Namibia

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Friday
July 27

We're in Namibia! And Namibia has animals!! After one wrong turn and some really dusty bumpy roads, we hit the border around 4pm. Officials seemed confused when we asked them where immigration is but we sorted ourselves out and left Angola and crossed into Namibia without any hassle.
Having changed money and needing to wait for the others, I couldn't resist the allure of ... KFC. I know, I know, it's not good for me, it's all crap but it smelt amazing and I gave in, craving even pretend meat. Buying chicken for Nico, Suse, Denise and myself along with chips (they had no gravy!) I ran back to the truck to see I still had plenty of time. Excellent.
Once everyone was back on board, Suse announced that instead of bush camping, we were heading for a campsite in Onbangwa where we could watch the Olympics opening ceremony. We found the town easily enough but couldn't find the camp grounds without help. A lovely couple showed us the way, warning us of bumpy roads (which for us, was nothing compared to what we'd already experienced!) and taking us to the front gate.
With a lake as the centrepiece, we set up tents around the perimeter, bought beers from the bar and waited for dinner. Following that, the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Cheering each of our countries plus the ones we'd visited and will visit, the whole bar got in on the act and had a great time.

We're officially through the hardest leg of the trip and I definitely didn't feel like it was hard. From here on in there'll be more tourists, more overland trucks and a whole new meaning to the word FUN. While the last four and a half months have mostly been about the people and journey, the next few months are going to be about the animals and activities. It's going to be fantastic!
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Saturday
August 4

Wow. Everyone had been looking forward to Namibia and it definitely hasn't disappointed! But that means no time was spent writing so here are the highlights so far:

*Etosha National Park
We were in Etosha National Park for two nights and it was absolutely amazing. It's been so much more than I would ever have expected and I would love to come back some day!
We all remember being back in Morocco and thinking the animals were SO far away and now we were finally here! I spotted our first animal, a dik dik, not far through the main entrance, quickly followed by two blackfaced impala. I may have squealed before I could stop myself (we're mean to be as quiet as possible, especially as overlanders don't have the greatest of reputations in the park). After snapping enough photos to rival paparazzi anywhere, we moved on in an effort to reach the first camp, pay our camping fees and get going.
The front section of the truck's roof is tarp which was last removed in Rabat so the guys could get up on the roof to sunbathe. Eagerly we cleared the area and pulled it back, ready for our first game drive. And it didn't disappoint.
Within minutes we saw several more impala, giraffes and a wildebeest and ran from side to side on the truck, cameras clicking, muted excitement visible on everyone's faces. Turning off onto a side road, there was a small body of water with zebras coming in. It was a total National Geographic moment - minus the crocodile launching itself out of the water to grab one. Five zebra lined up next to each other, their reflections rippling in the water as they drank. I was in love. Sure I've seen zebra in zoos before but never have I really appreciated them!.
It just got better and better. The antelope, giraffe and zebra became commonplace (but no less exciting) and then we saw other vehicles stopped up ahead. It was a leopard! We saw a leopard within hours of being in the park! Rushing to the left side of the truck with cameras at the ready, it took a few seconds to spot him hiding in the scrub. Unbelievably beautiful, he watched us with little interest, seemingly unfazed by all the attention
We watched until he vanished from sight and kept going and saw a white rhino, bumbling across the savannah! I got some nice photos of him and we sat mesmerised, wondering how we could be so lucky.
You can see animals off in the distance, tiny specs that we played 'guess the animal' with. Everyone was so happy that the first few hours had been such a success. And then we followed a bend in the road and Suse slowed. Up ahead, a family of no less than six elephants were scattered on both sides of the road! We fell over ourselves in an effort to hang out the sides and see past the other truck A young calf stuck close to its mother while what appeared to be teenagers played with branches torn from the tree and dragged across the road. With stupid grins we alternated between taking photos and just watching. I learnt my lesson in Antarctica and tried to stay focused on one animal and watch its behaviour, rather than bouncing from one animal to another but it was hard when they were all so busy doing their own thing!
The gates to the campsites are closed between dusk and dawn so we had to be back before sunset. Pulling in, we drove towards the back and stopped near a seating area and toilet block. It was busy without being crowded, mostly with families or small trucks, most already prepping for dinner. Denise and I took off straight away for the water hole, eager to check it out and found around thirty people sitting quietly watching a white rhino quenching its thirst. Some sat under the sheltered area on seats, other stood at the short rocky wall with cameras mounted on tripods and some sat on the rocks strewn about the place. Two large floodlights lit the water hole with a soft yellow glow. We grinned at each other and stood watching. It's the only park where it's possible to sit at a water hole and watch the animals come in to drink and it's especially good at this time of year because it's dry season so their other options are limited.
During dinner we learnt that there were honey badgers in the campsite and my ears perked up. I've met a stuffed one at a friend's house and knew of their vicious reputation but now I was being told not to keep food or scented items (like toothpaste) in my tent because they might come looking for it! I decided not to test the theory and kept everything in the truck and was fascinated when I saw one soon after. In the shadows it looked like a dog (with short legs) but close to a couples' camp and the light, I could see it looked a bit like a skunk. And it moved fast. I was happy to steer clear...
People grabbed drinks, sleeping bags and cameras and put on warm clothing for an evening at the water hole. All was still when we arrived and we made ourselves comfortable on the rocks on the far side of the viewing area. Settling in, I sat and scanned the bushes, hoping to see something. Ears pricked up as hyenas called to each other not too far away and sure enough, soon one, two, three, four! hyena approached the far side of the water! Cameras clicked around us but after a couple failed attempts, I gave up and watched instead. With ears alert they lapped the water and left in the same direction from where they'd come, just as elephants trumpeted. Eyes wide with excitement, we waited with fingers crossed until two large males entered the area. One stopped in front of us and flapped his ears and had a good sniff of us all before taking up position on the right side with his mate moving a little further down. The noise made as they sucked the water up into their trunk sounded like someone slurping a bowl of noodles, followed by a spraying noise as they emptied it into their mouths. This was repeated over and over and then they stood together, leaning into each other and messing around. I loved every second of it.

