Namibia: Don't worry Matt Lauer has been here

Its a beautiful morning

Namibia? Where is that you ask. Find South Africa and move your finger north west or up & left. Bamm. Right there is Namibia. A relatively recent country (early 90s) formerly a part of all sort of other ones- South Africa, & numerous colonies predominantly German, but also British rule. What’s there? Quite possibly some of the most amazing scenery & nature we've ever seen. The country is vast with few inhabitants, around 2 million in total, the capital Windhoek around 200,000. From the Atlantic shores, to intimidating sand dunes with sand originating from the Kalahari desert, to mountainous regions, to flat savannahs where the animals play, it is a diverse country to explore.

We landed at the international airport 40kms outside of Windhoek the capital. The airport had 4 gates, and one large piece of tarmac for landing. We then drove through 38 kms of wilderness until we reached town. The changes from India were night and day, for starters: our pre-arranged driver showed up, secondly the car had seatbelts and we were expected to wear them. We had left from one of the most densely populated countries in the world and landed in one of the most sparse. As we drove down the road, for prolonged periods of time we couldn’t see anything except for the stars above. 

After a few days in Windhoek, we discovered a few things: there were almost no opportunities to see the country with public transportation and the guidebooks leave something to be desired. We had looked at what public transit went to the major parks (none), signing up for guided safaris (really expensive), and renting cars to do it yourself. All of the prices in our guidebook were double. We realized this country was not going to be a cheap one. Finally we settled on renting a 4WD Nissan, with camping equipment and a tent attached to the roof, we had it for two weeks and a permit allowing us to cross international borders. Our plan was to drive and camp ourselves around the country visiting both the national parks and anything else we figured might be worth a visit. We planned on making our way to the north of the country driving east into Botswana and finally making a day trip into Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls.

Watch that last step

The test drive, aka grocery run, was another lesson in itself. When we parked the car, a man approached me and asked if we would like him to ‘watch the car’. We weren’t really sure how to respond… is the crime here that bad that we need to worry about a 30 minute trip to the store? If we don’t give him money, will he call his buddies and have them dismantle the car into saleable parts? It being the first time we’d been asked, and all of our worldly possessions were packed in the truck, we told him okay and ran into the store. The grocery store was another delight. For an incredibly under populated country, the vast majority of its inhabitants seem to spend their time at the grocery store. After battling through the crowds who seem to get delight from running into strangers with their carts, we went to the register to pay. Once at the register, the people in front of us emptied their groceries onto the counter, and then discarded their basket or cart behind them blocking the aisle so we were forced to back up and move the cart out of the way. At first we were confused by what was happening, not sure if we were witnessing a peculiar event, but at every register the people did the same thing. Upon return, our truck was still intact, we loaded it up and headed out of town.

Just before we got lost...

Our first destination was Waterburg Plateau National Park. We reached the park with no problems, set up and camp and wanted to crack open a beer. The one thing not included in our camp pack was a bottle opener. We approached one of our neighbors to see if they had one we could borrow, he responded ‘sorry, in Africa we don’t use the things’, he then grabbed the beer from my hands, and ripped the cap off with his teeth. Waterburg was a good intro to camping in Africa, we got to play with the pop-up tent on top of the truck, test out the 4WD, see an amazing sunset and intro to African wildlife. Our first morning, a few deer visited our campsite followed by a mob of mongooses. Later that day we climbed the plateau, got lost with some of the locals. Next we were off to Etosha, one of Namibia’s most famous parks, with one of the highest concentrations of animals around.

Zebra Crossing

Our first night, we stayed just a few kilometers outside the park; at our camp site they advertised group safaris, so we proceeded to ask if it’s worthwhile. The safari guide had a grim face and said ‘I’ll tell you honestly, its rainy season, so the animals don’t have to go far to find water. At a different time of year I would know exactly where they would be at the different times of day, but now you’ll be really hard pressed to see anything… look at all the Germans sitting over there, all of those unhappy faces, they just spent a lot of money and weren’t able to see what they wanted’. We heeded his warning, lowered our expectations and figured the earlier we got up and headed into the park, the better. Everything we had read said the animals are most active just after dawn and before dusk.

