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The Northern Adventure...Sep 10, 2007
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Sandboarding Babe!
Cool Dude!!!!
Cheetah
| We departed Windhoek in a 2007 Toyota Corolla on Tuesday September 11th full of excitment and high expectations of our Northern adventure to come.... yes - the car was identical to yours susan/mom EXCEPT that the driver sat on the right side of the car and shifted with his [trev] left hand.... It took an hour or so to get used to with some close calls in the city, but we managed after that... We literally set off with no solid plans or reservations despite the advice of everyone we talked to. We just wanted to let the wind guide us. The asphalt roads in this country are incredible [better than some Canadian roads for sure]!!! The speed limits are conviently 120km. The only problem is that the network of these asphalt roads are limited. The alternative is gravel, sand or salt roads, of which there are many. We soon found out why the car insurance policy strategically leaves out windshield, tire and underbody damage. Being on a tight budget we were destined to have our share of additional damage....which we did. The first night we stubbled into a cheetah reserve, where we camped for the night. At sundown we went with the conservationists to feed the cheetahs large chuncks of raw meat. We got to see nearly 20 cheetahs within a metre or two. Facinating & beautiful animals! Then day two we set off for the northern reaches of Opuwo. Because it is the only major town in the Kaokoveld region, it attracts people from all types of tribes in the area. So what we found there was a very interesting and unique mix of the nomadic Himbas, Hereros, and non-traditional Namibians living in the "bright lights" of the city. A worth while venture (even though Mere messed up the navigation and it took us nearly 2 hours or 100 km out of our way on gravel). On the way to the skeleton coast, we saw a 200 million year old petrified forest & hiked around the highest mountain in Namibia - Brandberg Mountain. The hike took us to see 'The White Lady', named by the German colonizers - an ancient rock painting - which has since been properly identified as a young San warrior boy in traditional body paint. Driving into the skelton coast recreation area was very eerie. Imagine flat desert landscape in all directions met by a violent coastline casting fog and mist onto the desert. A very wet, cold and lonely place to camp but an experience we will never forget. Before we left the recreation area, we made a trip to cape cross where thousands of seals gather every year for mating rituals and good eatin'. VERY smelly, but very interesting to watch the seals interact and the jackels move in on the young seal pups. Next was Swakopmund, a vibrantly German beach community that boasts the best sandboarding in the world. Of course, we had to check it out. Basically, the equipment is the same as snowboarding but with an extra layer of super slidy plastic on the base of the board. Very cool!!! Lots of Fun!!! They even had a kicker set up that we both tried. We have a DVD of the day which we will show you all when we return! (for now you'll have to get a taste of our experience through the short video clip we took, attached to this update). Now it is back to Windhoek to recooperate from our expensive, but fabulous first two weeks in Namibia. Hope all is well at home. Till next update, Meredith & Trevor |
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