Namibia

Transportation

Transportation in Namibia is so conventional (with the exception that you drive on the "wrong" side, Mark going back about 35+ years to his Barbados days of learning to drive a manual on the wrong side has been fun) compared to the other places we've been. Anyway we came up to this rig while driving back to Windhoek and I had to take a picture. I actually blushed when I realized they knew I was taking a pic and they posed.

Mary

MH Holden PLS
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Lions

...from pervious.
We were starting to get anxious. We'd been here four days & heard of a number of sightings, yet we kept coming up snake-eyes.
On Mary's birthday, after a long day of driving from hole to hole searching, and searching we stopped one last time at Chudop waterhole; a number of people had said here is where they had seen them. So we took a shot, and waited and waited, the breeze had died and the car was hot. Every other sort of animal came and left but still not the one we sought.
I was just ready to start the car and head back to camp when from behind Mary saw him one lone lion coming to drink.

We should have known something was up because it wasn't till he sauntered up the waters edge that I noticed there wasn't another animal in sight, for he owned the oasis. The next morning we were rewarded again whe we headed north along the west edge of the pan and practically drove into a small "pride" of three lion "chillaxing" in the shade.

Finally we had what we came for, all of the big five that live in this pan Lion, Leopard, Rhino, & Elephant. The only one missing is the water buffalo and it lives in Caprivi.
Tomorrow we head back to Windhoek and then along flight home.
If you've not been here it may be hard to fathom, or perhaps it's just me, but Africa untangles the soul and I find it hard to leave. I will miss the star filled nights, the vast horizons, the somber sad stare of the elephant and the many good people of this land. This trip will be long remember and I will yearn to return.
MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Specters & Bounty

from the pervious episode....
...at first not much was happening. Mostly a lot a birds were flying in for an evening drink, some competitive squawking & a snack of a bug or two.
The sun large & orange rested for a quick moment on the tops if the short Acacia trees before it slipped into the night. It was in the short twilight we saw it. A brief movement, a shadow really, low to the ground in the grass at the edge of the clearing... Leopard!
The cat had come for an evening drink & it was nearly invisible in the dim light. You only saw it when in crept from grass to bush to rock on it's way to the waters edge.
There it drink, blending into the landscape like some old boulder or fallen log. Those of us remanning at the rock viewpoint were dead silent, each one glued to the large cats form. It was a beautiful animal. The spots dark on a tawny background, every once in awhile it would look up in our direction with eyes that were large dark and chilling.
Eventually the cat drank it's fill and in short order was back to the tall grass. It gave us one last glance, just to let us know it was watching before it slipped into the bush becoming once again a specter of the dark, a silent breath in the wind, a thing that goes bump in the night. We remained for a moment longer awed at what we'd seen. (photos of another leopard will be posted latter).
In the next couple of days we saw more Zebra, Elephant, Kudu, Hartebeest, & Giraffe than we could count in the bush

On the road

Or by the waterholes

But still one animal eluded us, icon of Africa....continued

MH Holden PLS
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I see animals, there everywhere

So, we've made it to Etosha. A post or two back I commented on the "culture shock" of leaving the bare bones EHRA camp and ending up at more formal rest camp/lodge. As they say adapt or die, so consider us adapted, hot showers, & soft beds; whats not to
like. Anyway, after a bit of revelry, the next morning we drove to the Etosha pan and park.
The park was started in 1907 and currently covers 23,000km2. Etosha means "Great White Place" and when not filled with water, the salt dust justifies the name.