Meow

5am, an ugly hour, alarm goes off, and we start packing up the tent. A quick breakfast and we’re heading to the entrance to the park. There’s a scene in Jurassic Park when they approach the massive gates of the park in their trucks and enter to see the dinosaurs; the only difference when entering Etosha was that it was pitch black and it was starting to pour on us. At check in, someone recommended a certain watering hole for possible game sightings. As the sun started to come up, we were greeted by a massive expanse of land completely covered with zebras, impalas and giraffes. We had quickly switched from Jurassic Park to the opening sequence of the Lion King. After 30 minutes of driving we approached the recommended spot and sure enough, there was an entire pride of LIONS. Five lionesses all sitting together, less than 50 m from our truck. A male watched nearby and then we realized there was another pack on a hill a little further back. Ten or eleven in total, all lounging around having a good time, while we sat in a car just meters away.

What? Everyone has to eat

We then headed down the road to a different location, passing by packs of zebras, ostriches and wildebeest, when Katy spotted a dead zebra lying next to the road. As it started to rain we pulled to the side of the road and waited. We figured a zebra carcass would be somebody’s breakfast so we might as well wait and see what would show up. It wasn’t but a few minutes that two jackals (medium sized dogs) showed up and looked around, and then a single hyena bounded up, looking a bit nervous due to our proximity. While we watched the hyena tore all of the internal organs out of the zebra, digging his face underneath the rib cage, and having a good time. Every time he’d pull his face out from the zebra, you’d see blood on his face and a new bit of organ in his mouth. The jackals just stood by and watched waiting to see if the hyena would throw them any scraps. For the first day that we didn’t expect to see much of anything, we were off to a good start. Later that day, when driving down a side road, we saw a car stopped, as we turned the corner there was a black rhino tromping through the grass. Another big game sighting, and we were incredibly close. He didn’t stick around for too long, but he did give still give us enough time to get a few pictures. At the end of our day, we bumped into the safari guide we had spoken to the night before; he had another disappointing look on his face after a day of minimal sightings. We told him where to go for the lions and so on, then headed back to see if the carcass of the zebra was still around. We looked and looked around where we’d been before and all we could see were a handful of bone fragments, completely clean of meat. 

Yes, giraffes run- almost as awkward as Katy does

It was rainy season, so every day the skies would open up in the middle of the afternoon. This meant a good portion of the roads were flooded throughout the park. We became very accustomed to driving with on side of the car riding 3 feet higher than the other on the shoulder of the road to avoid flooding the engine. Numerous times we scrapped the car siding to bits as we would have to drive through rough brush to avoid the middle of the deep puddles, but we figured if the car rental agency was going to charge us a paint job would be cheaper than replacing a flooded engine.

On the evening of our second day in the park, a storm like no other hit. Thunder and lightning struck all around us and gale force winds shook the entire car violently, there might have even been hail. We were on top of the car in our tent. We sat in silence as we rocked back and forth, both of us independently thinking “do we go down into the car?”, “no, we’ve got our bags in the seats, we’d have to rearrange the car, in torrential rains”, “but will we even survive this, if we stay in the tent on top”. After a long 30 minutes, the storm moved on elsewhere, and we did in fact survive, our tent too, which held up well all things considered.

Waiting for public transport?

A few days later we found ourselves heading over the border of Botswana to Chobe National Park, where encounters with elephants are practically guaranteed. At the park entrance, we were pointed to a Crayola marker map like that your 5 year old can do, that was pinned up to the wall and instructed to be off a specific road by 4 in the afternoon. When we asked why, we were informed that that was the rule.  Slightly perplexed, and without any map to go off of, we headed into the park. Sure enough, we found elephants and hippos down at the river front. As we continued to explore the park, we found a huge herd of elephants grazing and slowly on the move. Males jousted with each other, and babies stayed close to their mothers. Thankfully we were at a safe distance, because one elephant trumpeted and they all stampeded off into the woods.

