Africa - Zambia: The Final Stop

Tue-Wed, August 16-17, 2011

After our relatively low-key stay in Botswana, we were off to Zambia. A shuttle came to pick us up from the Thebe River Lodge and dropped us off at the ferry landing to cross the river over to Zambia. It shouldn't have been so difficult - get on the ferry, go across the river, get off the ferry, look for waiting shuttle service to take us to Jolly Boys Backpackers Lodge. Things didn't go quite so smoothly. All went well until we arrived on the Zambian side. Now, remember, had Ewald still been with us, he would've actually escorted us across the river and made sure we got on the right shuttle. Since he wasn't with us, we were on our own.

Upon stepping off the ferry in Zambia, we were met with immediate chaos. Cars were parked haphazardly along the way. Random people approached us trying to get us to use their transportation service. Um, hello, no way am I going to get into anyone's car unless they knew our names and where we were going, i.e. the only people who would know that would be the tour company we made arrangements with. Others accosted us to look at the goods they were selling. We had no idea where our transport was and none of us had phones to call anyone. No one would let us use their mobile phones because the tour company was based in Namibia so placing a call would be a long-distance call. Crap. Crap. Crap.

After a good hour and a half of panicking, randomly asking strangers for help, approaching the police station for help and trying to make calls on iPhones (as if the iPhone could fix everything) I flagged down another tour guide (wearing a crisp shirt with his tour company's logo stitched on it) and asked if he could help us out, even if it meant having his tour company arrange transport for us. He told us to wait while he assisted his current client (who was very patient when I stole her guide away) through customs and then he would help us.

We waited awhile and when he emerged from the customs building he waved for one of us to follow him. I sent Heather since she had all the contact info for the tour company we had been using. Off she went with him. Well, when she didn't come back after 10 minutes, Mai went looking for her. Then another 10 minutes went by and we began to think she had been kidnapped. Finally, Heather comes flying by in a big, giant tour bus waving at us to grab our stuff and get on board. It turns out the tour company of the guide I had flagged down was the SAME company that was supposed to be picking us up. Only the driver had been told that he was looking for a group of six girls instead of four. You'd think he would've thought to ask us  - everyone else did!! As far as I could see there were no other groups of girls in the entire vicinity. Anyway, we were relieved to find Heather safe and sound and were happy to be on our way to start the final chapter of our African adventure in Livingstone, Zambia.

As soon as we got our room assignment at Jolly Boys we immediately focused on scheduling our activities - bungee jumping for Mai and Heather and zip lining for Anne and me. Soon we were off in a taxi headed for Victoria Falls. Once again, upon arrival we found ourselves wandering around aimlessly. Many of these areas would do well to put up more useful and intuitive signs such as "Bungee. This way." In any case, we figured it all out and were off!

Anne and I went to the zip line platform. I watched one guy go ahead of me and immediately my heart started to race and my palms started to sweat. Good thing I already arranged to go before Anne. I'm pretty sure I would've peed my pants waiting for her or chickened out or both. So, I got harnessed, was given instructions to lean back and hold on tight, and then the countdown began - 5...4...3...2...1...Bye bye!! OMG - it was incredible. The zip line went fairly fast and that was fun, but holy crap! I was up so high - 110 meters or so! There were several moments in the minute-long ride in which I thought, "If this cable breaks, there's nowhere to go, but down - there are no "back up" systems." There was also a miraculous moment when I forget about safety harnesses and height and simply marveled at how marvelous this gorge was and that not many people would get to see what I was seeing. When I reached the other end, a man was waiting on the cable line waiting to bring me into safety. It was a great experience. I'd probably never do it again (much like skydiving), but I'm happy I did it.

Anne went next and looked so relaxed - as if she did it every day of her life. Bleh. We both had a blast. Then we hurried back just in time to see Heather bungee jump - perfect dive!! Then it was Mai's turn. I was so nervous for her. And, the closer it came time to jump the more nervous Mai got. She freaked out so much that she made me cry. I was so worried. Finally, it came time to jump. Well, she kind of fell off the platform...not the perfect form demonstrated by Heather, but she did it and her jump made for great entertainment. Wow!! It was a rush to watch them. I can only imagine what a rush it was for them to actually jump.

Preparing to jump

And look at that smile!

After our hearts stopped pounding out of our chests we spent time walking around Victoria Falls - they seemed to go on forever with each lookout offering a more beautiful view than the last. They really are a marvel to behold.

By the time we got back from the Falls it was getting close to sunset. We grabbed dinner at a local pub and then went exploring in parts we probably shouldn't have been exploring, especially since we were obviously tourists and on our own. Eventually we made our way back to the lodge, spent some time catching up on e-mail correspondence and then hit the sack.

