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If there is one thing worse than breaking down, it is breaking down in a national park.
The temp gauge climbed rapidly as we drove the Fischer Pan area of Etosha and a quick look in the engine confirmed the worst, a radiator gasket had gone.
Four things were fortunate about this, we had mobile reception, we were only 15kms from Namutoni, there were no elephants about and Florian was not there to gloat. The only concern, apart from the heat, was the arrival of a white backed vulture!
Three hours later the car was being repaired in 37C heat by 2 mechanics who drove a 200km round trip from Tsumeb on a sunday afternoon. The charge for the round trip, two hours labour and various parts was less than 140 pounds.
We considered ourselves fortunate that the radiator had not gone on the next part of our trip, the wilds of Kaokoland in north west Namibia.
Etosha, (place of dry water according to the BBC, overflowing with water when we were there!) is a beautiful park, full of animals. A notable first for us was seeing a caracal (lynx) on the roadside and we were fortunate to see plenty of black rhino. Lion (mentioned in my last blog) were abundant inside and outside the camps.
The only shame with Etosha, apart from the current building works, is the cost of being there. Camping is twice the cost of Kruger in South Africa, and there is no Wild Card equivalent that allows annual access to Namibian parks at a reduced rate. Consequently a day in Etosha costs us around 30 pounds, expensive for a building site!
Having run out of food and wine and with the trailer in need of new door zips, we've headed south 100km to the regional capital, Tsumeb, a prosperous town with tree lined avenues and more grass than the UK!
Once the trailer tent is repaired and we've re-stocked we'll head back through Etosha and up to the Angola border area at Ruacana, before heading south and west in to Kaokoland.
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