Swakopmund to Grootfontein

After we left Swakopmund we headed to an amazing camp site in Spitzkopf, where we were literally sandwiched between the mountains. We arrived close to sunset but still managed to trek up to one of the peaks in time to enjoy it - incredible. One of the best parts about the site was the makeshift outhouse - I'm telling you, it had a view people would pay millions for elsewhere in the world!

After leaving Spitzkopf we headed to Etosha National Park, which, according to one of our Dutch travelmates, is roughly the size of the Netherlands. Needless to say, we weren't able to cover the whole of it in a few days, but what we did see was amazing. To give you a small sense of the park, when we entered the front gates we still have another 40 km to drive before we arrived at our first camp site. Along the way we saw more animals than we had seen all previous days/weeks combined. Zebras were the most common - just chilling along the side of the road - but soon we saw giraffes and...an elephant!! So beautiful. Later that evening once we had set up camp we took a walk over to a designated water hole to see if any animals would come to drink under the cloak of darkness. As luck would have it, two massive elephants arrived after sunset and set about quietly taking a drink. About 30 minutes later, we noticed something moving along the horizon - it seemed to be sizing up the company at the water hole before revealing itself completely. When it finally got closer, we realised that it was a black rhino!! At first it stayed on the opposite side from the elephants and seemed a little reluctant to get closer. It made its way towards the water slowly, and seemed to sniff it when it reached the edge. Did it take a drink? No. It put its head down, but then it started to back up and turn towards the direction of the elephants.

Now, the older of the two elephants - we assumed, anyway - was standing in the water, just sort of watching this new creature approach. It did not move a muscle, except for the occasional tail twitch. The other elephant, on the other hand, was still drinking and moving about. The rhino approached the older elephant and gave it a wide berth, but started to head straight for the younger, larger of the two. The larger elephant let him get pretty close to him and then BAM! sprayed him with a trunk-full of water! It. Was. Awesome.

The rhino immediately backed off and settled on a space between the two elephants to take his drink. Eventually, he skulked off again.

Interesting fact about how to tell a black rhino from a white rhino (because they really do look the same). If you ever see a mother rhino with her baby, you can tell if she's a black or white rhino by the position of her child. (This was told to us by a local guide.) A black rhino's baby will be behind it, because black mothers tend to carry their babies on their backs. A white rhino's baby will be in front of it, or beside it, because white mothers tend to push their babies in strollers/prams, or have them walk beside them. Interesting, eh? Another fun fact - a pack of zebras is called a "dazzle". *jazz hands*

Our first night in Etosha was so beautiful. The park officials were conducting a controlled burn of the wild grass in that section of the park, so once the sun set the entire sky was lit up by pink/orange flames. I don't know if we've mentioned at all yet about how incredible the stars are here (which should be of no surprise given the lack of light pollution throughout Namibia), but they really are breathtaking. So, we have a sky full of stars being licked by flames, gorgeous animals milling about, and...the sound of lions roaring all night long!! Some of our travel mates were too cold to sleep so they returned to the water hole around 3 a.m. just to see what - if anything - was about. Well, as luck would have it, several male and female lions had taken over at that time (which were the ones we could hear back at camp). How incredible!

The next day we moved to another campsite in Etosha which was 120 km away. But, rather than sleeping in and meandering over there before sunset, we rose before sunrise and set off in search of more animals. Throughout the day we saw lions, cheetahs, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, impala, warthogs, flamingos, kudo, springbok, and a host of amazing birds. Etosha is incredible, but you aren't allowed to get out of your truck anywhere except designated areas (which are surrounded by barbed wire, I might add). At lunch we stopped at one such area where they also had a watering hole. (It should be noted that the Etosha Pan - which is an absolutely MASSIVE body of water in the park - is nearly dry at the moment due to the season. Because of this, the animals are more likely to visit outlying water holes, some of which the park officials have partially protected with barbed wire/wood fences along a space designated for visitors. These small barriers 'don't obstruct viewing, but prevent people from getting too close to the animals in their natural habitat and vice versa.) As we were cleaning our dishes, word reached us that a herd of 50+ elephants had made its way to the watering hole! So, we ditched what we were doing and headed over. What a sight! Each elephant was different than the others, and they were all hanging out in little cliques, drinking, bathing, and stamping their massive feet. It is so cool to watch elephants drink - their trunks sound like a snorkel being cleared (go figure) when they transfer the water into their mouths.