Since I was one of the first to go to sleep the previous night, I was also the first to wake up. I spent the morning taking a hot shower, followed by time on the Internet and reading. It was really nice. The girls eventually woke, we had breakfast and then got on the bus to head over to the Royal Livingstone Hotel to catch a motor boat over to Livingstone Island. We had to walk our way along muddy trails barefoot. I have NEVER had my feet in mud before. It was such a weird feeling to have the stuff oozing between my toes. I nearly bit it and fell a few times, but made it just fine. Unbelievably, the guides we were with literally took us to the edge of the falls. The views were spectacular, but this was really pushing my comfort zone! The girls took turns laughing at me, but I think I did great.

We were literally taking pics at the edge of the falls

The views were spectacular

Yep - this was as close to the edge as I was willing to go

Following our adventure at the Falls, we walked back to find a tent was set up and breakfast was waiting. Yummy!

I'm not sure if it was Livingstone Island that wore us all out or if it was just a combination of all the excitement we had had since arriving in Namibia and crossing multiple borders that had us so tired. When we got back from Livingstone Island, we ran off to the local market to bargain for and buy local crafts and souvenirs. That was quite the ordeal. I was by far, the worst bargainer. My sister was pretty darn good. Overall I think we paid what we thought was fair and got some great goods to show for it.

When we got back it was mid-afternoon and we settled poolside for some quite R and R. Mai and Heather eventually retired to the room to take a nap while Anne and I chatted. It was nice to get to know Anne better, just sit and be still and enjoy the great weather. We finally got antsy and woke the girls to get dinner. We had a delicious Italian meal at a restaurant called Olga's - interesting huh? Unfortunately this was the night when I had some major issues with my lower digestive tract - I'm sure you know what I mean. I was convinced that I was going to die. After a few bouts and painful cramping, I was able to pop an Ambien and fall asleep. I think the girls spent some time at the bar - I'm not sure. By morning I was okay and ready to go home.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The airport in Livingstone cemented my thought about their need for signage and organization. We arrived to the airport to find a long queue out of the building. We made our way through the line and got our check-in bags screened. It was after that checkpoint that things were completely chaotic. People were crammed into what was presumably the check-in area and no one knew where to go. We ended up elbowing our way and jumping lines to get to the counter. After 45 minutes of waiting we got our tickets and our backpacks checked. Then it was off to another line to have our passports checked. That took forever. Then we had another bag screening (or maybe we never had the first screening - I don't know - my memory is hazy and it was absolute madness). I thought we'd miss our plane for sure.

After a flight of a few hours we were back at the Johannesburg airport. We grabbed some food together though I didn't dare to eat much for fear of upsetting my stomach again. Heather and Anne separated from us as they were going onto Capetown. Mai and I went our separate ways as well - she was on Delta and I was on United.

Here's the interesting story...My plane and Mai's took off within 10 minutes of each other. Mai got home at 11am on Friday, Aug 19. I got home at nearly 9pm Friday, Aug 19. How did that happen? I just have bad luck and Mai had good luck. She ended up getting a direct flight to Mpls from Atlanta. I had to go through JFK (three hour layover) and then through Dulles (6 hour layover + 30 min mechanical delay + 1 hour weather delay on the tarmac with crying babies)...It was horrible. Mind you this was after another sleepless 15 hour flight to JFK from Johannesburg (I watched movies again - Thor, Hanna, Fast 5, Rabbit Hole and The Departed). I was never so happy to be home! I virtually screamed out with joy when we landed in Mpls. I was so excited to see Mark and Keira, take a long, hot shower, sleep in my bed in the warmth of my home...

Africa was an absolutely amazing adventure and I would recommend anyone to go on a Safari. I saw some of the most miraculous creatures on this earth. I met wonderful, kind people who impacted my life in just a short amount of time. I got to know Anne and Heather, and even got to know my sister much better. But, I was happy to return home and not smell b.o. or worry about having to squat to do my business! Most of all, I'm happy to be home with my family. I really missed my husband and little girl. Sometimes it takes being away to really, really appreciate and miss the life I have at home.

Africa - Safari Tips by Kim

For those of you who may be interested in going on a Safari one day I have some general tips for you. (Note - Check with your tour company to make sure you have an understanding of what's included in your tour, i.e. will you have facilities to use? What meals are included?)

Let me first say that I may have overpacked a bit on some things. But, know this, anything you overpack you can always leave behind as a donation to others who may be in need.

First, make sure you go to the travel clinic well ahead of time. My vaccinations had me flat on my back with a fever for about 2 full days - 4 days of not feeling well, but definitely 2 full days of feeling like I had the flu. I went to the Park Nicollet Travel Clinic, but there are many others around. They are great about telling you what shots you need and getting you hooked up with the necessary prescriptions in case they're needed during your travels. The more specific you can be about where in each country you'll be traveling in, the better they can be about their vaccination plan.

