\/strong>qui ont v\u00e9cu l\u00e0 avant d\u2019\u00eatre chass\u00e9 par la colonisation.
\nLa journ\u00e9e se termine chez une famille Xhosa<\/strong> qui a mis sur pied un B&B et qui nous propose une place pour pouvoir dormir dans notre Azala\u00ef.<\/p>\n

Vendredi 21.12.2018<\/strong>
\nNous avons tellement aim\u00e9 ces montagnes du Drakensberg<\/strong> que nous d\u00e9cidons d\u2019y retourner pour quelques ultimes randonn\u00e9es.
\nNous sortons par la fronti\u00e8re nord du Lesotho<\/strong> et faisons un petit arr\u00eat \u00e0 Clarens<\/strong>.
\nCette petite ville tr\u00e8s touristique, fond\u00e9e en 1912<\/strong>, doit son nom \u00e0 la m\u00e9moire de Paul Kruger<\/strong>, ancien pr\u00e9sident de l\u2019Afrique du Sud<\/strong>, d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9 \u00e0 Clarens pr\u00e8s de Montreux<\/strong> en 1904<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We still wanted to do one more area in the Drakensberge<\/strong> that lays north of Lesotho. So we leave Lesotho temporarily via the northern border. We stop in Clarens<\/strong> a charming little touristy village with plenty of cosy restaurants, bars, gift shops and art galleries. In memory of Paul Kruger<\/strong> a former president of South Africa (yes he founded the Krueger Park), the village is named after Clarens next to Montreux where he died in 1904.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

C\u2019est vers le “Royal National Park”<\/strong> que nous nous dirigeons maintenant afin d\u2019y passer 3 nuits et de nous immerger dans ce d\u00e9cor de montagnes et de gorges majestueuses.<\/p>\n

In the evening we arrive at the campsite of the Royal Natal Nature Park<\/strong>. Surrounded by mountains and rivers it is a beautiful site and even though Chrt<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>stmas holidays are the high season here it is not overcrowded.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Samedi 22.12.2018
\n<\/strong> Lev\u00e9s t\u00f4t afin \u00e9viter de randonner dans les grandes chaleurs, nous partons \u00e0 07h00 pour la cascade de Gudu.
\n<\/strong>Le parcours suit la rivi\u00e8re et offre de jolis endroits de d\u00e9tente\u2026.<\/p>\n

We start our first hike here 7am the next morning. Temperatures climb well above the 30s now and the river along the way as well\u00a0as the little lake at the base of the Gudu Falls are perfect for a refreshing swim. <\/em><\/span>\ud83d\ude42
\n<\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026.. avant d\u2019aborder une mont\u00e9e tr\u00e8s raide pour finalement aboutir, apr\u00e8s un peu moins de 3 heures d\u2019effort, au but de la journ\u00e9e.
\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 La cascade de Gudu.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dimanche 23.12.2018
\n<\/strong>A nouveau un r\u00e9veil matinal pour la randonn\u00e9e du jour d\u2019une quinzaine de kilom\u00e8tres vers les Gorges de Thukela.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We make a 6am start for the longer Tukela Gorge<\/strong> hike the next morning. Stunning views all along and a natural tunnel at the end of the gorge are well worth the good 2 hours return in the very hot sun.<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/i>\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Au bord de la rivi\u00e8re, les Tisserands masqu\u00e9s<\/strong> construisent leurs nids suspendus sans r\u00e9pit.<\/p>\n

Plenty of busy weaver birds<\/strong> at the little river directly behind our Azala\u00ef. We are amazed by their skills and could watch them for hours constructing their nests!<\/span> <\/em>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lundi 24.12.2018<\/strong>
\nRetour vers Clarens<\/strong> pour refaire le plein de provisions en vue de passer quelques jours au Lesotho<\/strong>.
\nNous nous pr\u00e9sentons en toute fin d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi \u00e0 l\u2019entr\u00e9e d\u2019un camping qui malheureusement affiche complet.
\nPetit moment de n\u00e9gociation avec l\u2019employ\u00e9 qui contr\u00f4le les entr\u00e9es et qui accepte que nous passions la nuit \u00e0 l\u2019ext\u00e9rieur du p\u00e9rim\u00e8tre gard\u00e9 tout en nous assurant que nous pouvons dormir tranquille et qu\u2019il allait surveiller que rien de f\u00e2cheux nous arrive. Sympa\u00a0!!!<\/p>\n

We would have loved to stay longer in this great place but all the other sites we still want to see before we cross over to Namibia motivate us to leave.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Mardi 25 d\u00e9cembre<\/strong>.
\nNouvelle entr\u00e9e au Lesotho<\/strong> et nouvelle succession de mont\u00e9es et de descentes pour aboutir au Barrage de Katse<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

December 25.<\/strong>
\nBack in Lesotho<\/strong> we drive right into the centre of the country to visit the splendid Katse dam<\/strong> at 2000m altitude. The Lesotho Mountains are origin to several big rivers that are essential to South Africa\u2019s northern water supply. Together, both countries created a multi dam project which gives control over water supply to the one and green electricity to the other. The Katse dam is the biggest of the 4 dams enclosed in the project and the big lake behind it has a capacity of 2 km3. The modern visitor centre is a little bit a show case for the inter country project and contrasts strongly with the modest Katse mountain village. Nevertheless the visitor tour is very informative and we are even guided through the interior of the huge dam wall.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Du fait de son profil montagneux, le Lesotho<\/strong> est travers\u00e9 ou \u00e0 la source\u00a0de plusieurs rivi\u00e8res ayant donn\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019Afrique du Sud<\/strong> l\u2019id\u00e9e de signer un accord avec le Roi Letsie III<\/strong> pour un projet de construction de 4<\/strong> barrages<\/strong> sur le territoire du Lesotho<\/strong>–
\nLes conditions du contrat \u00e9tant que le Lesotho<\/strong> soit fourni en courant \u00e9lectrique assurant la totalit\u00e9 de sa consommation et que l\u2019Afrique du Sud lui verse 35 millions de dollars US<\/strong> par ann\u00e9e, plus une redevance bas\u00e9e sur le volume d\u2019eau d\u00e9livr\u00e9.
\nEn contrepartie, l\u2019Afrique du Sud<\/strong> se voit aliment\u00e9e en eau assurant l\u2019approvisionnement de la r\u00e9gion du Gauteng<\/strong>, la plus dens\u00e9ment fournie en mines d\u2019Or<\/strong> et comprenant les villes de Johannesburg et Pretoria<\/strong>.
\nLe barrage de Katse<\/strong> est le plus grand des quatre et le lac ainsi induit atteint un volume de 2 Km3
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous passons la nuit sur le terrain de Katse Lodge<\/strong> qui domine le lac et nous offre un magnifique panorama sur les montagnes environnant le barrage.<\/p>\n

