![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBk3HzlEhSBmn1Q3udKdEJYaei1uNxE9c3L0tikZDDypFQaUYZRzSxqfF_TkU0ofhquNSB800bG2STxIpiTY5E0YyPuao2SGlbVXvmFvLa3d8sj8vEZhcj0GFJ304L6UISCFal51rklLGw/s200/Africa+2008_0937.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFrzF9H5QlifFapsvzz_3yamPo3n45fefell4H7jptT6zt30IEGLoiTq8z_LtqLUbxXro5p6Pm3KVNkDHgHXGvAAieMrdRubbKBqUN7WMtzsWHeX9M4L2IhY4A8cOdg7OfKRjRCY0BmwZ/s200/Africa+2008_0938.jpg)
- We have now been in Namibia for the past 4 days. It is absolutely gorgeous and enchanting! By the time we're done, we'll have travelled 2500 km, north to south. 6 months ago, we'd hardly heard of this place; now we love it. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUn5-BDwOA6PwCyuvvo3oPjBhf-b6Xe-M35nc5Tvz6P7cqU5gcqtliEDgq6vxkpdxAyzJzxNR9FlWMBAtcxZYNhsVxCaEPjBN5eQKRR1WQEmqsyds5bj6bBpM5piO2BSTYnhLVnuDmqEiX/s200/Africa+2008_0876.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUn5-BDwOA6PwCyuvvo3oPjBhf-b6Xe-M35nc5Tvz6P7cqU5gcqtliEDgq6vxkpdxAyzJzxNR9FlWMBAtcxZYNhsVxCaEPjBN5eQKRR1WQEmqsyds5bj6bBpM5piO2BSTYnhLVnuDmqEiX/s200/Africa+2008_0876.jpg)
- Namibia is blessed with 217 minerals, 10 of which are only found here. The population is just under 4 million people, with only about 2 people per kilometre, and it has the highest per capital income in the world. Richard maintains that the tall grass is coloured a Van Gough yellow and the sunsets look like a Monet purple and pink.
- We arrived in Windhoek, the capital city, and were very surprised by its modernity and its German flavour. No dusty cowboy town with tumbleweed, the way we'd half expected.
- We arrived in Windhoek, the capital city, and were very surprised by its modernity and its German flavour. No dusty cowboy town with tumbleweed, the way we'd half expected.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYuqOdwm-EoOhJfxZKW6naYyF-50Ldvxod4dvYyYd7kqTXNjhTkNt95UdS-2npyjUU_UGqulqpBy34YRzvlH5Q-DWPM2vN9APDOayT8pwV4KJVUx2kA7b4qvASsppExmzp_xjMvAMDYrE/s200/Africa+2008_0950.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVHfDDhn2G2jkRbG1KxhauUEWf1Cnk9k8VEMiu1v7uJ76WJdQ7LjLOcJAeBUoCeoaq638BQaSLz9ENAw9UUs8FRdLKvcGks22IYHhGeRUupqUEAqZ13b6XVonFm2fnHgXUGRHMlaNRM0l/s200/Africa+2008_0947.jpg)
- The food throughout the trip has been great, often haute cuisine. Eleanor isn't as upset about this as Richard is; she's looking forward to shopping for new clothes when she gets home....if she can fit on the plane to get home! We've tasted mixed game grills, including Kudu in mustard sauce and grilled oryx, which is very tender. We've tried warthog, crocodile, ostrich, and other delicacies. Richard maintains that Namibian Taffel beer and Zimbabwe blue cheese are the best he's tasted. We should say that the game meals were ordered by choice. There's always plenty of the more familiar meats available, but when in Rome.....
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3w53BjCIMUGTdk3JXnBQNjLj6OkOduS6p7s3PRu0dpKeQ9wPZ0LfKkyE31Q6N8KXXh4PmCMnkisa-CqxO3XDFkehTQ2QyH24vPouFtBSg4bPFsPq0IJEw-8jYZHgAW112ueZn1Fa7P0n/s200/Africa+2008_0784.jpg)
- We visited Etosha National Park, which is half the size of Switzerland, where we had some of the best game-viewing yet. The Etosha salt pan is about 25% of the park and is 90 km across. It is so visually stunning, it's hard to describe. The greenish-gray mineral soil blends with the horizon as far as the eye can see. It truly gives one a visual sense of infinity.
- We stayed at a lodge with a floodlit waterhole, with seats surrounding the protective wall so we could sit and watch the action any time, day or night. It's better than a play! At some unseen signal, guinea fowl ran down the hill from a directions, splashed around, and then disappeared again. Herds of zebras and antelopes appear on cue. The animals on the right are mongeese (mongooses?). It was our only sighting of these renowned snake-killing animals, and we were surprised to see how small they are.
When the ellies arrive at the waterhole, the others have to leave. They drink alone, thank you very much, and there aren't too many animals that would dare to challenge that right. One trumpet call from the leader and the other animals scatter. Usually, anyhow. The night we were there, a mother black rhino and her baby got tired of waiting for the ellies to finish. Very slowly, she strolled to the pool. At first, most of the elephants simply looked shocked. Then one of those trouble-making teenage males decided to prove his manliness and walked o
ver to her, ears out and trunk raised to make him look big and fierce. She took one step towards him and he ran off to join his friends. For a while it looked as if a few of the other young males might join forces to run her off, but just like in the movies, reinforcements arrived; 3 other adult rhinos and two babies showed up to balance things a little, and the ellies decided it was time to cut their losses and move on to let the rhinos enjoy the water in peace. Since our cameras aren't really designed for night photography, the photo here isn't great, but it does show mama rhino teaching junior how to stand up to a bully.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU_gGEL2aFZRZytadOJrS6fCoj43W75d20b7sxhfhhR0d__IobtMTS6W5Fc6A-zgkmWffdsBNxsr5fhhQtNuHnAQQ1f19rYwaeOLgQaeQDQ65ZT5O6-NvV7vtgAtGjZRZOMX9EV7w69dz/s200/Africa+2008_0796.jpg)
- Right now, we've crossed the Namib desert and are at Swakopmund
on the Atlantic coast, which is like being on a Maritime beach. The Altantic coast here is the famous Skeleton Coast, so-named because of the many humans and animals that have died of thirst in the region. It's beautiful, but very sparsely populated because there's very little fresh water to be found. We're staying at the aptly named Stiltz hotel. Tomorrow we head off for the famous Namibian sand dunes, where we'll try to climb the famous Dune 45. Wish us luck!
- This will probably be our last blog entry until we arrive in Cape Town on October 2. Best to all.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdP1EKYg5DQN6OyjUCAUOlQR0Kzc15Jabh9yrn7xnqfvvkxvO-YIMtgNoCzqfg_D_VXzW3n_iekz4REHgP-bY1N4u8_ikKZz0sgzwYMP9kubxWpAgtBqG89tH2rtVsPOIgvxbUANbKqXu/s200/Africa+2008_0846.jpg)
- This will probably be our last blog entry until we arrive in Cape Town on October 2. Best to all.
1 comment:
Eleanor and Richard! I am really enjoying reading about your adventures! You are very eloquent writers, and Eleanor, your poem is a masterpiece!
Richard, I'm glad to hear you haven't needed to fire a gun yet, despite all the practice on lion targets.
I hope to hear more details when you get back to Ottawa. It must seem like a universe away right now.
--Christine at RAGun
Post a Comment