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.