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Published: February 5th 2011
ok..so on day 28 of my 40 day tour...and am going to try for a 2nd entry!! i left you on day 4 (o dear!! this may take a while!!) so..left the canyon and headed for the Namib desert! lots of sunshine! its been really wonderful! the scenery has been sandy, dusty, dry! i got to sleep on top of our truck one night..aroung 12 of us up there..involved a bit of clambouring and being hoiked up by the guys!! but well worth it! sleeping under the stars (but without the scorpians and snakes) really is an amazing experience!! about 4 shooting stars that i saw, and so many stars..i cant even describe!!
hiked up dune 45 (famous dune) to watch the sunrise! wow is sand hard to walk up!! AND GREAT PLACE FOR A DODGY belly to begin!! really beautiful place!! back down..suposed to go to the salt pans..but i chilled in the truck for a but (naff to have missed it!!).
ALSO VISITED SESRIEM CANYON..so named as the number of ropes needed to lower a bucket into the water in years passed! nice to wander about..seeing the rock formations and different shadows and shapes cast about!
interesting tent events that night...had something scrabbling beneath my head..worried it was a scorpian..but thankfully just a huge beetle!! 8)
then on to Swakopmund.. here for a couple of days...under a roof!! woohoo!! food out and nights out..how civilized!! sandboarding was fantastic truck to dunes broke down), its like the perfect snow over and over again!! twisted my knees somewhat, but such good fun..hoping to do it again somewhere..maybe oz?! did stand up boarding mostly..one go on the lay down.. so close to the ground..eek!! got 65 km/hr! 8) hard work walking back up the dunes though!!
township tour was amazing..felt a bit uncomfortable at 1st..like you were invading peoples space..but the children made it,..they just came and climbed on you, held your hands, kissed you, chatted..loved having photos taken!! we met a herbalist, had some traditional food, some children put on a dance for us..just amazing people,..amazing lives!! very special!
saw some cave paintings/carvings (colours have eroded away) but quite cool!! (Damaraland) also saw the petrified forest..trees that were burried under layers of sediment then various minerals have leeched into them via roots..now look exactly like wood but hard as rock and preserved!! wierd!!
onto Etosha National park (around day 9/10) found a leopard wandering in the road, a leopard tortoise (one of the small 5) found a few watering holes (with pretty much nothing by them!!) although a cool camelion! drove right by a beautiful male elephant..just looked like an old stone statue!! amazing, and so beautiful!!
more girrafe, a very old (and VERY near the end) lion! zebra...
onto Waterberg plateau game park..now into rainy season!! and wet! very cool walk/climb up the plateau with amazing views and paths more like rivers on the way back down!! eek!
on to windhoek..the most amazing hotel..very well timed..we pulled up looking like grubs?!! but lovely lovely place!! and a HOT shower!! more town, food, drink, dancing!! lost a few of our group, and gained a couple!! not much change in the group dynamics.
on to kalahari and maun (into Botswana) walked with the San bushmen! had a scenic flight over the okavango delta..very full at the moment! very cool! 8 seater plane! saw some elephant, antelope, zebra, flew through a rainbow, watch the grass below sparkle when it turned out to be swamped in unseen water...really beautiful!!
so..the delta..the BASIC Bush camping!! eek!! motorboated (boat broke down) down the river to the mokoros (traditional dug out wooden canoes driven by a poler.. a little like punting) to an island, nothing around..warned that when night falls we go to the 'toilet'' (hole in floor) in pairs, shine a torch around before dropping your trousers, if you see any eyes or hear any wierd noises to report back to our guides and lions, hippos etc wander about freely!! had a couple of bush walks (morning and evening to avoid the heat) saw elephants, bufalo etc, very cool! and our guides were amazing.. could hear and see things that took me forever to see!! wow! hid behind a termite mound with an elephant just metres away!!
on to planet baobab, huge ancient, beautifully shaped trees! took 19 of us to hug one tree!!
then chobe national park..river cruise..boat broke down (getting to be a habit of the vehicles im on!!) saw loads of hippos and a couple of crocs etc!! very cool!! the sun set at the end of the trip, turning the water to liquid velvet!!
and a game drive the next morning! more animals (and got stuck in the sand..o dear!! didnt get eaten by lions..didnt even see any!! even with all that prey walking about!!
crossed the zambezi into zambia. got soaked!! evening dinner and booze cruise along the zambezi. watching the mist rising from the unseen falls!
up for a lion walk the next day.. brilliant to be so close to these animals.. the floor vibrated when the male started a rumble of a not even roar!! 3 lions 17 months old..they retire from these walks at 18 months as their preditory instincts are too strong!! eeks! then to the bridge to see some bungy jumping and see a small section of the falls! wow!! the mist travels accross like rain! elephant walk in the afternoon!! again..to be so close to such strong creatures is truly amazing!! and we got to feed them..i sat on his knee with his trunk in my bag of food impatient for more!! they use their trunks like hands, waving at you for more food and stuffing it into their mouths as soon as they have enough in their trunks!!
microlight cancelled the following morning 8( but went to see the others helicopter!! nice zip wire ride by the bridge, quite gentle and sedate!! 8)
microlight cancelled again! 8( went to the proper entrance to see the falls a bit closer..still very unreal..doesnt feel like youre there!! lots of mist and the roar of the water!! then food, back to the hotel and the micro is ON!!!! woohoo!! amazing experience!! thought i was gonna throw up!! but incredible view! head buffetted round by the wind..all thats holding you to the microlight is a lap belt...O MY GOODNESS!!!! really incredible!!! very beautiful..i dont know how to describe it!!
more people leaving today..very sad..they were big characters of the group! newbies have fitted in well though!!
into Malawi after a few days of pretty much just driving.. to chill by the lake! nice!! except our new guide has got malaria!! hes doing well though and loves our group so much hes refusing to leave us!! had a village tour which was cool!! saw a school (150 pupils per class) a 'hospital'' looked more like a doctors surgery and was quiet as raining!! 300 patients a day normally, staffed by one nurse/midwife and a medical asistant!! eek!!
so, thats you pretty much up to date!! will add photos as soon as i have a decent conection!! 8)
love and hugs to all!
xcx
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mum and dad
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Fantastic to hear from you Lottie, sounds amazing!Gosport will never be the same again!