Africa Adventure, Part XV

Friday, 27 February 2009

Since we didn't need to be at the airport for the flight(s) home until late afternoon, we had one more day of sight seeing to do on the Cape Peninsula. The cape separates False Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. A little farther east, one reaches the Indian Ocean. We had to settle for Cape Point and False Bay.

We drove south from Kalk Bay through Fish Hoek and Simon's Town toward Cape Point. South of Simon's Town is a less populated area of the cape, and from there the Cape Peninsula is all part of Table Mountain National Park. The goal is the end of the peninsula at Cape Point.

As we drove south we passed several beaches. The road goes inland south of Smitswinkel Bay over the hills of the peninsula. We were warned, and there are warning signs, about all the baboons on the peninsula and how pesky they can be. We did not see any. Don't know where they all were. At the southern end of the peninsula, we came to a very famous spot, the Cape of Good Hope, noted as the most southwestern point on the African continent.

We then drove east a little to Cape Point, the end of the peninsula, east and a tiny bit north of the Cape of Good Hope. There is a light house on the point. Actually, two: an old one and a modern one. It's a pretty good climb up to the old one, from which there are great views of the actual point and the crashing surf. Also at the top of the point by the old lighthouse is a sign post pointing to many places around the world with mileage to them (in Km). We had made it as far as we could go on the continent in that direction.

On the drive back up the peninsula, we detoured once to the west to Platboom Beach on Platboom Bay. From there we could look back at the Cape of Good Hope. It was a nice beach on the Atlantic where people had built many cairns from the rocks on the beach. We added one to the collection.

We drove back up the peninsula, retracing the way we had come. Our next destination was Boulder Beach, where there is a large colony of penguins. They were all over the beach, resting, digging in the sand, and swimming in the surf (or at least wading). It reminded us of our penguin encounter in Australia. These are a bit larger and seem to mainly just hang out on the beach. There was also one rock dassey, the elephant relative we had ween in Namibia.

Retracing our route, we returned to Kalk Bay to retrieve our luggage and then head to the airport. While there, we made one last attempt to get an ice cream cone from the Ice Shop, which had been closed every other time we were there. They make very good gelato, and we finally got to try it. Then back to the apartment to retrieve our luggage and head to the airport.

We arrived at the airport, returned the hire car, and checked in for the flights home. It would be another very long day on airplanes. We took off from Cape Town airport and flew over the city another time. This time Table Mountain had clouds on it for the "tablecloth effect." Our last view was of the coast north of Cape Town and Robben Island as we headed out to sea over the Atlantic on the way to Dakar, Senegal via the same route we had come.

The stop in Dakar was longer than scheduled. We're not sure why. That got us into New York late, and we missed the flight back to Portland. They rerouted us through Atlanta to Portland. We arrived home a few hours later than planed, but safely.

It had been a rather amazing and wonderful couple of weeks!

Africa Adventure, Part XIV

Thursday, 26 February 2009

This morning we headed back to The Waterfront for the trip to Robben Island. Robben Island was a prison during the apartheid era for political prisoners. Its most famous inmate was Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned there for 18 of his 27-year imprisonment.

The island also has some interesting natural areas. There is a colony of penguins. There are wonderful views of Cape Town and Table Mountain. But it's mostly fairly barren land. The bus tour takes you around part of the island including a church and a lighthouse among other buildings. You are then dropped off near the cell block prison buildings.

The guide of the prison buildings was a former political prisoner, giving the information an authentic ring. (I don't recall that he told us what his "crime" was.) Some of the guides are former guards.

The guide told us a bit about life in the prison. Everyone had to work, and he had worked in the kitchen and dining hall. At some point on the tour, we stopped at the lime quarry, where everyone did hard labor. The prisoners also used it as a secret meeting place and "school" where they discussed forbidden topics unbeknownst to the guards.

We were shown a typical blockhouse where each prisoner had a grass mat and three blankets, which were his bed. They later added bunk beds in some areas. When we got to Section B, we were shown Mandela's cell, about 3 feet wide and 8 feet long. In it were the "bed" materials, a chamber pot, and, I believe, a chair and small table. It's really hard to imagine anyone living in there for 18 years!

After the boat ride back to The Waterfront, we headed out past the townships toward the Wine Region one more time. Our goal was two highly recommended wineries we didn't have time to visit two days ago. We stopped first at Meerlust, another of the older wineries, and one highly recommended by Glenn and Seamus. Once again we found very good wines at reasonable prices. We also stopped at Vergenoegd. It had interesting old buildings from the Dutch colonial period, but we didn't buy any wine (for a change).

