Airport Drive

It’s interesting when emotions hit you. I would have thought that I might have felt more than a little anxiousness while quad biking. However, this morning on my way to the Windhoek airport to make my way back to Cape Town, the emotions were quick and surprisingly sudden. It’s the exact path I made to get back to the US so long ago. I found myself wondering how I made it home in my condition at the time and the feelings were deep inside.

I felt like crying but kept them at bay, lest I appear to my other taxi mates as a weirdo. We pulled into the airport and there sat an International SOS vehicle and crew getting ready to pull out. They’re the international rescue team which evacuated me. It was a stark reminder of how I ended up there and as if the emotions weren’t welling already that sent them into internal overdrive. I wonder who they evaced this time and what their condition may be or what harrowing ordeal they may have had to endure?

It was satisfying to walk into the terminal and sit at the gate under my own volition. I boarded the plane and while I had a fantastic time and would highly recommend Namibia as a travel destination, am happy to put it behind and look forward to the next unknown adventure that lye ahead.

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Etosha National Park

I’ve spent the last few days in Etosha National Park in the northern portion of Namibia game viewing. Etosha is known for it’s game viewing watering holes. Just like last time I visited here, the experience is fascinating. We spend part of a day game driving one does throughout the rest of the game parks throughout Africa. However, what I like best about Etosha, is it’s a place where most of the animals come to you. The park has numerous watering holes filled by pumps and all through the day/night various animals refresh themselves from the hot dry air.

Drink in hand, patiently sitting in a chair for hours I watch a small pond/watering hole on the other side of a waist high concrete barrier wall. Dozen’s of Zebra sip the cool water as Springbok and a few Jackals mingle in-between. Their thirst quenched they slowly and cautiously make their way into the treelined distance. As if there is ticket waiting system other animals make their way in. Elephants suck the water into their nose spew some on their sides to cool themselves off, suck more into their snout and blow it into their mouth. Rhino’s wander in and splash into the pond gulping water as they go. Oryx, Kudu, and Impala make their visit’s throughout the day too. With birds chirping overhead, a herd of 15 Giraffe appear in the distance, they are the most skittish and cautious of all the animals. They take and hour or more to step, stop, look, and scan the horizon for any predators hyper vigilant that when they are drinking they are most vulnerable. They eventually make the water edge, while a few stand sentry the others every so nervously spread their front legs bending their long necks to seek the needed refreshment.

Game viewing at a watering-hole while fun can be a test of patients. If you wait long enough eventually you’ll see everything. So, we make our way to the truck and head out into the bush. Driving down dusty gravel roads brown dry grass and green Acacia trees line the way. In-spite of the dry arid climate the Acacia tree sends a root hundreds or more feet deep to find water to maintain it’s health in this environment. We spot, Zebra, Impala, Springbok, Oryx, Kudu, Warthogs, Jackals, Hyena’s, and numerous birds in their natural habitat. And then, our first pride of lion for the day. The kings main fluffing in the wind as he lay only a few feet away two cubs frolic like little kittens batting and swatting each other as their mother looks annoyingly away. Poppa eventually lazily raises himself yawning while ever so looking ferocious by showing his teeth to settle the little ones down. Flopping himself back on the ground the kiddies snuggle up to his chin. A nudge of his nose against his offspring exudes a warming sense of love. He begins bathing them with this tongue as their face screams, “Ah, not a bath Dad!”

Today has become the day for Lion watching. Throughout the day we spot a dozen or more separate pride of lion each as regal as the next. We head back to the watering hole to spend the wee hours of the night taking in as much as we can until my eyelids close out the night.

My trip with Acacia Africa has come to an end and I now have 18 new found friends. Most are continuing on the path with them. I’m excited for them. Envious as I’d love to continue on as I’ve been to the remote areas new to them. They have many exciting adventures ahead as I make my way back to Cape Town to finish out this trip with a few more fun filled days.

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Remounting the Horse

I’ve done what I came here to do on this trip. I retraced my steps and completed the day of disaster, and lightning didn’t strike twice in the same place. The rest of my trip is now gravy, that I’m still looking forward to, if only I can swing a cold I picked up along the way which has now made it’s way from my head to chest. Hacking coughing lung flem. yuck!

I’m back in Swakopmund Namibia, and yesterday morning I went Sand Boarding and then Quad Biking. I won’t spend time writing much about each activity as they were very similar experiences.

