Day 17--Etosha

Elephants at the Waterhole

We woke up so early this morning that the gate wasn't even open when we approached it to leave. After Burger talked the guy into letting us out early, we watched a gorgeous sunrise.

Etosha is a national park that was originally created as a sanctuary for animals from the trophy-hunting Germans. Originally, it was 80,000 km long and 200 km wide. Now it is 23,000 kn long and 200 km wide. Etosha was presented to us as the highlight of the trip and we were not disappointed. We saw almost all the animals we've seen on the whole trip plus some. The animals were closer than any other place too! We saw plain zebras, lappet-faced vultures, blue wildebeests, springbok, a chameleon, a corrie bustard, kudu, oryx, impala, elephants, a lilac-breasted roller, warthogs, giraffes, and flamingos! The zebras, wildebeests, springbok, impala, and elephants all had babies with them too! The corrie bustard was a unique bird because it's the heaviest flying bird in the world. We saw 13 elephants at the waterhole cooling off and then watched them cross the road in front of us. The abundance, vitality, and variety of the animals was breathtaking. These animals all seem so rare in the US because you can only see them in the zoo, but here they are everywhere! I feel really blessed to see these animals in their natural habitat. Etosha is the perfect place for all these animals because there are waterholes everywhere and the landscape is extremely lush. We're definitely not in the desert anymore.

This trip has blessed me in so many ways. I've realized that I actually can survive without running water and electricity and I can set up a tent--but more importantly, I have a greater appreciation for wildlife and its ability to survive in the harshest of conditions. Even though Etosha provides the perfect conditions and thus has abundant plant and animal life, plants and animals also survive in the harshest regions of the Namib desert. Biological adaptations abound. As as biologist, I don't think I could have chosen a better interim. I will remember this trip for the rest of my life.

Day 16--Ongongo to Etosha

Lions at the Waterhole

This morning we began the long-anticipated drive to Etosha. We got a few hours down the road and, lo and behold, we ran out of diesel. Burger and most of the boys set out to walk the 5 km to the nearest ranger station. An hour and a half later, we were on the road again!

Most of the drive was uneventful: we saw a few mountain zebras, ostriches, and springbok, but nothing was super close to the bus.

However, as soon as we drove into Etosha, there definitely was life abundant! The first animal we saw was the impala, an antelope-looking animal endemic to Etosha, followed by giraffes, springbok, the blue wildebeast, and plain zebra. They were all pretty close too! Probably the neatest animal we saw was the blue wildebeast. It's a unique-looking animal--almost unearthly in appearance.

Near to our campsite is a waterhole, so we headed down there as quickly as possible. The sun was going down, so lots of animals were coming to enjoy the cool water. When we first got there, there was a herd of plain zebra visiting the waterhole. It truly was a breathtaking sight to see the sun setting behind the zebras and their reflection on the water.

A while after, we were informed that a rhino was at the waterhole! The rhino was standing at the edge of the water drinking and cooling off. Just when I was getting ready to leave, three male lions showed up! We had heard them roaring for an hour previously and they finally decided to show up. These magnificent animals were amazing. Both the rhino and the lions moved with a grace that did not match their size. The rhino moved almost silently even though it weighed more than a ton. The lions impressed me more than anything. To be such ferocious creatures, they were very gently and loving with each other. They didn't wander too far from each other and spent much of their time lying next to each other. It was a thrilling feeling to be approximately 100 yards from these animals. The only thing between us and them was a short stone wall. Unlike the lions one sees in a zoo, these lions seemed alive. In zoos, they seem so bored and uninterested in life. These lions were filled with a vitality that can only come from living in their natural habitat. It was truly a uniquely African experience.

Day 15--Ongongo (Damaraland)

Zebras

Today was a very lazy morning; I didn't wake up till 7:45. We ate breakfast and then hit the road in search of wildlife. On our way out, we stopped by the school to drop off the toothbrushes I brought, some toothpaste, pens, and 1000 Namibian dollars. We asked that the money be used to send some of the orphans to school. The administrators were very grateful. I know the children will love the pens because the other day, Martha Anna threw a pen out the window and the kids literally dove on it. Pens are like gold to them because they must have them to do their school work.

On our drive, we saw giraffes, kudus, oryx, and zebras. Most of them were close enough to photograph and see well.

We pulled over on the side of the road during our drive to search for agat, a semi-precious stone. I found a nice big one!

