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.