One of the coolest things about that afternoon was watching the baby elephants play around. They really are quite brazen - which you'd probably have to be just so no one else would forget that you're underfoot and accidentally squash you. Well, this one little guy was playing about and all of the sudden he decided it would be a good idea to run full speed from one side of the hole to the other. This did not go well. He was fine at first, ears flapping in the breeze, and then SPLAT! face plant into the dirt (at which time every person present was like "awwwwwwww!!"). He was fine, just a little dusty. If only human children would react that way...

After our second night in Etosha we headed to a site outside the park in Grootfontein. We arrived early - for once - set up camp, then headed off for a bushmen tour about 80 km away. The site we visited there is home about 300 members of the San tribe, who have been in Namibia for thousands of years. This particular community's livelihood now depends upon their (voluntary) involvement in creating a "living museum". I know this concept exists elsewhere in the world, but this was the first time we had experienced it first hand. It was...bizarre. Basically, these people live on what might be akin to a reservation in North America, and everyday they are visited by groups of tourists. They have homes on the property - similar to the tin and timbre shacks we have come across throughout our travels so far - and wear modern clothing. For the purpose of educating others about their culture, however, they take turns acting out traditional customs while wearing traditional clothing. Which, it should be noted, isn't much. The men wear loincloths with a g-string (thong) back, and the women where knee length skirts of animal hide. That's it, except for the occasional necklace. The kids are totally naked. Some of the things they showed us how to do included making a fire using two sticks, scavenging for medicinal herbs and edible plants, making bows and arrows, and fashioning ostrich eggs and seeds/nuts into jewellery (which they sell as a way to make money for their community). It was really interesting, but felt highly voyeuristic. Imagine a circle of 20 or so women, nearly naked, with their babies and small children strapped to them or running about, sitting in the dirt making jewellery. Though Namibia's official language is English, they spoke to each other using a traditional dialect which included clucking their tongues and making sounds rather than spoken words. Now, they volunteer to do this because they want to educate others, keep their culture alive, and make money to continue their way of life, but it still felt highly invasive. We were encouraged to bring our cameras and we took dozens of photos, but it felt...weird. Especially to be taking photos of the women and their children. 

That has been something quite interesting about this trip - this question of our being here, and what it means to the people we're interacting with (either directly or indirectly). We, by no means, blend in. We rock up in a massive overland truck and 22 people jump out, 20 of whom are white, and all of whom have some sort of accent. If we're stopping for a meal, tables suddenly appear from beneath the truck, as do seats, wash basins, plates, cups, bowls, cutlery, and lots and lots of food. We did our lunch stop on the property of the living museum yesterday, and the children from the area couldn't stop staring at us. (Something I noticed which I found really interesting - all of the kids we've seen have amazing posture; they walk very straight and tall and never slouch. What a change!) Some would wave at us and smile, but others just stare. It's the same when we pass villages along the road. Some children run excitedly towards the road, waving, while others stand and stare. Most of the adults just stare, and I can't help but wonder what they think of us. From what we've seen, our lives seem very different. Though there are certainly towns and cities in Namibia - where else would I be typing this? - we've mostly seen collections of shacks along the side of the road. As we move further into the country we've started to see women carrying jugs of water on their head, and a noticeable absence of shoes. In some areas, the land around the shacks is spotless - in others, including most of what we've seen today - there is trash everywhere. We see kids constantly - running, playing, watching the adults. I wonder what the majority of people in these areas do to make a living, where they buy their supplies, if their children go to school...? Most of all, I wonder if they're happy. How much do they know about the rest of their country, continent, and world? Do they want more than what they have? Are they struggling, or are they happy to live more simply? I also wonder - constantly - how they keep warm at night when the temperature dips to freezing. As I've said previously, the shacks are made of tin or timbre. (In the cities, it's more tin'/corrugated steel - in the country, it's vertical sticks/logs lashed together and topped with thatched roofs.) We have been really, really cold here - we just bought another blanket - even though we have special clothing and supplies to protect us. I would love to see inside their homes and actually hear about their lives in their own words...

