Blogs from Aris, Windhoek, Namibia, Africa

Namibia - Wow.....Desert, bush, dunes and an ocean!! I'm going to leave the next two blog posts fairly brief and let my pictures do the talking - as they are good. Arrived in Windhoek after a 20 hour bus journey from Livingstone, Zambia - used Intercape who provided a quality service, apart from the air con. Due to the roaring temperatures during the day, the company leave the air con on all night which resulted in everyone freezing to death. I actually had to grab my sleeping bag at a stop north of Windhoek during the middle of the night as I was far too cold. Also, saw an elephant crossing the road when we were driving along the Caprivi Strip. Windhoek - modern, developed city - extremely clean and very sparsely populated, not surprising given ... read more

Well my friends - what an absolute slacker i am! in all seriousness, this is the first time i have been able to sit at a computer since my last update back in Zambia. Genuinely, we have only been using our phones with WiFi and to write this kind of text on my phone is a massive ball ache so i have been very naughty and not written anything. BAD KIMMY!!!!! So i shall fill you in on our adventures through Botswana and Namibia, and then i will write another entry for South Africa. Although as we are on our way home next Tuesday i dont really have loads of time so i may have to renege on that promise - but we shall see!!! :) So we got ENGAGED and saw some Rhinos and Rainbows ... read more

We checked in, dumped our bags then headed out to check out Windhoek… it didn’t take long, the CBD is very small. We walked up a street to a famous german church and on the way walked past a street market of touristy goods, a bunch of women were there selling figurines and jewellery, they are called the Himba and wear mud over their bodies and have amazing hair, with almost like thick dreadlocks and wear thick necklaces. We walked down Independence ave, the main street and down a shopping mall. We had lunch in an Italian restaurant and had nice pizzas. We bought dinner from pick and pay, the supermarket nearby. That night we went to bed early, very tired from not a proper nights sleep the night before on the bus, but our room ... read more

Been in Namibia for over a week now and this is the first chance I've had to get on the internet.. Not really sure where to start with the stories.. I arrived last Thursday to possibly the worst thunder and lightening storm I have ever seen and it continued to rain for the next few days, eventually got some sun on the weekend.. and got burnt. I did my first two days on the Wildlife side of the programme which involved walking the big baboons who lke to have a ride on your shoulder and pee down your neck, feeding all the animals including the big carnivores that there are at N/a a'n Ku Se, I think it's 5 lions, 2 leopards, 10 cheaters and 2 wild dogs. Food prep includes cutting up lots og veggies ... read more

Neither staff nor participants can quite believe the end of the expedition has come and it’s time to swap email addresses and say farewells before continuing journeys homeward-bound, across the country or to pastures new. It’s been a fantastic ten weeks - a roller-coaster ride of emotions, new friendships, different experiences and expanded comfort zones! We’ve built a school from scratch, designed and constructed three playgrounds, one as part of a new sensory trail for the site at REST, where we've also helped develop a new aviary, improved a range of facilities at Cape Cross Seal Reserve and trekked many, many kilometres through river beds and desert plains to the Skeleton Coast. We’ve made an impact on the lives of communities and wildlife across Namibia and have travelled the length and breadth of its long, ... read more