Safari Court Hotel Namibia

... interested as we were to see how they lived we were anxious that they might be uncomfortable with this form of &#8216;cultural tourism&#8217;. We were assured that the family was very comfortable with taking tourists into their home and this certainly seemed to be the case. <br><br>We tried out both the rustic and more comfortable accommodation at the lodge and found both of an acceptable standard. If I ever felt guilty about not doing ...

... and Boyd serenade the rest of the group with a medley of &#8220;I Can See Clearly Now&#8221; and &#8220;Sloop John B&#8221;. Colm follows this with a few Irish songs and ends off with Danny Boy before we have to leave the campground due to the hour. We start singing again on the truck with interesting renditions of Jailhouse Rock, Whole Lotta Shakin&#8217; Goin&#8217; On, The Letter, and end off with a soothing bedtime ballad, Can&#8217;t Help Falling ...

... clear blue Namibian sky.<br><br>We stop for a spontaneous picnic lunch. This appears to be a highlight as the group leaps into action with increased efficiency. It&#8217;s like recess at elementary school except for using the trees and bushes for latrine purposes (or many not in some cases). <br><br>We arrive at the Nubib Nature Camp just after 4 PM. It&#8217;s a family owned business which has resided in the family since the 1800s. The camp itself is 8 ...

... br>In the evening we went into a cave area and had a campfire.  We played campfire games and introduced the world to a Canadian S&#8217;more (well at least a variation of it; we could not find graham crackers so we had to use tea biscuits).  We also spent some time watching the stars without the hindrance of city lights.  I tell you, the night sky in Africa is full of millions of stars and really makes you realize the vastness of what is out there.

... stools, boxes and crates. We got off and perused the rocks, taking pictures of the kids after asking permission and watching delightedly as more whooped and hollered their way down the path towards us. The joy with which we&#8217;re greeted is really heartwarming. And, in fact, the rocks turned out to be really amazing. They had all different kinds and while some were polished most were part of rough stone. I found one that I loved in ...

... to the skin of the nose that cool the blood as the animal stands on a dune to catch the wind on its face. In the far south out of the dunes, another animal has adapted to living in this barren wilderness and this might seem hard to believe buts is true. At the turn of the century South african forces bombed a German base in this area and ? thousan horse were scattered over the desert. Most were rounded up, but a handful escaped to adapt and survive in the desert. The ...

... I was happy to hear that Dani and Christine were staying on the bus all the way to Walvis Bay and going back to the ship for the night. They are cool girls and they were fun to hang out with, but after six hours of them complaining I needed some space. Karina was a trooper. She never mentioned anything and tried to calm the other two girls down. I was impressed. While the trip was long and hot and not the most pleasant smell it was still a rewarding experience. For one I ...

... out by a pride of lions started to form in my head. Was it safe? We were assured that elephants would tip-toe round them as they regarded a tent as they would any other solid object and as long as they didn't leave a leg out of the tent at night it would not be snacked upon by any passing carnivore. Not completely convinced I told myself that surely they would not send us out on our own with something that wasn't safe. We ran through the equipment and I ticked ...

... arrive in Windhoek around 6 PM and checked into the Puccini House. Our room here was very nice and had the most comfortable beds with huge pillows - four of them - all smelling freshly laundered. Our room cost 375 rand per night. March 21, 2008 Windhoek, Namibia We are in a very civilized country. Windhoek is on Namibia's central highlands and, at this time of year, it is cool and the air is clean. Namibia was civilized by the Germans before ...

There is a point on a long haul bus trip that you question your sanity - why would you put yourself through this? We boarded our bus at 12.00 noon and five hours later we were not very far on our journey, having spent most of this time going through the formalities at both sides of the border. Everybody's luggage was unloaded and searched by the Namibian authorities. After this the bus drove on through the night with not too many stops and eventually ...