Munich to (almost) home

Our trip is almost over- and when I say that, I am writing from the Red Carpet Club at Ohare.
We successfully navigated from Johannesburg to Munich, spent a wonderful night and morning in the Marriott Hotel near the airport (and in a nice village). (It also is being renovated). This morning we walked around town until it was time to go to the airport and then we caught a shuttle to the nearby airport. Our flight over the ocean was very nice- a new airbus that was not only comfortable but also very nice. Then we faced the "teeming masses" (not sure how to spell teeming) of Ohare - first as we went through immigration, then baggage (Yeah- our luggage got here), then security again. We went directly to our gate- and lo and behold, no airplane. Those of you who know United Express know that even a beautiful day in July can experience delays.
So- we have located the Red Carpet Club- which is still available to us for another day. Now our flight is delayed again.
It is the middle of the night by the clock that we woke up to. We need to get home.
Soon.......

Farewell to Namibia

This morning Josea picked us up from the Elegant Guesthouse at 9 a.m. and we were treated to a tour of the city. This is Josea’s college hometown and he obviously loves it. He drove us around the various Parliament buildings and then parked the car and we walked around the town enjoying the various shopping areas. After walking for a while, he drove us to the “office” – the headquarters for the safari company – where we met Tristan, the owner with whom we had corresponded for many months but didn’t meet until today. We had a nice visit and talked about all sorts of aspects of our trip. Then Josea drove us to the airport. The airport in Windhoek is quite a distance from town and, as we drove, I imagined that we were just going to keep going back into the country with Josea. But alas, that dream ended and we were delivered to the departures door at the airport.
Windhoek is not really up to speed on security issues and we quickly passed through all security without so much as removing our “liquids” or our computers.
We then spent the better part of an hour spending out our Namibian currency before leaving for Johannesburg. I must say that British Airways treats its customers very well- In a two hour flight we were offered lunch and two separate beverage services. Unbelievable.
We quickly exited the airport and caught the shuttle to the City Lodge. It is a nice hotel close to the airport that is currently being renovated. But our room is nice.
There is no in-hotel restaurant but there are local carryouts that deliver. So we ordered pizza that was delicious.
Tomorrow morning we leave early for Munich – a long trip north. No time zones switches (maybe one hour) but 10 hours flight time.

!Uris to Windhoek

After a lovely breakfast overlooking the gardens at the lodge, we began our long trek back to Windhoek. The road is always paved- which helps, but the scenery was not as fascinating. Today I took pictures of road signs and picnic tables. Most days Josea ordered us a lunch pack and we at by the side of the road. Each site had a tree, a table/chairs and garbage cans. Our goal most days was to find a tree that shaded the table. Phil asked Jose to stop in the town of Tsumeb. When the mine closed in 1996, the town obviously was devastated. But today it seems that there are many businesses that are doing OK and the town seems to be busy. As always, I was struck by the number of young men who are standing around, seemingly with nothing to do. It is hard, according to Jose, when they have no education and no ambition. Sounds similar to the U.S.
Then we drove for an hour and a half and stopped in the “big city” of Okahandja. We went to a service station and Jose asked the young man who pumped gas to find another man who could sell us palm nuts. We were then accosted by every young person in town who wanted to sell us something. Then we went to Wimpy’s for lunch- a slow painful reacclimatization into western culture. Then we went to a grocery store so I could buy some Namibian salt – made in Swakopmund. And then we proceeded out of town. You might be
interested in the Herera ladies - very colorful women who are members of a tribe - and dress in beautiful costumes every day. Josea tells me that underneath the large costume is a regularly sized lady - hard to believe!
Gradually we reentered civilization- and got into Windhoek at about 4 p.m.
We arranged with Jose to have our last dinner together at Joe’s Beer Place – which was lots of fun. Once again, the food was excellent. And we laughed a lot about our ongoing jokes. He promised to stay in touch and we promised to be his tour guide if he ever gets to the United States. We look forward to that day.
Tomorrow morning we will have a city tour with Jose and then go to the airport for the first of many legs home- Tomorrow night we will sleep in Johannesburg.

