After Swakopmund we went further into the Namib Desert. Friday (28th) we left Swakopmund and headed towards Sossusvlei. The Namib Desert all around Sossusvlei is the desert that you see on all the postcards: big red sand dunes. We went on a walk in the dunes and learned all about the desert, beetles, lizards, etc. Our guide was perfect for his job. He was a little quarky, but you need that in a guide. He showed us how to catch lizards by throwing a hat so that they think the shadow is a bird. They then burrow in the sand and [View Full Entry]

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Monday afternoon we arrived in Swakopmund. We're staying at the Swakop Lodge close to the town center. When we arrived we got situated and watched the activities video. Swakopmund is basically a town for adrenaline activities. Skydiving, quad-biking, sandboarding, horse riding, etc. In the evening we went to the bar/club in the hostel and basically just hung out until about 3 am. Good times... Tuesday afternoon we went quad-biking in the sand dunes! I was expecting it to be good, but it was spectacular! Seriously amazing! We need to do more 4-wheeling at home! It was cool to be in the [View Full Entry]

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We left Etosha in the morning for Cheetah Park (Otjitotongwe). Lots of places cheetahs are a big pain for farmers because they kill their animals so the farmers shoot them. This place takes the cheetahs so that they don't get shot. They live in a pretty large fenced-in area and are fed in the evenings, but they're still pretty wild. They also have a couple that are really tame that live with the family (orphans or injured) and we got to pet them. So we saw a bunch of cheetahs! It wasn't the same as seeing them in the complete wild [View Full Entry]

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The first night at Etosha we stayed at Namutoni Wilderness Resort. In the campground, not at the actual resort. It was really nice! The showers were amazing and the pool was nice too! And it even had a washroom with big sinks for washing clothes and clotheslines! Luxury! We went for an early morning game drive and then another one in the late afternoon after relaxing by the pool. The morning one was amazing and we saw all the animals that I already mentioned. In the evening we didn't really see anything until the end. Then we saw a family of [View Full Entry]

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After the Okavqango Delta we crossed into Namibia. The Delta and Chobe are really the only things to do in Botswana so we didn't spend too much time there. Our first couple nights in Namibia we bushcamped so basically we just pitched our tents along the side of the road. Apparently you aren't supposed to in Namibia but everyone does it anyway. The first night all the guys were trying to start fires and failing. Granted, some of them were trying to do it without matched, but still... So I went out there and showed them how it's done! Alaskan girls, [View Full Entry]

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So our truck... and the tour... and the people... and the basic set up... We drive everywhere in a massive yellow truck. The back has seats along the sides that are actually quite comfortable. The sides are plastic and roll up so that we can get a breeze. There are lockers under the seats where we store our bags. There are a bunch of overland companies that are essentially the same with just basic differences...some camp, others at hostels, some cook for you, others you cook your own food, some are larger, others smaller. We are one of the biggest trucks [View Full Entry]

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So I met my group on Tuesday evening, got a quick tour of the truck, had a group dinner, and went to bed. The next morning we left early for Botswana! We got to Chobe in the afternoon and went for a river safari. Lots of elephants, hippos, and crocs. At one point a whole herd of elephants came down to the river to drink water. There were about 25 of them, some of them little babies. We also saw a dead elephant covered in vultures. And we had some excitement. Our motor decided to die partway through. Luckily our driver [View Full Entry]

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Last pictures loaded until I get home! They have been added to :Getting Down to the End and Final Days. Enjoy! So let’s see…where did I leave off? Friday night we had an amazing night! Yara, Harriet, Jenni, Catrin, Tobi, Phil, Tom, Warren, Tim, and I all went out on the town! We started out at Limpo’s near our house and ended up at Step Rite for dancing. Basically it was just a big party and a lot of fun! Saturday was Zambezi Sun until it started pouring and then Sunday was rafting! I wasn’t going to go because I’ve gone [View Full Entry]

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Pictures! They're all just going on this entry because that's easier! I also added 1 to the Livingstone Island entry (very beginning of Zambia) and a couple to Zimbabwe part 2. More from Halloween and recent events hopefully to come soon... First off... woohoo for Obama! When I woke up Wednesday morning I turned on the news to watch the results come in, but the decision was already made! Obama won! Definitely made my day! Everybody was kind of amused that I was so excited but I think everyone was happy. Apparently in Kenya they made Wednesday a National holiday to [View Full Entry]

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I'm on my last week of volunteering! Hard to believe! The time has gone by really fast! So where did I leave off? Last Friday morning I had Mwandi Home-Based Care. It was my first time on a home-based care other than Maramba. The houses in Mwandi were more basic, mostly made out of mud and sticks instead of bricks and concrete. More what I was expecting the compound areas to look like. I think Maramba is more affluent (comparatively, of course) than the rest of the compounds. We saw 7 patients. I haven't had any extreme cases. One guy had [View Full Entry]

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