Otherwise, here are some tips:

1. If you bring "breathable" athletic shoes or hiking shoes to wear, test them out in fine sand first. I brought my New Balance shoes and while they kept my feet nice and dry with their breathable fabric, they also let in a lot of the fine sand we walked through during our safari. By the end of the day I'd have to empty my shoes out, turn my socks inside out and brush away sand from in between my toes.

2. Don't think about being "cute" on a safari. You'll totally look out of place. Fortunately I'm too practical and lazy. I definitely went the other extreme and didn't care much about what I looked like. In fact, bring clothes that you think you might want to leave behind. Many of the villages are clothed by what tourists leave behind. Just make sure your donations are in decent condition or it'd be rude to leave behind.

3. Bring single detergent packets to wash your clothes with. Along the way you have access to sinks and such at the campsites. A couple of the girls brought some detergent with them so they were able to launder their own clothes as we traveled. This was particularly useful when Mai and Heather got B.O. stuck in their clothes - other people's B.O. unfortunately!

4. I don't know what it's like during other seasons, but when we were there it was the winter season and it was super dry. Either pack or plan on buying lotion to use throughout the day. My skin has never soaked up so much lotion.

5. A light scarf is useful to keep long hair out of your face while on a game drive. It's also good to use when traveling on roads with a lot of dust flying around.

6. Bring treats/supplies for villages you may visit. They are extremely appreciative and you will feel good for having helped and impacted the people you see. Our guides actually encouraged donations of small treats and such and not money.

7.  Bring some cash to exchange, but make sure your bank card or credit card allows you to withdraw cash from foreign ATM's. Mine did not and it was a horrible feeling to not have access to money. Note that the banks do not accept torn or overly worn currency, so ask for new bills from your bank.

8. As a bargaining tool to lure you, many of the markets will barter with you. That is, instead of $5 for something. They may give you a product for only $3 + a pen or elastic hair tie. There were some things that cost very little to us that they were interested - gum, candy (any sweets really), elastic hair ties, pens.

9. If you go in the winter, do not take lightly the warnings about it getting "very cold" at night. Think mid-30's when the sun is down and sleeping in a tent with no heat. You can see your breath during the night so it gets quite cold. I brought gloves, a hat, a fleece and a heavier jacket.

10. Don't think twice (like I did) about hauling your DSLR with you on your journey. The photo opportunities you will have on a trip like this are once in a lifetime so take your best camera with you to capture great moments and memories. I'd recommend taking a class if you're not comfortable with using your camera. Ask questions about how to shoot into the sun and how to shoot a sunrise. Those were two lighting conditions that I had a hard time shooting in.

11. Bring hand sanitizer and baby wipes. Don't bother with sanitizing wipes. You may want to bring a roll of toilet paper along, but not everyone needs to bring a roll. We weren't sure what to expect in terms of access to bathrooms so we erred on the side of being cautious and prepared. There were only a few occasions when I had to take from my roll. One of those times was because the bathroom stalls were out of toilet paper and the other two times were because there wasn't much left and I didn't want to use all the paper there (I always lined the toilet seat).

Africa - Botswana - 2nd Day

Mon, August 15, 2011

After a long, hot shower and a good night of sleep it wasn't too bad getting up at 5:30am for our 6:00am game drive in Chobe National Park. I never thought I'd say that! It's amazing the kind of energy I had with sufficient rest and relaxation. As the sun came up we entered the park and began our last game drive of our safari. We saw more elephants, warthogs, giraffe, a hyena, etc. It really was beautiful and we were so lucky to have experienced it.

I can't remember how long the drive lasted and I think we took a nap somewhere in the late morning. Actually, the other girls napped. I wasn't able to sleep so I just read a book. When Mai woke up we grabbed lunch and I made a call home to Mark and Keira. It was so great to hear their voices. I don't know if it made my homesickness better or worse, but I know hearing their voices made me happy. Hearing, "Mommy!" on the other line was just what I needed. We ate some lunch and waited for the other ladies to join us.

Around 3:00 we were shuttled over to the river for a sunset boat cruise. That was an absolutely amazing ride. My favorite memory was watching a herd of elephants, including baby elephants, cross the river channel. The water was definitely too deep for the babies, but the guides assured us that they would make it across. It turns out the adult elephants would swim under and use their legs to help boost the babies to the surface of the water so they could breathe. Sure enough, they all made it across.

