Days 16 & 17: Ai/Ais and Fish River Canyon

Our last few days in Namibia (sniff) took us to a place called Ai/Ais, which means “burning water” in local language as a result of the hot water springs that lie beneath the surface. After spending an evening at the most charming little camp lodge that we literally stumbled upon as we were breaking up the 400 mile drive between Sosousvlei and Ai/Ais, we made our way through more gorgeous canyons until we found our way to Ai/Ais, which means “the place where the water flows.”  Hot water springs lie under these canyons, so the lodge has a few hot water spring pools inside.

While we were still camping, we decided to splurge one night and eat out in the hotel restaurant.  When we first looked at the menu, we were a little skeptical to see 4 selection: beef filet, impala (deer), eland (another kind of deer), and chicken.  All served with the same sauce, all served with the same sides.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, we weren’t trying to be snobs, we just didn’t feel like spending money on something that didn’t seem overly appetizing. But we decided to just go with it, take a night off of cooking and cleaning and just sit back and relax.

Holy cow, were we blown away by how tasty the food was!  Anya and I ordered the beef, while the boys ordered the impala.  The impala was by far the most tender and mild tasting deer I’ve ever eaten.  And the portions!  Our beef was easily 8 ounces, and we were given two pieces.  Whoa.  Not to mention the side of carrots and a small squash filled with broccoli and cheese, and some of the most delicious roasted potatoes ever.  And the sauce was delicious on both cuts of meat.  Okay, so we were way off the mark on this one!

The best part?  $40 per couple.  Including all of our drinks.

I could get used to this…

Anyway, after a delicious dinner and great company, Anya and I went to bed while Matt and Ron stayed up arguing about soccer and why it does/does not suck as a sport (Ron: pro soccer, Matt: anti soccer).  We all woke up the next morning to a baboon knocking over our garbage can (always a sound that’s pleasant first thing in the morning).  So we slowly roused ourselves, had a leisurely breakfast and watched the birds hop onto our laps in the hopes of getting a crumb of our rusks.  And then we headed to Fish River Canyon, which is the 2^nd largest canyon in the world.

Breathtaking.  Beautiful.  Awe-inspiring.  Are you tired of these adjectives yet? 

Good, ‘cause I’m not either. :)

Anyway, we spent about 2 hours taking in the views and reading a little about the topography and the people who used to live in the area (the Africans who speak with clicks of their tongues and so there are no words to translate their names or words.  Even some of the words listed were followed by the phrase “cannot be translated into English”.  Since right now is their dry season, there is barely any water running through the canyons, but when the rain does come (it’s been 2 years since a heavy rain has fallen in Namibia), Fish River Canyon flows with fresh water and would add more beauty to the already gorgeous area.

An interesting thing we noticed about looking over the canyon: we were literally looking straight down the canyon with no railing or fence to stop us from falling over.  There was one area that was barred off, complete with picnic tables and lots of lookout areas, but along the rest of the canyon’s ridge, there was nothing to stop you from taking a headfirst dive into the depths of the rocks, save your own conservative judgment.  Which, you’ll be relieved to know, we were quite conservative. 

So after our journey to Fish River Canyon, we made our way back toward Ai/Ais but made a pit stop to Canyon Roadhouse, which was a antique car-lover’s dream.  In fact, I’m inclined to think that the owner of this place is himself (or herself), an antique car lover.  They were everywhere: some in pieces, some completely refurbished and located right next to your table, some sticking out of the walls, some sitting in the beautifully manicured lawn.  It was a true oasis of life after driving through desert for 3 weeks.  Not to mention, the burger they offered was fantastic.

Once we were happily satiated (again), we made our way back to the campsite, where massages were waiting for Matt and me.  Well, a massage was awaiting Matt, a Fish River Canyon salt scrub was awaiting me.  It was lovely, and $30 each!  After our massages, we joined Ron and Anya in the hot springs pools and truly enjoyed our time relaxing in the water.  Since this was our last night in Namibia, we were all feeling a bit nostalgic; we sat around the campfire and talked about the amazing journey we’ve been on and how much we love the nature and the quiet.  We finished our night sipping amarula and eating s’mores.  A perfect camp ending.