Matobo National Park

Matobo National Park – February 20

After a peaceful, sound sleep, we were up, packed for the day and eating breakfast by 8:00. Today was the game drive with our guide for the day. Ian picked us up at 9:00 and we eagerly climbed into the front seats of the jeep. Ian was a pleasure to listen to; a human being capable of pushing the refresh button in your well-being. He was excited to tell us all about his homeland;the history, the flora and fauna, his childhood, his friends in the village, and his dear friends, the rhinos. Along the way, he pulled over frequently, opened his jeep door to sit on and told us stories. He picked wild fruits including guava, and amaretto for us to taste. We drove through the park and out the other side into a village. Ian knew everyone and if he didn't wave shouting his salutations in the local language, he stopped to have a chat and share some laughter out loud that caused us to giggle and we didn't know what he was talking about. Genuine laughter is indeed, contagious.

At half day, we stopped and climbed a huge rock to a cave with many paintings. I looked down at my shoes and am sure my feet were at least pointed in 70 degree angle. The paintings were left by the San people who had inhabited here for over 200,000 years. It is thought that the paintings are preserved by mixing the color with urine and bile. The acid in the bile preserves the paint over time. As a people the San people live for today and believe if they stay in one place too long, they begin to affect the environment, so move on to a different place. When they leave they leave paintings to reveal what food they have found in the area and what their experiences have been. They share everything and are mindful of the next one to follow in their footsteps. They live in harmony with nature; the circle of life.

Our guide is an excellent storyteller, the kind who provokes thought. I gained a new appreciation for history, listening to him tell of his deductions, observations, experiences and readings. After on more look at the view and attempt to imprint it in my memory I followed the others to the bottom for our picnic lunch. Some village people (from the local Ndebele tribe) had spotted us on the way in and by now had a beautiful display of crafts for our shopping pleasure. I hesitated because I knew that while we would purchase something, I would walk away feeling like I had fed one family and not another. Its hard to feel entirely good about that. However, maybe I'm thinking about it incorrectly; maybe they share everything they earn selling their crafts.

As we drove into the village again, a few people had gathered outside their communal gathering to do a little dance for us. We were welcomed into the kitchen hut and circled around to listen to the chief talk in his language and laugh with Ian. The huts are made with the soil collected from termite mounds (this soil contains termite secretion that acts like a cement), cow dung and water. They are circular, with a cone shaped roof made of layered grasses twined together. Apparently it keeps them dry and also allows the smoke from the fire to vent. As we left, they did another dance and waved with very white toothy smiles.

We drove further, back into the park to visit the grave site of Cecil Rhodes and hear the story about the life of Rhodes. Very fascinating!!! Rhodes is buried in the rock at the top of a cliff overlooking a beautiful panorama. This is where we sat to hear his life story.

Next was our very focused search for Rhino. We drove down several back roads within the park in our search, but without luck. On the way out of the park our guide asked the gate keepers where the last siting had been. Apparently two rhino had been sited outside the park yesterday, so off we went to “Three Sisters” (a location that meant something to our guide). He eventually pulled over and said, “Everyone willing to climb that; the rhino may be on the other side?” Off we went. I let everyone go ahead of me because I wanted to be sure of my footing; no interest in requiring any kind of physical repair while travelling. It got steep and then all I could think of was, “Oh my God, how will I get down?” Our guide turned up reaching out his hand and saying, “There's three rhino on the other side.” “Don't worry about getting down.” Apparently getting down isn't a problem so within seconds I was at the top and there they were; a Mama white rhino and her baby. We saw a black rhino in Etosha so we have been very fortunate. While we see these animals at the zoo and at African Lion Safari, there is something exhilarating about seeing them in the wild where they are dependent on being allowed the freedom to exist in their rich habitat, using their adaptations and traditions to survive. Sadly, their biggest threat is humans who upset their balance by poaching to such an extent that they are endangered.

Carefully, we descended the rock cliff and drove back to camp with the sun setting on our left and the wind pulling our hair back. Truly, this was a memorable day!

                                               Ian, LA; jeep trasport for the day

Hwange National Park

HWANGE NATIONAL PARK

February 18

We convened as a group once again, as we gobbled down breakfast created by Kioko once again. Three girls, studying anthropology, from Iceland have joined us in the second half of the journey. After breakfast we headed towards Hwange National Park, (190 km – 4 hours), Along the way we stopped to visit the Painted Dog Conservation Group. The education center was very well done and we heard about the plight of the African Wild Dog before hiking to the rehabilitation camp where they are nursing three injured dogs back to health. It was very interesting indeed and worth researching these very unique animals which actually swallow their meet whole after a kill and regurgitate it later to chew and digest it. This seems to be the safest way to eat everything before uninvited guests come to enjoy the picnic. 

