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We continued north to the Caprivi strip where we got to see them: hippos grazing on land and lying on top of each other in the water and elephants breaking branches off the trees and crossing the road just in front of us. We watched them for a good while, but then one came quite close, shook his head, flapped with the ears and our guide said we better leave now. We also saw lots of very grazile impala antelope which was not shy, the rare roan antelope, a group of mountain zebras, a water monitor lizzard, vervet monkeys playing and a mole snake escaping just in front of the car. This game drive was well worth it! At the end we marvelled at a huge baobab tree.
Then we visited a local village - it was actually a show village for tourists so that the people living there do not get disturbed. They showed us scenes from their everyday life which was very interesting: how to store corn, make flour and baskets, catch fish ... There was a mouse trap to protect the corn and the mouse was then used in the cat trap which was there to protect the pigeons. The people also explained how they used to hunt hippos: with an instrument called a "hippo caller" they made a noise similar to the hippos to attract them and then shoot them from 6m distance with a poisoned arrow - and run away fast. Very impressive was the dance of the medicine man, just not describable. There is still a lot of superstition and traditional medicine which partly keeps due to lack of access to modern medicine. I quite liked the idea of a healing dance for psychiatric patients.
For the next posting you will have to wait a little while again as I am going away tomorrow to Spitzkoppe mountains for walking and rock climbing. By the way, yesterday I received my registration certificate as a pharmacist in Namibia! I think I should start a collection, see how many I can get in my life.
Hello, I am back, healthy and happy. Too much happened to write it all in one go, so here are the first few days of my trip. I was lucky that the group consisted of only 6 people - not up to 16 as normally. There were 4 Americans and a woman from Kasachstan who lives in London now, all nice people. We started with a long drive on the Trans-Kalahari highway, through Bushmanland to Ghanzi in Botswana. There was not much exciting to see on the way except for a Secretary bird which is a bird of prey that catches snakes. In our camp was a little zoo with lions, wild dog with young ones and ardwolf. I do not really like them behind the fences, but otherwise you do not get to see them. Eland antelope, Kudu and Oryx were also walking around. A group of San people performed traditional dancing and singing for the paying guests of the lodge, but we from the camp heard them and also got a glimpse of the dance. It was as I imagined it, but still amazing to experience it live, to see and hear that it really happens like this. I have a lot of respect for these tough people surviving in this environment. Going on from this, people do live in mud huts, use donkey carts and ox waggons, sometimes made from parts of cars and one of the waggons still had FORD written at the back. Our guide cooked our evening meal on the open fire.
We approached the Okavango Delta, but the vegetation stayed brown and dry until the last few kilometers. The camp workers picked us up with their 4x4 because the road became just a deep sandy way. I did not feel too confident when I saw lots of fresh elephant dung and huge, half a meter footprints from the car. There was a symbolic wire fence around the camp and the gate open. However, we did not see any animals. The camp has a nice wooden terrace by the river, huts overlooking the papyrusgirdle, an open bar and kitchen. The bathrooms are just hides made from wooden planks, with no roof and with a barrier at the entrance to put down when engaged instead of a door. Simple, but sufficient. We went on a boat tour in traditional "one-tree-boats", pushed around by local people using a pole. We were searching for crocodiles and hippos, but only saw kingfishers and frogs. However, the trip was beautiful and I was not sure myself if I wished to meet a hippo with this delicate boat. We stopped on an island to look for elephants, but again only found their traces. I still felt the tension and excitement. On the way back it was very hot and at a place where the waterlilies gave way to see in the clear water to the ground I went swimming. It was so good and refreshing and I had missed it for the last 2 months. We marvelled at the sunset and even more the sunrise over the water next morning.
My long weekend trip was great. It is quite a drive to Erongo, but well worth it. We camped at a lonely place on a farm (not in the European meaning of it, it looks just like wilderness), where there is only a fireplace and a bush toilet. It was amazingly quiet. The landscape is wonderful, barren with small trees and bushes and lots of granite outcrops in astonishing formations. It reminded me a bit of bald rock in Australia. The first climbing routes were just a short walk away from the campsite and it is good stuff, a lot of friction. There are nice views around from the top as well and we saw and heard black eagles in the skye and dassies in the rocks. It is amazing how loud and bird-like these small animals cry. People said there are occasionally leopards seen on the farm, but we did not meet any. In the evening we had a sundowner and grilled meat and sausages on the open fire. I got up before sunrise to walk up a rocky outcrop and watch the sun rising. The light was wonderful. Then I went for a 2h walk around, saw Kudus and Klippspringer, droppings from Zebra and a lot of bleached bones(!?). I also took a close up photo of some red wasps building their nest and back in the camp I was told by my friends how aggressive they usually are and how painful their stings. Luckily it is still winter and it was early morning, so the cold made them lethargic. You see, I have a lot to learn to cope in the wilderness.
Back in Windhoek I learned the last day and wrote my exam. I think it went well, there was not much I did not know. Now I am already preparing for my longer safari which you may read about after 28.8.
Hello all,
now it is getting exciting: I have booked my first safari. I will go on 19.8. with a company called Crazy Kudu to Okavango Delta in Botswana, Caprivi Strip in Namibia and Victoria Falls in Zambia for a 10 day camping safari. It was not easy to get this, originally I wanted to go with Chameleon on a similar tour, but they were fully booked till the end of September when I am supposed to work already. It includes a boat tour in a traditional dugout canoe, a game drive to see rare antelopes, a visit to a local village with demonstrations of traditional medicine and superstition and good chance to see elephants, crocodiles and hippos in their natural habitat. I am really looking forward to this, can't wait! Yesterday I got my last vaccination (meningitis) and malaria prophylaxis is already sorted as well.
Meanwhile a friend from the climbing group called me and asked if I would like to join them for a long weekend in the Erongo mountains (300km northwest from Windhoek) for camping, climbing and walkabouts. Of course I want to! First I hesitated a bit with my exam on Tuesday in view. But never mind, I can take the books with me. I feel quite well prepared already and do not want to miss this adventure. I will let you know how it was next week.
Cheers,
Heidrun
Jeden Monat ist eine Fuehrung im Botanischen Garten von Windhoek und diesmal nahm ich teil. Ich haette nicht gedacht, dass so viele Leute kommen, es waren ueber 20. Fast alle waren deutschsprachig, viele davon leben in Windhoek und unterstuetzen den Garten. Uns wurde das "Gewaechshaus" gezeigt, das diesen Namen nur aufgrund eines Daches hatte, das den Regen abhalten soll. Nicht, dass es davon hier viel gaebe und im Moment schon gar nicht, aber unter dem Dach haben sie Wuestenpflanzen, die schon wenige Tropfen zur falschen Zeit uebel nehmen. Es ist faszinierend, wie solche Pflanzen ueberleben und wie scheinbar lebelose Struenke oder Steine mit ein wenig Feuchtigkeit zum Leben erwachen und praechtig bluehen.
Nebenan ist ein Foto, dass ich einfach am Strassenrand gemacht habe. Es zeigt die Windhoeker Aloe and eine Euphorbie.
Bis zum naechsten Mal - Heidrun