Day 14--Ongongo

Himba Woman

This morning was a lazy morning--we didn't leave camp till 10:15. We only went a short distance from the campsite to a nearby school. This children were at recess so we got to interact with them. They were friendly, but they didn't speak English as well as the children at Bersheba. We spoke to the school administrators to learn about how the school works. They told us that all classes are taught in English, which surprised me because the children didn't speak it very well. When I asked Dr. Davis why they did that, he explained that there are many different languages in the areas so English is their universal language. When someone asked how old the children were at the school, the administrators explained that someone could be 20 years old in Grade 7. This is an effect of apartheid. During apartheid, blacks were not allowed to go to school. Now that they have the opportunity, they are eager to take advantage of it.

After visiting the school children, we visited the Himba and the Herero people. They were originally the same group of people, but the Himba people chose to keep their traditions while the Herero people were influenced by the German colonization.

We visited the Himba people first. They lived in small huts made of wood and clay shaped like small mounds. They were the most stereotypically African people we've visited so far. The women did not wear shirts and they were dressed in their traditional attire. They wore jewelry that represented everything from their marital status, to the number of children they've born, to the status of their parents' lives (dead or living). They carried their babies in sling-like contraptions on their back. Their skin was covered in a reddish clay. They also plait their hair with mud and wear goat's ears on their heads to tell everyone that they're married. The people often have their two bottom teeth removed in a ritual celebrating their entrance into adulthood. They were all happy and welcoming. They're the first people we've encountered that have had questions for us. They wanted to know how old we were and how many children we had. They were surprised that none of us had any children! When we asked how old they were when they had their first child, they told us 16! Many of them had three or more children at only 21. We had the opportunity to buy jewelry that they'd made, so I bought some for Ellen, Emily, and Miya. My favorite thing I bought (and my favorite thing I've bought so far) was a piece of jewelry representing marriage and adulthood called an ohumba. The shell in it is from Angola. The rest of their tribe lives there, so the shell is very valuable to them. The shell is not found in Namibia, so this also increases its value.

After the Himba people, we visited the Herero people. The German colonizational influence is evident in their dress and their homes. They wear very Victorian clothing and their homes are made of clay, but resemble Western homes. They honor the cow, their source of wealth, by wearing an otjikaiva. The otjikaive is a headdress that resembles the horns of cattle. We also learned about the holy fire. They holy fire is used to communicate with their ancestors during important times. They burn this fire when choosing a child's name, when someone is very sick, and when someone has died. When someone is sick, they believe that the ancestors will provide advice about what medicines to use. When someone has died, they use the ancestors to secure passage into the afterlife.

After visiting the indigenous people, we came back to camp for a lazy afternoon. Our campsite has a gorgeous natural pool with a waterfall running into it that we made good use of. There were leeched in the water though, so I didn't stay in too long...

At campfire, we discussed the Tragedy of the Commons in relation to Africa. The Tragedy of the Commons is the principle that when public property is used by a group, each person will try to take more than their fair share to gain an advantage over the others. As a result, the public resource is used up so no one gets any benefit at all. While this tragedy is present almost everywhere in America, it is not a real problem in Africa. This is ironic because Africa is a continent with far fewer resources than America. These people have escaped the tragedy by taking only what they need and sharing with others. Each time we have given gifts to a tribe, they have been evenly distributed among all its members. As a result, no one is more wealthy than someone else; they are all equal. Americans see this equality as widespread poverty--and it is--but this is the only way they can survive on their very limited natural resources.

Day 13--Spitzkoppe to Ongongo (Damaraland)

Sebastian

Today was full of driving, learning, and seeing some awesome animals! Before we even left the campsite, we drove to the Bushman Small Paradise. It was a site of Bushmen paintings of an eland, a rhino, and an elephant. These painting are at least 2000 years old. The ink (made of blood and ostrich egg) has withstood the sun, heat, and natural elements! They had faded, but you could still tell what they were.

We stopped several times during the day to examine and learn about several plants. The first was the butter tree, so called because it looks like butter. This succulent tree is actually a member of the grape family. That was really interesting to me because the tree looks nothing like a grape vine!

Our next plant was a cactus called Wolfmilk. It gets its name because its milk is poisonous to anyone that eats it. The milk comes out when the plant is cut. Burger said that the plant causes many deaths in Namibia because tourists do not know the danger of its milk.

A plant that we saw a lot during our drive today was the African Star Chestnut tree. It was really cool because it has white bark to reflect the sunlight, but the whiteness of the tree depends on the amount of sunlight the tree is exposed to. If it's exposed to lots of sunlight, the bark will be blindingly white, but if it's not exposed to as much sunlight, it will be a light brown.