On that note, in some of the places we've visited there have been optional "township tours" which cost about $30-100 USD. I've been really tempted to go, but I just haven't gotten the impression they're authentic. (Has anyone out there read "Stuff White People Like"? I read it during our stay in Swakopmund and I'm telling you...it's hilarious and embarrassingly accurate. I can't remember what number it was, but "authenticity" was definitely on the list.) Some of our fellow travellers have gone and said they felt like everything was very staged. That's my concern. How do you avoid exploiting people when you really do want to learn more about them? I don't want to turn anyone's culture into a commodity, but I feel like that's how things are presenting themselves thus far.

Africa is a very different place to travel than elsewhere I've been - which was kind of the point. The lack of infrastructure would make it very difficult to traverse if we weren't with a tour group, and the cost to do so would be insane. But it's a double-edged sword - because we're with a tour group we get to go to places we never would otherwise; but, conversely, we're not getting lost and making our way by getting to know the people who live here.

Food for thought.

From Cape Town, South Africa to Swakopmund, Namibia

After leaving Cape Town we spent our final night in South Africa at a vineyard in Citrusdal where we participated in an excellent wine tasting. The weather in the evenings has been quite cold - getting close to 0 degrees C - but we've been keeping warm thanks to our new sleeping bags, etc. The sunrises have been amazing - yes, we've been up to see them nearly every day - as have the sunsets.

On Saturday we crossed into Namibia where we have been since (and will be for another week or so). The landscape is constantly changing here - at certain points is looks very much like the Australian Outback with red sand and distant horizons, but at other times there are rolling hills, mountains, and pastures/fields. It changes quickly. We've started to see some animals as well - springbok, oryx, ostrich, lizards, jackal, and some massive birds (all black with a white vest). On our second night in Namibia we were able to try out the safari seats on the roof of the truck as we made our way to Fish River Canyon - amazing! (And very, VERY dusty.) We are currently in Swakopmund where we have a three-night break in small A-frame buildings (which is a nice break from camping). The days have been very hot and the nights very cold - unfortunately, the showers along the way have been closer to the latter. :) BUT, the food is amazing (!!!), the people are great, and we are really enjoying our experience.

A little bit about how our lives work day-to-day out here...

We travel by an ancient overland truck called Helena. Our crew - Dave, Tom and Mash - have told us that the company keeps such old trucks because they can be fixed by hand out in the middle of nowhere...more on that in a second...rather than having to be plugged into a computer like the newer models. In the last few days poor Helena has hit some rough patches - we had a small engine fire just as we were parking up at our last campsite, which required us to spend an extra day/night while the boys worked on it. Truthfully, everyone was happy for the break - the weather was perfect (as it has been every day) and there was an absolutely ice-cold pool on the campsite property (which was in the middle of a mountain range in the Namib desert, btw). We spent the day exploring the surrounding area, lying by the pool, and getting to know our travelling partners a little better. (As previously mentioned, most are European - actually, the vast majority are from the U.K. We have some travel agents, teachers, veterinarians, and..."temporary retirees" like ourselves. :) We are really enjoying their company - comparing notes about where we've been and where we plan to go, tips we've picked up along the way, and things we wish we had known. Thankfully everyone gets on quite well.) We got Helena up and rolling on Friday morning so that we could check out the sunrise from Dune 45, which was pretty awesome. Sadly, as we made our way out of the park towards the road, Helena started to have some issues...the first of many for the day. We took an hour off to try and get her back on track, but further down the road she conked out again (after we sat and had a nice lunch at the Tropic of Capricorn). We passed the time by playing soccer, drinking beer, and chatting with our new friends. Though it wasn't part of the plan initially, it wasn't too bad.

