Northern Namibia
Trip Start
Dec 02, 2007
1
50
55
Trip End
Sep 01, 2008
Spitzkoppe,
Namibia
Sunday, August 10, 2008
After putting our tents up (and having seen some massive spiders), we were treated to a display of song and dance round the camp fire. Thankfully, we were not required to reciprocate this time. The dance ended as the Bushmen dabbed some dirt onto our faces to ensure a good nights sleep. This was too much for two of our older companions, sisters, who collapsed into the kind of giggles that only siblings can manage.
The following morning we had a choice of activities with the Bushmen. Not at all conforming to gender stereotypes, Charlotte went to the village to learn about craftworks, while I partook in a bushwalk with hunting skills, while showing a distinct lack of any with the bow and arrow. Both were an interesting insight into a traditional culture, although as we learnt later, not entirely authentic as the tribe now live in houses nearby and have mobiles..
San woman with child
. Still, it was an interesting experience that taught us a lot about the harshness of the desert environment.Our next stop was to be Etosha National Park, one of the foremost on the continent. The park caters for large numbers of Namibian and South African tourists, and in the words of our tour leader Kate, is a bit 'poshy la-la'. This was confirmed when we asked about the possibility of upgrading our tent for the night for a room, something we do occasionally, only to told this would cost about 20 times more than it has anywhere else.
The game drives in the park were to be conducted in Gunga, our trusty truck. As this was our final safari opportunity, we were a little disappointed with this as it is not exactly the most inconspicuous of vehicles... It has to be said however, that our driver, Pat did a good job getting us close to the wildlife, and the configuration of the vehicle actually worked reasonably well as the sides roll up for optimum viewing. Several species of antelope were spotted, along with giraffes, jackals and a very close encounter with an old male bull elephant.
Charlotte and I also undertook an evening game drive with the campsite, where the driver used a red spotlight. Although we snoozed through some of it, we did get the chance to see our first rhinos of the trip when we spotted some black rhinos at a waterhole. One of them nearly didn't spot us however, as it came dangerously close to the jeep before the driver scared it away by starting the engine.
Other highlights at Etosha included more cricket and almost the entire truck handwashing their clothes, plus some good food and drink in the converted German fort part of the campsite.
One animal that has so far eluded us on the trip is the cheetah
Traditional hut of the San people
. Luckily however, our next stop was a cheetah reserve, where we got to view the animals up close.The following day saw us head into the Namibian desert proper, with two more bushcamps before we reach the civilisation that is Swakopmund, something we are all looking forward to.
Our first night was spent camping in the dunes, which was a really impressive sight. Halfway between the moon and the desert, the temperatures plummeted at night and the wind was enough to send a couple of the tents flying away, thankfully saved by others further down the line. Waking up in the desert was certainly an experience, with fantastic views from the top of one of the dunes.
The morning also saw a summit meeting on the truck to resolve some tensions that have developed in the group in recent days. Much of this appears to be a hangover from arguments conducted before we joined the tour. Suffice to say there were many tears and a fair bit of aggression, but everyone seems a bit happier now and it was an entertaining show!
As best friends again, we drove to Spitzkoppe, an area that bears a striking resemblance to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, where we spent a relaxing day. I climbed one of the granite peaks on my own in the afternoon, before joining some of the others for another spectacular sunset. We then descended before having dinner and some drinks, with everyone thankfully a bit more relaxed and looking forward to the prospect of staying somewhere for three days and not sleeping in a tent!