We arrived at Hwange National Park by lunch time and after lunch, met Andy and his family. Andy took us on a game drive through the park, stopping frequently to tell anecdotes about the plant life, birds and animals in the park. We were in the park for about four hours and saw herds of zebra, a few giraffe, one lone elephant and on the way back to camp, a lion on the side of the road who gave us quite a show. The sun was setting so we headed back to camp for dinner and a brief break. One hour later, Andy picked up up again for a two hour night game drive. During the night he spotted the animals quickly with a spot light, capturing their eyes which glowed in the dark. Then he would pull over turn the jeep and lights out and we sat and listened to the sounds of the animals just meters away grazing and communicating. It took on a whole other meaning for me as I listened to an elephant right beside the jeep tear at long chunks of grass and grind it to pieces. I wasn't afraid at all. That surprised me!

Bulawaya - February 19

We travelled 310 km to Bulawaya. We settled into a beautiful site with great showers and we all had a room. This was the perfect place to use as a base to explore Matobo National Park. We met Ian, the very knowledgeable guide who spoke to us about the plan for tomorrow and cautioned us about what we should wear and bring. NO BRIGHT COLORS! Hmmmm.

Victoria Falls

VICTORIA FALLS

February 15

We were up early; I especially early because I wanted to get a shower before even the monkeys awoke. Why, you might ask? Well, because the ladies washroom was painted and when I tried to use it last night I was redirected out. I didn't think it would be a problem since the showers were tiled and avoiding wet painted walls was much less stressful than the alternative. The alternative was unisex washroom/showers. PASS on that! Thus, I was up the next morning even before the wildlife to be the one and only and first in the shower. It was glorious!!!!! 

Once on the road, we made good time. We crossed the border into Zimbabwe and now we have another beautiful visa and stamp in our passports. Its all good! Shortly after crossing the border we arrived at our final destination for a few nights: Victoria Falls. We set up our tents and scrambled to unpack our laundry and anything that had a hint of mildew smell. Here we come laundry service...... its cheaper to let somebody do the laundry for us than to buy the soap and pay for use of the machines. Wow! It just keeps getting better!  

Once we were all sorted, we headed to the Falls and hiked alongside of it, stopping at frequent look-out points at the spectacular views. We were lucky to have a clear day and many rainbow sitings. To give you perspective, Niagara Falls is 51 meters high and Victoria Falls is 107 metres high. The volume of water going over Niagara Falls is double that of Victoria Falls.

This was our last meal with the entire group since Victoria Falls is the end point for Scott, Sara, Gord, Sam, Liz and Sean. We went to the very posh Victoria Falls Hotel for the all-you-can-eat buffet. It was soooooo good and while we ate there were some dance performers, in costume doing some ceremonial song and dance right in front of us. We loved every minute of it! It was quite a contrast going back to camp. We went to sleep quickly dreaming of clean clothes in the morning.

February 16

It rained in the night again and since this was our chance to dry everything out and charge all our batteries, we decided to spend 22 dollars a night and upgrade to a hut with a concrete floor, bed and roof. We lucked out and have a ceiling fan too!!!! Today, Ed and Gord spent a lot of time chatting, chatting, and mooooore chatting so I plugged my net book into the wall at reception and enjoyed three hours of reading email, updating the blog and writing a few emails. 

We enjoyed the pool and poolside restaurant/refreshment station for most of the afternoon and apart from saying goodbye to different people in our group as they were picked up by taxi drivers en route to the airport, it was a pretty relaxing day. For dinner we went to a restaurant called Mama Africa. The food was delicious and the culture of Africa was present. Part way through dinner the live music started; another memorable mealtime!

February 17

I woke up this morning very hopeful for a shower. Since there is a big repair going on in town with a main pipe, there hasn't been water in the showers, at least not at the times when I have tried. Water comes from the tap in the sink in a trickle. On my way to the shower block two different women signalled to me from their doorways asking where I had found water. Oh,oh, not a good sign. Still hopeful that maybe I knew of the one place where water would flow from the shower, I raced forward. I turned on the shower and a trickle of water came through. Okay, I thought, this may take some time but eventually my shower will be complete. Once the shampoo was lathered in my hair the water went completely dry. “Nooooooooo!” I scooted from shower stall to shower stall like Peter Rabbit scurrying around Mr. McGregors's veggie garden, hoping not to be seen in my birthday suit, but no luck; no water. I resorted to a sponge bath, so to speak, got dressed and then proceeded to find an outside tap at one of the campsites to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. Third try was magic and met with success. Turns out that there are two lines of water; one with treated water for drinking and one with Zambezi River water. Only one of the lines was broken and honestly I don't want to know which one. 