There was one passenger aboard our boat that made the trip quite entertaining. She was Asian (of course) and had one of the most annoying laughs ever. On top of that, she was filled with questions. Normally I'm all for learning and having an inquisitive mind, but seriously!! She was ridiculously over the top. AND, when she walked she shuffled/stomped. I can't even describe it. Heather wanted to throw herself overboard. I pointed out it'd probably make more sense to throw the annoying girl overboard.

Nonetheless it was a wonderful cruise. We saw a lot and we learned a lot. Once again, we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the water.

Pretty cool sunset huh?

Enjoying the boat cruise

When we got back we sat down to dinner and another vicious game of Phase 10. We had a wonderful waitress take care of us our first night and this second night. Her name was Kay. She was wonderful and very patient when teaching us basic words to use, when we requested things...There was this funny moment when we asked for "a bowl with butter" and Kay came out with little bowls of water which is what she heard! We all had quite the laugh over it. I'm sure she was puzzled by why we'd want bowls of water. It turned out to be useful as we each got the roast chicken dinner and had super messy fingers by the end of dinner. The water bowls came in handy to clean off our fingers so we could continue our card game. Toward the end of our night a stray cat came to join us and if you know me, you know that made me really uncomfortable. Immediately I thought about the cat scratching me and giving me rabies. Then as the cat came near my backpack Heather said, "You know. That cat probably has fleas." That sent me into another tailspin thinking about little fleas jumping off the cat and onto my bag. I took that as a queue to end the night! And so our time in Botswana came to a close.

Making fun of Heather's chicken massacre

Africa - Botswana

Sun, August 14, 2011

After waking at the Ngepi camp in Namibia Sunday morning, we enjoyed a leisurely morning before packing up and hitching a ride from the Ngepi staff to a nearby gas station. That's where we'd be picked up by the shuttle provided by Mabaruli. Ewald joined us a short while after being dropped of. As our awesome guide he wanted to make see us off properly as well as ensure we were picked up by the right people. We waited around and then this nice passenger van pulled up. We said our good-byes to Ewald and piled into the Van. Once again we lucked out and had plenty of space. Our drivers were Forri and Nicola. We didn't get far before we had to say good-bye to Forri because he was unexpectedly called on for another driving assignment. On we went to Botswana...

We arrived to the Thebe Safari Lodge (Kasane, Botswana) in the afternoon. Kasane is the "gateway" to Chobe National Park. The unfortunate part in losing our guide is we no longer had transportation to go anywhere and all our activities were to take place on Monday. We had the rest of Sunday to fill. 

I, for one, was really excited to sprawl and lay out all my stuff in a room with beds and our own bathroom. Yay for hot showers! I was most excited about the lodge having laundry service. I had been wearing the same clothes over and over again. The prospect of clean clothes was very enticing.

The other ladies and I spent some down time napping and reading for part of the afternoon. Then we attempted to take a walk only to find that we really couldn't go anywhere because there were signs everywhere about not going near the river because of wild animals. Well, technically, the sign only warned us not to swim in the river and to not feed the wild animals.

Finally, we settled on hanging out in the bar/restaurant area, playing a card game called Phase 10 and having some beers. Well, the others had beer. I still can't stand the stuff. I just had Fanta, followed by water. I know, I'm a wild one! That took us right through dinner. It was nice to have time to sit and chat. We played cards and had dinner by candlelight via this "Future Lamp".

A Bit of Reflection

This seems like a good place to pause for some reflection (before I continue with any additional thrilling posts - ha ha).  Visiting Africa is good for the soul. Not only did I get to see all kinds of wildlife and gain more of an appreciation for the countries on this continent, but it really gave me time to remember how simple life really should be. We are the ones who make it complicated.

People in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia were so kind and friendly. Most everyone just wanted to talk with us and hear about our lives in the USA. They were also eager to teach us about anything we wanted to learn. The folks we met were concerned with clothing, food, and shelter. They weren't worried about whether their lawns were mowed, getting their kids to soccer practice or other trivial matters. It was humbling and a reminder of the importance of just LIVING LIFE. I find that I remind myself of this often, especially when I'm getting stressed out at work. It's just not that important - not in the big scheme of things.

Before I forget, based on our experience and our guide, Ewald, I'd highly recommend the 8 Day Bushman Delta Safari from Mabaruli African Safaris. You can learn more at www.mabaruli.com if you're interested. Later I'll talk about some tips when going on a safari that I've compiled based on my one experience. I bet you're just dying to read about that too.

What was also amazing about traveling from the southern part of Africa toward the north is witnessing the very distinct change in landscape. We went from flat, dry, brown, prairie-like land in Namibia to lush, green, and rich-with-foliage Zambia. Granted we only saw parts of each country (maybe my conclusion would be like someone visiting the USA and assuming MN's landscape is representative of the whole of the country), so what I saw could be attributed to that. Regardless, it was really cool to watch the transition as we traveled many, many miles (kilometers).