So, Helena is now in the shop and will hopefully be up and running by the time we need her on Sunday. *fingers crossed*

But, back to a typical day. 

We usually get up before the sunrise and start packing up. Court is on the locker crew, which means he puts everyone's packs into the locker at the back of the truck - no small feat, especially when it's freezing cold and dark outside. Our tents are old, but very sturdy - they help to keep the heat in and the cold out. It can be challenging to unclip them with frozen fingers, but it gets easier every day. Once the locker is packed with our bags, we all load our sleeping mats and tents into lockers underneath the truck, or pass them up to the roof. When all of that is done, we set up for breakfast. (Each person is a member of a two-person cook team. On our assigned days we help Mash chop veggies, boil water, do dishes, etc., although everyone pitches in at every meal so this goes quickly.) There is a huge emphasis on community and teamwork here which is great - since there are 22 of us travelling together we really do need to help each other out and pitch in however we can. After breakfast we clean up, pack the kitchen away and hit the road (sometimes headed towards an activity before reaching our final destination). We swap seats in the truck every morning, which is always interesting. There are two tables bolted to the ground near the back with four chairs around - the rest of the seats face forward. The roads are a mixture of dirt and pavement and can be QUITE bumpy. The windows roll down (hooray!) so we're always cool enough, even without AC. (Thank God Africa is so dry - if it were a humid heat in the desert we'd be cooked.) We're enjoying the overland experience - the views are spectacular, and  it's nice to be so involved in every aspect of the journey (cooking, setting up/packing up, etc.).

That's all for now! :) 

Hey, Charlie...wanna go to Table Mountain?

As we flew into Cape Town we had an incredible view of Table Mountain from above the clouds. As we descended, however, we were surrounded by so much fog that neither one of us even saw the runway until the plane touched down. Thankfully, the fog dissipated as we made our way to the city centre, where we were staying.

Our taxi driver was really great - he told us that Cape Town is very safe (emphasising that it is much safer than J-Burg) but warned us to never let our credit/debit cards out of our sight lest someone copy them, etc. Good advice. One of the first things we saw as we were leaving the airport were thousands of tin shacks in tightly packed quarters along the highway. Our driver told us that the shacks are being replaced by government housing, which we saw a little further down the road. We asked if the South African government takes care of its citizens and he said - rather emphatically - that yes, it does. Interestingly, that night on the news we saw a story about a block of government houses which had been sitting empty for nearly a year while bureaucratic red tape prevented the installation of proper plumbing and electricity. As a result, the families who had been promised the homes were continuing to live in the tin shacks while their new homes were vandalised and used by squatters. Additionally, we saw a story about NGOs defrauding the South African people by doctoring paperwork related to the distribution of food. Their phony records indicated that 10,000 people were being fed each day by registered organisations while the real numbers were closer to 2,000. Such a shame...

Our time in Cape Town has been outstanding. The people are wonderful, and the sites are absolutely stunning. On our first day we passed out as soon as we hit our hotel - 30+ hours of travelling will do that - but were fortunate enough to do some exploring in the afternoon. We came across several open-air markets where we were able to purchase some artwork for our future home. Woooot! We also found a great bar where happy hour drinks were two for R19 (about $3 Aussie), so that was definitely a bonus. Long Street in Cape Town is a really cool mix of boutiques, bars, and old buildings. The storefronts - with the exceptions of the bars & cafes - all have little metal gates in front of them, which the shopkeepers control from their desks. Therefore, you have to be buzzed into the shop, and, in some cases, buzzed out. The few shops which do not have this feature have multiple employees/security stationed throughout. Additionally, police and public safety officers are very visible in the streets - on our way to our hotel we saw about 20 police officers on horseback.