On the way "home" to Kalk Bay we made one more winery stop, at Kroot Constantia, another of the oldest wineries, founded in 1685. This is a large operation, and one of the more prominent wineries in the area. Surprise! More good wine. But we were too late to get to Klein Constantia, nearby, and one of Tim & Venessa's favorites. Next time!

For our last night's dinner in Africa, Seamus & Carol had invited us to their house. We met their housekeeper, who comes in from Khayelitsha to work for them. We had barbecued chicken, more good South African wine, and finished with Koeksisters, a wonderful South African dessert from the Malay. A wonderful final evening in Cape Town!

Africa Adventure, Part XIII

Wednesday, 25 February 2009

After breakfast in our self catering apartment, we went into Cape Town. We were headed for Observatory, a neighborhood that has a less the perfect reputation. Our goal was Mnandi Textiles, a shop that specializes in hand made cotton clothing. We were looking forward to meeting Ilse, the proprietor, since we had some items from her shop that Tim & Venessa had brought back for us on previous trips. She greeted us warmly at the door, and spoke well of Tim and of Seamus, who gets all his shirts from her. After looking around the shop, we each picked out a shirt. (I'm wearing it as I write this.) I almost ordered another one which Tim & Venessa would pick up and bring home, but decided to buy only one. Like the wine, these are very reasonable items, especially considering they are hand made.

We then headed for The Waterfront, an area of shops, restaurants, and hotels on the waterfront. There is still some shipping and ship building activity in the area. It also affords good views of Lion's Head and Table Mountain, and is the departure point for tours of Robben Island. We bought our tickets for the next day's tour of Robben Island and had lunch. There was a group of 12 men providing entertainment of song and dance. I think they are there often. It was fun to hear them. There was also a marimba band at another spot. All in all, a lively place.

From there we headed across town to Table Mountain, a large flat-topped mountain in the city. It is a large national park, including much land down Cape Peninsula. There are often clouds on the top of the mountain and flowing down the side a bit, known as the "tablecloth effect." It was clear the day we were there with no clouds around. After parking the car and getting a card from the car guard on duty, we headed to the cableway station for the ride to the top. The cars are round and make one full revolution as they go to the top of the mountain.

At the top there are several Km of trails, as well as the usual gift shops and restaurant. It is the largest flat area at the top of a mountain that we have visited, I believe. Very interesting, and wonderful views of Cape Town and the surrounding region. In one direction there is a series of mountain tops heading into the distance toward Cape Peninsula known as the Twelve Apostles. On another side two girls were getting instructions and help as they were about to Abseil (like rappelling) down the side of the mountain. We walked a large loop over a little less than half the top of the mountain. It was an interesting experience.

After a refreshing snack, we took the cableway to the bottom, rather than hiking down. The car guard had done his duty, and our car was still there, unscathed. We headed back to Kalk Bay for a relaxing evening at "home."

Africa Adventure, Part XII

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Today we headed for the Cape wine areas at Paarl, Stellenbosch, and vicinity. They make very good wine at very reasonable prices.

Our first stop was in Stellenbosch for breakfast. We ate at a deli/bakery that had outside seating. The weather was very pleasant.

After breakfast we headed out to find the wineries we had plotted, with help from Tim and Venessa, as well as Seamus, and Glenn. We had lots of good tips to go on. Our first stop was at Kanonkop a little north of Stellenbosch. They have some good wines and an interesting winery, with an art gallery. It was also interesting to see all the bottles stacked in the cellar. Of course, we bought a couple bottles, and a carrier for six bottles. For fun we checked on shipping to home, and found it to be excessively expensive. It was a good start to the day.

From there we continued the trek heading toward Paarl. We next stopped at Fairview, known for it goat cheese and wines with bad puns for names. Outside the tasting room is the Goat Tower. In the tasting room there is both wine and cheese tasting. The cheeses were very good. The wine is good also. They even export a couple of wines to the US (OK, here it comes) called Goats-Do-Roam. The wines are pretty good, but the pun is terrible. We added to our collection with a bottle, but not the ones we can get at home.

The next stop was just a little down the road at Landskroon. This is a much smaller winery, more like many here at home. And the wines were very good. Of course we bought a bottle or two.

We headed north toward Wellington, north of Paarl. We stopped at Nelson Creek, which was recommended by both Seamus and Tim. However, the regular person in the tasting room was off for lunch break, and the lady didn't seem to know the tasting process. So, unfortunately we moved on without tasting.

Paarl is a bigger town, with crowded traffic. We only drove through and headed south toward Franschhoek. We detoured over to one of Tim & Venessa's favorites, Backserg. They were roasting lamb on a spit and serving lunch on the lawn . That was too good to pass up. And their wine is good, too. We had some with lunch, and then bought some to take.