But what seems inhospitable is remarkably alive. Countless water holes dot the perimeter of the main pan and even if there might be greater numbers in Tanzania or Kruger life is abundant here. The other nicety of this "little brother" to Kenya or Botswana's game reserves is that you can explore the area on your own, granted you can't get out of you car, but you don't have to be part of any tour; so if you want to sit at one spot for hours, your not going to be hassled by a time table or by bored FT's (Namibian/Afrikaans for tourists, literal translation Firking Tourist, more specifically applied to Italians). This was particularly rewarding for us a couple times.
The first hole we hit was one on the west edge of the pan, Okondeka, and it was like watching a rerun of PBS Nature or Wild Kingdom. Hundreds of plains animals drank, milled about, jousted, ate, or just "chilled" around the water hole. Herds of Wildebeest mingled with Oryx. Processions of Zebra marched to the water while Kudu and Springbok left. Giraffe, warthogs and other antelope all shared the same space while jackal & brown hyaena looked on.

(These iPhone pics aren't very good & don't show the numbers, in a week or two we'll have better photos posted).
The day had barely started and we had dozens more waterholes to see and by the days end we were getting pretty nonchalant about it all, " ah it's just more Zebras, phooy just a
herd of elephants, yea yea, some more Giraffes". By late afternoon we called it a day & turned into Halali camp on the south side of the pan for a dip in the pool & a cool beer to wash away the heat and dust.
Near by, there is a small waterhole you can walk to and watch the activity from a protected rocky area. Dinner wasn't until later so we decided to kill some time and pop over to see if anything interesting was happening. That turned out to be one of the luckier choices of the trip.

....to be continued

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Where and Why

At the beginning of the blog I put forth a couple of questions that some folks had asked about this trip: Where is Namibia, and why Namibia.
Those of you kind enough to follow our ramblings (written & travel wise) may have "found" Namibia on Google earth or a newer Rand McNally atlas. If not here's the Readers Digest low down. Namibia, which sits on the Atlantic side of the continent just north of South Africa, has been a country for less then 30 years. Like most of southern Africa it was politically part of South Africa & formally called West South Africa. Along with the end of the Angolan war, perestroika, and the fall of the Berlin wall; Namibia found independence. Today the country has a strong conservation movement (our adventure into Sandwitch Harbor brought us in contact with one of Southern Africa's chief ecologist, as the time with the N.G.O. EHRA, put us in touch with top flight & dedicated wildlife conservationists). But as many countries do Namibia struggles with the conflicting economic nature of its resources: mining vs habitat, development vs conservation. That's the where (and some of the what). Now the why.
Mary celebrates her fiftith birthday this year (actually that benchmark was reached yesterday),

and a wish of hers was to be south of the equator and "on safari". Botswana was to much coin and places like Kruger park or Kenya & Tanzania, though wonderful wildlife areas, were to developed and traveled for our preference. Thus, Namibia; with it's mountainous Naukluft & sands of the Namib desert, the striking volcanic & limestone velds of Damaraland and of course the place we find ourselves in now, the quintessential African wildlife refuge of Etosha pan.
In think the next couple entries will be our last while in country, I'll break them up so I can share a couple of our snapshots of the critters we found. So next up "Lions & Leopards & ... Ah it's just more stinkin' Guineafowl oh my"!

Stay tuned.

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Flash update

Okay, for those of you who know us; you know we don't generally follow the
"herd" and the past couple weeks would support that cliche.
However, tonight we find ourselves at Etosha Safari Camp, drinking wine surrounded by "FT's"* a cacophony of German, French & Afrikaans competes with a Namibian version of a Mariachi band serenading the patrons around a fire.

Springbok stroganoff with cauliflower & cheese is on the menu....big change from smoky fire cooked Chicken Mowambe(sp).....it's fun but I miss base camp EHRA. Perhaps another glass of white wine and a dance with Mary will change the that... after all it's T minus 4 days till her 5 Oh :) and some celebration is needed.

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Pachyderms & Rhinos, OH WOW!

