Moose Does Bo-Plaas!

[Mortymoose]

Over the past decades I had often driven past this remote location, dust swirling, the mountains barren and the gravel road never ending. For most part the dirt track would follow the Northern bank of the once mighty Orange river, but it was always at the old man's farm the route would deviate Northwards into the empty vastness of the Ai-Ais National park.

It has always amused me this farm with it's two lucerne fields, here in no man's land.

Almost thirty years ago, I happened past this dusty farmstead on my way to Ai-Ais, it was here I was to learn more about Oom Kobus!

But that tale is for later...... the old man long gone, the farmland taken by the State.

I have had a torrid past week, My Covid Shift at the local shop was long and tiring, the problems never ending, so it was decreed I would venture off for a camp in the local hood.

I have chosen Bo-plaas! A mere 110 minutes drive to the East.....

Moose starts his planning, Maps, Meat and rallying the lads to see who wants to go with ....

The location......



I called the Reservation Office in Windhoek to make a booking, "No Moose, no need to book, nobody goes there due to the lack of tourists, Just rock up Boet!", the young lady on the central line stated....

Moose went to his GooGle, EaRtH, coz he likes playing God!



He mumbled unto himself, "Three nights should suffice....."

Then went into his bright Kitchen to see what he might find in his freezer device.....



The English HO walked in on her man, "You Going camping again or are you braaing tonight?".

 

[jezzad]

I had coffee with Oom Kobus a good couple of years ago.

More photos....

 

[Mortymoose]

I had coffee with Oom Kobus a good couple of years ago.

More photos....

Only leaving on Thursday morning... getting my gear together.... only one other vehicle going with from our Camping Group....

 

[Mortymoose]

Now this trip departs on Thursday around noon, Returning a mere seventy two hours later.......

I was busy washing all my camping gear like mugs,plates and beer glasses when one of the father's sent me a WA of his expedition to the local TOPS with the following message...

"Moose, this should suffice me until Saturday morning, then I can just shoot down the road to Aussenkehr to buy more.......", roughly went the message.....



All I can say, "Dit gaan Nag Wees!"

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

Eish boetie, ek sien, maar ek lees .......................


"Moerse Do0s Bo-Plaas!"

Time for new glasses

 

[The_Librarian]

Bon Voyage!

(or as the cynical Germans used to say "und jedes Meil ein bladdy papwiel, kaputtes Gierbox und Achsenbruch! Auf nimmer-wiedersehn!" )

 

[Mortymoose]

Almost time, did a quick beer count of my own, we safe at 48 x 440ml draught, 6 x 440ml Lager to add to lime and 1 bottle of Flying Fish..

Our two vehicles will be joined on Friday by another father and his two lads, then on Saturday another German mate of mine will join the camp and I expect The Chief of this here National park to also join on us on Saturday seeing as he can smell beer and braai from quite a distance...

No comms, so shall post after the weekend..l

You okes enjoy the city life, I am outta here..l

 

[Mortymoose]

I had to get out of Dodge that day, The WhatsApp messages on the various groups I belong to started to flood my Samsung mobile as two of my staff on separate shifts were placed in a Government sanctioned quarantine facility.....

The drive Eastwards was quite, the first ninety kilometres along a recently tarred road connecting my town to the National road network..... then the turn off and back to the Orange River.

After ninety minutes of driving I arrived at the remote camping spot,



Oom Kobus's farmhouse perched at the bottom of a barren hill to the North of the dusty road...... This house now the office for the Camping Spot....



The Farm lands that he had cleared and up until a few years ago were heavy with Lucerne and corn, now lay barren and devoid .....

 

[Mortymoose]

Gee! Almost forgot to complete this tale.....

The camp was established on the old man's farm, more for the rugged campers that enjoyed Kayaking and one could often find Overlanders parked here en route to Ai-Ais or Luderitz.

Off course due to the Covid outbreak the place was empty save for the two staff members who now resided in the old Farmers house about 300m from the Campsite against the rock hills.

"Ja! Julle kan enige plek kamp, kom betaal Sondag as julle ry, ", the young assistant stammered in Afrikaans. His face looked familiar to me, but more about that later...

We found a nice piece of lawn near the biggest braai under some shady tree's and proceeded to erect the camp.





The place was established for the more rugged outdoor types, no pool but we were told that the Swedish girls liked to swim in the garden reservoir....... For what it's worth, no Swedes were to be seen the entire weekend..

 

[Mortymoose]

I noticed the toilets and laughed to myself, "Cannot see some of these lads bringing their missuses here and using that"



Between the Four Men we had six coolers just for ice cold beers....