We had breakfast by the pool; very peaceful. Ed couldn't resist the Indabelly Breakfast and I gobbled down an omelet at the restaurant named Garden of Eat'n. Over our free coffee we planned our day. After taking one last bag of a few laundry pieces to the reception, and trading a couple of books in town, we said our good byes to Gord and Sam and took a taxi to the launch pad. It was a beautiful, clear day, so we took a helicopter ride over the falls. Ed wanted to do a micro-flight but the opportunity is only offered in Zambia and we have single entry visas for Zimbabwe, so it didn't work out. The good part of that result is that we could go together in the helicopter and witness the Falls. Ed sat in the front seat and had a 360 degree view out the windshield that surrounded the chopper. I also had an awesome view. The pilot was very informative and a very friendly fellow, willing to answer questions. He circled around a few times in a figure 8 over the area. The sight left me speechless and brought a tears to my eyes. Powerful beauty!

We returned to camp and had a quick bite to eat before venturing across the bridge to watch the bungy jumpers. The bridge joins Zimbabwe with Zambia so we had to wait in line for a ticket allowing us to cross part way on the bridge. Truck traffic, diesel fumes and heat made the trek a bit of a challenge but the destination was well worth the effort. We watched a bungy jumper to a crazy stunt and were able to watch the falls for some time, isolating devil's pool at the very top. By the time we walked the 3 km back to camp, we were very heated so jumped in the pool and watched the steam rise from our bodies as we cooled down. LOL Water pipes were completely repaired so it was shower time followed by packing, charging cameras, collecting clean clothes and packing. Its amazing how long all that takes.

After dinner we bought another WIFI password and caught up on some emails. Ed read the Toronto Star on our net book and we were both happy campers.

Chobe National Park

February 13 – Enroute to Chobe National Park

Today was a looonnngg travel day – 444 km travelled at a speed of 65km./hr. After some truck repairs we were on our way by 8:30 am. Before crossing the border into Botswana, we stopped in a small town to collect a little food and replenish truck parts in anticipation of future breakdowns. We crossed the border one last time, exiting Namibia and entering Botswana. Our destination was Chobe Safari Lodge and along the way we sited a huge heard of waterbuffalo making their way to a waterhole close to the road. Alongside of them was a herd of elephants enroute to the same destination. WOW; we weren't even in the park yet. When we arrived, it was quite a shock to see such a beautiful lodge. We stayed in the campground,but were allowed to use all the facilities including the pool, extensive porch overlooking the Chobe River, very comfortable reception area and ofcourse, beautiful washrooms equiped with soap too! I increased my fluid intake just so I could use the washroom more. Even the sinks were inlayed with beautiful tiled paintings of birds we have seen. Our campground was inhabited by monkeys but they moved over without a fuss. It was an early night as we gobbled down dinner and settled in for the night before the rain campe pelting down at 9:00 p.m.

February 14 – Chobe National Park

We were up at 5:00 am and after a quick slice of bread and coffee we loaded into our Park jeep and began the three hour adventure into the park to seek out wildlife. We saw many beautiful birds making sounds that perked us all up to attention. Along the way we saw elephants, hyena on the roadside, warthogs, giraffe, sable antelope, and waterbuck.. It was a successful game drive followed by Kioko's brunch and stories shared about the animals sited by group members who were on a different jeep.

The remainder of the day we enjoyed the pool (after we chased the monkeys out of the truck so we could get our bathingsuits) and relaxation before our three hour cruise down the Chobe River in search of hungry hippo feasting on the reeds. It was an incredibly peaceful ride as the boat slowly drifted its way closer and closer to the hippos who were so involved with eating, I don't think they knew we were there. We saw more hippos than I ever dreamed we would, heard their grunting and even had an unusually energetic one decide to swim like a dolphin beside us for a couple of seconds. After surfacing the first time he opened his mouth so wide, we could see everything. His head alone was the size of a baby elephant and he created waves with the seconds of effort to swim alongside of us. It was definitely dinner time, but Kioko didn't have dinner planned until 8:00 Good thing I had some peanuts and raisins for Ed, or he would have passed out with hunger, I'm sure!!!

Bush Camp Exit and Umvuvu Camp Entry

February 11-12 – Bush Camp Exit and Umvuvu (hippo) Camp

We had a good sleep and no visitors from outside the camp; even the baboons slept the night. Go figure! Apparently, the only creature awake that had an impact on us, were ants. My ankles and feet were crawling with itch and judging by the red welts, I assumed ants had a good picnic. Out came the first aid kit and I applied both benedryl and cortate since I couldn't resist the temptation to dig my nails into the welts and scratch them. Once I had all my remedies out, Ed joined me to apply some benedryl on his ankles. The ants didn't like him as much as me so he got off on that one. Our wake up call was 6:00; time for a quick snack and then off for our three hour hike led by Tom.

