After two days in Etosha, our group parted ways for spring break. The majority of people headed out on a 16 hour bus ride to get to Zambia so they could see Victoria Falls. One girl went with the van back to our house in Windhoek to just relax. As for myself and friends Libby, Maria, and Courtney, we decided to see Namibia, road trip style. And what a road trip it was...
We had rented one of the kombis (vans) that the center owns, as well as hired one of the drivers from the center, Joseph, to take us out. At one point in the planning, we had talked about renting a car and trying to drive it ourselves. Let me just tell you that doing that would have been incredibly stupid! Trying to learn how to drive stick in a place where rules of the road don't apply so much and you drive on the opposite side of the road that you are used to is never a good combination, and one I'm extremely thankful we avoided. Plus, Joseph ended up being not only a driver, but a member of our group, though I would be lying to you if I said that the dynamic was not a little strange at times.
Getting out of the Etosha National Park took a very long time. The road going through the park was long and rough, and often required slowing to a sloth's pace to get through parts without throwing the tents, coolers, and bags all over the kombi. However, we finally made it and were back on paved road. After several more hours of driving, we made to Joseph's house, where we were planning on spending the first night. What a fantastic place to stay. As you know, I had just gotten off a homestay with the Herero people, who live in mud/dung houses and tin/stick roofs (though there are more modern houses around. Being a guest, I was given one of these cement houses to stay in. I don't want to mislead you into thinking it was any tougher than it actually was). Joseph and his family are Ovambo, which means that there traditional house is made of a thatch roof and sticks, with rather large gaps, for the walls. Now, Joseph's family had switched to brick instead of stick walls, but there was still the thatch roof. They also had a huge fire pit, large log walls around their house, and as many people are switching to, a modern house. It was a bit funny because they get their electricity off of solar power. The day that we were there there wasn't enough sun during the day to use the TV, but there was enough to have the lights on. Anyway, the land around his house, and really all over the north was incredibly flooded. Getting there on the back roads was like riding a roller coaster. But not a nice roller coaster. One of those roller coasters that is small and travels to state fairs where you pay a man 4 tickets (which equals about 10 dollars) to ride his death machine. Just before he hits the button to start it, you hear him chuckle to himself and you wonder if you really should have done this, or spent your money buying your girlfriend a snowcone and trying your best to knock over milk bottles that weigh 15 pounds each with a whiffle ball. Then again, why are you at the state fair in the first place? Doesn't the garage need to be painted? And you completely forgot about the hamburger you were supposed to set out on the counter so it could thaw for the meatloaf you want to make for supper. But I digress...
Besides meeting Joseph's wonderful family and seeing one of the greatest sunsets of my life, it was mostly just a stopping point on our way to getting to more exciting things. However, the following day, really two days, would prove to be a bit difficult for our group to handle. For one, in the town of Oshikati, someone tried to mug Maria. Luckily, Joseph was there to stop the guy, but I guess there was a crowd forming, and a punch was even thrown. It is a rough town, Oshikati. Joseph even told us of a woman who was robbed on the side of the road, and even had her clothing stolen!
As I said, the next two days had some difficult times, but there were also some really good things. For one, we got to see Ruacana Falls. This is a beautiful falls right on the border with Angola. We even got to hike a bit in Angola (without documentation...mwahahaha) because the water level was really low and we were able to climb on the rocks that would normally, at least during the rainy season, be covered with flowing water. This was such an amazing place. We climbed to the bottom of the waterfall as well...all 466 stairs to the bottom. Nice calf exercise though.
The next day was in a town called Opuwo. We stayed in a campsite owned by a French guy who would not shut-up. There wasn't a lot to do there at night, and again, we were a bit down, even wondering if we should have gone to Victoria Falls. The next day though was the turning point. We got up in the morning and walked around the village, and saw all of the native ethnic groups living together. There were thatch-roof and stick houses alongside mud/dung houses. Also, this was the land of the Himba people (a group where the women and men don't wear shirts. They also rub themselves with red clay to stay clean, as they go weeks on end without bathing.) We took a picture of several of the women, but it cost us 20 Namibian Dollars. I never know how I feel about that. The people need the money, but it is almost like selling yourself and your culture all at the same time.
By the time we left Opuwo, we were back on good feelings again, and besides little problems, the rest of the trip was an incredible time. Much like my last entry, this could drag on forever if I told you all I did in story form. So, here is a list of what happened over the next few days:
-See a petrified forest in the middle of the desert
-Trade two bottles of beer for the right to stay on the land of a former host family to the program. (They were Damara, which means I officially stayed overnight with three different ethnic groups living the way they traditionally would. At least, as close to traditionally as they come this day)
-Take a guided hike at a place called Tweyfelfonten. There were hundreds of ancient rock paintings here. Mostly of animals. They said this was a way for the older bushmen to teach the children about hunting
-Climb a huge rock mountain at Tweyfelfonten and see the breathtaking Namibian landscape.
-Stop along side the road to buy crafts from a family. They told us that since January 1st, we were the first people to even stop at their stand. You can't help but wonder how these people can even survive in economic conditions like that.
-Sleep in the kombi one night instead of a tent because of the army of huge bugs outside. No joke, these bugs are about the size of a rat, and they survive by eating their dead. I'll be sure to send out pictures...
-Climb Mt. Brandberg, the highest point in Namibia. We did it in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Again, breathtaking view. We were also barked at by a number of baboons on the way back down.
-Eat at the Sand Dragon Restaurant. This was the last meal of the trip. Actually, we also ate here right before going into the urban home stay. The food is amazing and very familiar. This is because it is owned by a couple of people who come from a town in the panhandle of Florida.
-Sleep on the side of the road, stuff an entire dead tree into the kombi for fire wood so you can scare the animals away, and still wake up at 4:45 in the morning to hear something outside your tent. I guess this is what you get when you set up camp along the fence of a national park.
So there you have it. As I said, there were trials, but when you get used to traveling with a group of 17, just being with 5 takes a bit of an adjustment. I also learned first hand one of the big rules of foreign travel: you have to take it in stride. Guidebooks are helpful, but it is best to go into a place not expecting much. This certainly helps to avoid disappointment
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