We spend the night with a marvellous view onto the lake.<\/span><\/i><\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mercredi 26 d\u00e9cembre<\/strong>
\nNous allons aujourd\u2019hui rejoindre la A3<\/strong> qui nous am\u00e8nera \u00e0 terme \u00e0 Maseru<\/strong>, la capitale du Lesotho<\/strong>.
\nPour cela, il va falloir prendre une piste de jonction de 60 kilom\u00e8tres qui n\u00e9cessite de r\u00e9duire la pression des pneus.
\nDurant ce parcours entre montagnes et les villages\u2026..<\/p>\n

December 26.<\/strong>
\nWe continue to capital Maseru<\/strong> in the east of the country. The total distance is not big but with gravel roads and mountain passes it takes us two days.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>On the way we see many shepherds with their little mixed herds of sheep, goats, cows, donkeys and horses.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026..nous croisons des bergers avec leur petit troupeau \u00e0 la recherche de zones herbeuses\u2026.
\n\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026.et aussi de petits\u00a0groupes en train de f\u00eater No\u00ebl.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

The population is entirely Christian and we see many people walk to church in their nicest dresses and also observe traditional dances. Here a group of girls in their traditional skirts. They look a little bit like cheerleaders. I should probably say it the other way round since cheerleader dresses were certainly created later than these ones\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/strong>
\nIl est 16 heures quand nous atteignons Marakabei,<\/strong> \u00e0 une cinquantaine de kilom\u00e8tres de Maseru.
\nComme une possibilit\u00e9 de passer la nuit sur le terrain de Marakabei Lodge<\/strong> s\u2019offre \u00e0 nous, nous terminons notre journ\u00e9e ici.<\/p>\n

Jeudi 27 d\u00e9cembre<\/strong>
\nLa visite du jour est consacr\u00e9e \u00e0 la d\u00e9couverte du village culturel de Thaba Bosiu<\/strong>.
\nPr\u00e8s de l\u2019entr\u00e9e du village, une femme est en train de tresser des chapeaux lesothans<\/strong>, port\u00e9s par de nombreux habitants.
\nIls repr\u00e9sentent un toit de hutte typique et le chapeau fait office de symbole national <\/strong>pr\u00e9sent sur le drapeau du pays.
\nNous ne pouvons-nous emp\u00eacher de nous arr\u00eater pour discuter un peu avec la personne et de lui en acheter un en souvenir de notre visite \u00e0 travers cette monarchie.<\/p>\n

At the outskirts of the capital there is the cultural village Thaba Bosiu<\/strong>. It is located next to the mountain where the first king of Lesotho Moshoeshoe 1<\/span>st<\/span><\/sup> reunited the different sotho tribes in 1820 to create the country.
\nAt the entrance a women demonstrates the fabrication of the traditional hat that is also depicted in the national flag. Michel never gives in when I want to buy a souvenir (not enough room inside the Azala\u00ef!!). But here he buys one himself! So you can soon admire one of them in Montagny \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

C\u2019est ici, \u00e0 Thaba Bosiu<\/strong>, qu\u2019en 1820<\/strong>, le Roi Moshoeshoe 1er<\/sup><\/strong>, fonda le Lesotho<\/strong> en unissant les tribus sotho<\/strong> afin de se d\u00e9fendre contre les raids zoulou<\/strong>.
\nCe village-mus\u00e9e d\u00e9crit l\u2019histoire du pays et pr\u00e9sente les huttes de l\u2019\u00e9poque qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9plac\u00e9es du sommet de la montagne proche pour \u00eatre r\u00e9assembl\u00e9es sur ce site.<\/p>\n

The cultural village narrates the history of the country<\/strong> and shows different traditional construction styles of the round houses. Very instructive we find. In particular\u00a0that they obtained Independence from South Africa is quite amazing. And this in a time when every ethnic group in the country was trying to gain as much surface as possible for themselves!
\n<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous arrivons en fin d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi \u00e0 Maseru<\/strong>, endroit que nous choisissons pour passer la nuit sur le terrain du Maseru Backpackers<\/strong> qui domine le lac-r\u00e9servoir de la ville.<\/p>\n

We spent the night in a church owned Backpackers lodge and camping close to Maseru.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a>
\n
\nVendredi 28 d\u00e9cembre
\n<\/strong>Petite visite de Maseru<\/strong> et ses \u00e9choppes en bordure de route.<\/p>\n

With 200\u2019000 inhabitants Maseru<\/strong> is the only real city in Lesotho. It is a lively and colourful place with a small more western style centre surrounded by African style streets with hundreds of stalls.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sa cath\u00e9drale “Notre Dame des Victoires”.
\n<\/strong>Not to forget the imposing Cathedral \u201cNotre Dame des Victoires<\/strong>\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/i>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

D\u00e8s la sortie de la ville, une colonne de v\u00e9hicules nous signale que nous arrivons \u00e0 la fronti\u00e8re.
\nDe nombreux Lesothans<\/strong> retournent en Afrique du Sud<\/strong> apr\u00e8s avoir f\u00eat\u00e9 No\u00ebl<\/strong> en famille, ce qui provoque une attente d\u2019une heure et demie avant de pouvoir retrouver le territoire sud-africain.<\/p>\n

December 28.<\/strong>
\nWe leave Lesotho and\u00a0very, very slowly cross the border in line with hundreds of Lesotho people that after the Xmas holidays return to South Africa for work. Not the ideal timing\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We are now officially on our way back to CH<\/strong>. Windhoek<\/strong> (capital Namibia) is our next big target from where our flight will take off in a bit more than 2 weeks. However we still have a long list of places we will visit on our way there. <\/em><\/span>\ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n

Nous entamons maintenant notre retour vers l\u2019ouest du pays en vue de se retrouver \u00e0 Windhoek<\/strong>, en Namibie le 14 janvier 2019<\/strong>, dernier jour avant notre retour en Suisse.<\/p>\n

Notre premi\u00e8re \u00e9tape est pour la ville de Bloemfontein.
\n<\/strong>\u00a0Nous programmons pour commencer un passage dans une agence Toyota<\/strong> afin de faire contr\u00f4ler le syst\u00e8me d\u2019injection du moteur de notre Azala\u00ef.
\nIl se trouve que depuis que nous avons fait du saute-mouton \u00e0 travers les montagnes du Lesotho<\/strong>, une fum\u00e9e noire inhabituelle s\u2019\u00e9chappe du pot d\u2019\u00e9chappement, sp\u00e9cialement dans les mont\u00e9es.
\nNous arrivons \u00e0 l\u2019agence \u00e0 15 heures, le dernier jour de travail de l\u2019ann\u00e9e en nous disant que nous avons peu de chance d\u2019\u00eatre accueillis les bras ouverts.<\/p>\n