We headed down to Franschhoek to find a couple more wineries. In the end we only stopped at one which was actually a champagne cellar, Haute Cabriere. Since sparking wine is not real high on our list, we passed on tasting. However, it was a great setting with good views of the mountains.

We headed back toward Stellenbosch. About half way there, we stopped at Boschendahl, one of the oldest wineries in the area, founded in 1685. That's right, more than 300 years ago. They do their wine tasting as flights at picnic tables. So I had a flight of about eight wines. (Remember, you get only a very little bit of each.) But, of course, it was another very good winery. And in a very nice setting with interesting old buildings.

There were three more wineries we hoped to visit on the way back to Kulk Bay. The first we came to was Spier.We got to the tasting room a few minutes after they closed. But Spier is also noted for its Cheetah preserve. It's part of a cheetah recovery and conservation effort. The cheetahs, some needing rehabilitation, are in enclosures. You can go inside with a guide to get very close to them, even "petting" them. We didn't.

By now it was too late to get in to any other wineries, so we headed "home" to Kalk Bay. It had been a very nice day of site seeing and wine tasting. And we confirmed that South African wines are very good and very reasonable.

On the way we saw several trailers full of freshly picked grapes, and, of course, workers walking along the road and riding in the back of small pickup trucks. When we got back to Kalk Bay, we walked into town for dinner. We ate at the highly recommended Olympia Cafe, a popular and therefore crowded restaurant. It was very good, and ended a very nice day in the South African Cape wine country.

Africa Adventure, Part XI

Monday, 23 February 2009

Today we head back to South Africa after a wonderful nine days in Namibia with Tim, Venessa, Abigael, and Lillian. We have a 10:30 flight from Windhoek to Cape Town. After breakfast with the family, Venessa led us to the edge of town and onto the right road out to the airport. It's about 35 Km out of town in the bush, and is a nice drive.

We returned the car and had to fill out an accident report for the missing license plate and broken mirror. Then we checked in for the flight to Cape Town. South African Express is a branch of South African Airlines which reminded us of Horizon: small plane, good service, wine, etc. We had a very unusual experience with the flight. Since everyone with reservations was there, we left Windhoek 30 minutes early! There were only about a dozen of us on the flight. I bet that never happens to us again.

The flight back to Cape Town was good and uneventful. We saw the same scenery as when flying up, but it was a bit hazier. Our approach to Cape Town was not nearly as spectacular as our arrival a week and a half earlier.

After retrieving our luggage we got our hire (rental) car, which was a Mercedes. The agent gave me a choice of three cars, so I took the Mercedes. It was a small economy one, but nonetheless a Mercedes. We headed back to St James to Seamus and Carol's house. Seamus had offered us a Townships tour. His nephew was there to go with us. We went in Seamus's car and drove through three townships in Cape Town. There are rules to follow when visiting these areas. Photography is OK, but, or course, don't invade someone's privacy. If possible ask permission. And if there is a car jacking, walk away from the car without looking back at the person. You don't want them to thick you could identify them to the police. Seamus has never had that problem, but just in case . . . We started in Langa, a township closest to the city centre. This was known as a middle class township, but certainly not what we would consider a middle class neighborhood. A car full of whites didn't seem to draw any particular attention.

Our second drive through was Nyanga, a little farther out from the city centre. Following the pattern that the townships get poorer as you move away from the center of the city, this was poorer looking than Longa. We simply drove through Nyanga, also. Then headed a bit farther east to one of the largest townships in Cape Town, Khayalitsha.

It would have been interesting to visit a home, but that had not been arranged. We did see several small stores, and a few other businesses, like a building supply store that looked to have all used and recycled materials out on the street. The most interesting was an open meat market where they sold both raw and cooked meet. There were many barbecues made from drums, mostly in one area. There was also an open market in the bus station area which had a variety of household goods.

We made two stops in Khayalitsha, the first at an after school study center, where college students come to tutor. There is also a library and a computer lab. The school term had just started that Monday, so they were mostly doing organizational things. We talked with the director. Seamus particularly wanted us to see the computer lab. It was pretty well furnished, and they have classes for all levels. His reason for singling it out was that he said Tim had brought the first four computers to start the lab several years ago. It was good to see it pretty well equipped and well used. The library had an interesting collection of books, children's to adult, all well used.

Our next stop was at a health/senior center that Seamus had worked with. The director greeted us warmly and gave us a tour. We met some of the people who come for services. Things seem fairly normal in these centers, but driving through the township gives you a very real feeling of the poverty and extreme unemployment. Those that do have jobs travel to them by van and pickup truck. We saw 20-plus people in 15-passenger vans and several people crowded into the back of small pickups. No seatbelt laws here! But at least they are working and trying to support themselves.

