We drove to Solitaire, a small settlement in the Khomas Region of central Namibia. It sits just south of the Tropic of Capricorn at the centre of a 45,000-acre trust land that preserves the ecosystem and wildlife in the region.
Our guide said that this town is popular among long-distance travelers because it features the only gas station that you can find between the sand dunes of the Sossusvlei and the coast of Walvis Bay. This gas station also serves as a general store, bakery, coffee shop, post office, and mechanic shop. There are also a couple of small lodges in the area and even a small chapel. Solitaire is definitely a must-stop for those needing to fill up on petrol, repair their tires, use the washroom, get some coffee and snacks, stretch their legs, or even stay for the night.
The settlement's name, akin to solitude, was most likely thought up by the first homesteader there who bought the land for the purpose of farming Karakul sheep. It was the sole property in this remote desert land then, but it soon evolved into a one-building operation that became the centre of commerce in this region. Interesting! But our guide left two small surprises for us to find out at the very last minute.
The first one was that this seemingly desolate town is littered with old vintage cars - and I do not mean just any unremarkable car wrecks...but prized American classics! Dotting the brown, barren landscape was a collection of colourful vintage cars, all rusty from a bygone era, some covered with bullet holes, some hosting an ecosystem of cacti outgrowths, and some even repurposed into something innovative. In fact, we saw an old car that had a toilet behind the hood installed, but we were not sure if it was a working one or just someone's idea of toilet humour (and there's no pun intended) in the desert!
We didn't expect this surprise at all. It was like a scene from an old American film that was shot in a sleepy town along Route 66, instead of an African settlement. Looking back at our photos, the scene reminded me of the Disney movie, Cars.
And true enough, we saw a Mater car there with a couple of cactus stems sprouting from its long-gone engine, and a Doc Hudson Hornet, sans wheels and riddled with bullet holes from an almost-forgotten shoot-out over illegal diamonds.
According to our guide, most of the vehicles had been abandoned when they ran out of gas and the owners found it too troublesome to haul them to a gas station, but there were also some that had served as get-away cars for big-time smugglers from the nearby mining towns.
Our German tour mate remarked that this was like a self-proclaimed graveyard for abandoned cars, but one that is far from being macabre. In fact, it's a rather cheerful one because these ancient American beauties seem to be basking in their old-forgotten glory out there. In this resting place, they proudly lie in the sand, enjoying the attention of travelers who welcome this novelty after hours and miles of only seeing hard roads and dust clouds.
We posed with some old-school Chevys, Fords, Volkswagens, and Wolseleys, as if we were in a posh auto show, instead of a junkyard in the desert. How cool was that?
The second surprise was the apple pie...another American classic.
Our guide proudly declared that the apple pie from Moose McGregor's bakery is the best in all of Namibia. The pie was actually rectangular, and was more of an apple crumble. But it did look delicious and the smell wafting from the bakery was so tempting. We bought some, of course – one huge slice for the German couple to share, one small slice for me (since my husband couldn’t have it), and one extra huge slice for our guide (his usual, he said). We were still full, so we decided to reserve our treats for snacks later. Our guide said the apple pie nevertheless tastes good whether piping hot or cold, and that it was a good idea to wait, for he has yet another surprise.
The guys got some local beer. By this time, my husband had already developed a liking to Windhoek Lager and between him, our Austrian guide, and the German guy traveling with us, they’ve reached a consensus that a few Namibian beers could actually stand high against the best Austrian and German beers around. Who was I to argue? In the meantime, the German lady and I ordered lattes. I definitely needed the caffeine jolt. I finished one cup and bought an extra one for later.
We continued our drive heading towards the mountainous Kuiseb region. Our guide said that once we cross the canyon, he would take us to a beautiful spot where we could enjoy a sundowner with our take-along apple pie and beer.
Vintage cars and apple pies....it seemed like this side of Namibia is all about some kind of American nostalgia. It was a perfect ending to our desert drive, and soon, we will face another adventure....this time, in the mountains.
Photo Credits:
amusingplanet.com, fourwornsoles.com
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