We enter the province \u201cFree State<\/strong>\u201d, which is closely linked to the independence struggle of the Boers (Dutch settlers, today called Afrikaners) against the British. We arrive in Bloemfontein<\/strong> and before visiting the city we look for a Toyota garage<\/strong> to get our Azala\u00ef checked. while we did all the steep mountain passes in Lesotho we realised that we produce big black clouds every time we ask a greater effort from the motor.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

OK it is Friday afternoon, the week between Xmas and New Year. Chances are that they dont have time for us or are even closed. But we try anyway.<\/span> <\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Eh bien, c\u2019est tout le contraire\u00a0!
\nUne employ\u00e9e responsable du contact \u00e0 la client\u00e8le nous dit qu\u2019elle va voir ce qu\u2019elle peut faire.
\nCinq minutes plus tard, elle revient toute souriante en nous disant que l\u2019on peut amener l\u2019Azala\u00ef dans le garage et qu\u2019un m\u00e9cano va tout de suite le prendre en main.
\nUne petite heure plus tard, elle revient avec le m\u00e9cano qui nous dit qu\u2019un nouveau r\u00e9glage a \u00e9t\u00e9 effectu\u00e9 et que la carburation est \u00e0 nouveau normale.
\nLorsque nous demandons \u00e0 combien s\u2019\u00e9l\u00e8ve la facture, les deux personnes nous disent gentiment que c\u2019est gratuit, \u00e7a fait partie du service Toyota.
\nOn en revient pas et encore moins lorsque le soir, on visionne la cam\u00e9ra embarqu\u00e9e qui \u00e9tait rest\u00e9e enclench\u00e9e et qui nous montre que ce sont en fait deux m\u00e9canos qui se sont occup\u00e9s de l\u2019affaire autant au garage que pendant la course d\u2019essai.<\/p>\n

To our big surprise the customer service lady checks with the head mechanic who says that we are lucky<\/strong> because they don\u2019t have too much work right now (all clients are away on holidays) and they will have a look right now! Roughly an hour later we have the car back<\/strong> and we don\u2019t have to pay anything<\/strong>! We are in awe! (don\u2019t try this is Europe!)<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la cam\u00e9ra, nous pouvons aussi voir que l\u2019endroit est d’une propret\u00e9 digne d’un h\u00f4pital.
\nImpressionnant\u00a0!<\/p>\n

A look into the impeccable<\/strong> and huge Toyota garage<\/strong>. No need to say that a lot of people drive Toyota here!<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

C\u2019est donc avec un Azala\u00ef <\/strong>au meilleur de sa forme que nous rejoignons le terrain de camping de Reyneke<\/strong> aux portes de Bloemfontein<\/strong>.
\n
\n<\/strong>Visite de Bloemfontein<\/strong> (La fontaine fleurie).
\nCr\u00e9\u00e9e en 1846<\/strong> par le Major Warden <\/strong>(Anglais), la ville est progressivement habit\u00e9e par les paysans Boers<\/strong> quittant Le Cap <\/strong>pour fuir la domination anglaise lors du Grand Trek<\/strong>.
\n12’000<\/strong> d\u2019entre eux vont s\u2019installer ici. En 1984<\/strong> ils obtiennent l\u2019ind\u00e9pendance et fondent ainsi l\u2019\u00e9tat libre d\u2019Orange<\/strong>.
\nElle compte aujourd\u2019hui 256’000 habitants<\/strong> et est la capitale juridique <\/strong>d\u2019Afrique du Sud.
\nElle doit surtout sa prosp\u00e9rit\u00e9 \u00e0 la proximit\u00e9 des mines de diamant <\/strong>de Kimberley et des mines d\u2019or<\/strong> du Transvaal.
\nComme toutes les villes sud-africaines, elle\u00a0n’offre pas un charme particulier mais plusieurs b\u00e2timents de l\u2019\u00e9poque coloniale sont cependant dignes d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eat.<\/p>\n

Bloemfontein (flour fountain in Afrikaans):
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/span>The city was created in 1846 by the English but soon 12\u2019000 Boers moved here from the Cape area to escape the English colonial domination. In 1884 tolerated by the British, the Boers created the \u201cFree State Orange\u201d with Bloemfontein as capital. Unfortunately soon after diamonds and gold were found in this area and a war between the Boers and the British started which at the end was won by the latter. During the war 30\u2019000 Boers women and children died in concentration camps. compared to this “only” 5000 Boers men died during the fights!
\n<\/em><\/span>Today Bloemfontein has 256\u2019000 inhabitant. It is home to the Supreme Court and a big university. Some historical building and museums catch our interest.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The Afrikaans Language library and history museum<\/strong>. <\/span>
\nAfrikaans is recognised as an independent language that developed from Dutch with influence from other settlers languages (German, French, English) and African native languages. <\/span>Today in South Africa it is spoken by about 7 million as a first language and about 10 million as a second language. The language builds an important element of the Afrikaner culture and identity.<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

La biblioth\u00e8que Afrikaan.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

La maison des 3 derniers pr\u00e9sidents de la r\u00e9publique libre d’Orange.<\/p>\n

The home of the last 3 presidents<\/strong> of the \u201cFree State Orange\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Le mus\u00e9e national dans lequel toute l’histoire des Boers est retrac\u00e9e avec des sc\u00e8nes de vie reconstitu\u00e9es.<\/p>\n

The National Museum<\/strong> which tells the whole history of the Boers<\/strong> people and their struggle for independence that only became reality for a short time\u00a0with\u00a0the Free State Orange and in a way during the years of Apartheid when the Boers National Party was in power.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

La toute premi\u00e8re mairie<\/strong> et le plus vieux b\u00e2timent de Bloemfontein<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The First Town Hall<\/strong> and oldest building of the city.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s la visite, nous roulons une petite centaine de kilom\u00e8tres en direction de Kimberley<\/strong> et faisons halte \u00e0 la Kandirri Game Lodge<\/strong> pour passer la fin de journ\u00e9e et la nuit.<\/p>\n

In lack of a simple camp ground\u00a0along our road we stay at the camping of the Kandirri Game Lodge.
\n<\/strong>This turns out to be a brilliant decision! <\/span>The Lodge is beautiful and the camp sites are next to 3 big enclosures for lions. One even with a couple of white lions and one with a white lion and a big black dog! The lion had\u00a0to be separated from his parents when\u00a0it was still a cub, because the father almost killed it.\u00a0So it was brought up together with a baby dog. Dog and lion are now inseparable and even though the dog could leave the enclosure\u00a0it does\u00a0not want to leave the lion.<\/span> How sweet<\/span> \ud83d\ude42
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Dimanche 30 d\u00e9cembre<\/strong>
\nEn nous levant ce matin, nous passons un moment au bord du biotope \u00e0 regarder les oiseaux s\u2019\u00e9battre dans les roseaux.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