After the tours we headed back to St James. There we retrieved out car and headed a couple of kilometres down the road to Kalk Bay and the apartment we had rented for the week. It was on the side of the hill with a view out over False Bay. That view provided magnificent vistas for beautiful sunrises over the bay. It was a "self catering" apartment, which meant it had a kitchen to cook our own meals, a sitting area, a bedroom, a bath and a sleeping area. It really was a furnished apartment and not just a hotel room. Very nice and very reasonable.

We walked to "downtown" Kalk Bay to explore and find a restaurant for dinner. There were several good choices. This was going to be great place to make our exploring headquarters!

Africa Adventure, Part X

Sunday, 22 February 2009

After a lovely light breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and met Tim & Venessa and the girls for the drive back to Windhoek. The road follows basically the same route as the train, heading east toward Okahonja and then south into Windhoek.

Leaving the coastal desert, we headed back into the brush. There were some very interesting mountains off in the distance. The road passes through some hilly country. There are also a few small towns on the road. We stopped in at the OK Market in Karabib for a coffee date. This is a typical town in Namibia, just a wide spot in the road.

After we parked near the market on the "wrong" side of the road, a friendly gentleman from the town let us know to move the cars, because they do ticket you for that violation. After re-parking, we headed into the market for our coffee date. It was an interesting place, since it was really a General Store with a bit of everything in addition to the groceries and coffee bar.

A little down the street was an African crafts store, which looked a bit like a museum, too. They had many of the usual things we had seen many places, and a few unique items. A couple of blocks away was the church in town, a Lutheran one of course. And across the street from the store was the Club Western, a bar with loud country-western music. It seemed a bit out of place.

We continued toward Windhoek. There was road construction going on, and I managed to hit one of the posts to mark the edge of the road. It cracked the housing on the rear view mirror on the left side. Now we had two problems with the car, since we had lost the front license plate in Etosha!

The rest of the drive was good and uneventful. We arrived back at the Foundation House in Windhoek with time to rest a bit, and get cleaned up for our final dinner in Namibia.

That evening we went to Orapoko Game Reserve for dinner and a chance to see lions, even if not free range lions. The lions range free within a compound, and come to be fed in the evening. After some late afternoon libations, we rode out to the feeding area in safari trucks and then hiked a couple hundred metres. There is a built up barrier with viewing openings in it for viewing the lions. They have added electrical fence at the openings since the last time Tim & Venessa were there. Which is a good thing, since you are only about five feet from the lions when they come over to look at you.

At first there was only one large male waiting for his dinner. The females stay back until he's had most of his dinner, an antelope leg. After the two females show up and look over the people, the workers throw them some meat which they grab and head off to eat without the male bothering them. They are all magnificent animals. And a lot safer than if you met one in open range.

We rode the safari trucks back to the lodge where we had dinner reservations. Dinner was a grand celebration of Tim's birthday, and the wonderful ten days we had spent with them in Namibia. It ended with a flaming dessert. It confirmed that I really like the taste of African game, especially Kudu.

Back at the house, it was time to pack our bags for the next part of the adventure in South Africa. We stayed up late for our last evening with the girls.

African Adventure IX

Saturday, 21 February 2001

The morning started by going through Swakopmund to a siding in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. This is an area of huge red sand dunes. The train stopped and everyone got off to play in the sand. That meant walking across the desert to the base of a very large red sand dune. Led by a guide from the train, we climbed the dune, going up the slope on one end. It was interesting to walk in the soft red sand. From the top one could see the coast (a little) and red desert all around.

Going down was fast and fun. You simply run down the side of the dune, a very steep slope. It's much faster going down! And your feet sink into the sand up to your knees as you run down. It's a fun and unique experience. After walking across the desert back to the train, we returned to Swakop to disembark.

Once we got the cars off the train car, we were ready to continue the adventure. We had met a gal from Australia who never spends winter anywhere. She is an author of children's books and travels most of the time. She had been in Namibia for several weeks already, and was planning to stay in Swakopmund for a couple of months. We gave her a ride to her hotel. It was interesting to visit with her.

We headed south out of town to Walvis Bay. Since we were on the west coast of Africa, it seemed much like driving along the coast here (except on the wrong side of the road), and there was desert and sand dunes to the east along the coast.

