After spending a night in Etosha we wake up early for a Safari around the park, and seemingly disturbed a rhino! Our second night brought so many elephants to the watering hole, it was really a spectacular sight! Finally, we made our way out of the park towards Windhoek, the capital of Namibia where we met some new friends and said goodbye to two of our group!
Charged by a Rhino
That morning we were up for an early breakfast and Eddie took us in the lando to the park entrance about 20 minutes away. There we got in three safari vehicles and headed back into the park.
Our driver was trying to rush to where some lions had been found earlier that morning but it was quite a drive to get there so we did see a few other things along the way, such as a tower of giraffes, an impala, an oryx, the plains zebra and elephants. I was excited to get a good view of a rhino here too.
We stopped at a young adolescent lion but he was difficult to see in the bushes. Not too far away we caught up with two big males that had killed a giraffe likely in the night. Some of the kill was not yet eaten and you could smell it when we got close, but they were guarding it while they rested in the shade.
They seemed to get a little annoyed at all these big vehicles getting close and stopping nearby, all vying for the best spots to get pictures. One fun fact about a lion’s tongue, it is so rough it is able to separate the fibers of meat because it is so rough! There’s about 480 lions estimated in the park, and as a whole the park is fenced to keep domestic and wild animals separate, preventing the spread of disease.
After the lions recessed farther into the bushes our driver decided to take us to other parts. Mr. Wander spotted this vulture in a tree as well as the bird on the ground, but I’m not sure what kind of bird it is, it isn’t a Kori Bustard. Our guide spotted this owl in the tree as we drove by, it was so hidden it was hard to see without getting a good focus like what Mir. Wander could get on his camera.
As we were driving along brush our driver suddenly stopped, and we looked over and saw a rhino! We must have startled him because before I got my camera out he was charging towards our vehicle!! Our driver didn’t do anything right away, but just before he hit the back our driver pulled ahead quickly as the Rhino can’t change direction easily. They started to follow for a few steps but then stopped and decided to run away. I figured Mr. Wander would get a picture since he was on that side but his camera unfortunately had some issues and he had to restart it a few times so he didn’t get a picture either. I have to thank one of our friends, Jarid, for the above video.
We did go by the Etosha pan, which is a large salt flat but I could not find any pictures! The driver gave us a little rest stop at a ranger station that was fenced off so we could get out to use the bathrooms. On the radio he heard about a few lionesses sleeping under a tree so we went to check it out. Just after we got there, another lioness was picking her way across a stream using rocks to join the others in the shade.
Next we went past several watering holes as they drew in animals. None of these are natural and are pumped from wells by solar power. This kind of conservation has helped the elephant population grow from only 70 back in 1904 to several thousand! As we were watching the large dazzle of zebras, our safari driver shared that zebras are born all black and have black skin, to me solidifying the argument that zebras are black with white stripes!
As we were driving to the lunch spot, I fell asleep (as did a few others). It was at another lodging and campground that had a restaurant and a pool. We sat in the shade with R & M with a few cold beers and watching R’s favorite football (aka soccer for those from the us) team. After an hour or so we loaded back into the safari vehicles for some time at a few watering holes where there were several elephants, ostriches, giraffes, antelopes, a crane (or egret?), and even a jackal.
Our guide decided to take us back to the male lions from this morning to see how they were doing, and we were surprised to see the kill picked clean! Mr. Wander also spotted this little squirrel and bird around the area, he really has a good eye for animals like this.
Finally it was time to head back to camp, but we had to wait for some elephants to cross by the watering hole. I was very entertained by this elephant who stopped just before crossing to relieve himself. You could tell by the look on his face it made his day!
It was very hot in the afternoon, so I kept pouring water on my bandana so I could breath cool air. Gotta love evaporative cooling, even if you look a bit like a cowgirl.
We said farewell to our drivers as they dropped us at our campsite. That evening at the watering hole we got to see something I have wanted to see, a giraffe drinking! It’s funny to watch them because they sometimes have to stretch the legs wider a few times to get low enough. Then when they’re done drinking, they flip up so fast! Talk about a bend and snap! (IYKYK). Giraffes actually have a special system to regulate blood flow and pressure to prevent them from getting dizzy when they bend down to drink water, or flip back up!
