On the road to Windhoek (12-12)

Monday I returned to Windhoek, which took eight hours on gravel roads the whole way. Early in the day I saw a zebra 

and I saw a few others later. It’s always special to spot the animals out in the open spaces. 

There was a sign pointing out the Tropic of Capricorn.

The first destination along the way was Solitaire. Rachel had mentioned that, if I ever go there, there is a great German bakery; so I was looking forward to that. I had the impression that Solitaire is a small town, but, like so many places along the gravel roads, it is a petrol station and small shop. Next to them is the bakery, which lived up to its recommendation. When I asked what the woman recommended, she held up a tray of apple crisp and the man said that’s what they are famous for. Of course I bought a piece, which was huge. I ate some and had the rest for dinner. I also bought a roll to nibble on as I drove.

After Solitaire, the road east goes over the mountains, which I hadn’t realized. It was slow going.

Fortunately, no one was following me or coming from the other direction a lot of the time, so I could stop and take photos quickly and briefly enjoy the view. 

The views from the high pass are stunning. 

Although I enjoyed the views, I was glad when the mountains were behind me and the road was mostly flat.

And I was glad when I first saw Windhoek in the distance.

My guesthouse was at the top of a hill with views of the city. I had my own building below the main one; so it was very private and quiet. There is a nice patio, but I didn’t use it because it was raining. However, I could put the chair inside the door and enjoy the view. When I noticed the golden light of the sunset and looked up, there was a full semi-circle brilliant rainbow across the sky, and part of it was a double rainbow. A beautiful finish for this part of my trip.