The next day didn't quite go according to plan. We were packed and ready to go for 06:45 needing to stop at the petrol station to fix the annoying flat front tyre that refused to come off. Not having anything to remove the wheel nuts there either meant it was patched as well as possible in the hope that it would last the day. Alas, it didn't and after leaving a couple hours later, we soon found ourselves heading for the second camp before the tyre was completely flat again. Suse and a couple of the guys spent the majority of the day trying to loosen the nuts with begging, cursing and bent steel bars (well, they were bent by the time they were done with them) while we sat at the water hole. It was a different set up to the previous camp (larger and more open) and full of animals coming in and going out. Herds of impala, wildebeest, gemsbok, springbok, zebra and eland took their turn in some unspoken order that we couldn't fathom.

Once the wheel was fixed, we took off with only two hours left in the day and were stopped several times by other vehicles who excitedly told us of a large pride of lions only 2km ahead. And there they were. It was a magical find not only because of the size of the pride (we counted more than twenty, including several cubs of varying ages) but because they were hunting the zebra we'd passed earlier. Nestled in the tall grass, only their rounded alert ears visible, were several lionesses as one moved cautiously towards the small herd. Two large males were spotted in the scrub and all the cubs were still, eyes on the prize. When the lioness took off running towards the zebras, herding them in the direction of the others, the lionesses moved in unison, locking in on one particular animal. It was hard to know who to root for but after a short sprint, the lions gave up the chase and the zebras were safe for a little longer. It was such an amazing way to end the day and we made it back to camp just in time!

All in all, we saw more than twenty species of animals during our stay: blackfaced impala, two types of zebras, giraffe, springbok, dik dik, hartebeest, eland, gemsbok (oryx), leopard, hyena, jackal, honey badger, white rhino, black rhino, elephant, warthog, slender mongoose, cape fox, lion, wildebeest and several types of birds including the secretarybird, lilac-breasted roller, ostrich, vulture and goshawk. I can't recommend the park enough. Go!!