At first the theme of the hike was flowers, insects and song birds. Then we started to stumble on fresh elephant dung and hippo dung. Hmmm, I thought, if I were to do some forward thinking, where would I go and what would I do if there was a need to find shelter from such animals. Since I really couldn't work through the thoughts and come up with reasonable answers, I decided to simply trust our guide. Surely he knew how to circumvent a problem. As we were examining a hole, apparently created by a warthog, guess what popped out of the hole; you got it! Fortunately the warthog was more afraid of the sight of humans and made a wild sudden dash in the opposite direction. Fortunate for us; there must not have been babies in the hole, or the scene may have taken a whole other picture. As we continued our walk, Tom told us to close our eyes and listen. NO WAY! An elephant on our pathway ahead of us. Okay, I wondered, how will he get us out of this one. Surprisingly, I didn't even feel scared! Tom was at the front of our line and his friend Steve was at the back. They exchanged words, which seemed to be the creation of a strategy to get by the elephant. Tom took account of the wind direction and we circled around so that we could get a close glimpse of the elephant without being detected and at the same time find our way back to camp. It was an amazing experience; not your average hike and I was very impressed by our guide's ability to think around the situation. When we arrived back at camp, Kioko had brunch ready for us; sausage curry, rice and veggies and maple, cinnamon fritters made onsite. Unbelieveable talent, and he won't give away any of his cooking secrets. Hahaha! After brunch we cleaned up and loaded the mocaros again for the journey back to the truck.

At the truck we scrambled to get some fresh (dry) clothes and necessary items to enjoy the shower promised at the next camp. We put our tents and mattress pads away as well. A real bed awaits us!!! We headed back out to the island through the reeds; this time to Umvuvu Camp. The camp was equiped with a refreshment station, showers, outdoor kitchen and tents with beds and sheets too! The shower was A for Awesome; no paint necessary on the roof since the shower had a sky view and the privacy was created by small bamboo sticks joined together to create for walls. Luxury is a relative term, indeed. We had some free time so Ed enjoyed a successful poling lesson through the reeds. Later we all played a game of Texas Hold 'Em. Good fun!

After dinner the game continued until it started to rain and we retreated to our tents. When I thought there would be time for some shut eye, nature had a different idea and guess what won in that duo! We slept for about 4 hours and then BBBOOOOMMM! Both Ed and I woke up screaming like 4 year olds. Then came the lightening; we couldn't see it flash, but heard the electrical searing through the atmosphere. This was a storm never to forget. Once fear turned to laughter, we fell asleep. A couple hours later, I heard waves splashing. This wasn't surprising since our tent was about 4 meters from the edge of the delta. Then again, there was no wind; no motor boats; what was causing the waves? Then I could hear the grunting of some very disgruntled hippos. I woke up Ed! He didn't believe me; thought I had some vivid imagination! I looked out with my flashlight convinced that there was a presence there, but couldn't see anything. I figured it was safer in bed so hid under the covers and put my earplugs in and escaped into sleep. The next morning we heard what happened. There was a full-on show about 4 tents down from us. About 10 hippos grazing in the reeds were interrupted by a passing croc with beady golden eyes moving very quickly. Gord, one of our buddies saw the golden eyes and the tail swishing as it slithered through the middle of the hippos. No wonder there were waves that I heard. MAYBE Ed will believe me next time.

After a good breakfast, we loaded up the mokaros one more time and headed back to the truck. We travelled the long journey back acrross the Botswana border and back into Namibia where we returned to camp on the Kavango River. We collected our laundry, did a little more wash, read our email and then the dark came; not much more to do than have dinner and sleep. The delta experience turned out to be an adventure indeed. We were soooo grateful that the violent thunder storm didn't happen the night in the bush camp and we were very fortunate that it didn't rain during the long journeys through the reeds in the mocaro. That would have been a whole other experience. It was a risk worth taking since there was a way of dealing with it if the worst happened; its called a bucket and a rainsuit. The only danger is getting lost in the reeds if the rain comes down too hard, but they woudn't have taken us into the reeds if the rain came down that hard. Its all good!

A kunna matata!

Okavango Delta - Off The Beaten Track

Friday February 10 – Okavango Delta

We The Tent People

Up at 5:00 am in anticipation of the weekend ahead. We were on the bus by 7:00 with a few items packed to journey out to a bush camp on the Okavango Delta. Yikes!!! Now I know why I didn't read the trip notes before January 22. I had to do some soul searching to prepare for this one. The odds for rain were against us. The question was, how much rain would fall and at what times in the day would the rain come while on this expedition. “Prepare for the worst; expect the best” is my motto.

