Cape Town to Swakopmund, Namibia

It's been a week since we left Cape Town and we have now arrived in Swakomund, Namibia which is located on the coast. We are on an overland trip with 14 other people and our 2 guides. I am very happy with the trip so far - everyone in our group is wonderful - ranging from early twenties to upper 40's - it's a nice mix. More than half of the group is German, a few Australians, one other American, Brazil, Portugal and Austria. Our guides are both from Zimbabwe and they are extremely knowledgeable about the region and cook us wonderful meals. We are staying in army tents at camps most nights with a few nights in lodges. All of the campsites have been very nice - most with pools which are well needed after 6-8 hours in the truck in the sweltering heat. We stop wherever we are to eat lunch - the truck is fully equipped with little chairs, a table, a water tank, and all of our food. We are a tight little community as we set up the lunch area, work together to prep the food and then do our dishes and re-pack the truck. We have made some amazing stops along the way - being sure to see the highlights. The days begin very early and we are really covering some ground. We had a minor break down a few days into the trip - the radiator was overheating and spewing antifreeze due to the extreme heat. Luckily, it was nothing more than the heat and they just needed to add water to the radiator. Lucky for us, because standing outside of the truck in the heat was a bit much and there are very few cars that drive down the roads in Namibia - and even if they do, there isn't much they can do for you. If it had been a real break-down, we would have had to waited there until someone came for us which would have taken several hours, at minimum.

The first two days were spent in South Africa, - first stop at Lamberts Bay, which was nothing much of a town. We took a walk out to an island where lots of different species of birds live and breed. We saw thousands of gannets up close. It was quite chilly there that night and I froze all night, as I only brought a very thin silk travel sheet - so I layered items of clothing over myself all night trying to stay warm. The second night, we stayed at a camp site on the Gariep River, which creates the border between South Africa and Namibia. It was a beautiful campsite right on the river and our first chance to swim in African waters. The guides made a spectacular dinner of chicken curry which gave me the worst stomach ache and we had a nice campfire and a few drinks at the bar - a little time to bond with our fellow travelsers. Then, on the third day, we entered Namibia. Our first stop was the Fish River Canyon, where we also camped for the night and caught a sunset over the canyon. The canyon was beautiful - like a much smaller version of the Grand Canyon. Namibia is a stark, vast landscape of sand and dry brush. I've never seen such a spectacular landscape. It's as if I've landed on Mars. Never thought that a place so bleak could be so beautiful. The highlight of the trip for me so far has been our visit to the sand dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. It is here that you can find some of the highest sand dunes in the world. We awoke at 4:30 a.m. and made our way into the park and climbed Dune 45, known as one of the highest accessible dunes in the park. From here, we watched the sunrise. It was quite a journey up the dune - hiking in sand is no easy task. But once we were there, it was well worth the pounding heart, sweat and calf pains - to sit atop the dune and admire the landscape was absolutely spectacular. And then running down the dunes at full speed was fun. Went to a place called Deadvlei, which you can see in the pictures, which is a place where a river used to run through and 600-800 years ago, the sand blocked the river and what is left is a dried up river bed with dead trees that are quite dated and still standing. As you can see from the pictures, it doesn't even look real. Namibia is an exquisite place and there are still bushmen who live a nomadic lifestyle in this desert. With most days topping at 100 degrees or more, you can't help but feel a deep respect for these people and an astonishment that people can survive in such a harsh environment. Their story does not come without sorrow however because their numbers are dwindling due to pressure from development. They are also caught between two worlds as many of them are pressured to send their children to school and they usually only make it to 6th grade - so they are not educated enough to make it in the progressive world and are struggling to go back to their tribes and live their traditional lifestyle. Yesterday, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and entered the city of Swakopmund, where we are right now. We are staying in a lodge for 2 nights which is a nice break from the tents and a good chance to catch up on things before heading back out into the bush. Swakopmuns is on the coast and offers a variety of activities - from sandboarding, to quad biking to sky diving. I entertained the thought of sky diving and decided that I wasn't ready to put myself through that fear again - even though everyone says that it's much easier and less scary than bungee jumping - I just don't feel like I have it in me right now. Instead, Amanda and I are going for an hour four-wheeling journey and then a few hours of sand boarding. It's a lie-down sand boarding so it will be more like sledding on the sand dunes. Should be a lot of fun and looking forward to it. Tommorrow, we will leave and head off to Etosha National Park where we have 3 game drives and good chances of seeing lions along with other wildlife. We will spend 2 days there and then make our way to Botswana to visit the Okavanga Delta. Okay, I'm off to go driving and flying through the sand dunes. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!