*Cheetah Park
Set on 250 hectares of farm land, we visited a family who run a cheetah park. Set up by the father and now run along with his sons, they fell into it by chance when they trapped a pregnant female who gave birth to two cubs and people started coming to see the cubs. As cheetahs are a pest in Namibia and often killed by farmers, someone suggested they keep them and begin a tourist attraction. They currently have 12 cheetahs that they feed daily (with kudu, zebra and other meat bought from a local butcher) which are by no means tame. I doubt they'd actually attack but the two guides are armed with long enough sticks to keep they at bay. Watching on from the back of cattle trucks, they threw the meat out and we saw them squabble and fight over the piece before one animal won the contest and withdrew to savour its prize. When we were finished, the trucks pulled up next to a fenced area that housed a mother with three cubs! They were unbelievably cute and stayed well back in the middle of the enclosure while mum snarled at us with hackles raised. We camped on their grounds awaiting the morning when we would actually pat a cheetah!
The following morning we drove back to the main house which is behind a wire fence and we spotted two of the three 'pet' cheetahs prowling along the fence. One seven year old female happily lay down on her side and we took turns petting her. It was amazing. Her fur was coarse, not soft like I somehow expected it to be and when I scratched her behind the ears, she purred!! Turns out cheetahs don't like being touched anywhere except their head and one who didn't like being touched at all (but was happy to pose for photos!).
When she'd had enough of us, she got up and wandered off and we did too, most going looking for the younger of the three. The highlight though was when a little cub was brought out. Having injured its leg, it had a tiny splint on its front leg which melted hearts. We all wanted to pick it up and never let go but failing that, settled for trying to pat it while it ignored us and checked out its surroundings. Mum and siblings were the ones we saw yesterday and they will soon be reunited. I think cheetahs became everyone's new favourite animal. At least until the next one...

*Himba tribe
Reluctantly saying goodbye to the cheetahs, we went to visit the Himba tribe in a village not too far away. Being semi-nomadic farmers, they usually stay put for around ten years which is how long adequate food and water is available for their cattle before moving on.
Women and children live in the village together while men are away tending to cattle. Once a boy is twelve or thirteen, he will join his father and when he is old enough to marry, he will leave the village and begin his own with his wife. Dowry is paid for with cows, the price being between two or three on average but as many as five and girls can be wed at any age (even infancy) but stay with their mothers until their first period when they become adults. Traditional clothing is still worn so apart from cloth skirts, their chests are bare and necks, ankles and wrists are adorned with jewellery. Ochre is smeared over their bodies giving them a red colour and their hair is covered in a mud paste of similar colour. Actual money is rarely used on a day to day basis, bartering being the most common way to obtain goods as well as using their cows as currency.
One woman we met had four children, the youngest being two months old and the oldest looking around ten. They all enjoyed having their photo taken and their only request was to see the photo afterwards! I sat between the mother and who I assume might be a grandmother and let the two older children take photos with the camera. They had a ball and quickly caught on, soon knowing what to press to see their photos. Some were quite good! Especially as I had a hard time sticking the camera in the womens' faces - they did it for me! I jumped around with them, throwing them up in the air and counted and sang and had a great time. It was hard when they lay out their wares in a circle for us to purchase. Hand carved animals, jewellery made from seeds and beads and other items were on display and I ended up buying from one of the children I'd been playing with and their mother who I'd taken photos of. They were hard bargainers but it was done with much smiling and in the end, I think we were both happy with the price. Yet another really interesting day I could never have dreamed I'd experience.

*Seal colony
Around midday Wednesday after driving past the sandy dunes along the Skeleton Coast, we pulled into the park office where we paid for our permit to go visit the seals. Having been forewarned by Suse that it stank but figuring I'd been to Antarctica and that hadn't been too bad, meant I was caught off guard by how much thousands of seals can smell. A couple people were gagging and although I wasn't at that stage, it took a fair bit of getting used to!
The beach was literally covered in seals and the ocean had several dark spots in it which on closer inspection were large groups of seals. It was truly a sight to see - and smell!
Many seals were high up the dunes and around the boardwalk so they were literally close enough to touch. Baby seals drank milk from their mothers or slept in piles with other youngsters; adults slept, called out (to each other? just because they could?) and bobbed around in the churning sea. We took photos and watched them for a while but then happily moved on, eager to reach Swakopmund.

