All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost - JRR Tolkien

2 April 2019, Alte Kalköfen to Seeheim, 52,6km
Seeheim Hotel (camping) R320

Last night we slept under an ocean of stars, with sound of jackal and frog for company. It was hot and dry so we experimented for the first time with erecting the inner tent only. Much of the inner is constructed of mosquito netting, opening vistas to sides and top. Despite a thin fabric only separating us from the African bush, we felt secure and (relatively) comfortable (there is just no way a narrow blow-up mattress can compete with an honest bed).
We packed in the thin light of early morning and hit the road bound for the Seeheim Hotel. It was a tougher ride than the previous two days, with some steep climbs in the heat, but lovely still. Travelling through dry and dramatic scenery always, our road also passed the foundations of an old German fort and crossed the Gurib River and others, just sand as usual, no water. Just before our turnoff to Seeheim, we crossed the Fish River again, having encountered it first in the Ai-Ais Richtersveld park. It too is almost completely dry, with one or two patches of water trapped and still in shallow hollows. One unusual sighting today, seen by Charl not me: A man and his pet jackal standing on a ridge, waving a greeting.
We were seated at a picnic spot just beyond the Fish River bridge when a man pulled up in a bakkie, asked if we were the people who had booked a campsite at the Seeheim Hotel, and suggested we take the unmarked short cut immediately behind us instead of continuing up the tar road. A km later, we were at the extraordinary Seeheim*, seated on the balcony imbibing Coke and beer; later Zirkie’s staff served us tongue and venison stew for dinner.
Zirkie, originally from Stutterheim in South Africa, has owned the hotel for over a decade. He recounted a sad and shocking tale to us. He had employed a woman from Windhoek to do his bookkeeping. When he discovered she had been stealing from him for almost a year, she not only stabbed him (he had to defend himself by hitting her with a torch), but came back later and set fire to the thatch-roof hotel, which Zirkie is busy rebuilding.

*http://www.seeheimhotel.com/history.html: Built from local rock in 1896 to house Schutztruppe (German colonial forces), it was converted into a hotel in the roaring twenties, and became the pivotal place of activities as the town of Seeheim prospered and grew. A little-known fact is that during the forties and fifties Seeheim was larger and of greater prominence than Keetmanshoop. It had a railway station, several churches and shops, a school, three hotels and a flourishing residential area. Then in the late fifties, the town gradually fell into decline. The school closed down and the residents began to leave. During 1974 the B2 was re-directed and the Seeheim Hotel finally shut shop. After standing empty for 30 years, Zirkie Kloppers renovated the building and brought it back to life.

For today's route see below photos
For overview route, click on ROUTE tab above…