On our way out of the park, just before 4, we found ourselves on a single track dirt path. Deep woods on both sides, Katy looking backwards, and Will forwards, we both realized we were surrounded by elephants at the same time. Just behind us was a mama and baby elephant; just in front of us… mama and baby. Knowing that you should never get between a mama & baby we planned on staying put. …Until two cars came up on us from behind. A scared elephant ran from behind us and crossed the road and disappeared into the woods. Our cautious gawking turned to fear as mama who had had enough of the tourists watching her babies, walked up to a tree, ripped the top half off with her trunk and charged at us. With no way to go backwards, we stuck the truck in 4WD and sped past the mama, letting her toy with the other trucks. 

Victoria Falls I presume

Our location in Bostwana put us on the borders of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, also where one of the largest waterfalls in the world lies, Victoria Falls. Of course, a native of the Niagara region wouldn’t pass the opportunity to visit a rival falls, so we forked over the exceptionally high visa fee for a day visit to Zimbabwe and got soaked from head to toe, with 360 degrees of water. We also got to see the high safety standards of the Zimbabwe / Zambia Friendship Bridge when we watched a few gutsy individuals bungee jump with a bungee cord threading bare in front of our very eyes. Only a few months before an Australian girl jumped, had the cord snap and survived with only a broken collar bone… or so we’ve been told.  It’s on YouTube if you want to watch for yourself.

Stop staring at me

Back in the truck we spent many hours circling back through the top of Botswana so that we could end back up in Windhoek, Namibia. Our last night with the truck, we found a camp site that butted up next to a farm field. Just before dusk, red beady eyes emerged from the woods on the other side of the field.  They belonged to four male ostriches. All night, making dinner, heading to the bathroom and morning we were watched by these fascinating creatures. They even followed us out as we left the site.

Zimbabwe border patrol transportation inspector

Back in Windhoek we figured we’d try out the public transport options and head to Swakupmond (the more German than Germany beach town of Namibia), so we were packed into a combi van with the locals. We discovered a few things that day:

1.    Sothern Africans, do not listen to good music.  We were subjected to Kenny G, on repeat for a terrifyingly extended period of time, followed by an assortment of soft rock hits, and religious soft-soul music.

2.    Being the skinniest people in the car does not give you more personal space than the others; rather you are allotted half the seat provided to everyone else.

3.    Jerky is a healthy portion of the African diet. Its best paired with a coke, even if you were just were weaned off breast milk.

4.    Thank you, a smile or any acknowledgment is not necessary to be said to other people, even if they play with your child for a 4 hour car ride, and feed him crackers.

Swakupmond was a pretty interesting town, situated on the Atlantic Ocean and lying in the Namib Desert, there is colonial and Germanic architecture, and yet a very empty feeling to it.  The stores worked on vacation German hours (10-3, with a lunch break) and at African efficiency, so by 5pm the wide streets lied empty. Looking one way you see nothing but beach and ocean, you turn around and the beach keeps going on to the horizon. The stores that were open were mostly adventure outfitters.  Swakupmond acts for many people as a jumping point for extreme sports: paragliding, sky diving, dirt biking, and sandboarding. 

Time to get our extreme sports on

When we were picked up the next morning by a woman who grew up in California, we were happy to say that the outfitter we selected would not be at the Victoria Falls Friendship Bridge safety standards.  We were off to one of the biggest dunes outside the city to try sandboarding. This sport involves jumping onto a piece of plywood and barreling down a dune. The crew introduced themselves, and we hiked up some big dunes. On the way we found out this was the tour operator that took Matt Laurer from the Today Show how to dune ski. The way it works was pretty simple, just like sledding / tobogganing back home. You get on your board, point in a certain direction, keep all hands and feet on the vehicle… and go!  By the end of the day, we had clocked over 65kph speeds, and had sand in every crevice you can imagine. 