 

[Mortymoose]

For R150 a day, the young staff member would drop a kayak down at the river for you, but first the youngsters practiced in the reservoir.....



Then it was down to the RIver for a paddle,



From the viewpoint above the river, A fish Eagle could be heard soaring up above..... the weather perfect....

 

[Mortymoose]

As the Evening approached a roaring fire was setup, The German as always, late to the party arrived, carting his Gazebo with him..... and more beer...... These blokes up here tend burn wood like they lived in a thundering forest and not an ancient desert....



Armed with a few cold ones, tales started to abound..... Braaibreads for starters...


We spent the next 5 hours sipping away and laughing into the night, the next morning I was up early to go for a wee paddle in isolation, the view at the river stunning....

 

[Mortymoose]

We had stunning photographs taken on the river from the kayaks, but somebody was gesuiped and lost his phone in the once mighty Orange River. The Phone was recovered some four hours later.....

I walked a couple of times on the fallow fields, there had been an attempt at corn here not so long ago.....

Oom Kobus Jansen was a bit of a enigma, Before Namibian Independence the old man had struck out into no mans land, settling in a place where few ventured..... He made a meager living from lucerne and small scale crops in this harsh and unforgiving landscape......

When Independence did arrive he became a problem for the newly formed Namibian government, This old stubborn white man refused to move off the land that had just been declared a National Park. For years the old man protested, claiming that his farm was actually in South Africa, as the South African government had always claimed that their territory ended at the high water mark on the Namibian side, after all this was their river.

Court cases went on for years, the old man persisted, tourists driving the back tracks astonished to find this little green farm in the middle of nowhere.....

Tales abound that the old man was crazy and had an armoury of guns in that remote farmhouse...

The talk among officials was that the old man was getting old and senile, rather leave him until he dies to avoid a major incident...... The decades rolled past, then a good mate of mine informed me that the time had come, The old man had to go, he was standing in the way of progress and that the Special Field Force had been called in to remove him.........

I stood on the barren farmland, recalling the tales, the memory of how green this little farm had been,



When I left that Sunday, I enquired of the staff what had happened to the old man, to hear that he has become a bit of a hermit in a remote town not too far away, refusing to come out ....

 

[dualmeister]

For some reason I want to rename it to something like ...

 

[Drifter]

Ek is nou nou daar,

 

[Mortymoose]

Just got the message in the Camping Group, three vehicles, we leave on Friday morning 08h00, same spot 14 days later..... forty degree weather, just perfect for beer drinking...

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Is that one of the areas without crocs in the river?
Heard some tales of people exploring the rivers in canoes while dodging crocs left, right and center.

 

[grok]

Dammit Moose, as much as I don't know you personally and only ever read your threads, I'll be really disappoint if the next mybroadband get-together doesn't involve a convoy of mybroadbanders trekking up Nam-side to come visit your corner of the world..

Speaking as a corporate-bound office worker clustered between walls in the big city, you are so privileged & your life seems such an adventure.. I just want to be there too.

 

[Datura]

We had stunning photographs taken on the river from the kayaks, but somebody was gesuiped and lost his phone in the once mighty Orange River. The Phone was recovered some four hours later.....

I walked a couple of times on the fallow fields, there had been an attempt at corn here not so long ago.....

Oom Kobus Jansen was a bit of a enigma, Before Namibian Independence the old man had struck out into no mans land, settling in a place where few ventured..... He made a meager living from lucerne and small scale crops in this harsh and unforgiving landscape......

When Independence did arrive he became a problem for the newly formed Namibian government, This old stubborn white man refused to move off the land that had just been declared a National Park. For years the old man protested, claiming that his farm was actually in South Africa, as the South African government had always claimed that their territory ended at the high water mark on the Namibian side, after all this was their river.

Court cases went on for years, the old man persisted, tourists driving the back tracks astonished to find this little green farm in the middle of nowhere.....

Tales abound that the old man was crazy and had an armoury of guns in that remote farmhouse...

The talk among officials was that the old man was getting old and senile, rather leave him until he dies to avoid a major incident...... The decades rolled past, then a good mate of mine informed me that the time had come, The old man had to go, he was standing in the way of progress and that the Special Field Force had been called in to remove him.........

I stood on the barren farmland, recalling the tales, the memory of how green this little farm had been,

View attachment 907856

When I left that Sunday, I enquired of the staff what had happened to the old man, to hear that he has become a bit of a hermit in a remote town not too far away, refusing to come out ....

Fascinating oom. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mortymoose]

Is that one of the areas without crocs in the river?
Heard some tales of people exploring the rivers in canoes while dodging crocs left, right and center.

The Orange River never had crocs, the last Hippo was shot sometime around 1908, makes for a peaceful river these days!