As we approached the border to exit Namibia, Chris, our guide said, “You haven't been to Africa yet. Today you will see Africa.” It was a bit different than our regular Friday nights when we look forward to a Travellers Game followed by Ed saying, “I've got a good movie; one we've never seen before.” Hahaha! We rode about one hour, exited the Namibian border and entered Botswana. From there we drove another four hours on washboard sand and clay roads, accented with deep potholes. When the sentences stopped making sense in my book because I couldn't track the words anymore, I fell asleep. When I woke up for the third time, we were in Seronga, a village close to our destination. The problem was that due to the bumpy ride, I had slid into a position on the seat that I couldn't manoever out of at first. Our seats are not adjustable; more like school bus seats. Fortunately, falling asleep sitting up is not an unusual practice for me as many of you reading this know. However, I will say, I miss that reclining option! Hahaha.

We are in the Caprivi Strip. Most Caprivians make a living from farming and fishing. We passed many family plots of land, claimed with several mud huts and surrounded by fences made of many sticks in an upright position. Some had roofs made from a mixture of vegetation. Others had the luxury of aluminum roofs secured to the walls with large stones. I spotted one hut with a solar panel. Mullet is the seed of choice to plant and fields are plowed with a blade pulled by oxen and guided from behind with two men. These people live day by day and for some, the corner store is a days walk away.

About an hour later, we joined our transport for the journey into the Delta. After Kioko did his magic preparing us a lunch on the side of the road we were good to go. Kioka makes the best tuna salad sandwich; everything from onion to corn is included in the sandwich filler. Then we top it with cucumber, tomato, green pepper, lettuce, onion and sweet chlli sauce. MMMMM! Subs, African style. I cut mine up with a fork and knife; haven't figured out a better way to eat it yet.

We met the group of people who were the experts guiding us into the Delta. We loaded up the mokaros (small dug-out style canoes); tents, mattress pads, sleeping bags, rain gear, necessities for one night, cooking supplies, drinking water, food, and chairs. What; no paddles? Each mokaro was operated by a poler who stood at the back of the boat, guiding the mokaro through the tall reeds and pushing us along, using a long pole. The ride through the reed paths created by hippos, was about one and a half hours. Very peaceful;beautiful experience. I put aside the visual and closed my eyes to let my ears do the interpreting. There were many different varieties of very happy birds singing their songs as the Jesus Bird followed us along, hopping from lillypad to lillypad without even getting its feet wet, I'm sure.

Once at our camp, we set up our tents and Tom, our guide introduced us to the International Office, where we were welcomed to leave a message as needed. Yup, you got it; the toilet. After the tents were set up, we talked a bit and caught up in our journals while Kioko made us popcorn; Magic Kioko. At 5:30 we were in the mokaro again, on a quest to find hippos and watch the sunset. SUCCESS!! We stumbled upon a herd of about 10 hippos enjoying an evening feed and bath in the reeds. We watched them for about half an hour. I couldn't believe how gigantic they were. All we saw was the heads and sometimes a huuuuuuge toothy yawn. I can only imagine how big their bodies must have been. No shortage of food here for the hippo! We were poled back to camp moving into the sunset. Peaceful indeed. Chris, our guide likes to tease me about the animals coming to camp. Its fun and while I know he is just teasing, I'm guessing there is an element of possibility that we are squatting on the territory of some kind of creature that may not take kindly to it. There is a possibility of visitors such as baboon, elephant, warthog, hippo and ants in this wilderness camp. The fresh elephant and hippo dung is a pretty clear indication of that, anyway. Hahaha! Since they are all vegetarian, it really isn't a worry unless we get in the way of a Mommy who interprets our presence as a threat to her children. Of all those creatures, the ant has the most painful bite, so far.

Once back at camp, we had another excellent dinner prepared by Kioko and started a camp fire. The polers performed a welcome song and dance (actually three song and dances) before the wind blew in followed by the rain. BEDTIME!!!! SHELTER!!!!

                                            Roadway we drove four hours on to the Delta

                 Communities Living Off The Land - Architecture Along the Way To Delta

Flat Stanley in the Delta.
Yeah! He finally found away out of my backpack.
Also, Chris, our guide; best Intrepid Guide

This is a picture of our camping supplies being taken to the island bush camp.  Camping was easier than wilderness camping in Algonquin; no portaging and plenty of help.