L\u2019endroit nous pla\u00eet beaucoup, ce qui fait que nous d\u00e9cidons d\u2019y rester pour une nuit suppl\u00e9mentaire.
\n3 grands parcs sont occup\u00e9s par des lions dont deux par des lions blancs.<\/p>\n

On y trouve m\u00eame un lion blanc et un gros chien noir qui sont devenus ins\u00e9parables apr\u00e8s avoir \u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e9lev\u00e9s ensemble apr\u00e8s leur naissance.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Le mercredi et le dimanche c\u2019est jour de f\u00eate pour eux car ils re\u00e7oivent \u00e0 manger.\"\"<\/a>
\nLook at the blue eyes!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s avoir assist\u00e9 \u00e0 cet instant, nous partons pour une visite du parc, principalement occup\u00e9 par diverses antilopes<\/strong>, z\u00e8bres<\/strong> et aussi des girafes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We end up 3 nights here and see plenty of animals during the game drive<\/em><\/span> \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Black Impalas!<\/span><\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nWildeebeests<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nZebras and<\/strong> Waterbucks<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nOne big Sable Antelope! <\/span><\/strong>and<\/span> Girafs<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lundi 31 d\u00e9cembre 2018<\/strong>
\nIl y a quelques semaines, nous avions entendu parler d\u2019une communaut\u00e9 d’irr\u00e9ductibles Afrikaners<\/strong> du nom d\u2019Orania<\/strong>, situ\u00e9e au sud de Kimberley.
\nInt\u00e9ress\u00e9s d\u2019en savoir un peu plus, c\u2019est l\u00e0 que nous nous rendons ce matin.<\/p>\n

December 31.
\nOrania and a little bit of politics
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/span>As soon as we had arrived in South Africa we\u00a0looked into\u00a0history and politics<\/strong> of the country and we have discuss with a lot of people during all our travel. As you know the written history of this country starts with the arrival of the Dutch in 1652, but the unwritten history of the black people has started much earlier back tracked through archaeological findings (Australopithecus lived here 3million years ago, footprints of Homo Sapiens date 117\u2019000 years back, Cave paintings are up to 10\u2019000 years old).
\n<\/span><\/em> Ever since the arrival of the white people there is conflict between the different ethnicities and only
\n<\/span><\/em>since the end of Apartheid in 1991, the so called rainbow nation is working on democratic solutions for all. Remember the 50 Million inhabitants are made of the descendants of the European settlers, the descendants of the Indians that where invited to come as workforce, the so called \u201cColored\u201d coming from mixed couples and of cause the big majority of the black people. All\u00a0of them\u00a0are all born here, they have their own culture and\u00a0they have\u00a0idea how they want the country to be. There are the radicals, the moderates, the democrats\u00a0etc. The current government of the country (ANC) is famous for corruption and does not seem to advance the county much, w<\/span><\/em>here as the local moderate, mixed government of the Western Cape (Democratic Alliance) seems to work relatively well and economy is prosperous. In the Eastern Cape violence and criminality increase rapidly and many people move elsewhere if they can.
\n<\/span><\/em>Within all this Orania is implementing its own solution<\/strong>: it is a Whites only village (1600 people). If you want to live here you have to have European immigrant ancestors, speak Afrikaans and justify your interest. The village is not fenced in as a lot of compounds we have seen in bigger towns and the difference to Apartheid is that all jobs are done by the whites and there are no racist laws. It is an intriguing concept for a country that has not yet forgotten its past and where many of the black people still see themselves as victims rather than to move on and create a future (the ultimate larger scale solution could even be a split South Africa).
\nTo overcome the difference in cultures and learn from each other seems to us the way forward, but this is soo much easier said than done…\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

in any case, we will continue to follow the political developments and wish the country and its people a solution that works for all of them.
\n<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cette communaut\u00e9 a \u00e9t\u00e9 fond\u00e9e en 1990<\/strong> par Carel Boshoff<\/strong>, un Afrikaner nationaliste pro-apartheid, alors que les n\u00e9gociations pour la suppression de celui-ci \u00e9taient en cours et qui ne supportait pas l\u2019id\u00e9e que les Noirs obtiennent les m\u00eames droits que les Blancs.
\nIl a donc rachet\u00e9 au gouvernent sud-africain une petite concession abandonn\u00e9e d\u2019une dizaine de maisons r\u00e9parties sur 3000 hectares en bordure du fleuve Orange<\/strong>, dans le d\u00e9sert du Karoo,<\/strong> afin de constituer l\u2019embryon d\u2019un \u00e9tat pour Afrikaners<\/strong>.
\nAujourd\u2019hui, cette communaut\u00e9 compos\u00e9e uniquement de Blancs<\/strong> afrikaners compte 1600 habitants<\/strong> et s\u2019\u00e9tend sur 8000 hectares<\/strong>.
\nPour y \u00eatre accept\u00e9, il faut \u00eatre Sud-Africain<\/strong>, avoir des origines Boers<\/strong> (n\u00e9erlandaise, fran\u00e7aise ou allemande) et avoir l\u2019Afrikans <\/strong>comme langue maternelle.
\nLeur principale source de revenu provient de l\u2019agriculture<\/strong> et de la culture de noix de Pecan <\/strong>mais aussi de dons de sympathisants.
\n<\/strong>Apr\u00e8s cette visite d\u2019Orania<\/strong>, dont nous avons pu apprendre et discuter de son histoire avec S\u00e9bastien,<\/strong> l\u2019un de ses habitants, qui nous a guid\u00e9 \u00e0 travers la communaut\u00e9 durant 2 heures, nous passons la nuit au camping local.<\/p>\n

Mardi 1er<\/sup> janvier 2019
\n<\/strong>On profite encore ce matin de l\u2019ombre rafra\u00eechissante prodigu\u00e9e par les arbres du camping, car cet apr\u00e8s-midi va voir les temp\u00e9ratures monter all\u00e9grement vers les 35 degr\u00e9s, avant de prendre la route en direction de Kimberley<\/strong>, la cit\u00e9 du Diamant<\/strong>.
\n35 kilom\u00e8tres avant cette cit\u00e9, nous faisons halte pour la fin de journ\u00e9e au \u00ab\u00a0Riverside Country Club<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb au bord de la rivi\u00e8re \u00ab\u00a0Riet<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n