Walvis is a more industrial town. It also has some very nice housing on the south side on the beach. Along here we saw white flamingoes in the surf and lagoons. They looked a bit strange after the pink flamingoes we're used to in Florida. Someone told us their color is determined by what they eat, and when the shrimp are plentiful they turn more pink. I'll take their word for it.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the water. I'm guessing it's quite lively in the evening. We had seen many people lined up with buckets and other containers at a fire station, and wondered why. At the restaurant they didn't serve water and asked us not to use the rest rooms. We also saw restaurant employees filling large containers with water out of the surf. It turns out that the city water supply reservoir had become muddy and not suitable for use because of the very heavy rains a day or two before. So the fire station or the beach were the only place to get any water, and the beach water was not drinkable.

It was a very nice lunch with a view, since it was built on a pier over the water. But we didn't drink the water!

After lunch we headed back up the coast to Swakop. We checked into our hotel, The Secret Garden Guesthouse, a very nice place. Tim's family was at another hotel a few blocks away. We wanted to explore the town a bit since we had read that it has become a real resort area and retirement home area, especially for Germans. But almost everything closes about 2PM on Saturdays. We found a few places open and then walked along the shore. The municipal pier was a good place to see the town. There was a large park along the coast. Tim and Venessa took the girls to the aquarium where they saw some feeding time. In the park at the beach a group of people were practicing with their dogs on sort of steeplechase course. It was interesting to watch.

We had a late afternoon coffee date near one end of downtown. There was also a wood carvers' market set up in a large parking lot. We didn't go through it because they were closing down for the day, and we had bought our wood carvings in Okahodja. We had dinner in a restaurant close by on a pier overlooking the beach. It was very casual and nice.

After dinner we played in the park next to the restaurant which had a unique marry-go-round. It hung from a center post and spun unevenly. The girls had fun on it. Lillian wanted to swing, and there was a little boy there whom Venessa gave her take home dinner leftovers to. After a bit, they headed back to their hotel, and we walked on the beach. Karen got her feet wet in the South Atlantic. We stayed at the beach to watch the sunset, which was very nice, before heading back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel we completed the lovely, quiet evening.

African Adventure VIII

Friday, 20 February 2009

The morning was unhurried. We met Venessa and the girls at a favorite coffee shop at the mall for a coffee date, while Tim had a meeting at the Polytechnic. (Yes, this was a working trip for him.)

At noon we headed to the train station to start another adventure. We went on the Desert Express to Swapokmund on the coast. It does cross the desert, but it's not much of an express, taking almost 24 hours to make the trip. The journey is as important as the destination. 

After checking in and parking the cars on the platform, we wandered around the station and visited the museum. When it was time to board, Tim and I first had to drive our cars onto a flatbed train car for the trip to Swapok. We had decided that one way on the train was enough adventure and we would drive back. There was one other car on the train. After watching the crew securely tie the cars to the flatbed, we found our way to our car and overnight compartments. We had never had a bed on a train before.

We joined the other passengers, about 35 of them, for a welcome reception in the Bar Car. And we were off! Heading north from Windhoek toward Okahandja, we saw some wildlife that was new to us, dik dik or duiker and hartebeest. It's a bit hard to tell for sure sometimes from a moving train. The rivers we were by or crossed had water in them from all the rain. They are usually dry. 

The train turned west at Okahandja, heading for the coast. We were still in green bush with some interesting mountains breaking the horizon. We stopped at a siding out in the middle of nowhere and disembarked the train. Waiting were two very large safari style trucks to take us on a game drive. We drove many kilometers into the bush, across several fence lines, to a game reserve lodge, Orapoko. The lodge is at the peak of one of the hills with impressive views all around. 

After a welcome iced tea, we once again took off in the trucks for a game viewing drive. There were more giraffe, springbok, wildebeest, and warthog. Also we added to the sightings list, waterbok, white rhinoceros, damara dik dik and rock dassie. Tim & Venessa said they had not seen waterbok on previous trips. This antelope looks like it sat on a toilet seat with wet paint because of the marking on its rear. And the dassie made up for no elephants—its DNA is nearly identical, but it's a small furry animal about the size of large cat. Go figure!

Back at the lodge, we had sundowners and starters (drinks at sunset and appetizers). Then it was back to the train and off on the next leg of the express. At the next siding we stopped for dinner.

Dinner was elegant in the dining car, with crystal and china. And with the train not moving, was no challenge. The menu was what you would expect for a first class dining car, and the food was very good. (Namibians really know how to cook.) After dinner, we thought we were able to take a walk off the train, but not at this siding. We misunderstood the schedule at that point. So we went to bed, and found out later only Tim & Venessa got off for a little walk when the train made its overnight stop on the siding in Karibib. Early in the morning the train starting moving again on the final leg to the coast.

But I'm already at the next day.