!Uris Safari Lodge

Today we only had a short drive from the Onguma Bush Camp to !Uris Safari Lodge.
Along the way we stopped at Lake Otjikoto, a deep natural lake formed by the collapse of a limestone cave. One of the interesting aspects of this lake is that the Germans threw armaments into the lake- in order to prevent the British from using them. Today, many of those weapons are sill there.
We arrived at the lodge by 11 a.m. and drove in 14 km. to a beautiful lodge. Josea had never been there either and we had no idea what a treat we were in for. (For your information the ! in front of Uris is a “click”- the local Nama people have a language that uses clicks throughout their speech).
The lodge is only about 3.5 years old and simply beautiful. The furnishings are completely ornate for the bush – but the place is stunning. It houses up to 40 people in beautiful rooms that are converted mine worker housing. Apparently, it is owned by two couples who bought the farm from a mine manager. Tsumeb, the nearby town, was developed around a copper-lead-zinc mine that is the most famous mineral collecting locale in the world – unfortunately the mine stopped operations in 1996. This farm has several closed mines (small) on the premises and it had been arranged that Phil would be given a tour, including underground, of the historic mines. After lunch, Phil and Jose left on a 2.5 hour tour while I opted to spend an afternoon reading at the beautiful pool. It turns out that the tour guide was on her first week of work and very grateful that Phil could guide the tour and teach her. The driver of the vehicle however, was very knowledgeable. The tour included an underground trip, which definitely would not comply with U.S. liability concerns. Phil was able to extract real porcupine quills from a deceased porcupine (killed by a leopard) in the mine.
My afternoon at the pool was simply perfect. I enjoyed a novel, a dip in the pool and abundant sunshine.
When the group returned, we prepared for our anniversary dinner. Jose had gone to considerable lengths to arrange a private romantic dinner for us. After a drink at the bar and conversation with a delightful family of Danes, we were seated at a table with flowers, champagne, and a lovely note. The people at Tou Safaris had arranged the champagne (engraved with our names and date). We enjoyed the delicious dinner and then joined our friends at the bar for conversation, Jenga, and more drinks. Suffice it to say, when we left to go to our room, the day was recorded as a wonderful anniversary celebration. And we have many new friends.
Tomorrow we head back to Windhoek. It will be a long ride – and yet we are ready to rejoin the world.
(No mine pictures today - because Phil can no longer download pictures onto his computer)

Etosha Day 3

This morning after breakfast we returned the short distance to Etosha National Park in order to tour the east end of the park. There are many waterholes, some manmade, some natural. At each we saw a wide variety of animals. But alas, we were not able to see the lion- and Josea is very disappointed. It is the first time he has come to Etosha and not seen the lion.
One of the rules of Etosha is that you may not exit your vehicle. So, they have set aside small fenced areas with toilets and picnic tables where you are allowed to exit your vehicle. We drove to one of these to eat our lunch today and must say that the neither the fence nor the gate would prevent animals from having us for lunch. So, with Josea worrying all the while, we ate quickly and left the area to resume our search for the elusive lion.
We have heard the lion roar in the night but have never actually seen him. Others have told us that they are here- Josea stops every car and inquires about where the lions are.
But searching hour by hour has not led us to the lions. That is OK- we know that they are there and they are in charge. We also know that, when we come back to Africa, they will still be here.
At about 2:30 we exited the park to return to our lodge. We hoped to sit in the sun for awhile and rest. However, the gatekeepers did not want us to exit – because they claimed we had not paid enough to be there today. They wanted us to drive back to the closest resort (10km) and pay more money. Josea and the ladies argued extensively. Finally, one of the women proclaimed that Namibia did not really need our 200 dollars (about $30 US dollars) that badly and she raised the gate and allowed us to exit. Josea was very upset- and has promised to talk to the “warden” of Etosha. He feels that he did what was proper and what was asked for, and he was embarrassed that we had to sit and wait so long.
Back at Onguma, all of the other guests had taken the lawn chairs by the pool and so we found chairs and sat down to chill out for awhile. That is a good thing to do.
Tomorrow we leave this area and begin the return to Windhoek, stopping at Tsumeb to check out some mines on our way.
Our trip is drawing to a close- and I must say that Namibia is a wonderful place. We have seen many corners of this large country, and enjoyed each and every place.

