Namibia

Day 1- We arrived to Namibia (a country north of South Africa on the western side of Africa) at around 8am. After breakfast we had our first diplomatic briefing, when two ambassadors from the US Embassy came aboard and gave us current safely concerns along with a brief history of Namibia. After the briefing we all filed up to Deck 7 because there was an all girls children’s choir that was performing on the dock for us. They were from the capital city which is inland, and many of the girls had never seen the ocean before. They were going to tour the ship later in the day. After the ship was cleared we disembarked and found our line of 10 Wild Dog Safari buses/vans. With 14 people in each van, the group of us left the dock at Walvis Bay, pronounced Valfish Bay. Ater making a brief stop at an ATM and the grocery store to stock up on snacks and beverages we left the area. It wasn’t long until we were out of the Walvis Bay area and were into the open desert. We passed some sand dunes where people were hang gliding! The sand was a beautiful orangy tan. We went through the town of Swapukmond, a German city 35km away from the dock. I was shocked at how modern and clean both Walvis Bay and Swapukmond were. It felt like you were in any old beach town. After Swakupmond there was not much more to see. Our bus, which came to be called “Bus Number Two”was myself, Colleen, Matt Wald, Jull, Phil, Joe, Allison, Celest, Karen, Tyler, Colin, Erika, and a few others. The full cooler of beer was opened early. The sun is so hot here, and the water is terrible (we had no choice!). Both beer and wine are very cheap in Namibia. You could buy a 6-pack of beer for $N67,00, or $US6.70. Wine was even cheaper. You could buy a bottle for $N37, or $US3.70. Most of us bought a bottle, and I sprung for a Rose with the giraffe on the front, made in South Africa. After about 3 hours we realized that the 4-hour bus ride was going to be much longer than that. One bus broke down and we picked up two of their passengers, Joe and Casey. We also rigged the intercom system with an ipod, headphones, a deck of cards and a cap in order to broadcast music. That was the best idea of the tip. 6 hours into the trip and a few beers later we began a sing along to Lion King songs, followed by dance party marathon. Bus Number Two turned into Disco Number Two. All of us put the other buses to shame as we passed them by. They all looked so tired and bored, but not our bus! After about 8 stops (both at toilets and on the side of the road) I stopped counting. Evidentially drinking leads to excessive peeing, a concept that my bus didn’t catch on to that well. When we finally made it to our campsite in Etosha Wildlife Park it was pouring rain. We had to pitch our tents in the rain and the dark, and it was a disaster. My tent didn’t have enough poles so I squeezed in Jill and Colleen’s tent. After a midnight dinner of past and cheese we went to sleep. Sleeping was rough, though. It kept pouring, we were soaked, our stuff was soaked, and it was so hot and humid . . . but “Hey, we’re in Africa!”

 

Day 2- After a 6am wakeup call we all rushed the bathrooms to brush out teeth. There we found a million giant beetles everywhere! Egh! I dealt well, though, they don’t hurt! We had a light bre3akfast and jumped on our bus for our Safari! The first animal that we saw was a Springbok. We were all so excited to see an animal so we took a million pictures of this single Springbok that was in the distance half covered with brush. This came to be a joke, as Springbok are EVERYWHERE! We were just excited at the first one. We drove around until 2 when we stopped and had lunch at another campsite about 65km into Etosha towards the west of where our site was. After lunch we headed back via a different route. At the end of the day we had seen, in the order in which we saw them: Springbok, Zebra, Wildabeast, Giraffe, Oryx/Gamestock, Red Hearted Breast/Antelope, Black Faced Impala, Warthog, Blue Crain (rare to Etosha), and a Lion. You can only imagine how amazing it was to see these animals! Zebra crossed the road in front of us! “Hey, we’re in Africa!” The giraffe were my favorite. They are “sexy animals” They are so majestic, agile, and sleek. We even got to see on running! I bough this amazing wooden bowl that has a giraffe bending down into the cent of it and it is painted with African designs. Can you say future coffee table centerpiece? Back at the campsite we all relaxed as our guides made us dinner. Some people went swimming, but I didn’t want to be a mosquito breeding ground. Etosha was in the malaria danger zone. After dinner we all just sat around and talked, had a cup of wine, and sang a few songs. Many people chose to party late into the morning, but Colleen, Jill, and myself went to bed. Before heading into our tent, however, we stargazed for a while. They say Namibia is the best place in the world to stargaze, and it was beautifully amazing. Perfectly clear, crisp, Christmas lights in the sky. We found Orion’s Belt, and then went to sleep.

 

Day 3- The last day was uneventful. Most of bus #2 hated me in the morning for being so lively and perky when half of them were still partially intoxicated from the previous night’s festivities. I was extremely glad that I chose to sleep, because we did have to get u at 5am. The sunrise was amazing. It was 360 degrees of color: bright pinks and oranges I have never seen before. I took my last picture of an “African tree,”my bus’s name for a tree that stands alone and looks like the tree from the Lion King. As I am writing this in my journal I am on the bus on the way back to the ship, and I am the only one awake. The sun is shining brightly through the windows now, and the clouds that look painted are clearing. Only one day no the ship until our next port. Is this really happening? Am I dreaming? But “Hey, I’m in Africa!”and have never felt so alive.

 

PS: Just to let you know, the same outfit –shorts, tank top, socks, underwear –that I left the boat wearing was what I wore the entire time in Namibia . . . during the day, sleeping. Yeah for camping, not showering, and being gross!

 

PPS: Thanks Mom and Dad, Aunt Fern and Bill, Grandma and Grandpa Kelly, and the Helpa’s for the Valentine’s Day greetings! It is such a good feeling to come back to the ship and have four letters on your bed from the people who you love. I appreciate your support and I hope that you are living the journey with me. I think about everyone all the time and know how lucky I am to have support at home. Thank you everyone for being so awesome. One month down L but three more to go J!