We spend the night at the pleasantly shady campground in Orania next to a refreshing river. All very important since the temperature climbs now above 35C every day\u2026<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mercredi 2 janvier<\/strong>
\nVisite de Kimberley<\/strong> et du \u00ab\u00a0Big Hole<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb.
\nEn 1871<\/strong>, un paysan d\u00e9couvre par hasard 3 diamants<\/strong> sur la colline devenue aujourd\u2019hui le \u00ab\u00a0Big Hole\u00a0\u00bb,<\/strong> le plus grand trou jamais creus\u00e9 de main d\u2019homme.<\/p>\n

January 2nd.<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\nWe visit the diamond city Kimberley<\/strong>.<\/em><\/span>
\n1871 three raw diamonds were found on the hill that today represents the world biggest man built whole <\/strong>right in the centre of Kimberley.<\/em>
\nThe following diamond rush brought thousand of adventurers and miners to the city and only two years later 50\u20190000 people were digging for diamonds here.
\n<\/span>Diamonds are formed under extreme pressure at 150 to 200km under the earth. They are brought to the surface through volcanic eruptions.
\n<\/span>From 1871 to 1914 the volcanic\u00a0pipe under the big hole revealed 2722 kg of diamonds<\/strong>!
\n<\/span>22\u2019500\u2019000 tones of rock had to be excavated for this and the final hole at a diameter of 463m\u00a0is 250m deep (dig out with shovels) followed by tunnels reaching down to 1000m in depth. <\/span>Today the site is a museum but the area has still 3 active diamond mines.
\n<\/span><\/em><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Suite \u00e0 la ru\u00e9e vers le diamant qui s\u2019en suit, des centaines de mineurs et d\u2019aventuriers donnent naissance \u00e0 une cit\u00e9 du nom de \u00ab\u00a0New Rush<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb.
\nEn 1873<\/strong> elle prend le nom du secr\u00e9taire aux affaires coloniales, Lord Kimberley<\/strong>.
\nAfin de nommer le minerai extrait de la mine, d\u00e9cision est prise de lui donner le nom de la cit\u00e9 et il devient ainsi la “kimberlite”<\/strong>, roche provenant de profondeurs de 150 \u00e0 200 km et contenant des min\u00e9raux de tr\u00e8s haute pression, dont le diamant.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cette ancienne mine de diamant, de 463 m\u00e8tres de diam\u00e8tre et de 240 m\u00e8tres de profondeur <\/strong>creus\u00e9s \u00e0 la main, a \u00e9t\u00e9, suite \u00e0 des percements de galeries au moyen d\u2019explosifs, agrandie jusqu\u2019\u00e0 1000 m\u00e8tres de profondeur.
\nCette mine, la plus riche en diamant d\u2019Afrique du Sud a \u00e9t\u00e9 exploit\u00e9e de 1871 \u00e0 1914<\/strong> et a produit 2722 kg de diamant<\/strong> durant sa p\u00e9riode d\u2019exploitation.
\nPour cela, il a fallu excaver et concasser 22’500’000<\/strong> tonnes<\/strong> de kimberlite<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The museum<\/strong> is super well done, including a short visit of the underground mine<\/strong>, detailed explanations of the history and geology and a big real diamond exposition<\/strong> at the end!
\n<\/span>Outside is a real size reconstruction of several streets of the mining city in 1900.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

L’ascenseur\u00a0\u00e0 mineurs<\/strong> pouvait en faire descendre 24 \u00e0 la fois \u00e0 la vitesse de 14 m\u00e8tres par seconde.
\nThe 1900 original lift that transported\u00a024\u00a0workers at a time down into the mine at 14m\/s.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

La concasseuse \u00e0 kimberlite.
\nThe gravel and stones that came out of the mine were broken down by this machine. Diamonds would not break since they are too hard.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

L’un des nombreux couloirs d’extraction.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

La ville mus\u00e9e, reconstitu\u00e9e \u00e0 l’identique de celle de 1900.
\n\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kimberley<\/strong>, situ\u00e9e en plein d\u00e9sert du Grand Karoo<\/strong> \u00e0 1230 m\u00e8tres d\u2019altitude<\/strong> compte aujourd\u2019hui 225’000 habitants<\/strong>.
\nElle continue \u00e0 vivre du diamant<\/strong>, 3 autres mines ayant \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9couvertes dans les environs.<\/p>\n

En milieu d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi on quitte la ville vers l\u2019Ouest, en direction d\u2019Upington<\/strong>.
\nNous sommes en plein d\u00e9sert du Karoo et la route est totalement rectiligne sur des dizaines, voire des centaines\u00a0de kilom\u00e8tres.
\n
\nAfter this very enjoyable visit we continue our road through the huge Karoo desert\u00a0direction west. <\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s un peu plus de 200 kilom\u00e8tres, nous trouvons qu\u2019il est temps pour d\u00e9guster un Gin-Tonic bien frais et c\u2019est \u00e0 la \u00ab\u00a0Kheis river Loge\u00a0\u00bb, <\/strong>au bord du fleuve Orange<\/strong> que nous trouvons notre bonheur.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0stop at \u201cKheis River Lodge<\/strong>\u201d situated right at the mighty river Orange<\/strong> that meanders a green belt through the Karoo. The camp sites are next to the river and the little bar has a wonderful view.
\n<\/span><\/em>We order 2 gin-tonic and decide to stay 2 days. \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

L’Orange<\/strong>, long de 2\u00a0160\u00a0kilom\u00e8tres<\/strong>, est le plus long fleuve d\u2019Afrique du Sud.
\nIl prend sa source dans les montagnes du Drakensberg<\/strong>, dans le Lesotho<\/strong>, et se dirige vers l’ouest, traversant l’Afrique du Sud, pour rejoindre l’oc\u00e9an Atlantique<\/strong>.
\nLe fleuve fait partie des fronti\u00e8res internationales s\u00e9parant l’Afrique du Sud<\/strong> de la Namibie<\/strong> et du Lesotho<\/strong>, ainsi que plusieurs fronti\u00e8res provinciales en Afrique du Sud.
\n\u00c0 l’exception d’Upington<\/strong>, il ne traverse aucune grande ville.
\nLe fleuve Orange<\/strong> joue un r\u00f4le important dans l’\u00e9conomie sud-africaine car il fournit de l’eau pour l‘irrigation<\/strong>, ainsi que de l’\u00e9nergie hydro-\u00e9lectrique<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Jeudi 3 janvier<\/strong>
\nOn se sent bien ici\u00a0!
\nPourquoi ne pas profiter de rester ici pour la journ\u00e9e \u00e0 fl\u00e2ner et \u00e0 se baigner dans la rivi\u00e8re\u00a0!?
\nSuggestion accept\u00e9e \u00e0 la majorit\u00e9 absolue.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Vendredi 4 janvier<\/strong>
\nCes derniers jours, le mercure atteint all\u00e9grement les 40\u00b0C<\/strong> en milieu d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi.
\nOn profite donc encore un peu de la fraicheur matinale sur place avant que la chaleur nous incite \u00e0 nous mettre en route, profitant de la cabine agr\u00e9ablement climatis\u00e9e de l\u2019Azala\u00ef.
\nNous passons la ville d\u2019Upington<\/strong>, sans grand int\u00e9r\u00eat et poursuivons vers le Parc National des \u00ab\u00a0Chutes d\u2019Augrabies<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb.
\nLe parc dispose d\u2019un camping agr\u00e9able qui nous convient parfaitement pour passer la nuit.<\/p>\n

