Woven Moments
So, our traveling time is winding down and both Amy and I are struggling with a variety of feelings. Somedays we are excited to be coming home to see all of you and not have to figure out where we are going to sleep or what we are going to eat next. Other days (and different ones at that) we feel overwhelmed by what we know will be a difficult transition back to the U.S.A. and all the things that come along with it. I bought my ticket home a few days ago and will be arriving at JFK on voting day-November 8th. That is less than 2 weeks away and before that we are travelling to Paris to visit my uncle and his new wife, my cousin and her new baby, friends of the family, then heading to Brussels to see our uncle and our cousin who owns the cheese shop. Amy will fly home on the 2nd and I will fly to London to visit a friend in Birmingham before I come home. It will be a whirlwind last few weeks!
Namibia continues to be one of the my favorite places that we visited and good thing because there is a teaching program called World Teach that I might be able to return with. (A one year contract, something to look into anyway).
After I last wrote we drove on a winding gravel road, through a rainstorm (VERY unusual in Namibia as it is the driest country in Africa south of the Sahara desert)arriving at a community camping area. We tried to support as many community initiatives as possible :). After an evening in a cozy tent protected from another rain storm, we drove further to Twyfelfontein to see the rock paintings and rock engravings created by the San people (better known as the Kalahari Bushmen) to teach their children about animals and hunting techniques. It felt like a very special place so I was glad to see that the area was being well taken care of, especially since our guide was strict about keeping to the path and not letting us get too close to the artworks. Its amazing to be able to be in the presence of works that are older than I can comprehend (2000-6000 years old). We continued on our drive, we had a while to go, passing by the Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain and happening upon Welwistchia plants-Tammy spotted them and was my hero because I had really wanted to be able to see these ancient plants and I thought that we would only be able to see them in one area. We came to a screeching halt, rushing out of the car to wander through a "field" of welwistchia. These plants only grow in Namibia and only grow a millimeter per year. They grow two leaves which slowly separate, giving the appearance of many leaves. They are low-lying plants with broad green leaves that flow from a center of prickly looking bumps. Very cool! The Organ Pipes were created by a volcano that pushed up hot earth that cooled into crystal-like formations. Burnt Mountain was also created by a volcano, maybe the same one, and is now a colorful mix of ash/rocks. An interesting sight, but similar to what we saw on Mt. Batur in Bali.
After a few hours of handheld Yahtzee tournaments, the "sights" turn into barren land for long periods of time, we had some excitment when Kelly felt like we had a flat tire. Sure enough we were all glad that Tammy had worked as a mechanic and could turn into super-fast tire changing woman so we didn't have to stand out in the heat for too long. Yipee. Our camp site that evening was full of guinea fowl which make noises far worse than chickens! But, Kelly made a DELICIOUS dinner over a fire and we enjoyed the meal lit by a candle lantern. The next morning Tammy went to buy us a new tire and we drove the last hundred kilometers to Etosha National Park!
If you haven't heard of Etosha it's only because Namibia Tourism seems to mostly rely on word of mouth and everything that we heard about Etosha was incredible. We heard that we would see all kinds of animals and that we could be close up. We decided to stay 3 nights, one at each waterhole that has accomodation. As soon as we entered the gates of the park we spotted a zebra and a few seconds later we saw several giraffes who, luckily, ignored Kelly's very excited, shrill yell. Throughout our time in park we were witness to herds of antelope wandering over to the Okakueju waterhole. We watched spingbok hide under a tree for shade, giraffes bend awkwardly to drink, black-backed jackel scoping out their prey. At night was the most amazing! A herd of elephants, mostly females and BABIES drank and played in the water, shooing other animals away. I know that lions are supposed to be the king of the jungle and after seeing them I could agree, except that everyone seems to wait for the elephants to be done before they try to approach the water holes. How do I sum up 4 days of witnessing the everyday lives of over 20 mammels and countless species of birds and how they all interact and play a special role in the environment? I don't know. It was stunning to watch a lion resting by a waterhole where he must have recently enjoyed a meal, then lumbering over towards the car, his orange eyes warning us that he could kill us if he wanted, but that he really wasn't interested at this moment. He walked to within 2 meters of the car then walked behind it into the tall grass where he laid down. After this encounter I was fascinated by the power of predators so when we got to see five spotted hyenas running through a field, I wanted to stop and watch. Everytime I saw a large bird, I wanted to stop and get a closer look through the binoculars. We saw eagles, kestrals, and vultures.I was really glad that I had bought a book of Etosha wildlife that had pictures of many of the animals and birds and I could learn their names and check of that I had seen them. Our last evening I stood and watched a group of birds swooping through the sky, breaking apart and then rejoining each other, creating a dance in the night. It was exciting to be able to question a group of birders who could spot and name all the birds that I could see. Amy was worried I would run off with them :)To sum up we saw: (antelopes first) springbok, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), red hartebeest, black-faced impala, damara dik-dik, and steenbok; giraffes, zebra, elephants, lions (male and female), ostriches, black rhino, jackels, hyenas,warthogs, ang LOTS and LOTS of birds. I think that I have to agree that Etosha is one of the best, if not the best, game park in Africa.