Another plant we saw today was welwitschia mirabilis, the national plant of Namibia. It is unique because it is the only plant in its family. It only produces two leaves in its lifetime and each leaf only grows 5 mm per year (at most). These plants can live up to 2000 years! It's not a very attractive plant, but its uniqueness makes it one of the neatest plants we've seen so far!

After we stopped and ate lunch, we walked to a site of Bushman engravings. This site has the highest number of engravings in one place in the world. These engravings are 6000 years old. They were carved into the sandstone using the quartz stones that litter the ground. Rhinos, kudos, ostriches, giraffes, and springbok covered the walls. It truly was an amazing site. These people took the time 6000 years ago, when survival must have been extremely difficult, to decorate the stones with art. The art may have served a further purpose than decoration, though. Carvings of the footprints of giraffes, ostriches, and other animals covered the stones too. These may have been used for hunting education to aid in tracking and identifying prey. Regardless, it provides us with a beautiful record of the animals that lived there 6000 years ago and the people that lived among them.

But the most exciting part about today was the animals we saw and our proximity to them. The first really exciting animal we saw was a giraffe. We were less than 20 yards from him. He did not even seem to be afraid. He stood and posed perfectly while all 25 of us got some great pictures! We also got to see some more Mountain zebras and some kudu, but they were too far away to photograph well. The coolest thing (and in my opinion, the highlight of the trip so far), was the elephant sighting! Burger spotted him and after giving us strict instructions, led us to within 30 yards of this awesome animal. It was a thrilling feelings--partially because of the animal's majesty and partially because of the thrill of the danger. Burger made us be completely quiet, approach it in a single file line, and take pictures in groups of five. Like the giraffe, the elephant was very patient and photogenic. Later, at the campsite, Burger told us that the elephant's name was Sebastian and he had killed three Italian tourists. He recognized Sebastian based on his location and his broken tusk. It's strange to think that such a beautiful animal could inflict such harm--thank goodness we had a great tour guide!

Day 12--Homeb to Spitzkoppe

Spitzkoppe

We left Homeb early this morning and headed for Spitzkoppe. It was a fairly long drive, and one could see the landscape changing. We went from the savanna to the prodesert. A prodesert is a desert that has adequate rainfall to sustain more life. We saw this as the landscape changed from small grasses and shrubs to more grasses, larger shrubs, and many small trees. Because there's more vegetation, it can sustain more animal life. While driving today, we saw springbok, oryx, ostriches with babies, and four giraffes! Burger also pulled over to point out two unique plants to us. The Hoodia is a succulent plant that the Bushmen used to eat when hunting. Eating it served two purposes: to get moisture from the plant and to suppress their hunger. When one eats this plant, one will not be hungry for a good while. The Kanniedood, meaning 'cannot die,' is a plant that appears very dead to the uninformed observer. However, when you break a twig, sap oozes forth. The Bushmen used this sap as glue. The plant appears dead most of the time because it uses its energy to make seeds first. Only after the seeds have been produced does the plant produce leaves to photosynthesize for a brief period. It then appears dormant until it produces seeds again.

We are camping at Spitzkoppe tonight. It is named for the mountain that it's at the base of. It is very picturesque. Stephanie and I climbed a large rock to watch the sun set.

After dinner, some of the Damara people that work at the campground performed a cultural dance for us. They sang to provide the tune (and harmonized quite well) and the dances resembled modern-day stepping. The thing that struck me the most was the juxtaposition of their ancient culture with their modern-day clothing and the addition of a song from The Lion King in their performance. Overall, the performance was very good and entertaining. They pulled members of our group to participate in almost every song. It was pretty comical to watch people try to mimic their steps!

Since we arrived at our campsite late and are leaving early in the morning, we didn't put up our tent. We just threw a mat on the slept under the stars. It was actually a pleasant night's rest. I never would have imagined I'd be sleeping under the stars in Africa...

Day 11--Homeb

Topnaar Family

This morning, we drove a ways from the campsite to visit the Topnaar people. There are some Topnaar people living at the campsite, but they see tourists frequently. In order to get a more accurate representation of who they are and how they live.