Tea and Popcorn After Putting Up Tents

                                                    Kioko (in blue) and Our Team of Polers

Roy's Camp to Caprivi Strip

Thursday February 9 – Roy's Camp to Caprivi Strip

We stayed at a camp called Roy's Camp Wednesday night. We have now had about three days of on and off rain, so our tent is a bit wet (on the outside only so far). By now we are washing our clothes a few pieces at a time in the bathroom sink and hanging them to dry. When the rain comes in the middle of the night I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. The good news is the clothes are well rinced and have a very fresh scent. The bad news is that it takes some genius to dry out the clothes somehow before the mildew smell sets in. Soooooo, on those 5 to 7 hour bus rides our bus looks somewhat like a portable laundromat with clotheslines connected from shelf to shelf across the width of the bus. Windows down and the breeze blows those clothes dry pretty fast. Top of the list two best Christmas gifts: clothesline made of twisted elastic so no pegs necessary, and soap sheets in a nifty case for those gas station washrooms (2Namibian dollars buys about 8 squares of toilet paper at the washroom entrance and the right to use a clean washroom, but no soap. Hahaha).

Thursday night was no different than the night before; RAIN! Problem was that Roy's Camp was mapped with very narrow and windy sandy roads, making it very difficult for our monster truck to manouver around. On the way in Ed had his hand on the window and one of the tree thorns found a home in his finger. Tweezers entered the scene along with immediate gauze, tape and cortate cream. Bacteria didn't have a chance with our response. Hahaha! By the way, Ed is cured of whatever ailed him back in Etosha. Yeah!!! He's back washing dishes and pots and cutting veggies when its his turn.

On the way out of Roy's Camp we got stuck; no surprises there! We were so deep, the muffler was touching the road. Fortunately a neighbor with a tractor came on the scene and after some discussion in two different languages about how we were going to get ourselves out of the mess, the problem was solved. Success criteria met and I visualized an elaborate Bump – It- Up Board that could have been created from the problem solving task. Onward!

Hours later we arrived in Rundu where we collected some food supplies and wandered around while the truck was fueled. When we go into the towns, it feels like we are walking into a movie set; doesn't seem real. We are the strangers doing our best to use observation skills to answer our questions. We are definitely the minority and do our best to figure it all out. By 2:00 we were on our way to Bagani, Namibia. Our camp is on the Namibian Caprivi Strip on the Kavango River. The area is not frequented by a lot of tourists and is very natural. Chris, our guide warned us not to dip our feet into the river; BEWARE OF CROCODILE! To the pool we go.

Hoba Meteorite and San People

Wednesday February 8 - Hoba Meteorite and San People

After our second night in Etosha we did one more game drive. Today the roads were much better and we were able to access one of the man-made waterholes to see a spectacle I will never forget.

                                                         zebra and springbok

                 

Once out of the Park we headed to Grootfontein to replenish our food supply and check out the main attraction. There is a meteorite called the Hoba Meteorite. Believe it! It's the world's largest meteorite and weighs 60 tons. This chunk of iron is believed to have fallen about 80,000 years ago.

Next we drove on to Roy's Camp to set up our tents and fill waterbottles before heading out to Bushmanland, where we had a guided bush walk within the village of the San People. Alias, a member of the village, translated what the medicine man explained about their way of life. The hike began with the traditional fire starting welcome and off we went. As we walked, we stopped at specific plants where the medicine man explained how some plants and roots are used for medications and food and weapons. In closing, the females in the village performed a dance in celebration of a healthy fruit harvest. They called it “Monkey Dance”. Next, all the villagers gathered around the fire to perform a song and tribal dance meant to call on the ancestors to ask advice about which medicines to use for someone ill or in pain, especially during childbirth. The San People are the oldest ethnic group in Namibia. They have inhabited Southern Africa for about 20,000 years. About 2,000 of them continue to follow the traditional way of life. I videotaped pretty much the entire walk so for those we know who would like to see some very primitive pictures about way of life in this region of Africa, we have some educational entertainment reserved for you. I walked away from the experience amazed by the survival instincts and beliefs that fuse together to make existence possible within the sandy bushland. WOW!!!!

                     

Pictures Taken In Etosha National Park

ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Etosha means "Great White Place of Dry Water" in the local language, describing the massive mineral pan in the middle of the Park's landscape.  flat, saline desert, covering over 5,000 sq. km. The Pan is an immense, Between the bushland surrounding the pans, clearings, pans and waterholes, game viewing is rich with wildlife.  There is much more than the Big Five here.  It is also habitat for over 114 mammal species and 340 bird species and 16 reptile and amphibian species and ofcourse countless insects.

Springbbok

Swakopmund to Etosha National Park

Saturday February 4 – Swakopmund to Spitzkoppe, Cape Cross

We enjoyed our last breakfast at the Village Restaurant; our favorite eating spot and were on the bus by 9:30 heading towards our destination 240 km away. There we witnessed the sight, sound and smell of thousands of olive-coloured seals on the shores of Cape Cross. The cape is a breeding ground for Cape Fur Seals; now with about 200,000 of them. It was pretty raw, but we stayed for half an hour photographing and videotaping their antics. By 3:00 we were settling into the bush camp at Spitzkoppe. Beautiful and HOT!!!! We set up our tents and sat in the shade created by our precious truck. Once the cool breeze started we ventured off on a hike to check out the rock paintings left by some very early dwellers. The landscpe was very much like the landscape around Ayer's Rock in Australia, so you can imagine the beautiful hues reflected off the rock at sunset.  These ancient landscapes are known as the Matterhorn of Namibia.