African Adventure VII

Thursday, 19 February 2009

On the way back to Windhoek, we again stopped in Okahandja after getting gas in Otjiwarongo. Karen had bought a carved elephant, but when we looked at it in Otavi, there were no tusks. The guy in the stall had removed them for travel, but had not put them in the package. He didn't argue, and in fact produced a couple better tusks to complete the deal. 

At the gas station across from the wood carvers' market, a couple workers recognized the Etosha Pan mud all over the cars and offered to wash them. After negotiating a price (we paid 5USD for a complete hand wash), we had both cars well washed. We had lost our front license plate, which now was obvious once the mud was gone. It was nice to have a clean car again.

BTW, most of the tar (paved) roads in Namibia are two lane and the speed limit is 120 km/h. And there are many long straight stretches. The longest I measured was 25 km. So unless you got stuck behind a slow truck, . . . 

After returning to Windhoek, we again visited the Namibia Craft Centre. Here we finished our major gift and souvenir shopping for Namibia. And had a coffee date. 

African Adventure VI

Wednesday, 18 February 2009

Karen & I were up early to take another try at Moringa water hole at sunrise. Still no animals, but many birds. We saw some really close as they came near us to feed, mostly on last night's moths. Guinea fowl, shrikes, hornbills, owls, starlings (not little black birds), doves, and numerous others I couldn't identify. 

After breakfast, in the dark because there was no power, we headed out. Fortunately, we had filled the cars with gas the evening before during the time the power was on. Our immediate destination was the Etosha Pan Overlook. It is another place you can get out of your car and look at the 5000 sq km pan, or dry lakebed, from which the park gets its name. Only we couldn't go all the way out to the usual overlook (the road was blocked) because of the real danger of its being under water in a heavy rain. It is still an impressive sight. 

We returned back to Namutoni, seeing many more giraffe, zebra, springbok, wildebeest and the like. Including several young ones of each kind, some wildebeests nursing. Several giraffe were very close and walked right in front of the car. They are so graceful when they move.

At Namutoni we saw a colony of banded mongeese playing on the lawn of the reception center. One more animal not previously noted. 

As we were loading back into the cars to head out and back to Otavi, by chance we met a lady from Norway with her daughter. She has been a visiting prof at PLU, and works with the consortium of colleges that includes the University of Namibia, PLU, and her school in Norway. So we agreed to meet her for a coffee date in Tsumeb, outside the park. 

When we got to the gate to leave, we discovered we had overstayed our daily permit by about three hours, and the guard would not let us out until we went back to Namutoni and paid for another day. (What happened to Africa Time??) That set us back almost an hour. But our new friends were still waiting for us at the agreed caffé shop in Tsumeb. We had a very nice visit in a lovely biergarten. 

We returned to the Palmenecke Guest House in Otavi for the night. Dinner that night was kudu steak! Two nights in a row. Fixed entirely differently, but still very good. 

African Adventure V

Tuesday, 17 February 2009

We drove west from Otavi to Etosha National Park's east entrance at Von Lindequist Gate. You get your daily permit at the gate, but pay later at the first rest camp you come to. So we drove in to Namutoni. On the way we saw zebra and giraffe and some antelope. It was a good beginning to our game "hunt." 

Namutoni looks like a fort, and indeed started life as a military outpost. It was leveled by the natives a year or so after it was built, then rebuilt a couple of times, most recently in the 1980s as a resort. After paying our fees and checking the shops and getting oriented, we headed off into the park to see the animals. Our destination was the Halali Rest Camp, our overnight stay.

Summer is the rainy, wet season, so the books all warn that animals may be less easily found since they don't have to come to the water holes for water. But we saw many giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok, impala, kudu, warthogs, and others grazing placidly in the bush along the way. OK, the warthogs were almost always running away, but the others seemed unperturbed by the presence of a couple of cars. 

The roads in Etosha are gravel, usually well graded. However, the daily occurrence of heavy thunderstorm rains created some interesting passages through very large puddles (or very small lakes) in the road. We stopped for a sort of picnic at a designated spot where you were allowed to get out of the car. It has a fence around it, a couple of concrete tables, and a dilapidated concrete outhouse. But there was no gate. Not that it would keep elephants out anyway. So we kept one eye on the road in and the car doors open in case we needed to make a hasty retreat. But no one showed up. We enjoyed our lunch of biltong, cheese, bread, and juice.

After lunch the trek continued through the bush. We stopped at a couple of water holes where there had been sightings in the last week, but came up blank. In fact, we never did see any animals at a water hole. But we did continue to see many grazing.

At Halali we had a very nice house. It looked like one of the newest buildings at the rest camp. Dinner, which we tried to eat out on the patio, was moved inside when the downpour of the thunderstorm invaded our area. Once again, the food was very good. I had  steak of what may now be my favorite meat, kudu. Flavorful, tender, low fat. And unavailable in the states. After dinner we went out to Moringa water hole at the camp, but alas, no animals.