When we left Etosha we drove only 100 kilometers to the small town of Tsumeb where we bought some crafts and stayed in a backpackers that was full of World Teach (you can click on the link to learn more) teachers who were just finishing up a year of teaching in Namibia. Most of the teachers were young and had no teaching experience prior to joining the program. The eldest, a woman named Gail in her late fifties, had been a music teacher. They were an interesting bunch of people and I got to learn a lot about the program and education in Namibia.
The next few days were spent mostly in the car driving for several hours at a time. We stopped at the Cheetah Conservation Fund to see cheetahs and learn about what is being done to help them escape extermination. They are beautiful animals and although it was a bit sad to know that these cheetahs would never be able to be returned the wild, it was amazing to see how they were all getting to be ambassadors for their cheetah relatives. They are used for research (unharmed) and for educational purposes. Visit the link above for more info.
Our last night in Namibia was spent at the Quiver Tree forest. Quiver trees are a kind of aloe that grows into these beautiful trees sprouting from a truck that looks like it tears as it grows. It was a gorgeous place to wake up to and watch the sunrise, changing the colors of the trees. We had a relaxing morning and enjoyed our glutinous oatmeal together before stopping at the owner's house to pay and se the infamous meerkats. I scared them when I jumped on the nearby trampoline, but it was worth their brief fright to get to jump around and get some exercise. That day we crossed the border and drove all the way back to within 250km of Cape Town to stay at Gekko Backpackers near Citrusdal. Alhough there were no longer any kumquants or oranges we were grateful for a bed and Amy's proze-winning dinner of stirfried vegetables and cous cous that we got to have for lunch the next day too! The next morning we drove through Ceres and the Cederburg Mountains marveling at the views. We stopped at Bovlei winery (Kelly's favorite wine stopped being imported to Canada and when we tried to go before it was closed). Well, this time it was open and had the wine that Kelly loves. We had a free tasting bought a few bottles and drove into Cape Town.
We got to have dinner with Shaul and Eilat who made squash soup and delicious bread. After saying,"See you in a while" to Tammy and Kelly at the airport yesterday we moved our stuff to Shaul and Eilat's. It is sooooo nice to have a comfortable place to stay where we can just relax and enjoy each other's company. Tomorrow we fly to Paris to visit family and friends before we take a train to Belgium. It's so strange that this chapter of my life is coming to an end, but I'm looking forward to sharing more details with all of you and more importantly hearing about your lives and seeing you all soon!
Stay safe and tread lightly. :)
Nabia
Namibia continues to be one of the my favorite places that we visited and good thing because there is a teaching program called World Teach that I might be able to return with. (A one year contract, something to look into anyway).
After I last wrote we drove on a winding gravel road, through a rainstorm (VERY unusual in Namibia as it is the driest country in Africa south of the Sahara desert)arriving at a community camping area. We tried to support as many community initiatives as possible :). After an evening in a cozy tent protected from another rain storm, we drove further to Twyfelfontein to see the rock paintings and rock engravings created by the San people (better known as the Kalahari Bushmen) to teach their children about animals and hunting techniques. It felt like a very special place so I was glad to see that the area was being well taken care of, especially since our guide was strict about keeping to the path and not letting us get too close to the artworks. Its amazing to be able to be in the presence of works that are older than I can comprehend (2000-6000 years old). We continued on our drive, we had a while to go, passing by the Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain and happening upon Welwistchia plants-Tammy spotted them and was my hero because I had really wanted to be able to see these ancient plants and I thought that we would only be able to see them in one area. We came to a screeching halt, rushing out of the car to wander through a "field" of welwistchia. These plants only grow in Namibia and only grow a millimeter per year. They grow two leaves which slowly separate, giving the appearance of many leaves. They are low-lying plants with broad green leaves that flow from a center of prickly looking bumps. Very cool! The Organ Pipes were created by a volcano that pushed up hot earth that cooled into crystal-like formations. Burnt Mountain was also created by a volcano, maybe the same one, and is now a colorful mix of ash/rocks. An interesting sight, but similar to what we saw on Mt. Batur in Bali.
After a few hours of handheld Yahtzee tournaments, the "sights" turn into barren land for long periods of time, we had some excitment when Kelly felt like we had a flat tire. Sure enough we were all glad that Tammy had worked as a mechanic and could turn into super-fast tire changing woman so we didn't have to stand out in the heat for too long. Yipee. Our camp site that evening was full of guinea fowl which make noises far worse than chickens! But, Kelly made a DELICIOUS dinner over a fire and we enjoyed the meal lit by a candle lantern. The next morning Tammy went to buy us a new tire and we drove the last hundred kilometers to Etosha National Park!