Okaukuejo to Onguma

Last night, Phil and I repeatedly ran outside to look at the water hole- hoping to see the lions – but alas, we did not. Instead we were treated to a never ending parade of zebras, oryx, springbok, elephants, and wildabeast. I even ran out in my pajamas at one point. Fortunately, no one else was out – including the animals.
Then this morning, after breakfast, we sat and enjoyed as hundreds of animals paraded down to the watering hole. It was simply amazing – When I say parade, you must understand that these animals parade in single file down to the water, and then at some point, spontaneously leave in a line. We could have sat there all day.
Okaukuejo, where we stayed last night, is the south entry point to Etosha National Park. We stayed one night and then today we drove through the park. We stopped at several watering holes along the way – hoping to see more animals. Many were dry and therefore abandoned. Others had many animals, similar to the ones we saw at Okaukuejo.
There are three national park lodges in Etosha – one at the south end, one in the middle, and one at the east end. We ate at the one in the middle for lunch. And then we proceeded eastbound – and exited the park about 5 minutes before it closed for the night.
New animals for the day included a steenbok, several new birds, many impala, a dikdik (smallest antelope in Africa).
Josea is still hoping to find a lion for me to see. We hear them every night but have not seen one yet. There have been many sightings in the last week- but not for us.
Our lodging for the night, is right outside the east gate – and it is very nice.
We entered the property right outside the gate – but the road was 9 km. long. So we drove alongside the fence that divides the park. Then we arrived. Onguma Bush Camp is a simple but very nice camp that has tent sites and cabins. First we enjoyed a drink around an outdoor fire. Onguma has a watering hole but it is not as large as Okaukuejo. We just enjoyed a lovely dinner in the main restaurant – where about 20 people were eating.
When you have very little electricity (light) as is common here, we go to bed very early. Often before nine. But we also get up early. And we are on vacation! So, we enjoy long days and sleep through long nights.

Camp Xaragu to Okaukuejo

Tonight Phil and I are sitting on a bench next to a watering hole in the Etosha National Park. I must say that I cannot believe that we are sitting here. It is simply stunning. The sun just set into the west and we are watching as the animals navigate down to the watering hole.

Last night was very wonderful – at the Camp Xaragu – which had no electricity and an outdoor shower and loo. We were in bed by 8:40 and it was totally quiet under the African sky. Camp Xaragu has a beautiful setting and many animals are walking around – including a baboon – who was rescued from the wild. At one time they tried to send him back to the wild- but that did not work. So- he lives at Camp Xaragu. Because we did not want to sit next to the smokers, we sat outside and enjoyed a lovely dinner then went to bed at 8:30. Our room was wonderful- only lanterns. This morning we awoke and took a shower in our outdoor shower room. It was warm (which helped).
Then we ate our breakfast and talked with an Australian geologist for a bit. Then we left and drove to the petrified forest which was amazing. Our tour guide was very good. Phil explained to him the differences between these trees and the ones in Arizona including a computer exhibition of the Arizona petrified rocks, that are roughly the same age..
Then we drove to the Vingerklip – which is a large finger shaped rock that is a remnant of the old river terrace that was stranded in the middle of the valley.
We are dinner in the small tow of Outjo. They have a nice restaurant there where we ate our lunch. Then we watched as the high schoolers walked home. Josea says they much come back to study later in the day. He also stressed that most of these students will have a long road ahead of them – they must do very well in order to get into the university and the rest will simply get a job after finishing high school. It is very hard to excel in Namibia- but Josea did it and is proud of himself. He came from a very poor family and his father died in Angola of cholera. So he supports his entire family with money from his income as a tour guide.
Then we drove to Etosha and arrived in time to take a short trip to two watering holes. Our room is at the end of the road and overlooks the watering hole. Right now we are sitting on a bench watching the sun set – over the water hole and watching the springbok come down to the water and drink – as well as the zebra and the jackals. We were just told that the lions come at 3:30-4:00 in the morning. I might get up for that!!! Unbelievably, seven elephants just arrived at the watering hole. One is a baby. But they are amazing. Phil is taking video footage of them. There are two spotlights on the watering hole that apparently stay on all night. I am just in awe of the wonder and beauty of Africa.