Africa - Namibia - Ngepi

Fri-Sat, Aug 12-13, 2011

We left Treesleeper early Fri morning and headed out for another ~500km drive. By this point we all got really good at rising with the sun, breaking down camp, quickly getting ready, packing up, eating breakfast and heading out. Too bad I can't get ready this fast for work! We were making our way north toward the Kavango River which is the panhandle of the Okavango Delta on the Namibian side. We were supposed to have a leisurely afternoon/evening at the Ngepi campsite. Well, things didn't exactly go as planned...

About halfway through the trip we stopped in the town of Rundu. It was nice to see strip malls and more modern things like cars, restaurants, banks, etc. It's amazing how familiar things make home not seem quite as far away. Did I mention I was getting homesick at this point (5 days after leaving)? Anyway, I was quite homesick and was especially missing my little girl. So, I was determined to find an Internet cafe to communicate with Mark and Keira. I did find one and headed there while the girls went to grab lunch. The good news was there was access to the Internet. The bad news was the keyboard was a little different so it was harder to type and the speed was SO SLOW - think dial-up. Coming from a place where waiting two seconds is two seconds too long, well, this drove me nuts. I was totally with the slower pace of life up until that moment. It's weird how that works. I definitely think technology is a blessing and a curse. Anyway, I was able to log on, read some messages from home and send a quick message to say I was alive and doing well.

After we got lunch and stopped by a grocery store (which was absolutely chaotic - think no rhyme or reason to queues, abandoned shopping carts in any location, a little bit of pushing and shoving) Anne and I headed to a bank to exchange money. That was a mistake. It took over an hour!! Turns out Fridays are paydays and because there is no such thing as direct deposit or even payroll checks, the whole town was there to submit their forms to get paid! I would've given up, except 20 minutes into the process the banker guy took my passport for ID. Well, I definitely wasn't leaving without my passport. So, we waited and waited and waited. Ewald came in and out to check on us and merely chuckled at our rising impatience. He did say it was the "African way" and to be patient. This wouldn't at all be acceptable in the U.S., but then again we are wound up pretty tightly aren't we?

We were a bit delayed getting back on the road, but were rolling along once again. We even stopped along the way to pass out oranges to people walking along the road, including a father and his son. I can't explain to you the appreciation and excitement they had in receiving a piece of fruit. Once again, I was humbled.

At some point along the way Ewald must've noticed that the truck was smoking because next thing I know, he has pulled over along the side of the road. Oh boy! The amazing thing was that Ewald was so calm. I can imagine several other people in this situation and am certain something like this would've put them in a crabby mood with some curse words thrown in for effect. Anyway, we couldn't do much to help so we exited the truck and waited at a shaded table to stay cool. It turned out to be the water pump. Luckily Ewald knew just enough. He used the water from the reserve tank under the trunk to keep the pump filled to cool the engine and we limped along the rest of the way to the Ngepi campsite. Thank goodness! We were getting worried about becoming sitting ducks along the side of the road. I was freaking out because I needed to use the facilities and had so far avoided squatting to do my business. I was determined not to break this streak of luck.

Our broken down truck

By the time we got to Ngepi it was near dusk. We set up camp, took quick showers and headed to the dining area for dinner. It was a delicious meal - a variation of Shepherd's pie, roasted sweet potatoes, and cheesy cauliflower with some sort of delicious cobbler for dessert. Mmm. Mmm. Good. I have to say that Ngepi was my favorite because the people were super nice, the scenery beautiful, but above all, the humor of the owners of the camp came through in all the clever signs that were all around.

These were literally the doors to the toilets

You had to be quick if you wanted a hot shower

I wish I could get this sign to post at work

I guess they weren't fans of President Bush

This was one of the coldest nights so far. I wore two pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, a tank top, a long-sleeve shirt, a sweater, my Northface jacket, a winter hat and my gloves. This was in addition to my sleep sac and sleeping bag. It was a cold night...

The cold night turned into dawn and then it was Saturday. Our adventures on Saturday included taking a ride down the Kavango River in a Mokoro (aka Watu, aka flat-bottom canoe). I was not exactly comfortable with this. First of all, I can barely swim (I took about 5 lessons this past January). Second, I was really worried about tipping the Mokoro over. Third, I didn't have faith that the life jackets we were given would really help us out if we fell into a hippo and croc-infested river.

My expression completely captures my sentiments about getting in the Mokoro

Loaded up and ready to row, well, the guides were ready to row

It took awhile for me to really sit back and relax

Did I mention the hippo-infested water?