I need to be brief, mainly because I'm still digesting the experience.
After the pervious week working on the the rock walls at the well sites, We've just returned from another week stint in the bush. We traveled light, one set of clothes, canvas bedroll and maybe a toothbrush that's all. There were sixteen of us together under the stars, each night cooking over an open fire, no tents and less then 300 liters of water for all to last for cooking, drinking, and whatever. We traveled in open vehicles, suffering from near hypothermia when a cold front swept across the veld that brought snow to Sossevlie to dehydration when the east winds returned the desert to it's hot dry norm.
The veld and desert area is called Damarland and we were somewhat north of Brandberg Massif. This is the "home" of the desert elephant and we found the H1 & H2 herds. We followed these groups for two days and because of our trackers skill and experience a number of times we found ourselves amidst the herds, with one young bull actually nudging the truck, and a mother with a new born calf passing within a handful of feet of us. Quite remarkable since these are wild herds, not park animals and more familiar with mans darker nature.

On our last days we turned to the deeper desert. This is a rugged uninhabited area where dry sandy river beds are the "roads."
As I said for a number of reasons I need to be brief, but let me just say after hours of open tracking we found a solitary black rhino.

I must leave, I'll write more later but now as we head in different directions, we say farewell to some remarkable people who shared and helped make the last weeks memorable. Next Mary & I head to north to Etosha.

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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EHRA work week

Oh where to start and be brief (typing on an iphone is a pain). First a huge thanks to Janet Rhoton at the county for telling us about EHRA. We are in Uis for some swimming on our break between work and patrol week.
We arrived at base camp in that golden hour of light just before sunset. The bushveld before us with acacia and mopani trees and these hills of red rock. We found out there would be a film crew following our work for a show called the ethical hedonist. Base camp is lovely, huge acacia tree with sleeping platforms, a kitchen and cooking fire platform.
History - desert elephants were moving into the area a decade ago and causing problems for farmers. There was a proposed law to eradicate them but EHRA was formed and proposed building walls to protect wells so here we are. For our build week we finished a wall involving rocks and cement. Hard work but our group is great, Italy. Germany, Brazil, Zimbabwe, UK and even a couple young American gals. We have rustic camping at the work site, sleeping on bedrolls on a tarp under the stars. Cooking duties are shared.

Heading out to the bushveld

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Missing photos

Noticed most of the photos didn't upload. So here we try it again.

Sundowners in the Namib veld.

One of many dunes in the Sossuse area.

A vlei or pan in the deep dunes. Once a source of surface water, now long dried up.

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Whoa Nellie, the odd Oryx & Stark beauty

We've moved on to Namib and Desert Homestead which is about 30 clicks from Sossuse. As you can see we are roughing it. I think tonight's meal is roast pork with lentil soup and white wine.



As we mentioned one of the "customs" here is something called a "sun downer". Basically, it's a chance to have a couple drinks chat about events and watch the days end at it's best. We choose to ride out on horseback, and were joined by a Belgian couple. Being real riders the girls cut free and cantered (that-a be galloped to us cowpoke) out across the valley while the guys let the horses do the work of plodding along to find our destination below. 



After sunset we rode back under a full moon, and through a small herd of springbok. Very cool.

The next morning we went into the dunes. This is an amazing place of color, harsh beauty 



and a surprising abundance of life. Mary and I hiked
about a kilometer & half to a small dry pan. On cresting the last dune we spied two Oryx at the bottom of the vlei. Being down wind we were able to get within about 100 meters of them.
The next dry oasis, some 5 km away was filled with ancient Acacia trees long dead from when the water left this place.



After a day of exploring it's back to the lodge for a quick dip in the pool and lager before dinner.
For the next two weeks we are in the bush with EHRA (follow the link to the left for a better idea of what they/we are going to do. We're not sure what we will be working on and we'll be out of touch until we return to Swakopmund on the twenty-sixth. Until then stay well.
MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Naukluft/Namib

We hired a car and traveled about 350km SE of Swakopmund into the Naukluft massif. This is a sand stone & dolomite range that sits on a 1000 foot granite base. Even though it's part of the Namib desert, in the canyons, underground springs and rivers break to the surface forming deep cool green pools like the one we found here.