                                                            Sunset at Skitzkoppe

Sunday February 5 – Almost Etosha National Park

We started off at dawn, taking down camp and packing up so that we could be at Etosha National Park by 2:00 The drives are long and often on dirt roads. This particular ride was a bit of a challenge. Something made a CLUNK as we scrambled over washboard roads. The truck made it to the next small town where our driver reported we needed to replace a bearing. He predicted about an hour delay so we made lunch, ate, cleaned up, slapped on a third layer of sunscreen and sat on the steps to bake. Two hours later, there seemed to be another problem discovered. Fortunately our driver is also a mechanic which is apparently another prerequisite of the job description. We started to explore the town to see if anything was open. Yessssssss; an internet cafe and refreshment stand. We talked and talked and checked our mail and talked some more. On request the kitchen staff even came out and danced for us. Only in Africa!!! Six hours later, Chris, our guide came with the report and a decision to be made. We ended up staying at a campsite/resort in town and opted to get up early enough to get to Etosha National Park by the time the gates open. We were the only tourists in town so I asked what the price of a room upgrade would be. For $30. we had a roof over our heads and an ensuite shower. Everybody decided to do the same; give the tents a rest. Shower, clean clothes and a delicious restaurant meal. Heaven!!!!!

Monday February 6 – Etosha National Park

We were up at the crack of dawn and packed up by 7:00 breakfast. Ed took the packs out to the truck and wellllll, I thought he was coming back to help me with the last load. Instead he was distracted by the smell of coffee brewing in the campsite. Kioko had breakfast all ready. I waited and waited and no Ed. No tourists, except me, no staff, no sounds....... panic. Did they leave without me? Finally I found somebody who could help. I guess I missed the direction about meeting for breakfast at the campsite. Onward!

We arrived in Etosha National Park shortly after the gates opened and spent the rest of the day on three different game drives, with an hour break between each. We sited giraffe, wildabeast, jackel, zebra, springbok, oryx and one lone rhino. At camp, we seem to be co-existing with jackels that weave in an out of the campsite hoping for a handout. As I write this message I am sitting in our tent. It's 3:30 a.m and I am wide awake. Hmmmm, is it the chorus of snoring within our campsite mixed with the musical notes created from pork and beans eaten at dinner, or the stinky shoes in our tent that causes this inability to sleep (we were told to put our shoes in the tent if we wanted to use them again in the morning since jackels like to take shoes). No, I reckon the insomnia is caused by the blood curdling lion roar I can hear repeatedly. There must be a lion close to the gates because it sounds like its wandering the campground. Again, LA fear factor; add African Lion in campsite to the list right up there with the bear in Algonquin Park attracted to a lake trout campfire meal Ed is sound asleep beside me here. He is pretty tired for another reason. He disappeared this afternoon for quite some time. It is clear he doesn't have the ostrich stomack he thought he had. He was told by our guide today, “No more meal prep., dish washing or dish flapping (drying)for you Ed.” “AAndddddd, 24 hours of rice only if the bug isn't gone by morning.” Oh joy, oh bliss; Ed will be an humbrey hombrey. I'm getting the feeling that we are headed into some territory that may call for adaptation. I just follow whatever our guide tells us to do; right now the advice is to cover up at dusk. We are taking our malaria tablets and have used our mosquito net already. Bug juice is now in the day pack right next to the battery chargers.

Swakopmund, Namibia

sand dunes on the edge of Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia

Ed, unable to resist the temptation to sail down the dune on a piece of hard board, like a make-shift sled.  He clocked in at 72 km. per hour going down the dune and half way up the next dune.

February 3 - Swakopmund

Today marks our second day in this coastal town.  I believe we have tried most of the restaurants and enjoyed a good feed of seafood.  It actually felt weird the first few hours here as we adapted to being in civilization again.  We are all ready to head back on the road again.  You can see that Ed had a blast participating in a boogie board ride down a sand dune.  He hitched the ride from one of the girls who didn't want to take her second run.  Too much climbing; no chairlifts here. Hahaha!  Right now Ed is out on the dunes on a four wheeler with Chris from New Zealand; boys day out on the dune.  I'm writing this blog as I ignore somebody trying to sell me green grapes on the patio of a very quaint cafe. Lovin' life!!!