In the distance we start to see this line of elephants coming in, soon they split into 2 lines and slowly make their way to the watering hole. There were a few that fought most of the way in but apparently that was likely still to be the first to get the fresh water. There were some Matriarch herds with some very small babies. One looked to be only a month old! In all nearly 50 elephants had come in to drink and play in the water. What a cool experience.
After the sun set we headed back for dinner, which consisted of Poikey pap, with Chakalaka on the side. It’s essentially a stew of whatever you have cooked in a pot called potjie, which is the three legged cast iron pot in the picture below. The pap (pronounced pup) refers to the maize porridge that is similar to a thick polenta and the Chakalaka is a spicy chili often used like a condiment in Southern Africa. It is said to have originated in Johannesburg from the Mozambican mine workers mixing tinned produce with chili. After washing off after such a hot day I was ready for bed!
Camping with Pumbas
The following morning we had a bit of a drive, as we had to go all the way back to the town where we had lunch two days prior, and onward to Waterberg. Demi used the time to explain to us some of the sad history surrounding Waterberg. The Germans had claimed present day Namibia as German South West Africa.
They were trying to dominate the indigenous tribes of Nama and Herero peoples to essentially become their slaves. The chief lead a resistance which initially was a success, until reinforcements arrived from Germany that eventually lead to being surrounded at the battle of Waterberg. They fled into the desert but it was ordered that every man be killed and many women and children were as well. After 1904, they were incarcerated into concentration camps where many didn’t survive the harsh conditions. In just four years the 80% of the Hereros and half of the Namas had been killed and it wasn’t until 2015 that the Germany acknowledged the genocide.
Alright, onto happier subjects. We didn’t do too much sight seeing on the way, and we had a relatively simple campsite that night. There was a hike you could do but as it was quite hot when we arrived I opted to clean a few clothes since I figured they’d dry in no time in the hot sun. Then we sat in the shade but I used my sarong to help keep me from getting sunburnt! While hanging out, we had a few friends join us, pumba and some of his family!
After watching them run around awhile, it had finally cooled off so we walked up to the restaurant and the “pool”. As you can see from the picture it was a bit green so we opted to get a beer instead. While hanging out, I happened to move my one leg against the other, thinking I was shooing a fly, but unfortunately it was a bee or wasp of some sort that I squished between my legs and well, he wasn’t happy about that. So I got some nasty stings that took a long time to clear up, but eventually they did. We walked back down as the sun was beginning to set and had a nice meal with the group before heading to bed.
A Few Hellos and Goodbyes in Windhoek
The following morning we drove towards the capital of Namibia, Windhoek, which translates to “windy corner” in Africaans. After a shop stop we went to Penduka, which is our Planeterra project for Namibia. This project is intended to provide jobs and economy for the women in the Katatura part of the city, which means “place where no one wants to stay”.
In the times of apartheid, people of color were forced into government owned brick buildings where they were still required to pay rent and utilities. Women learned to brew beer which gave them an income, until it was banned. After they protested this they were forced out of these brick homes, the homes were bulldozed, and they were sent to what is now Katatura. Homes are barely more than shacks from what we could see from the lando driving past.
The Penduka project’s goal is to empower women through entrepreneurship, and often hired women with some sort of disability. Most of the products involve type of batik where designs are painted on a thicker fabric like a canvas. They also made beads from recycled bottles and magazines. After a tour we were able to buy things from their shop, and Demi purchased our lunch from them at the restaurant. We decided to get a small zippered bag that I use for stray coins when we collect various currencies.
After leaving Penduka, we headed to our accommodation, which was a campground in the middle of the city. It was our last luxurious experience with the group since we were staying in tents we didn’t have to put up and with full beds! I enjoyed the signs around the bathrooms. That evening we had dinner but were joined by four new people that would continue on with us through Botswana and into Zimbabwe. Sadly we also had to say goodbye to two of our group!
Next Time
With our new group, we made our way to the Botswana border! We had another bush camp that evening where we had a walk around the area with a bushman and woman. Then we made our way to the Okavango Delta where we got into canoes near hippos, did a walking Safari, and camped right along the water! Until next time, Totsiens!
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