If you haven't heard of Etosha it's only because Namibia Tourism seems to mostly rely on word of mouth and everything that we heard about Etosha was incredible. We heard that we would see all kinds of animals and that we could be close up. We decided to stay 3 nights, one at each waterhole that has accomodation. As soon as we entered the gates of the park we spotted a zebra and a few seconds later we saw several giraffes who, luckily, ignored Kelly's very excited, shrill yell. Throughout our time in park we were witness to herds of antelope wandering over to the Okakueju waterhole. We watched spingbok hide under a tree for shade, giraffes bend awkwardly to drink, black-backed jackel scoping out their prey. At night was the most amazing! A herd of elephants, mostly females and BABIES drank and played in the water, shooing other animals away. I know that lions are supposed to be the king of the jungle and after seeing them I could agree, except that everyone seems to wait for the elephants to be done before they try to approach the water holes. How do I sum up 4 days of witnessing the everyday lives of over 20 mammels and countless species of birds and how they all interact and play a special role in the environment? I don't know. It was stunning to watch a lion resting by a waterhole where he must have recently enjoyed a meal, then lumbering over towards the car, his orange eyes warning us that he could kill us if he wanted, but that he really wasn't interested at this moment. He walked to within 2 meters of the car then walked behind it into the tall grass where he laid down. After this encounter I was fascinated by the power of predators so when we got to see five spotted hyenas running through a field, I wanted to stop and watch. Everytime I saw a large bird, I wanted to stop and get a closer look through the binoculars. We saw eagles, kestrals, and vultures.I was really glad that I had bought a book of Etosha wildlife that had pictures of many of the animals and birds and I could learn their names and check of that I had seen them. Our last evening I stood and watched a group of birds swooping through the sky, breaking apart and then rejoining each other, creating a dance in the night. It was exciting to be able to question a group of birders who could spot and name all the birds that I could see. Amy was worried I would run off with them :)To sum up we saw: (antelopes first) springbok, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), red hartebeest, black-faced impala, damara dik-dik, and steenbok; giraffes, zebra, elephants, lions (male and female), ostriches, black rhino, jackels, hyenas,warthogs, ang LOTS and LOTS of birds. I think that I have to agree that Etosha is one of the best, if not the best, game park in Africa.
When we left Etosha we drove only 100 kilometers to the small town of Tsumeb where we bought some crafts and stayed in a backpackers that was full of World Teach (you can click on the link to learn more) teachers who were just finishing up a year of teaching in Namibia. Most of the teachers were young and had no teaching experience prior to joining the program. The eldest, a woman named Gail in her late fifties, had been a music teacher. They were an interesting bunch of people and I got to learn a lot about the program and education in Namibia.
The next few days were spent mostly in the car driving for several hours at a time. We stopped at the Cheetah Conservation Fund to see cheetahs and learn about what is being done to help them escape extermination. They are beautiful animals and although it was a bit sad to know that these cheetahs would never be able to be returned the wild, it was amazing to see how they were all getting to be ambassadors for their cheetah relatives. They are used for research (unharmed) and for educational purposes. Visit the link above for more info.
Our last night in Namibia was spent at the Quiver Tree forest. Quiver trees are a kind of aloe that grows into these beautiful trees sprouting from a truck that looks like it tears as it grows. It was a gorgeous place to wake up to and watch the sunrise, changing the colors of the trees. We had a relaxing morning and enjoyed our glutinous oatmeal together before stopping at the owner's house to pay and se the infamous meerkats. I scared them when I jumped on the nearby trampoline, but it was worth their brief fright to get to jump around and get some exercise. That day we crossed the border and drove all the way back to within 250km of Cape Town to stay at Gekko Backpackers near Citrusdal. Alhough there were no longer any kumquants or oranges we were grateful for a bed and Amy's proze-winning dinner of stirfried vegetables and cous cous that we got to have for lunch the next day too! The next morning we drove through Ceres and the Cederburg Mountains marveling at the views. We stopped at Bovlei winery (Kelly's favorite wine stopped being imported to Canada and when we tried to go before it was closed). Well, this time it was open and had the wine that Kelly loves. We had a free tasting bought a few bottles and drove into Cape Town.
We got to have dinner with Shaul and Eilat who made squash soup and delicious bread. After saying,"See you in a while" to Tammy and Kelly at the airport yesterday we moved our stuff to Shaul and Eilat's. It is sooooo nice to have a comfortable place to stay where we can just relax and enjoy each other's company. Tomorrow we fly to Paris to visit family and friends before we take a train to Belgium. It's so strange that this chapter of my life is coming to an end, but I'm looking forward to sharing more details with all of you and more importantly hearing about your lives and seeing you all soon!
Stay safe and tread lightly. :)
Nabia