January 4.<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/em>The weather forecast announces 40\u00b0C for today so our strategy is to enjoy the fresher morning\u00a0where we are\u00a0and drive during midday with air conditioning in the car.
\n<\/span><\/em>We stop for a \u201cmilkshake lunch break\u201d (all you want to do when it is hot like this!) in Upington<\/strong>, a small town with a pleasant flair and surprisingly green for the dry Karoo.
\n<\/span><\/em>Refreshed we continue to the Augrabies Falls National Park<\/strong>, where we go straight to the campground that fits perfectly into the surrounding. Sandy pitches, local trees for shade and great views.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Samedi 5 janvier<\/strong>
\nDans cette r\u00e9gion, le fleuve Orange<\/strong>, dont les flots se dirigent vers l\u2019Oc\u00e9an Atlantique<\/strong>, a creus\u00e9 par \u00e9rosion une gorge de 240 m\u00e8tres de profondeur sur 18 kilom\u00e8tres de longueur.
\nLa chute ainsi engendr\u00e9e fait une hauteur de 56 m\u00e8tres<\/strong> avec un d\u00e9bit moyen de 3368 m3\/s.
\nC\u2019est cinq fois celui des Chutes du Rhin en temps normal.
\nLa s\u00e9cheresse qui s\u00e9vit en Afrique du Sud depuis 3 ans a toutefois diminu\u00e9 ce d\u00e9bit qui atteint seulement 2100 m3\/s aujourd\u2019hui et les rends moins impressionnantes.<\/p>\n

The mighty river Orange<\/strong> has its source in the north east of Lesotho. From there it traverses South Africa direction west for 2450km until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean at the boarder to Namibia. <\/span>On its way it irrigates close to 50% of the country. In the dry climate of this part of the country irrigation canals water a small stripe to both sides of the river.
\n<\/span>The Augrabies NP<\/strong> protects a 250m deep an 18km long gorge the river has eaten into the ground creating A 56m water fall at its entry. It\u2019s average flow rate is 3368m3\/s which is 5 times the average flow rate of the Rhine Fall in Rheinfelden. But with the unusual dry summer (the forth in a row) the picture is a little less impressive.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Un petit circuit de randonn\u00e9e trac\u00e9 sur le haut des gorges, habit\u00e9 par une faune bien pr\u00e9sente, nous permet d\u2019admirer de bon matin quelques Dassies, Antilopes Or\u00e9otrague et babouins Vervet<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It is great to camp inside the Augrabies NP so we can go and see the falls during the night with big spotlights, but also to do an early morning hike along the river gorge.
\n<\/span><\/em>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

La balade aboutit sur un point de vue nous permettant d\u2019admirer \u00ab\u00a0Les Jumelles<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb, chute de l\u2019un des bras de l\u2019Orange<\/strong> et la gorge qui se prolonge \u00e0 l\u2019infini.<\/p>\n

The twin sisters fall:<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

La r\u00e9gion, profitant de l\u2019eau du fleuve et du climat sec et chaud est id\u00e9ale pour la production de raisins secs<\/strong>.
\nContrastant avec le d\u00e9sert du Grand Karoo<\/strong>, d\u2019\u00e9normes vignobles bordent la route, et le raisin, une fois r\u00e9colt\u00e9, est \u00e9tal\u00e9 \u00e0 m\u00eame le sol pour \u00eatre s\u00e9ch\u00e9 au soleil.<\/p>\n

The dry climate and the water from the Orange build the perfect base for the production of raisins. <\/span>The contrast between the Karoo desert and the irrigated vineyards along the river is almost unreal! <\/span><\/em>The grapes are dried outside on the ground (certainly not allowed in the spec from QA \ud83d\ude09<\/span> )<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Comme la veille, la chaleur revenue, nous reprenons la route, toujours en direction de l\u2019Est avec la ville de Springbok<\/strong>, distante de 320 kilom\u00e8tres, en point de mire.
\nAu milieu de collines rocheuses, le Springbok Caravan Park<\/strong> nous accueille pour la nuit.<\/p>\n

We continue our long road direction west for the rest of the day.
\n<\/span>Overnighting\u00a0at Springbok campground<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dimanche 6 janvier<\/strong>
\nAujourd\u2019hui, c\u2019est le jour de notre entr\u00e9e en Namibie<\/strong>.
\nDepuis Springbok<\/strong>, nous parcourons les 200 kilom\u00e8tres plein nord pour rejoindre la ville fronti\u00e8re de Vioolsdrif<\/strong>.
\nLes formalit\u00e9s douani\u00e8res passent comme une lettre \u00e0 la poste et en milieu d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi, juste avant Aussenkehr<\/strong>, en bordure du Parc National Transfrontalier de Richtersveld<\/strong> nous rejoignons notre destination du jour, le \u00ab\u00a0Norotshama River Resort<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb.
\nLa fin de l\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi se passe au bord de la piscine avec un Gin Tonic bien frais dans les mains et les pieds dans l’eau.<\/p>\n

January 6.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>200km further North we cross over to Namibia<\/strong> without any issues.
\n<\/span><\/span>We spend the gained time with gin tonic<\/strong> and milkshake<\/strong> at the pool of our night camp Norothshama River Lodge<\/strong>. We even migrate into the semi climatized bar to avoid the very strong, and dry wind (relative air humidity around 10% at 39\u00b0C!).
\n<\/span><\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lundi 7 janvier<\/strong>
\nLe Parc National Transfrontalier de Richtersveld <\/strong>est au menu de ces prochains jours.
\nL\u2019acc\u00e8s au parc se trouve \u00e0 Sendelingsdrif<\/strong>, au nord-ouest de celui-ci, sur le territoire Sud-Africain<\/strong>.
\nPour nous y rendre, nous longeons d\u2019\u00e9normes surfaces viticoles, plant\u00e9es en plein d\u00e9sert mais profitant de l\u2019or bleu amen\u00e9 par le fleuve Orange.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