The Topnaar people were the first people to be influenced by the Western world when the colonization of Africa began. Thus, their houses appear less shambled, they're larger, they have more belongings, and they are more influenced by technology. Like the Nama people, the Topnaar houses were built of random tin and wood materials pieced together. However, where the Nama family we visited had only two or three small structures, the Topnaar family's home consisted of several rooms connected to form a decent-sized home. Each room served a distinct purpose for the Topnaars, but for the Nama, the rooms were multifunctional. The Nama people did not have many belongings, but the Topnaar had everything from pots and pans to Western toys. They Nama people told us that they listen to the radio, but we didn't see the radio or its antenna. Almost all the Topnaar houses had radio antennas and in the home of the family we visited, the radio was in a prominent position and playing.

The encounter with the Topnaar family was more awkward and strained than with the Nama. I think it may have been because there were no children at the Topnaar home; they were all at school.

Since animals are these people's bank account, it was obvious that this family was better off. They had many chickens, ducks, and cattle.

After leaving the Topnaar family, we visited to Gobabeb research facility. They mostly moniter weather conditions of the area and develop water and energy conservation techniques. They get 70% of their energy from solar panels that is then stored in batteries. The other 30% of their energy comes from diesel generators. They are used only to keep the batteries charged at night to maintain their efficiency. They are very aware of their water and energy consumption. For example, their water is heated by the sun and the water pressure is produced by gravity. Thus, no energy is used in the production and usage of hot water.

Although the research center was very interesting and informative, I could never imagine working at a place like that. It is so isolated from the rest of the world and the research seems so mundane. Most of the workers live there for a least a year. That's a very long time to be disconnected from the world.

After we got back to the campsite, we napped and then played games. Clark accidentally shot a cow with a blow dart gun--the first animal he had ever shot!

Before dinner, we drove to watch the sun set. Like always, it was beautiful!

Day 10--Sesrium to Homeb

Solitaire

This morning at 4:50 AM, I was awakened by Dr. Davis telling Burger that he needed to be airlifted from the campsite to the nearest hospital. He believed that he either had appendicitis, a UTI, or a kidney stone. He was airlifted to Windhoek and we found out that he had a kidney stone. He will rejoin us in two days.

When we stopped to buy groceries in Solitaire, a small town famous for its apple pie, we also grabbed some lunch. I had a game burger (what exactly the meat was, I'm not sure), and followed it up with a slice of apple pie. The apple pie was some of the best I've ever had. The little town was very photogenic; it was full of old cars and cacti.

While driving to our next campsite, we encountered a new landscape--the savanna. As we move further north in Namibia, there's more life. The savanna is covered in brown grasses that appear to be dead called Bushmen grass. Because of their presence, more animals can survive. As a result, we saw more animals today than any other day so far: jackals, vultures, ostriches, Mountain zebras, and warthogs. I was most excited about the Mountain zebras because they are endemic to Namibia and fairly rare; only a few thousand still exist.

We also passed the Tropic of Capricorn today. It is special because on the 23rd of December, you will have no shadow.

We visited the Kuiseb River as well. The landscape was unique-looking due to the separation of Pangea.

Our campsite, Homeb, again has no running water or electricity, but it's still nice. There's lots of trees to provide much needed shade. There's trees here because we're camping next to a river. Rive now it's just a river bed because the river is dry. Earlier today, everyone was laying out in the middle of the river bed watching the sun set (which was beautiful, I must say!).

Day 9--Sesrium

Sossusvlei National Park

This morning I was up super early. I was the first person up at 4:00 AM to build the fire. We left the campsite at 5:15 AM to climb a huge red sand dune (Dune 47) and watch the sun rise. The sand dunes are so large because the wind from the ocean built them up and they're red because the rocks that were broken down to form the sand dunes had a high iron content and the iron rusted. The sand dune was really hard to climb because the sand was really deep and the dune was really steep.

Upon leaving the sand dune, we went to Sossusvlei. It is a national park full of red sand dunes. We rode safari vehicles (actually modified pick-up trucks) further into the park and got out to walk around. On the ride in we saw an oryx! Burger found a Mist Beetle and explained to us that it leans forward on its front legs to allow the water to run forwards toward its mouth. It gets water from the early morning dew and can drink up to 200x its body weight. Because of this, it's called the water bottle of the desert. Other animals eat it as a source of water.

He then showed us a spiny plant, the Nara plant, one of the only plants to grow in such a harsh environment. He told us that they're the only reason the Topnaar people survive in their environment. The Nara plant produces melons that they eat and get water from.

Andy managed to catch a shovel-snouted lizard--a reptile endemic to Namibia. It's nose is shaped like a shovel so it's easier for the lizard to burrow in the sand during the heat of the day.