It was a fun ride down the river and included a hippo chasing us down, in addition to the croc that jumped into the river and scared the living daylights out of me. Yep. These are things I'll never forget.  I will never again see so many hippos at once.

Following our river ride we had a leisurely lunch at the bar/restaurant overlooking the river. I had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with fries. Did I mention that there was a lot of "American" food? After lunch we hopped onto a different open-air truck with other tourists from Germany for a Game drive. Once again it was quite the adventure! We found ourselves stuck in some deep sand and got out to help push the truck out. Well, most of us got out.

Not sure why the lady stayed on the truck. She was added weight.

We also got to see many of the well-known Baobab trees, including the one below which was about 1,800 years old. Again, these are the trees that are hollow on the inside and a couple have been converted into a pub and a post office somewhere in South Africa - pretty cool huh?

After returning from our game drive we came back to find our semi-vacant campsite completely filled with tents that sprung up out of nowhere. It turns out a bunch of other tours had just arrived. The new arrivals made for some stiff competition when it came to use of the facilities including showers and toilets. However, nothing irked me more about these new arrivals than how loud they were late at night when we were all trying to get some sleep. After a cold, restless night we woke up to find that just as quickly as all the new tents had sprung up, they were gone as the tourists took off on their own planned adventures. 

And that concluded our time in the beautiful country of Namibia and our time together with Ewald. Because the truck needed a new part and the truck was irreparable without it, our tour company (Mabaruli) arranged for shuttle service to get us to Botswana and would be putting us up in a lodge. So, not only did our time in Namibia end, our time camping also ended. I personally was getting to like sleeping in the tent...sort of. Did I ever include a picture of our tents? Here they are. Nice and cozy.

Africa - Namibia Treesleeper

Thu, August 11, 2011

We continued our safari in Namibia continuing north. It was another early morning as we got up at sunrise, broke down camp, had breakfast and headed to our next campsite called Treesleeper near the village of Tsinsabis. It was a cold morning and a long drive (about 450-500km). When we arrived it was go-time. We had lots of activities planned for the afternoon and evening.

Upon arrival to Treesleeper we set up our tents, quickly used the facilities and then met one of our Treesleeper guides, Hilda. She took us to visit a nearby village. I still can't get used to the idea of people living in stick huts, but that is where many of the villagers live. It was a good thing I wore my sunglasses. Seeing the filthy children play with old, broken car parts made my eyes tear up. It just wasn't right that any child should live in those conditions. Eventually I made peace with the fact that the kids don't know any other way of life and they are happy and content. We played with the kids, took many photos and stopped to buy a few crafts hand-made by the people in the village.

Villagers' Homes

     

On the way back to the campsite we stopped at a local school, visited a classroom and chatted with the principal. She said, "We are sorry to hear about all happening in America and we pray for you." I assumed she was talking about our economic woes because I couldn't think of anything else. It must be bad if people in other parts of the world are praying for us. Oie. Anyway, the girls brought along some school supplies to donate to the school and it sounded like they were in need of the items brought. Way to go!

Inside a 1st grade classroom

When we got back to the campsite we were whisked away onto a Bushwalk with our next Treesleeper guide, Moses. He took us along a path that was built by Dutch students and local people in the area a couple of years ago. Along the way he showed us plants that were used for recreational smoking, poisonous plants to avoid, how to make and use an animal trap that was made of nothing but string and sticks, animal tracks and how to tell from which animal they belonged and which direction they were going. Out of the blue, while walking along the trail, he urgently says, "Get back. Get back." It turns out there was a Boomslang (sp?) snake in a tree...He told us it was "kind of poisonous". Well, we later looked up this snake in our reference book and it said that it was "highly venomous - causing death between 1-5 days of being bitten from internal bleeding". Hmm...I think Moses downplayed that quite a bit! 

After the Bushwalk, when it was dark, we rejoined Moses and Ewald and headed over to an area where the local tribes people would meet us and show us some of their traditional dances. It was amazing! Afterwards we took photos with the tribespeople. The unfortunate thing is that many people in Africa don't use deodorant so there was a lot of body odor all around. Well, one of the tribes people draped his arms around Mai and Heather in the photo. The pungent odor from this man's armpits transferred to their clothing and followed us around the rest of the night resulting in them having to shed those items of clothing until morning when they could launder it in the sink. Anne and I, odor-free, laughed and laughed as Heather and Mai sniffed their clothing over and over again - as if by sniffing the offensive odor multiple times might make it disappear all together. Haha...makes for a funny story.

We then had dinner prepared by the Treesleeper staff. I think this was the only meal I didn't really enjoy, but it was because the beef was prepared rare. I don't eat meat rare, even here in the U.S., so I wasn't about to do so in a foreign country! And that sums up our second day in Namibia and our Safari adventures.