From here we still have roughly 800km direction North to go unti Windhoek. But fortunately there are still 2 more parks to visit on our way. \ud83d\ude42
\nHere also the river Orange creates live in the desert.
\n<\/span><\/em>\"\"\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Un village de paille abrite la nombreuse main-d\u2019\u0153uvre ouvri\u00e8re n\u00e9cessaire \u00e0 l\u2019exploitation de la vigne.
\nThe local village finds employment in the vineyards.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Le raisin est soit s\u00e9ch\u00e9 au soleil sur de grandes surfaces \u00e0 m\u00eame le sol\u2026..
\n..\u2026.comme ici par un habitant du village de paille pour son propre usage.<\/p>\n

Here also the raisins<\/strong> dry in the sun on the ground.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026..soit transform\u00e9s en vins de qualit\u00e9.<\/p>\n

L\u2019entr\u00e9e du parc n\u00e9cessite une travers\u00e9e du fleuve qui dans ce cas, en l\u2019absence de pont, se fait au moyen d\u2019un petit ferry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Richtersveld Transfrontier Park.
\n<\/span><\/em><\/strong>This park is situated along the Orange river that represents here the border between South Africa and Namibia<\/strong>. It is a very dry mountainous area and the river meanders an oasis belt across.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Fun border crossing <\/span>\ud83d\ude42<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nEt d\u00e9j\u00e0 nous voici de l’autre c\u00f4t\u00e9.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Un nouveau passage de douane et une inscription \u00e0 la r\u00e9ception du parc nous permettent d\u2019acc\u00e9der \u00e0 celui-ci et d’entamer notre p\u00e9riple cahoteux.
\nLe parc se trouve sur un terrain montagneux aride au relief d\u00e9chiquet\u00e9. La v\u00e9g\u00e9tation rustique y pousse gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la brume matinale de l\u2019Atlantique.<\/p>\n

The very scars vegetation away from the river survives with the Atlantic morning mist.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Un v\u00e9hicule 4×4 est absolument n\u00e9cessaire pour parcourir des pistes mettant la m\u00e9canique \u00e0 rude \u00e9preuve.
\n4×4 with high clearance is a must! And dont forget to fill up your water tanks!<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Comme premier campement, nous choisissons le \u00ab\u00a0De Hoop<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb, id\u00e9alement situ\u00e9 sur la rive de l\u2019Orange<\/strong>.
\nC\u2019est le pied\u00a0!!!<\/p>\n

Relaxing at our first camp De Hoop<\/strong>. Comfortably installed in South Africa we look at Namibia on the other sie of the river<\/em> \ud83d\ude42<\/span>\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mardi 8 janvier<\/strong>
\nApr\u00e8s une petite balade matinale sur les bords de l\u2019Orange<\/strong>, nous optons pour un parcours de 53 kilom\u00e8tres qui va nous amener sur notre deuxi\u00e8me campement, le \u00ab\u00a0Kokerbloomkloof\u00a0<\/strong>\u00bb.
\nIci, pas d\u2019eau, m\u00eame pas pour la douche.<\/p>\n

January 8
\n<\/strong>53km up and down through mountains and through sandy patches keeps us busy for the day! <\/em><\/span>
\nKokerboomskloof,<\/strong> is our second camp is in the middle of a rocky desert.\u00a0<\/em><\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Situ\u00e9 dans un cadre montagneux \u00e9poustouflant, la piste qui y m\u00e8ne n\u2019est pas en reste.
\nLight, shapes and scenery\u00a0 are overwhelming.\u00a0<\/em><\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Le kokerboom<\/strong> (arbre \u00e0 carquois), anciennement tr\u00e8s appr\u00e9ci\u00e9 par les Khoikhois<\/strong> qui en faisaient des carquois pour leurs fl\u00e8ches.<\/p>\n

The Kokerboom<\/strong> (Quiver Tree) has amazing survival skills for this hostile environment and can get a few hundred years old!<\/em><\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Une fin de journ\u00e9e au milieu de nulle-part \u00e0 \u00e9couter le silence.
\nThere is only the mighty nature and us.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tiens, celle-ci, si elle n’avait pas saut\u00e9 maladroitement et atterri sur le dos pour nous \u00e9viter, c’est fort probable que nous l’aurions \u00e9cras\u00e9e sans m\u00eame l’apercevoir.<\/p>\n

10cm long and 5cm large and very well camouflaged!<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mercredi 9 janvier<\/strong>
\nApr\u00e8s cet \u00e9pisode au milieu des formations rocheuses, nous retournons au bord de l\u2019Orange<\/strong>, toujours en empruntant des pistes d\u00e9bouchant, au hasard des cols, sur des paysages magnifiques de montagnes cuivr\u00e9es.<\/p>\n

And one more day in the\u00a0stony desert.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Un arbre end\u00e9mique, qui a su s’adapter\u00a0\u00e0 la rudesse du climat montre le bout de ses branches feuillues, toujours orient\u00e9es au nord.
\nLe Pachypodium namaquanum.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The so called “Halfmann”<\/strong> is endemic to this place. It always bents its arms slightly direction north.<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>
\n
\nRichtersberg<\/strong> est le nom que porte le site du campement qui va nous accueillir pour la fin de journ\u00e9e.
\nUne baignade dans le fleuve dont la temp\u00e9rature doit atteindre les 25 \u00b0C est la premi\u00e8re chose que nous faisons d\u00e8s notre arriv\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

Richtersberg camp<\/strong>. Back at the river Orange for the night and for a swim! <\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeudi 10 janvier<\/strong>
\nLes trois nuits que nous avions pr\u00e9vues de passer dans ce parc naturel sont d\u00e9j\u00e0 pass\u00e9es et c\u2019est par cons\u00e9quent le moment de rejoindre le point de sortie.
\n78 kilom\u00e8tres de pistes avec passage de cols n\u00e9cessitants de passer les vitesses r\u00e9duites et d\u2019enclencher la traction 4×4 vont n\u00e9cessiter 3h1\/2 de conduite pour y arriver.<\/p>\n