There were trees still standing there that have been dead for 600 years. They do not rot because the air is too dry. The ground between the sand dunes is covered in a hard, white, dried clay left over from the river that used to run there. These sand dunes are the the world's highest shifting dunes. Because of the cold wind from the ocean and the warm wind from the desert, the sand dunes are slowly but consistently shifting their shape and moving.

Later in the afternoon, we went to Tsauchab River Canyon. It was much smaller than Fish River Canyon, but it was pretty nonetheless.

on the way back, we saw some ostriches and Patrick did his presentation. We learned that the ostrich has the largest egg of any bird, but the smallest egg in proportion to the size of the full grown bird. We also learned that ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand--that phrase was most likely coined shortly after Jesus' death in a letter written by a gentleman comparing the likelihood of something happening to the likelihood of of an ostrich being able to hide by sticking his head in the sand.

Day 8--Namaland to Sesrium

School Children at Bersheba

Last night, we invited the Nama family to join us for dinner. At dinner, we presented them with $1500 Namibian dollars (1 ND is apprixamately $.13 USD) so they could buy three goats. This way, they could begin rebuilding their herd. The money was provided by Wofford faculty members. They gave us $426 to spend helping needy people in Africa. Goats are very important to the these people because the are their source of wealth. When they need money, they sell a goat. This net worth is represented by the size of their goat herd, not by how much money they have saved up.

This morning Dr. Davis shared some of his conversation with Jackson (FYI: Jackson was named for the pop star, Michael Jackson). Dr. Davis told us that he asked Jackson about having a girlfriend and Jackson told him that he didn't have one because of the sickness. That struck me because it shows that AIDS awareness and education in Africa is improving. Later that day when we were leaving a local school, there was a mural on the wall that said "AIDS kills us." I found it very potent that it was drawn on a schoolhouse wall. The children are being informed at an early age of the danger of this disease that effects 3 in 5 of them. However, this education is working: in the last five years, the percentage of people infected with STDs had dropped 40%.

When we were in the village of Bersheba, the school children were on recess. They were very excited about seeing us and having their picture taken--especially about seeing their picture on the camera screen. They were all friendly and almost all of them, even the younger ones, spoke some English. It made me smile when the bell for recess' end rang and all the children took off running. Even though the kids were really excited to see us, education came first.

While we were riding to our next campsite, Burger came to a screeching halt (literally) for a moniter lizard. The lizard first ran into a prickly bush to protect itself and then darted for a tree. Once it climbed up the tree, it settled down considerably and we were able to get some pictures. The lizard's defense is its tail; it is strong enough to break a 12 year old's leg!

Sesrium, our next campsite, is much nicer than bush camping. We had running water (showers!), electricity, a restaurant, three pools, a store, and a bar. We were all able to camp comfortably under the shade of two large trees.

Day 7--Namaland

Nama family

Today we basically had a free day. Some people got up really early to hike the nearby extinct volcano, but I stayed back because I've been having trouble with shin splints.

I got up around 8:15 and headed straight for the nasty, dirty river. It was so hot outside. The water was actually really refreshing, despite its appearance. We were able to wash ourselves and we felt much cleaner afterwards.

The volcano-climbers got back around 10:30 so we started preparing lunch. It was so hot that I wasn't really hungry, but once I started eating I realized how hungry I was. There was delicious yogurt at lunch--it was cold, sweet, and perfect.

After lunch, we all got in the river again. The water was the only way to escape the heat. We didn't do anything but swim until 4:00 so get away from the heat of the day.

At 4:00, we went to visit a Nama family that lives close to where we're camping. The family was a genuine Nama family--not one that puts on a show for tourists. It was a family with five children. Their monthly income is only about $45 because someone stole all their goats, their typical source of income. At first, I wondered why they would have so many children when they have such a low income, but then they explained that they have many children with the hope that their children will take care of them when they're older. (The Nama family spoke Africaans, and Burger translated for us.) Their oldest son, Jackson, was 17 and he was actually not their son at all. He had been adopted by the family because his mother died. It really impressed me that this family who has so little was willing to adopt another child. There are many families in America that could afford to adopt a chid, but refuse.

Two of their children were not there because they were attending school and they had two younger children as well (two years old and 10 months). In order to attend school, the family must pay a tuition. Tuition is usually the price of a goat ($40-$60). The 17 year old was not in school because he failed Grade 10. Once a student fails a grade, he/she must attend a private school to make up that grade.