Trail we followed for the Bushwalk

Traditional dance by villagers and tribesman

Africa - Our First Game Drive

Wed, August 10, 2011

The alarm went off at 5:15am and we were up. Well, Mai and I got up rather quickly. I think Anne and Heather took a little longer to adjust to the early morning starts. By 6am we broke camp and were eating breakfast in the cold, crisp air - excited for our first game drive on our way into Etosha National Park.

Within the first 10 minutes of our drive we spotted Zebras. It was very exciting to see them roaming around. One of my favorite shots is of the three zebra butts - see below. Along the way to Etosha we saw ostriches, spring bok (I think it's the national animal of Namibia), etc. But, little did we know that our animal sightings were just starting!

                                   

We finally got to Okaukuejo camp inside Etosha, got set up, had some lunch and headed out on an afternoon game drive. Boy, oh boy! We saw everything!! There were times I was worried about getting a little too close to the animals, but my concerns were totally unfounded.

                                   

  

After our game drive, Ewald took us back to camp and we climbed up the tower there to watch a gorgeous sunset. I found it hard to shoot into the sun, but managed to get a couple of decent shots like this one.

The rest of the evening we spent sitting by the watering hole near camp watching for all kinds of animals as well as watching over our shoulders for wild animals running amuck inside the camp - mainly jackals. Heather got really brave and started making crazy noises to keep the jackals away. I'm sure she saved my life from them at least once. That night while sleeping we kept hearing these really weird, low-groaning noises...We found out later they were hippo noises. Definitely something we don't hear in MN.

Africa - The First Night

Tue, August 9, 2011

After arriving to JNB and meeting up with my sister, the girls and I walked around the airport to find something to eat before flying to Windhoek, Namibia. Guess where we ended up? KFC. Yep - KFC is so big everywhere in the world. I can't tell you how many times I ate KFC in countries like Malaysia and Thailand and now, KFC in Africa. However, I didn't partake in Colonel Sander's chicken because I was going to do anything I could to avoid lower-digestive issues, if you know what I mean.

We killed more time at the JNB airport and finally it was time to board the plane to Windhoek. That flight was easy because I slept through the whole thing. It was fantastic!! After we got through the passport checkpoint, picked up our backpacks and got through customs, we found our tour guide waiting for us with our names on a sign. That was so exciting as I've never had anyone waiting for me at the airport with a sign! Anyway, my financial woes began in Namibia as I found that my PLUS ATM card did not work. Apparently a Visa debit card is the way to go. Actually I don't even know what card worked - everyone else's cards worked, just not mine. But, on we went...

I wasn't sure what we'd be driving in for our 8-day safari and was imagining anything from an unmarked white van to a jeep wrangler...But, what we got was AWESOME. Here's the truck we got for our tour. Pretty great huh? It's meant for 12 people, but since our tour didn't fill up, the four of us got to spread out and utilize all the space we wanted aboard the Mabaruli truck.

Our tour guide, Ewald, loaded our stuff and we were on our way. We stopped into a local town after an hour or so of driving and we loaded up on groceries, used the "facilities", exchanged US dollars into Namibian dollars, etc. Then we climbed back on board and rode for several more hours to get to the gates of Etosha. Along the way, we all nodded off and stared at the new landscape before us. One thing we didn't anticipate was how cold it'd get inside the truck - no heat and no tight seals (it's really meant to be an open-air vehicle.) By the time the sun went down we were bundled in our hats, scarves, gloves and coats. Good thing my sister gave us a heads up about how cold it would get at night. It was crazy because it was about upper 70's/lower 80's when we arrived in the afternoon and by nightfall it was about mid-to-upper 30's. We had to camp outside the gates of Etosha because we arrived at 10pm and the gates were already closed. Luckily they had camp sites available for us. Ewald got to cooking our dinner, teaching us how to set up our tents and then we headed for the showers that promised hot water. (Side Note: This was literally the THIRD TIME I had slept in a tent and the FIRST time I learned to set one up. The only other time I had "camped" was at Gooseberry Falls for a couple of nights.)

Unfortunately, I was one step too slow. After the three girls took their showers, all the hot water was gone. I think they felt bad. They should have! So, I had to decide whether to go three days without showering, get up extra early to shower and fight the other campers, or suck it up and take a cold shower. I decided on showering that night. It was SO COLD. Having a tiny, compact, quick-dry towel didn't help either. I took the fastest shower ever and bundled up. It was great having my wet hair turn "crispy" from the cold. Boy did I miss the luxury of a long, hot shower.

Here's Ewald hard at work making our dinner. Nothing but a wood-fire grill and a few pots. He did this for all our meals. It was amazing!