Electricity is somewhat sporadic in this area. And there are planned times of no power. It just makes life more interesting. Remember, as much as possible, travel as a local.

 

African Adventure IV

Monday, 16 February 2009

Today we headed north towards Etosha National Park in northern Namibia.  It is a very large park around the Etosha Pan, a dry lake bed and the surrounding water holes, that is home to many African game animals. 

Our first stop was in Okahandja, a town about 70 kilometers north of Windhoek. This is the site of a very large wood carvers market. We also were introduced to a local delicacy, biltong, at Closwa Biltong. It is much better than jerky, and comes in a number of flavors. 

The wood carvers market is a series of many stalls, each filled with carved animals and other artifacts, mostly from the Kavongo region of NE Namibia. We had seen some at the Craft Center in Windhoek, but this is closer to the source. I don't think all the sellers were also carvers, but it at least seems more direct with the carvers. The variety is tremendous. We came away with a collection of animals: giraffe, zebra, lion, hippo, rhino, and elephant. I hope we got good bargains, since it is expected that you bargain and don't simply pay the first asking price, which is usually fairly high. Tim & Venessa did some of the bargaining with barter, trading t-shirts and other items for goods along with some cash. We were the only customers at the time, so we got lots of attention, even though we didn't walk through the whole market. 

As we left town after the biltong stop, we saw another wood carvers market, not quite as big. You can find all these carvings at shops in the cities and towns as well. 

We stopped for the night in Otavi at the Palmenecke Guesthouse. Hotels and meals are very inexpensive by US standards. And the dinner was excellent, done by the lady of the house as chef. We even got one of her recipes. The husband is bartender and host. The rooms were also very nice, and breakfast was included. 

When we arrived at Otavi, Tim took us out to Laurent's winery while Abigael and Lillian enjoyed the very small swimming pool at the guesthouse. Laurent is a friend who works at the Polytechnic in Windhoek, grew up on a chateau in France, and wants to make wine. So he and a friend have started a winery near Otavi (about five hours north of Windhoek). They are now working on their third harvest. It was very interesting to see a start up winery and meet the resident crew. And the puppy, Gifty.

African Adventure III

Sunday, 15 February 2009

This was a day for getting oriented and acquainted with Windhoek. We went to a nearby shopping mall to buy a cell phone for use in Africa. (I had brought a global phone from home, this one was cheap and better for someone to call from Namibia and South Africa.) We got introduced to some local shops and food items. All very good. Of course, to some extent at least, a shopping mall is a shopping mall. At least there are no Starbucks, very few McDonald's, and only one KFC. Local is better!

Tim, Abigael, and we visited the National Museum of History. Unfortunately, not much time, so we only saw part of it. It is located very close to "the most famous building in Namibia," Christ Church, a big German Lutheran church in the center of the city. It is a very prominent building.

Summer is the wet season in Namibia (except in the deserts along the coast), so it rained a lot, everyday. Mostly passing storms, but very strong storms. Lots of lightning and thunder, and heavy rains. Sometimes more extended.

We took Tim (and the family) out to Joe's Bierhaus for dinner for his birthday (a couple weeks late). The rain was heavy enough to cause us trouble getting there. At least twice, we had to turn around and find another route because of flooded streets. It looked like a river running across the streets, flash flood like.

We decided to eat inside, rather than on the patio, in deference to more rain possibly coming. It's a very interesting place with the usual sort of collection of miscellaneous junk on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. The food was very good. We tried things one can't get in the states, mostly African game (although my skewer did have a piece of chicken on it, amongst the gemsbok, springbok, crocodile, and the like).

This was also our first encounter with southern African style of paying for parking. You don't put money in a meter, but in the hands of a "car guard." Both on the street and in most parking lots. They "guarantee" your car will be safe and there when you return. In return you give them N$2-4. That's their livelihood. We found them almost everywhere in both Namibia and South Africa.

The return home was easier since the rains had mostly stopped, and the floods had somewhat subsided. Altogether a very interesting and fun first full day in Namibia.

African Adventure II

Saturday, 14 February 2009

We were picked up fairly early by Trevor (Glenn's main driver) for the ride back to the airport. He had been told he was picking up the Wryes, but was surprised that it wasn't Tim and family. So now he met more Wryes.

We had a South African Express flight from Cape Town to Windhoek. It reminded me of Horizon Air: small plane (CRJ), good service including wine, short flight. At least it seemed short after the previous couple of days.