The family lived in a small shack made of pieces of tin. There was no running water or electricity. They said they had lived there for 25 years. The family attends a Lutheran church some Sundays. They only eat two meals a day--one around brunch and another around dinner. The most difficult thing for me was that when we asked to take pictures, the woman refused because of the condition of her shoes. They were worn and tattered with no shoelaces or back. Lauren and Sally both gave her a pair of shoes before we left.

Day 6--Orange River to Fish River (Namaland)

Quiver Tree

It was another early morning (6:15). We took the tents down, ate breakfast, and hit the road.

Early on we saw a springbok and several ostriches. They both seem to be very common here.

Later, at a stop, we saw a quiver tree and lots of rhino bushes. The quiver tree is unique in appearance and in the way it stores water. It's bark is very thick and allows oxygen to be exchanged only through the cracks in its bark. The rhino bush is extremely poisonous, so much so that a simple prick by its leaves or inhaling its smoke while burning it can cause death. It is the milk within the plant that is so poisonous. I initially thought it was called the rhino bush because its spiny appearance resembles a rhino's horn. However, we discovered that it is called a rhino bush because, until recently, it was thought that the only thing that could eat it was the rhino. They have recently discovered that one other animal eats it as well.

We drove to Fish River Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world (the Grand Canyon is the deepest). It is approximately 1 km deep. It was very awe-inspiring, but not very aesthetically pleasing because it was all brown. The water was very muddy as well because Namibia had recently received rainfall.

We ate lunch at the entrance to Fish River Canyon. I was so excited to use a real toilet and to wash my hands! There was a pool close to where we were eating and it looked so tempting! Patrick was really nice and had brought a watermelon that he shared with everything. It was very refreshing.

After lunch we had to make a stop in a town to buy groceries in Keetmanshoop, the southern capital of Namibia. It didn't look like an American capital at all. It was very dirty, poor, and unattractive. It was also very small. A hotel allowed us to sit in their restaurant while some people bought supplies. I had to run to the store to buy some sunscreen. So far everything is Africa had been much cheaper than in the States, but the sunscreen was much more expensive. It was about $15 and they had it locked up in a glass case. I guess most of the natives don't need it so they make some money off the tourists that come through and need it.

When we were loading on the bus to leave the city, a woman with her two young children were standing at the entrance to the bus begging. One child that appeared to be around two years old had on no pants or underwear. It was a very difficult situation for me because so many people there need help. I was afraid that if we helped her, many more people would come and we would be unable to help them all. Several people from the bus gave her and her children food and water, but she still wanted more. That was frustrating for many people on our bus because we felt like she would keep taking until we had nothing left. It was also a difficult situation because we had no way of knowing that her situation was as bad as she portrayed. But regardless, she was in need and I'm glad she was helped.

On the drive out of the city, Burger pointed out the hospital. He told us that the next closest government-supported hospital was in Windhoek. There are private clinics between the two, but they have no doctors. It's only nurses and they provide only the most basic care to get one healthy enough to go to the nearest hospital. However, they don't all make it. Some are simply too sick and others either bleed to death or get too dehydrated during the journey to survive.

Another interesting thing that Burger told us was that the African government spends 25% of their tax money on education. I found in very interesting that a country so primitive in some areas, such as healthcare, are devoting such a significant portion of its income on education. I think it's the most productive way to spend their money. Those who are receiving education may use their knowledge to become effective doctors or simply more effective citizens. In this way, the people of Namibia will be able to better care for themselves and there will be more resources available to the government. Although the effects of this spending may not be immediately noticeable, the effects of it will be long-lasting and, I believe, very beneficial to the country.

Our campsite has no running water or electricity. We're going to be here for two nights, so this is going to be an experience for me. We had to walk a good distance from the bus to find ground that was suitable for our tents, so I decided to only get the things out of my bag that I needed. That way I wouldn't have to lug my whole bag over the sand. Again, we're camping on the bank of a river.

Day 5--Strandfontein, South Africa to Orange River, Namibia

Orange River Campsite

It was another early morning (6:15) for an early breakfast and to hit the road. The better part of the day was spent on the road. I was able to finish one book and to start another. We had lunch on the side of the road and we only had access to a bathroom when we stopped at a supermarket. We stopped several times on the side of the road to use the bathroom though. I'm getting to be a pro at the squat-and-go method. Today we crossed the South Africa/Namibia border. Customs weren't bad at all, but I was surprised at the difference between the two. South Africa's border control had air conditioning and nice restrooms, whereas Namibia's did not have air conditioning and the restrooms were in poor condition. I'm not sure if it's a sign of the wealth of each country or if it's just because Namibia is such a young country (Namibia was established in 1990).