I wish I had taken a photo of the big pot with all the chicken he had made. It was so good. I ended up having 3 drumsticks! We asked, "Ewald. What is this dish called? It's so good." He told us it's called "nameless chicken" meaning everyone makes it differently. So we never did learn how to  make it, but I know it was delicious. We told him he should call it "Ewald's Delicious Chicken".

After our hot and yummy meal, we retired to our tents for the night at around 12am Namibian time. We had to get a good night of sleep because breakfast was going to be served at 6am and we had to have our tents broken down, our backpacks back on the truck and be ready to go immediately after breakfast. And, that's how our African Safari officially began...

Africa - In Retrospect

My grand plans to blog throughout my adventure in Africa didn't pan out due to lack of access to the Internet. When I did have access it was painfully slow. Way. Too. Slow. So, I never did blog except for a short paragraph during one of our last days in Zambia. I did, however, jot down thoughts all along the way. The problem now is that my memory is already fading (though I've only been home for a week) and I can't decipher some of my messy handwriting. Nonetheless, here's an account of my African Safari starting with "getting to Africa".

Sun, August 7, 2011

Following a tearful departure with Mark and Keira at the airport Sun evening, I took a deep breath and was ready to tackle this African Safari with gusto and excitement! Heather and Anne joined me at the airport, we got through security and were soon on our way.

Our domestic flights from Minneapolis to Dulles to JFK were anything but dull. From listening to a pair of strangers flirt and say inappropriate things (I was not eaves dropping. They were talking THAT LOUD.) to mysterious smoke entering the plane's cabin to the world's fastest-talking flight attendant to witnessing one of the worst temper tantrums ever, well, I knew this was going to be a memorable trip. We arrived in New York and settled in at a hotel near the airport for the night. 

Mon-Tue, August 8-9, 2011

After a short night of sleep, we grabbed breakfast at the hotel and headed back to JFK to catch our flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. I'm happy to say that the flight was quite uneventful. That's how I like it. The entire 15 hours (yes - 15 hours!) went smoothly. Unfortunately, by the time we landed in Johannesburg, I was exhausted. There was a time when I could sleep on planes. That's no longer the case. I think I slept a few hours the entire flight. So, what did I do? I read my book and watched movies. I mostly watched movies. The in-flight on-demand system was awesome. During the flight to JNB I watched Unknown, Arthur, Water for Elephants, Source Code, Just Go With It and Lincoln Lawyer. (In case you're wondering, I liked all of these movies, but particularly enjoyed Lincoln Lawyer.)

Once we landed Tue afternoon (7 hours ahead of MN), we met up with my sister, Mai, inside the airport. She had just flown in from Cape Town where she had been volunteering as a teaching assistant. 

I was expecting JNB to be a rinky dink, dingy airport. Boy was I wrong! The JNB airport was incredibly modern, spacious and filled with things to do - shopping, eating, resting, etc. It was much, much nicer than most airports I've been in back home in the good ol' USA. That was my first lesson in managing my judgments and preconceived notions about traveling through Africa.

More to come tomorrow when I blog about our real first night on an African Safari. Stay tuned.

Internet Speed in Africa is Very Slow

Since I actually have access to the Internet I thought I'd start posting about my journey only to learn that every page is taking about a day to load. I guess I will have to post stories and photos about this adventure when I am back home on my super-fast connection. So...first thing to note...digital connections are very slow and will drive you nuts if you're Type A like me and can't possibly wait for the few seconds of delay. This has been an adventure, an experience in learning and a trip I will never forget. Off to the airport soon to fly back to the good ol' USA.

A Wedding and an African Safari

An odd combination - a wedding and a safari, but yes, it's total reality. One of my good friends is getting married this weekend. The festivities begin this evening and continue tomorrow as Ms. A joins the rest of us in wedded bliss. Congrats A!! 

This is how we make charity events more fun!

After the amazing wedding fun is over and the happy couple is on their honeymoon, I will be boarding a plane to Johannesburg, South Africa where my Safari Adventure will begin. We (4 of us ladies, including my baby sister) will be winding through the countries of Namibia, Botswana and ending in Zambia at Victoria Falls - one of the seven natural wonders of the world! And, since I've already been to the Grand Canyon, only five more to go!!

Victoria Falls! I'm going to see this in-person!!

This truly is going to be an adventure of a lifetime. It's going to be so hard to be away from Mark and Keira for so long without being able to be in communication, but I have to trust that it will be just fine - for them and for me.

I don't know if I'll be able to post anything at all during my adventure, but be sure to check back or follow my posts via submitting your e-mail (top, right sidebar) or if you're a google user, follow me (bottom, right sidebar). Until next time!!