The flight to Windhoek was interesting, watching the desert landscape go by. We saw the Orange River (the Namibia-South Africa border), Fish River Canyon (like the Grand Canyon), and other interesting formations. 

When we landed at the Windhoek airport, Hosea Kutako International Airport, we couldn't see the city. It's about 35 kilometers out of town in the bush. After going through immigration (a minor hassle) and customs (no hassle—just don't declare anything), we were met by Tim & Venessa and Abigael & Lillian. It was great to see them. We got our hired car (they drive on the left) and followed them into town to the house where we all stayed. The Polytechnic of Namibia furnished Tim with a four-bedroom house, so we were able to stay with them. It was very nice, though in a locked compound with 24-hour security guards. (Refer to Tim's "plethora of keys" on Flickr.)

It was a quiet, relaxing evening at home; at least as quiet and relaxing as possible with a five and a two year old. Our second night in Africa, and first in Namibia.

African Adventure I

Thursday-Friday, 12-13 February 2009

I have never been on an airplane for 18 hours before. And that was after the 6 hour flight from Portland to New York. So after more than 24 hours in airplanes and airports, we were in Cape Town, South Africa! As we approached Cape Town, the pilot announced that since it was the one-year anniversary of Delta's flying in to Cape Town, the control tower had given us permission to circle the city on a bright, clear day. And we were on the right side of the plane to see the beautiful city surrounding Table Mountain, which is right in the middle of town. We learned it really was a special landing approach from people around us who flew in to Cape Town somewhat regularly and said that had never happened before (and may not happen again). 

We were met at the airport by Glenn, who owns a shuttle service, and who drove us in his Mercedes to St James on False Bay, where we stayed the night in the guesthouse of Seamus & Carol. (Glenn at one time was the South African Ambassador to Italy. We got winery recommendations from him.) Seamus has been to our house on a visit to the states, and has worked with Tim through Highline. He cooked us dinner in his Potjie, a traditional South African pot for cooking over an open or charcoal fire. It was wonderful! (BTW, that's pronounced "poi-khie"). 

After several glasses of very good South African wine, we retired to the guesthouse, a 19th (I think) century house, one of the first in St James. 

Off to Africa!

I'm all packed. I think all the projects and necessary items are taken care of. Now to get a little sleep in my own bed before we catch a 6:30 Am flight from PDX to JFK. Then a 16+ our flight to Cape Town, South Africa by way of Dakar, Senegal. I hear we won't be able to get off the plane in Dakar, even with about a 2 hour layover for refueling. Then it's two weeks in Namibia and South Africa. In Windhoek, Namibia we'll stay and travel with Tim & Venessa and girls. Tim's over there doing research. So we're taking advantage of the opportunity. Internet access will be spotty, especially since I'm not taking a computer. Will post stuff as able. Otherwise, wait for all the pictures when we're back.

Home (for a little while)

We had an uneventful flight from Dallas to Portland. I like uneventful flights. 

On Wednesday we explored on our own. In Dallas we visited the Sixth Floor Museum, the site of the Kennedy assassination. Very interesting, informative, and emotional.  We then went over to Fort Worth to visit the Stockyards and see the twice daily Longhorn Cattle drive through town. Had lunch at Cattlemen's. Must have a good steak when you at the Stockyards (even if they're not active anymore). Next we visited downtown Fort Worth, called Sundance Square, with it's mixture of old and new. We finished the day with the Sernetts at a good local restaurant and had a rack of ribs. All the Texas food in one day!

At home, we're finishing preparations to go to Africa next Thursday.

Continuing Texas

San Antonio was again interesting. The Alamo, The Riverwalk, The Mercato. Then we drove up through the Hill Country and visited four wineries, Sister Creek, Becker, Grape Creek, and Texas Hills. Surprisingly good wines. We are now staying with our friends, the Sernetts, in Aubrey, north of Dallas. Toured the Horse Country today. Tomorrow we'll head into Dallas and Fort Worth to see the sites. 

Made it to Texas

Made it to San Marcos, but not without hitches. The plane left Portland a half-hour late. Landed in Dallas a half-hour late. Sat on the taxiway for 25 minutes. By the time I got off the plane my connecting flight to San Antonio had left. Fortunately, there are almost hourly flights from Dallas to San Antonio, so got there OK. Then I drove to the hotel outside San Marcos. We had dinner last night at The Gristmill in Gruene (part of New Braunfels) in an old cotton gin building. Great ribs. Karen is in meetings today, so I'm out exploring. The area is very dry for mid-winter. 

Getting ready for the first outing

Karen left yesterday, and I follow her tomorrow morning to San Antonio. She's at an Early Childhood conference, and I'm going for the fun of it. Still have to pack and get everything together. And we'll see how this goes.