*Swakopmund
Swakopmund was SO much fun. Said to be 'more German than Germany' and the adrenalin capital of Namibia, there was so many decisions to be made. Sand boarding or quad biking? Sea kayaking or a boat trip to see dolphins and seals? Sky diving? (though that was an easy decision to make!). A ten minute video in the booking office didn't make it any easier but in the end I signed up for sand boarding with eight others and the 2.5 hour scenic flight with Jareb and Nico.
Split between two dorm rooms, we all claimed beds and pulled our bags apart, collecting all our dirty laundry ready to have it washed in the morning. A somewhat orderly queue was made for the hot shower and all looked forward to a drink and some dinner in one of the town's many restaurants (no cook groups in Swakop, yay!).
Our game of Assassins was in full swing. All players had the name of their victim, a weapon and a location. Killings had to be done in secret and without being caught and public deaths were meant to take place so that we all knew who had died I started out with Nico, with an item of clothing, while camping. Easy peasy. I killed him the night before we got to town at a free camp with my beanie. My new target was Britt which was again easy but before I could get Jareb, Maria got me in the dorm room with a book. I never saw it coming...
It turns out that sandboarding is not my cup of tea. While others were more than happy to launch themselves headfirst down an almost vertical sand dune on barely more than a piece of plywood, I was not. Obviously I hadn't put enough thought into the whole thing and completely panicked - although only after I'd slogged it up the sand dune and could barely breathe. The lack of exercise over the past few months was evident for most of us
When Maria threw herself down the dune, I felt I had to and hesitantly lowered myself onto the waiting board being somewhat patiently held by one of the crew. Having been told to keep my elbows and feet up, I did neither and as the video shows, I went down the majority of the dune with the brakes on. I did eventually lift my feet and gained a little speed but by then the camera had moved on and my terrified face has been immortalised forever on a DVD owned by far too many people.
I did one more dune and then bailed on the next few; the runs being steeper and faster. I sat with an Irish woman who had also chickened out but I was looking forward to the tandem runs. Sitting up and with Maria in front, I was more than happy to hurtle down but after two runs, the walk back up wasn't worth it and we sat to watch the others on the snowboards. It was a fun day but I now know what sandboarding involves and it ain't me!

*Sesriem, Sossusvlei, Deadvlei
From Swakopmund we drove out to Sesriem which is the main entry point to the Namib-Naukluft National Park where Sossusvlei, the world's largest sand dunes are (we didn't believe the guide so we Googled it and it's debatable but it's up there). We arrived late in the evening with the intention of climbing Dune 45 (one of the highest in the area) for sunrise and needed to be in the campsite as their gate opens one hour earlier than that for the general public.
It was a cold, dark morning that came too soon for most. We left tents standing and piled into the truck, heading towards the dunes as the sky lightened behind us. When Suse pulled in and the stairs were dropped to let us out, some took off running and were on their way up before the rest of us reached the bottom. Climbing dunes is deceptive and Britt and I rested my knees a third of the way up. All bar two made it to the summit though and we were rewarded with fantastic views of the surrounding dunes.

*Fish River Canyon, Ai Ais
We drove through Fish River Canyon en route to Ai Ais where we spent the night. Having never seen the Grand Canyon, this was a beautiful spot to stop for some photos and chill for a little bit. From there we drove through the national park on the not so flash roads and pulled into Ai Ais after dusk. An area with natural hot springs, there's several pools outside that are set at various temperatures, some being too hot to swim in. People used the indoor pool in the evening and then swam outside the following morning, listening to the calls of baboons from high up on the cliffs that surrounded us.

From there we drove to Felix Unite in Orange River where the truck would stay whilst we went to Stellenbosch and Cape Town (vehicles without South African registration aren't allowed across the border). Sitting by the pool, watching the colours change across the river in South Africa while the sun set, with a drink in hand and the Olympics on the television in the bar, I was more than content. Coming up: two days in Stellenbosch, followed by a week off in Cape Town where I'd finally see Table Mountain, go shark cage diving and see my first live rugby match, amongst other things. We'd say goodbye to Toby and Rhys and finally meet Sherry who is joining us. It'll be a fitting spot for the halfway mark of the trip.

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Photos

leopard!!
Not great photos but I'm just thrilled I saw it

Hyena at the water hole
Having heard the elephant he was making a hasty retreat