We got away to a later than average start at around 7:00, and spent the first hour walking through town. Nearing the edge of town, a lady out walking with her dogs suggested that we should really start walking earlier in this heat. Indeed, but since it only gets light at 6:00 around here, that means you miss all the scenery. Bit of a catch-22, really...
We originally planned to walk all the way to Calitzdorp today, but in this heat that didn't seem a realistic option, so I started phoning ahead trying to find an intermediate overnight spot. After some failed attempts, we came across Amber Lodge, a German-owned Backpackers almost midway between Oudtshoorn an Calitzdorp, but 7km off the R62.
Fortunately the owners, Susan and Kurt, were kind enough to agree to pick us up at the R62, and bring us back the next morning - thanks guys!!
It was hot as hell, without a cloud in the sky, and by 12:00 we realised we had to get some shade to cool our bodies back to more humane temperatures, so we pulled into a shady picnic spot (few and far between in these areas). We had only been sitting a while when a bakkie pulled in. A man and woman got out and, miracle of miracles, offered us a bag of ice!
This was a wonderful gift, as all our water was already way beyond lukewarm by now. Turns out the couple operated an ice delivery business, and were themselves keen hikers, so they had sympathy for our situation. How cool is that (no pun intended!)?
We reached the Amber Lagoon turn-off at 17:00, where we were picked up by Kurt. At the Backpackers, a great rustic retreat in the middle of nowhere, a dip in their pool and a couple of Windhoek Drafts did wonders to cool us down.
By the way, if you're as curious as I was about the name Amber Lagoon for a backpackers in the middle of the Karoo, it turns out it's the name of the ship by which owner Susan arrived in the country approximately 6 years ago, and has nothing to do with any colour lagoon in the mountains! :)
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