Before crossing the South African border, we drove through Namaqualand, home of the Nama people. It was very sparsely populated and the people appeared fairly poor. Apparently the Bush People used to live there, but they were pushed out when the Nama people moved in. The landscape was covered in short, stubby bushes.

Shortly after crossing the Namibian border, we came upon a small village of straw houses. These houses are the homes of the workers in the adjacent vineyards. Burger told us that these are the houses of the lucky ones--those that have enough income to meet their needs. To me, living in straw houses doesn't seem very lucky.

In Namibia, the landscape is very different. In South Africa, the landscape was fairly lush--even in Namaqualand one could find plant life. Here, however, there is very, very little plant life except for right next to the river. It is very dusty and very dry.

We're staying on the Orange River tonight, the river that forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. Besides the sand getting in everything, it's very pleasant. The landscape is unique--the barren, rocky mountains run right up to the fairly lush Orange River.

Before dinner, I got in the Orange River to bathe. Apparently we're not going to have running water for 3 days so I figured I might as well use the river. The water felt nice, but I freaked out a little when something hard scurried across my foot.

After the sun went down, the sky was amazing. People always say that when you're out of the city, you can see more stars. But compared to Africa, nowhere I have ever been has had so many stars. The campground was bathed in starlight.

Day 4--Capetown to Strandfontein

Sunset at Strandfontein

We woke up bright and early this morning (6:30) to grab a quick breakfast and leave our hotel (yay!). We had a rather long bus ride to our campsite, but it was okay because I slept for most of it.

After about an hour or so, we pulled over to the side of the dirt road to have lunch. We were right next to the beach so it was very pretty. I realized that if I want to eat well on this trip that I need to try to be near the front of the line because there was only one hill of bread left by the time I got there. After we had cleaned up lunch, we went to walk on the beach. This beach was unique because it was covered in living and nonliving bivalves. They were everywhere. We learned that it's because that particular beach is very rocky and rich in plankton (which the bivalves eat). I found some really pretty lichen shells to take home as a souvenir. Kara found a whole skull of a fur seal and some other people found its jawbone, some of its vertebra, and its humerus. It was a pretty neat stop.

After that it was back on the bus for a quick stop at a local town. We went to Bird Island Voeleiland, a bird conservatory. There were supposed to be penguins there, but there were only seagulls. There were hundreds of them! They smelled really bad. The penguins typically go there because they burrow into the 3-5 feet of bird poop that has collected there to build their nests.

Before we went to the campground, we stopped by a local grocery. This town is more like the Africa I pictured. Everyone was very poor and walked everywhere.

Our campground is really nice. We're right on the beach, the grass is green, and the weather is pleasant.

We were treated to a surprisingly good dinner of lamb stroganoff. Burger cooked some gem squash, a native African vegetable. I tried it, but since I don't like squash, I didn't find it very appetizing.

The sunset on our first camping night was absolutely spectacular. Since I live on the east coast, I never get to see the sun set over the ocean. The effect was breathtaking.

Day 3--Capetown

Table Mountain

Today was a free day so we slept in until 7:15. Blakely, Stephanie, and I went down to the beach and bought tickets for the City Sight Seeing Capetown bus. It rode us around to several noteworthy spots while narrating the history and interesting facts through headphones. We had the opportunity to get off at each spot and pick up where we left off in 20 minute intervals.

Our first stop was the crafts market. It was a very clean, nice shopping center. Blakely got some cute Christmas ornaments, and Stephanie got a super cool ostrich egg with a globe on it. I found some really nice wooden figurines of Africa's Big 5: the cape buffalo, the elephant, the lion, the rhinoceros, and the leopard.

After that, we rode on the bus and learned some cool facts. Part of Capetown actually used to be underwater, but dirt was brought in to increase the land area. We saw where Nelson Mandela first addressed the public after being released from prison and the slave castle that now houses a military museum.

Our next stop was Table Mountain National Park. When we visited it on our first day in Capetown, we were only at the bottom of the mountain, but today, we went to the top! To get there, we rode in a really neat cable car that rotated in a circle as it went up. This way, I could appreciate the view from all vantage points without taking a step!

When we got to the top, the view was spectacular! Table Mountain is unique because it literally has a flat top--just like a table. Because of this, we were able to look all over the top very comfortably. We saw a dassie and several lizards while we were up there.