The sand boarding dunes look just like I remember and riding down them was as thrilling as the first time.

It’s interesting, I arrived at the quad biking/ATV rental facility where I got my tour last time. Everyone was asking me if I was nervous or scared. Not one bit. Excited as can be was more like it. I walk into the shop and am quickly greeted with a warning sign and a large sign forbidding fishtailing the bikes, exactly what I was doing last time. They didn’t exist when I was here last time and neither did the 15 minute safety meeting. Last time we just jumped on and took off. Also they have eliminated the larger quads that I road when I was last here. 125 cc are now here instead of 250cc quads. I wonder how much if any my accident had to do with the change. In speaking with some of the staff they remembered the accident, not me, and are all surprised to see me back. Unfortunately, the owner wasn’t there as I had hoped. I vaguely remember him coming to see me at the hospital and I’m told by one of the staff he showed because he was worried I was going to die that first night.

Riding through the dunes was a blast and the experience was much different, it’s refreshing to see they’ve made changes. Before it was anything’s game, now it’s more controlled and safety seemed to be paramount to the guide. The ride was much slower overall.

I started the ride not nervous at all and on my first banked dune coaster pass anxiety I wasn’t expecting or had suppressed came to light. I didn’t allow the stomach butterfly and nervousness set me back and kept at it for two more hours of sand dunning fun.

I just finished a walk to the first medical clinic where I was first taken. The walk is what meant the most, that I’m here and can walk at all, and I feel blessed.

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Dune 45

Leaving Fish River Canyon we spend a day on dusty gravel roads. As we make our way north we’ve gone from the flat arid land of the canyon rim and drive into a valley with rugged mountains on one side and soaring sand dunes on the other. This is the start of the great Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world, which is home to the largest and highest sand dunes globally. These dunes are enormous, it looks like a mountain range built out of sand. They are steep, rust colored, and the rim edge of each dune curves in a snake like shape. I’m in awe of the natural beauty and am becoming a bigger fan of Namibia as I see the diverse change.

We set-out early before the sun rises climbing Dune 45, one of the largest and most famous dunes in the world. This is the desert and while it’s dark, it’s cold. That’s made up for as we trudge up the dune edge, cold sand oozing in my sandals squishing between my toes, my heart beat rises exerting myself to make the next step sand sliding away making it difficult to get a firm foothold. Tired as we crest the peak of this mountain of powdery sand the horizon glows orange behind a range of mountain sized dunes. As the sun breaks the horizon its beams pound us in the face, the temperature quickly rises as the rusty sandy sheen almost glows.

Leaving Dune 45, we make our way to Deadvlei. It’s a salt flat where a river once flowed in a valley between several large sand dunes. The ground is packed hard and there are numerous dead 1000 year old Acacia trees standing petrified through the ages of a hot dry sun. It’s a shutterbug play-land of cool interesting shots.

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Fish River Canyon

We crossed the border into Namibia and the landscape begins to change drastically. It’s a phenomenon that I’ve seen numerous times and I wonder how much the landscape change has to do with border lines and the creation of country territory. While the landscape had become more arid in Northern South Africa it was still quite mountainous. Shortly after crossing the border large flat dry plains with plateau shaped mountains in the distance form. It looks like we’re driving across moonscape.

We are driving down a dirt path my skin and lips are flaking due to the extreme lack of moisture. I’m sipping water almost constantly and it feels like I’m unable to quench my thirst. A pair of Springbok is spotted bouncily running through brown brush and tumble weed filled plains. Kudu, Ostrich, and Oryx are spotted as we camera totting travelers gaulk like we’ve never seen and animal in the wild before. I wonder how these animals roaming in seemingly nowhere survive. What do they eat, there is little vegetation and there isn’t water anywhere. The average rainfall in the Namib desert is only 2-20 millimeters per year.

Driving across the planes, the ground opens up as we arrive at Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world. It’s only surpassed in size by the Grand Canyon. It’s over a hundred miles long and 20 or more miles wide. Hiking along the rim edge the large orange ball descends over the horizon, its beaming rays scorching the rocky formation as a couple mongoose scurry across the rocks a few feet away. As our rotating globe spins in space I watch in awe how fast our star slips away. If I were able to teleport myself I wonder if I’d be able to tell the difference between this magnificent location or the Grand Canyon. Having been blessed with being to both I may post pictures of both to see if anyone can tell.

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