Last weekend I spent with a friend at the Spitzkoppe again. It is 8 months since I have been there and the landscape now looked totally different. Due to the good rains it was green everywhere and the flowers in blossom. We arrived at 8pm, in the dark, at the camp. The half moon was just above the mountain and run down its side which was great to watch. Thus we had light till after 9pm, enough to get our meal ready and ourselves settled in the sleeping bags under the starry sky. It was wonderful to wake up at night and look at the stars. In the morning we watched the sun dunking the Spitzkoppe into light. This time our aim was not Spitzkoppe itself, but a walk around the nearby Pontok mountains. A Pontok is a hut covered with a mud roof which looks like the peaks of this mountain range. We took our time, had a look at Small Bushman's Paradise first where you can see ancient rock paintings. I am always fascinated by the rock formations and caves in this area. It was a hot day and we had to climb over the saddle of the mountain to get to Big Bushman Paradise, but I thouroughly enjoyed the tour. Back in our camp I went on another small excursion to a rock formation called the bridge through which you can also see the mountains. Then I used the luxury of a rock pool which stays for about 3 months after the last rain to take a quick bath. I was back in time for the sundowner and then the usual ceremony of braai started. It followed another wonderful night under the open sky. Next day we tried to reach the top of the first Pontok, but we did not know the way. Surprisingly, we came across some way marks and climbed quite high over bolders and rocks until all possibilities ended at a steep wall. Without rope and proper climbing equipment there was no way to go further. I think next time we should try it from the other side. Anyway, it was a nice trip, we returned to the car and drove back to Windhoek just after lunch.