On the last day to leave the park we have 78km in front of us and the roughest part goes over a pass that is very rocky. To bad that pictures never show slopes correctly. This one was very steep indeed!\u00a0\u00a0But our Azalai takes it all. Slowly but surely!<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Arriv\u00e9s \u00e0 la fin de ce parcours, il nous reste \u00e0 nouveau \u00e0 faire les formalit\u00e9s douani\u00e8res pour entrer en Namibie<\/strong> et \u00e0 prendre le petit ferry qui va nous permettre de traverser l\u2019Orange<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Il nous reste encore 4 jours avant de rejoindre Windhoek, <\/strong>terme de ces 3 mois de d\u00e9couverte de l\u2019Afrique du Sud<\/strong> et encore deux points \u00e0 visiter sur la mont\u00e9e.
\nToutefois, avant d\u2019entreprendre les 800 kilom\u00e8tres nous s\u00e9parant de la capitale, nous d\u00e9cidons de passer une nouvelle nuit au \u00ab\u00a0Norotshama River Resort<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb qui nous avait beaucoup plu \u00e0 l\u2019aller.
\nA peine arriv\u00e9s, nous nous installons au bord de la piscine et commandons cette fois un milkshake.
\nLa journ\u00e9e ne se termine toutefois pas sans incident\u00a0!
\nMichel, qui avait mis son iPhone<\/strong> dans la poche de son short de bain n\u2019a pas pens\u00e9 le sortir avant de plonger dans la piscine, ce qui fait qu\u2019il est bien rest\u00e9 immerg\u00e9 une bonne dizaine de minutes.
\nD\u00e9cision est prise de ne surtout pas l\u2019allumer et de le laisser reposer bien au sec (ici, l\u2019humidit\u00e9 n\u2019exc\u00e8de pas les 10% pendant la journ\u00e9e) pendant 48 heures et on verra bien si c\u2019\u00e9tait concluant.<\/p>\n

Before we continue to the Fish River Canyon we return once more to the Norotshama River Resort<\/strong>\u00a0for a\u00a0bit of\u00a0“luxury” (swimming pool, milkshake, gin tonic, shower, restaurant, etc). Even Michels iPhone is entitled\u00a0to a swim. This makes 3 for Michel: Credit Card lost during the first days, iPad stolen half way through, iPhone drowned now\u00a0!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Vendredi 11 janvier<\/strong>
\nNous nous rendons aujourd\u2019hui \u00e0 notre ultime point d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eat avant notre remont\u00e9e vers Windhoek<\/strong>,
\nle \u00ab\u00a0Fish River Canyon<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb.
\nSitu\u00e9 \u00e0 la limite nord du Parc National du Richtersveld<\/strong>, ce canyon est le deuxi\u00e8me plus grand au monde apr\u00e8s le Grand Canyon du Colorado.
\n<\/strong> Il serpente sur 160 kilom\u00e8tres<\/strong> et atteint par endroits une largeur de 27 kilom\u00e8tres<\/strong> pour une profondeur de 550 m\u00e8tres<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Fish River Canyon<\/strong> is the second biggest canyon world wide after the Grand Canyon in the US. It winds for 160km through the\u00a0South of Namibia\u00a0with up to 550m depth and up to 27km width. <\/span><\/em>
\nWe enjoy the intense light and colours during sun set and sun rise\u00a0right at\u00a0the canyon rim. It is not allowed to go down to the bottom of the canyon without a guide. Temperature reaches up to 50\u00b0C down there at the moment. So we are not too disappointed \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

De retour au camping du parc, c’est le moment, apr\u00e8s 48 heures de s\u00e9chage, de voir si l’iPhone de Michel<\/strong> \u00e0 surv\u00e9cu \u00e0 la baignade.
\nLe r\u00e9sultat est sans appel, l’\u00e9cran reste d\u00e9sesp\u00e9r\u00e9ment noir et lors de l’essai de mise en charge, le t\u00e9l\u00e9phone est devenu tellement chaud que l’on pouvait \u00e0 peine le toucher.
\nIl faut se rendre \u00e0 l’\u00e9vidence, il est mort de noyade !!!<\/p>\n

Samedi 12 janvier \u00e0 mercredi 16 janvier
\n<\/strong>Apr\u00e8s une derni\u00e8re visite matinale au canyon, nous reprenons la route en direction de la capitale avec un arr\u00eat pour la nuit \u00e0 Mariental<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

January 12 to 16<\/em><\/span><\/strong>
\nDuring the 600km to Windhoek we overnight half way in Mariental.<\/strong> The owners are a very friendly Namibian coupe and Birgit\u00a0takes the time to show us her preferred spots in Namibia on the map. She has travelled a lot through the country and is very enthusiastic! Just perfect to make us impatient to come back <\/em><\/span>J
\n<\/em>The last 3 days we stay at the Trans Kalahari Inn<\/strong> just outside of Windhoek<\/strong> to clean and prepare the Azala\u00ef for our return. The owner has a place where we can safely leave it for the 3 Months.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

C\u2019est au \u00ab\u00a0Trans Kalahari Inn<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb, \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de Windhoek<\/strong> que nous allons loger durant ces derniers jours.
\nNous allons en profiter pour faire un nettoyage complet de l\u2019Azala\u00ef<\/strong> en vue de sa p\u00e9riode de repos de 3 mois et demi qu\u2019il va passer dans un hangar de cet h\u00f4tel.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Notre retour pour la suite de la d\u00e9couverte de l\u2019Afrique<\/strong> est d\u2019ores et d\u00e9j\u00e0 fix\u00e9 au 1er<\/sup> mai 2019<\/strong>.
\nAu programme\u00a0:<\/strong> La Namibie, le Botswana, l\u2019est de l\u2019Afrique du Sud, le Mozambique et le Zimbabwe durant une p\u00e9riode de\u00a07 mois environ<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

En attendant,\u00a0de vous retrouver autour de fin mai, nous allons devoir nous r\u00e9acclimater aux temp\u00e9ratures suisses apr\u00e8s ces derni\u00e8res semaines pass\u00e9es entre 30\u00b0C et 35\u00b0C mais nous nous r\u00e9jouissons de retrouver les plaisirs des sorties dans la neige.<\/p>\n

AFRICA<\/strong> We will be back on May\u00a0second!<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (flight already booked) <\/span>
\nThis time for 6 Months\u00a0<\/strong>of Namibia, Botswana, east of South Africa, Mozambique <\/strong>and maybe Zimbabwe<\/strong>. At least this is the plan…<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

For now we cant wait to see the tonnes of snow that are wait for us in Switzerland.<\/span> \ud83d\ude42
\nEven if the temperature chock from 35\u00b0C to around 0\u00b0C\u00a0is difficult to imagine\u00a0<\/span>\ud83d\ude2e !!!\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Nous vous souhaitons de passer un bel hiver et vous transmettons nos amiti\u00e9s.
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nMilke
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LESOTHO – LE CENTRE NORD – RICHTERSVELD Jeudi 20.12.2018 Apr\u00e8s avoir gravi le Sani Pass, point d’entr\u00e9e au Lesotho, nous avons pass\u00e9 la nuit sur le col \u00e0 2873 m\u00e8tres d\u2019altitude. Hier\u00a0soir, sans que l\u2019on s\u2019y attende, la brume a … Continuer la lecture →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4643"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4862,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4643\/revisions\/4862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}