Due to lack of rental cars in Swakupmond for months on end, we headed back to Windhoek in another combi-which was equally as comfortable as the ride out there. In Windhoek, we adopted a full bright scholar (Anna) who had separated with her boyfriend days before they were to vacation together and explore Southern Namibia. So, back in a Nissan, on the road again we were off to Soussuvlei, home to the biggest sanddunes in the world with a new friend. 

Up, up, up

You know those motivational posters that say ‘Determination’ and show a HUGE dune, going on for miles and miles? That’s dune 49, 49km’s into the national park. In order to drive to Dune 49, climb it and watch the sun rise, you need to be up pretty early in the morning. After driving through the pitch black, then hiking up the crest of one of the biggest sand dunes in the world, to then teeter on the top as the sand falls away from under you on either side we were treated to one spectacular sunrise.  

Further into the park we entered a ‘4WD only’ section, dirt roads turn to sand and we hoped we had enough water in case of a breakdown. We climbed several more overpowering dunes, each with its own personality. One was next to salt flats, others lined with scrawny trees. By dusk we found ourselves at a campsite as close to the middle of nowhere as we’d found on the trip. In the desert, but next to the mountains, the stars shone brightly that night. 

Mountains vs. Dunes

There is rumored to be a road connecting Soussuvlei to Windhoek that does not require a 4WD vehicle, if this is so, we did not find it. On our way back, we were greeted by a sign stating “Extremely high gradient ahead, no trucks or non-4WD allowed”. Our last return to Windhoek took us from desert to an over 45 degree road putting us well into the mountains. In our several weeks of driving throughout Southern Africa, 4WD had only been absolutely necessary when being chased by elephants. This road, on the other hand, tested everything our truck had to offer; with everything engaged we crept up the mountain, offering the passengers one of the coolest views in the country.

Big Sky Country

The last stop in Namibia was a present for Will’s 30^th birthday. We went to a heavily fenced park just outside the city. We walked into the lobby of the guesthouse and took a seat. Katy returned from the bathroom saying “Hey, there’s a peacock out there”, while Will and Anna were glued to the windows just behind our seats. Two cheetahs roamed through the backyard of the guesthouse. We were at the ‘Big Cat Experience’. We ran outside to stare at them through the sparse fence leaving us almost face to face with these animals. 

Impala...it's what for dinner

Our ‘Big Cat Experience’ involved being driven into the deep underbelly of the park, through several electrified fences and then placed into a cage made up of large twigs, acting as a barrier. Our guide started to explain that this park takes rescued cheetahs and tries to teach them how to survive best in the wild. The numbers of cheetahs are diminishing in the wild, largely because they aren’t genetically programmed for survival. Cheetahs kill at high speeds (70+ km/h), but are unable to eat until they have cooled off. By this time, hyenas, leopards, or lions will often steal their kill from under their nose. So, this park teaches cheetahs to kill in packs, rather than individually. As our guide is explaining, four cheetahs are hurtling down from the mountain and heading right toward us. The guide had scattered impala bits around our ‘cage’ and the cheetahs chowed down. Next thing we know, he was breaking the one rule he told us not to break, and running toward the truck being followed by a biggest cheetah in the pack. He gets some more meat and hurls a ribcage at the pack, not before the cheetah gets within a few feet of him.  They attack it together, barking at each other and fighting over the last scraps. After they’ve had their fill, they disperse and we move on. 

Next stop we are on a platform and a male lion appears in front of us. He finds the previously placed impala and is shortly joined by his lioness. This happy couple had been around for a while, he was a kept by a private owner and she came from a zoo.  One time when the lioness was undergoing medical treatment, and he thought she was in danger, he tore a hole in the electric fence to get to her.  Fortunately, she started moving before the exam team had the male all the way through the fence.

Last stop, back to the main lobby for champagne and a personal meeting with the domesticated cheetahs who greeted us at the beginning. We were then introduced to the two cheetahs, allowed to pet them and see run around with the trainer. It’s a humbling feeling, playing with a creature that can tear you apart at the drop of a hat… especially when it starts licking you. As we finished the champagne, it was undoubtedly the coolest birthday present I’d ever received.