It took five hours of gravel roads (driving Brit style, or the left side mate) before we arrived late Wednesday afternoon at a "working" guest farm called Bulls port. We had time for a short walk through the veld, Springbok could be spied, Black Baboons heard and birds of every sort seen including Rosie Faced Love Birds & Ostrich.
The farm itself had horse stables, a mechanics dream of a repair shop (along with tourism car repair is a cash cow here). There were about 20 guests, Germans, French, South Africans and an Italian couple which made for an interesting conversation at the family style dinner.
The following morning Mary & I hopped a ride with couple doing a game drive up into the surrounding foothills, where they would drop us off so we could hike back down to the lodge.

David, the driver and I believe one of the San people, was spotting Mountain Zebra, Kudu, & Klipspriner long before we saw them and all the while keeping the Land Rover from tumbling off narrow hill side trails.
Once they dropped us off we headed down a gorge and hiked along a delightful stream lined with fig and wild olive trees, and cool green pools like the one in the first pic.
Once we returned we headed off towards Sossusvlei and Desert Homestead which is a series of bungalows and a common lodge in the grassland just a few kilometers from red dunes of the Namib desert.
Tomorrow we wander the dunes and dried pans (water holes) or "vlei" of the Desert and than that evening ride out across the veld on horse back for what's is known as a sun downer.

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Kayaks & Seal Breath

Did you know you could mistake the bleating of seal pups for sheep, except for the "eau du anchovy" that is.
We are seriously behind on our posts, busy, busy, busy, and as we thought internet connections are available but slow and somewhat unreliably at least when it comes to reaching our servers.
After the yesterday's "Adventures in Ecology" at Sandwich Harbor, we donned kayaks and went in search of the Benguela Dolphin, one, of the smallest and rarer dolphin species in the world.
We did spot some, four or five maybe, swimming near the mouth of Walvis Bay. To elusive for pictures but we did find a large colony of Cape Fur Seals. The colony is more of a "daycare" center, for mothers and their pups. The shallow waters off of what's call Pelican Point is clear and shallow, a perfect spot for the tykes to hone their swimming skills. They are very gregarious, and habituated to kayakers, so we could paddle right in to the midst of the playful schools and they would swim around us, curious about the boat, paddles and funny looking creatures sitting in them. One young juvenile breeched in front of us, twisted in mid air and clapped its flippers together drenching Mary. It was a very deliberate act and I would swear the cub was very pleased with his successful water attack.
After we dry off, we'll head inland 300km or so the Naukluft mountains.



MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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Don't worry I have a stabilizing lens