Namib Desert, Dune Fields and DUNE 45

January 31 - Namib Desert and Dune 45 Highlight

Namibia, meaning VAST desert. Only the most adaptable creatures can survive in this land that goes on and on for kilometers before even a small shanty hut can be seen. Believe it or not there are farmers who choose to farm this land; shaking out an existence, raising sheep and goats is the only farming possible. Animals we have sited include jackels, oryx, springbok (like our deer).and ofcourse ostrich, both wild and farmed. When we went out for dinner our last night in Cape Town, Ed and I chose the game platter to share. The spread included crocodile, ostrich, warthog ribs and as Clancy reminds me (one of the Aussie girls travelling with us), oryx was also on the platter. As I was admiring the young female oryx, she blurted, “Lyn, you ate part of one of those animals a few nights ago.” Wait till we see a warthog, and I remind her of the tasty ribs she devoured. Hahaha! I am now vegetarian and Kioko, our cook creates some magical veggie dishes for Alisia (a young British girl) and I every night for dinner. By now, we are all very familiar with each other.  At 5:00 am wake up call this morning, we all scrambled to collect our valuables, including water and sunscreen and get on the bus by 5:15 a.m. It was an urgent matter, of dire importance for all fourteen of us (including Sam our driver, Kioko our cook and Chris our leader).

There are a few markers which consistently mark the days for me; the sunrise, the hot, the breeze, the cool, the sunset, the dark, the cold. Today's sunrise was particuloarly special. We drove 10 km to the most famous part of the Namibian Desert,the dune fields. Balancing on the crest of Dune 45 we climbed to the very top and watched the sunrise. Ofcourse, Ed was the first one in our group to reach the top; testing his limits, I suppose. The sky was clear and the sun spectacular and we greeted it with all kinds of appreciation. Descending was a blast as we hopped, skipped and jumped down the other side. Kioko had bacon and eggs and toast and sliced apples all ready for us by the time we reached the bottom. Breakfast for fourteen cooked alongside of our truck. Anything is possible!

Mindful of the fact that the Namib-Naukluft National Park is the location of the oldest desert in the world, it isn't surprising what we hiked to next. Our next destination was Deadvlei, meaning dead marsh. It was a massive dried up marsh (crusty clay and rock) garnished with several tees (approx. 800 years old), looking like massive chunks of driftwood or sculpted trees with all the effects of 800 years of weathering.Onward we plowed on foot and in a jeep to Soussusviel. Word has it that the Tsauchab River flowed through these parts about 15 million years ago. It is thought that this river once flowed all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, but its course was blocked by the massive sand dunes. Now the river flows out to the dune fields that stretch for hundreds of miles up the coast, and dries up in a clay pan at Soussusviel. Guess what that S word means; dead end marsh.

Back to the campsite for lunch and a quick shower and then the five hour drive to our first bush camp in the desert. Along the way we sited zebra, oryx, warthog, fox, jackel, and springbok. We drove quite a long way on the washboard road, through a mountainous pass to the camp. We fournd a beautiful campsite overlooking the plains and had to scare a male oryx away so we could set up camp. The bees were very happy to see us, indeed. They enjoyed a good drink of water while we all escaped to a nearby rock to watch the sunset

                                        Setting up camp the night before the big climb of Dune 45

                                                      
                                                        View from the top of Dune 45

      

                                                       
                       Kioko making pancakes at the bush camp and our driver Sam helping out.

Fish River Canyon and Beyond

January 29 and 30 – Fish River Canyon and Beyond

By 1:30 in the afternoon, we were on our way to Fish River Canyon. The road was long, with beautiful rugged scenery to follow and opportunity to keep a look-out for wildlife. By the time we reached our campsite we set up tents and scrambled to the pool where we contributed to the human billabong. Once cooled off, we set out in search of sunset over Fish River Canyon. We hiked to the Canyon's edge and enjoyed the views. By 7:30 we were back at camp to enjoy Kioko's dinner and sleeeeeeeep!

The next day was a long 10 hour ride to the Namibia desert. The journey took us through the mountains, dunes and plains of the Namib Desert. Along the way we stopped in Bethany to make lunch and walk around the very small village. A beautiful flowering cactus garden captivated our attention for a while before we were on the road again. Finally we arrived at our camp close to the dunes. Yessssss; a pool too. After setting up our tents in a circle around the Camel-thorn Acacia Tree, we were jumping into the pool, or human billabong. The campground was beautiful, so we explored a little before venturing to Sesriem Canyon where we hiked to the bottom and up again. By the time we returned Kioko had worked his magic again. The dark came shortly after so we went to sleep, while the Sociable Weaver worked hard to feed the community of birds living in the very large nest of the tree in the center of our campsite.

Fish River Canyon

Transportation and Home for 40 days

Gamesbok or Oryx on the side of the road

The Visual Picture

Picture 1: Truck we rode in from Cape Town for the first two days

Picture 2: Wine tasting at our first camp.