On Thursday we went up to Table Mountain which was gorgeous! The cable car cabs rotate 365 degrees so you don't miss any of the stunning scenery. The weather has been sensational since we arrived - warm enough to wear shorts in the daytime, and cooler at night. South African winter = awesome. Once we reached the top of the mountain we set off on a 2+ hour trek to Maclear's Beacon, which took us clear around the top. After we left the immediate area surrounding the cable car station there was no one around - just us and incredible views of the entire city and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. (We didn't make it over there, but an Irishman on our tour told us you can't really just go and walk around - everything is highly structured and you don't get a lot of time to explore.) As we walked around Table Mountain the fog started to lift and we were able to see the mountains surrounding the entire area which was really incredible. If you ever find yourself in Cape Town, be sure to spend some time up there.

On Thursday evening we met our group for the first time. Most people are only travelling as far as Vic Falls, so we'll see who jumps on after that. The group is largely European, though there are a few Aussies and two Americans. Interestingly enough, the tour leader is American - from Indiana - the driver is from the U.K. (but also has an Aussie passport), and the cook is from Kenya. They seem like a great crew and we're looking forward to getting to know them. (We're also comforted by the fact that most of our fellow travellers have also quit their jobs to get out and explore the world.)

We're preparing to leave Cape Town in the next hour - woooot! We've been having some trouble with posting pictures, but we'll see what we can do the next time we have Internet access.  

Hope you are well!

What's up, best airport ever?!

Dear Singapore...we love you.

Just watched a free screening of Silence of the Lambs in Terminal 2...had a stroll through the rooftop "Sunflower Garden"...caught a bite to eat...and now enjoying some free Internet action. This airport is amazing! (I wish we'd packed our bathing suits in our carry-on bags so we could hit the pool!) Too bad our layover isn't one hour longer - if it was, we could have made it out of the airport for a tour...or caught back-to-back screenings of Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2. Oh well - you can't have everything. :)

Packing, and...

Well, our Internet problems persist. It seems to be fine for most websites when we’re just mucking about, but when we’re actually trying to do something (such as updating this blog) it goes nuts. Go figure.

In less than 24 hours we *will* be through the first leg of our journey from Western Australia to South Africa. Our first leg takes us from Perth to Singapore, followed by Singapore to Johannesburg, and finally Johannesburg to Cape Town. It’s going to be a looooooong day.

Today was a pretty standard pre-departure day; laundry, packing, printing documents, and final trips to the shops to ensure we have all of the supplies we need. At this point we feel pretty good, but we’ll see if we have any “oh shit!” moments once we’re air born.

We will be in South Africa for the first few days of our trip, followed by Namibia. We’re not sure when we’ll be able to update next, but we hope to have some interesting tales to share (all positive, of course).

Before we depart, we wanted to wish Ali’s dad a VERY happy birthday on July 16. In honour of the big day, we’ve selected a special song (by one of Mark & Ali’s favourite bands of all time). Enjoy!

When I’m Sixty-Four (the Beatles)

When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now,
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings, bottle of wine?

If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oooo
You'll be older too, (ah ah ah ah ah)
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you.

I could be handy mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck, and Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, Wasting Away.

Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

Whoo!

Love you, Dad! xoxo

Stupid Internet...

We've had some requests for photos, but our Internet isn't cooperating. Sorry! We'll do our best to upload some photos of Western Australia before we leave. One week - almost to the minute - until we're Africa bound!

Happy (super rainy) Canada Day!

It's a cold, rainy morning in Perth, but it's also the best day of the year - Canada Day! Just logged on to see all of my friends shaking hands with our future queen in Ottawa - amazeballs. Jealous much? Yes, yes I am.

How happy does J Shields look in this photo??

(Thanks for posting the photo, Jus - so I could steal it. :)


Court is making me pancakes with real Canadian maple syrup - imported all the way from New Brunswick - and later we'll wear our Olympic mitts when we venture out. Happy Canada Day from the other side of the world!

P.S. I know the date of this post says June 30 - obviously that's wrong. Hadn't updated our location to Australia since we got here. Whoops!