Simple words that couldn't have been funnier considering the circumstances but I'm getting ahead of myself.
In our last post we mentioned we were heading to the town of Swakopmund. Its a top vacation spot just north of of the deep water port of Walvis ( locals pronounce it Volfish) Bay.
We had hooked up with a local ecologist to take us out through the dunes to the bird sanctuary of Sandwitch harbor even further south along the coast.
For Mary and I this was great, Bruno the guide/ecologist/political commentator gave us a running history of Namibia as we bounded past the largest salt works in the world (if I remember right, 2000 ton/day). We proceeded into the dunes some cresting 200 feet to see jackals, various birds (Mary and I failed to id the Ostrich pooh) and a desert "cucumber" which can pump water 30 meters along the roots.
At the base of one dune, near a hand pump water well that a well intentioned but naive NGO built for the "native population" to use (the fact there isn't a native population here, the fact most of the people in Walvis Bay are rather well off Afrikaners didn't really figure into the NGOs planning) but it did make a nice place to stop & wash up before sitting down to a lunch of Kudu liver pate, home made bread, Eland lasagna, Greek salad apple tort & coffee.
After lunch we headed to Sandwitch Harbor. What I haven't mentioned is all of this driving is in deep sand, hard pan in some places, quick sand if your not paying attention. The "trail" to Sandwitch is a kilometer or so narrow strip of sand beach that is actually the foot of a larger dune ( about 250' high) the waves crash at it's base making the beach a 30 degree slope of sticky wet sand. You can only transit the strip at low tide.
We hit the passage at first ebb. With the tires deflated to maybe 50% there rating, Bruno waited; the last set of waves receded and guns the the old Rover Defender in a mad dash across the base of the dune. The engine whines under the strain the tires dig and slide into the soft wet sand. We are tilting precariously, with all of us press against each other even as we cling to the seats and hand holds. The engine lugs, the rear end of the Land Rover digs into the sand and slides towards the sea, Bruno shifts gears finds some torque and pulls us out of the in coming wave but it throws us higher up the slope we tilt even further I'm pushing against the roof to hold myself away from the door, Mary slides across the seat into my lap and let's go with whimper of terror as we slide back down the slope. Another goose of the gas sets us right and skitter like a deisel driven crap down the beach. We are all (including Bruno) laughing with nervous relief, only a half kilometer to go. Jerk of the rig throws Mary back to the middle of the rear seat, where she figures she needs to get a picture of this moment. She whips out the camera brings it to her eye as she trys the frame a shot out the front windshield. We slide nose first towards the sea, Bruno corrects, we are thrown to the left of the vehicle, Mary try's to focus the picture again. We hit a high spot in the sand sending us yet again out of our seats, Mary pulls herself of the floor and still try's to get a picture; with camera at her eye she blurts out, over the whine of the engine, as we are once again tossed about like rag dolls, "don't worry I have a stabilizing lens." The car goes quite we all look at her as pulls herself of the back seat and snaps a picture, while Bruno, with his classic South African accent says "I'm not worried about your damnlens, I'm worried about my truck!"
You had to be there but considering the peril it was the comic relief we all needed.
Needeless to say we made it. The birding was good so was the adventure. And the phrase "I have a stabilizing lens" will be a pop phrase for some time to come when anything seems to be going sideways.

Next up kayaks & seal breath.
Take care all.

Casey is in 9th grade

Casey is in 9th grade and plays netball. Netball it seems is like basketball but you can't move when you have the ball. She is one of the passengers in the van that runs between Windhoek and Swakopmund, and is returning from a school netball tournament in Windhoek. She is pretty with dark hair pulled up in a high ponytail, high full cheeks, lips and walnut brown skin. Her mother is black, her father Spanish. She tells us with a hint of annoyance, he has not been seen in some time, and is a mariner who it seems pass through Walvis Bay infrequently.
She has a surprising degree of sophistication but retains a young girls naivety and openness. Which she demonstrates by picking up on Mark's teasing wit. "Mary, he's being sarcastic, isn't he?" Her native tounge is Afrikaans but her english is quite good.
She is fascinated by Mark and I, and loves to hear us say her name in America english. And being Yanks of course assumes we are either famous or know someone who is. Casey is Namibian and a delight of the day.
The country is dry shrubby and reminiscent of east side of the state, aside from the odd road side Baboon, Warthog, or Eland.
Namibia is not Ghana. The vibrant intensity isn't there, so far it's rather colonial and if not common at least familiar. I'm not sure how I feel about that; but experiencing Africa is like the the parable of the blind men describing an elephant. One small glance or experience can't define the whole.
It was dark when we finally arrived in Swakopmund but I can feel and smell the sea. The moist tang of the air is in contrast to the dry warmth of the inland plateau and Windhoek.
We did have a lovely dinner with south African wine that was 2 dollars a glass so I guess I should just enjoy what is presented.Tomorrow is a wetland and sand dune tour to sandwich harbor.

M & M

Home stretch

This is more of a test than anything. After a shy 20hr in flight, 5 to JFK and another 15 to Jo-Burg, the last hop to Windhoek should be a breeze. Just need to figure out what day it is, what time it is what season, (its 38 degrees and sunny) and where's a Starbucks when you need one, ah well me man TIA (a reference for any DeCaprio fans)

MH Holden PLS
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Tacoma WA
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