After spending several hours on Table Mountain, we took the bus to Camps Bay, a gorgeous beach! Our bus tour informed up that the water in Camps Bay is colder in the summer than in the winter because the winds sweep the warm water off the top, leaving only cool water to rise to the surface. I found that this was very true when I dipped my feet in the water--it was like ice!! We didn't stay at the beach very long because it was sweltering hot and we were already a little sunburned.

We were going to hop on the bus and go to another market, but since it's Sunday, the market had closed at 4:00 and we were too late. So we just rode the bus back to our hostel and took a much-needed shower. I'm kind of curious as to what our showers are going to be like after today. Tomorrow morning we leave for the desert and I don't know what our facilities will be like...

For dinner, we had a delicious Italian meal at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

Day 2--Capetown

Cape of Good Hope National Park

We woke up pretty early this morning and had breakfast on the beach. It was a very nice, pleasant breakfast. The strange thing was that the milk was warm! I had cereal, a PB&J, and a few slices of cheese for breakfast.

Afterwards we went to Robben Island. The ferry ride almost made me sick--but it was worth it. Robben Island is rich with history; it was formerly a leper colony and a then a prison for criminal and political prisoners during apartheid. I was very surprised that such prejudice took place so recently (apartheid ended around 1990). Political prisoners were incarcterated for crimes such as inciting riots and conspiracy when they were fighting against the whites in power. The whites were segregating the blacks into districts and segregating all public facilities. Anyone who resisted was imprisoned. I thought it was really neat that a former prisoner led the tour. Our guide was a political prisoner that had been arrested during a demonstration. He was very well-spoken and had excellent insight into the prison and its effects.

We then rode to the University of Capetown. The campus was very impressive. The buildings were old brick with ivy growing all over them. They were especially gorgeous with Capetown's mountains in the background. I would go to this university in a heartbeat! I found it interesting that the first heart transplant occurred at this school.

Afterwards, we went to the Cape of Good Hope National Park. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The Cape of Good Hope has a fynbos ecosystem, an area of high biodiversity. It is hope to some unique species that exist only in the fynbos. The area was covered in flora. The views were absolutely breathtaking--impossible to capture on film. The mountains ran right up to the beach. There were also baboons there!! When we drove up, there was a mother baboon cradling her baby in her lap and when we left, we saw a baboon too! They were very interesting creatures to watch. The baboon seemed almost human-like when it stood up and reached into a flap to search for food. We also saw a blesbok but the batteries in my camera died so I was unable to get pictures.

We then rode down the hill to the south-westernmost part of Africa. I was really sad that my camera was dead at this point because we were right on the beach. We climbed up the face of the cliff and took in the view. God's creation truly is magnificent.

Dinner was at the oldest steakhouse in Capetown, The Wooden Shoe. The food was excellent. I had beef because South Africa is famous for their cattle and I was not disappointed.

Day 1--NYC to Capetown

Capetown, South Africa

After many delays, we are all finally on the way to Africa! I have been very impressed with South African Airways so far. When we were seated, we were provided with with the standard pillow and blanket, but shortly after take-off, we were also provided with a little packet containing a mini-toothbrush/toothpaste, a pair of socks, and a sleep mask. The meal we were served was delicious and came with real silverware-and even a 'sterilized' toothpick! The staff are very friendly as well.

When we arrived in Africa, I was really happy to feel the warmth! Africa is gorgeous! We all loaded up on the bus and headed over to where we're staying. We're in a hostel. It's probably one of the grosser life experiences I've had. There's even a sign in the bathroom that says to conserve water, shower with a friend...this is going to be rough.

After we dropped out stuff off, we drove around Capetown to see the sights. We were going to ride the cable car up to Table Mountain, but it was closed due to the wind.

We then went to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront for dinner. It was very European and very classy. I had hake and calamari for dinner at Quay Four. It was delicious and pretty inexpensive--only $20! One African rand is equivalent to approximately $.13.

Probably the thing that was imprinted most on my mind today was getting to see the townships. The townships consisted of houses literally thrown together with cardboard and tin. They had electricity by connecting wires themselves to a main electricity pole. It looks really hazardous. It's hard to believe that people actually live and grow up in places like that.

When we were in Table Mountain National Park, Burger (our tour guide) told us about two trees. One, the pine tree, is not native and has been taking over the land (biological pollution). Another, the spider gum, causes problems because is requires fire for its seeds to germinate. Thus, the plant burns easily and is the cause of many fires.