Namibia

PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.637480597048.2077853.43700183&type=1&l=1e572dc7bd When I look back on the past 10 days in Namibia, the image in my mind is cloudless desert and just massive expanses of land. Every day was around 80 degrees, but the nights probably got down to the low 50s or so, so we had some cozy camping nights! Namibia is the least populated country in the world (relative to its size), and less than 10% of its roads are paved, so much of it is untouched. In this way, as well as many others, it is a stunning country. My first stop was Swakopmund, on the coast, right in the middle of Namibia's famous massive sand dunes. I was bummed in Chile in 2010 when I ran out of time to go sand boarding, so I made sure to do it in Swakop. Unfortunately, it's low season for tourism (I can't understand why because as far as I can tell this is the best time to be here) so there was no one else going, but I was not easily dissuaded and found a local to take me, highly unofficialy. He turned up at my backpacker's the next morning right on time with two snowboards in the back of a rattling pick-up truck, told me to climb in, and off we went. A friend of his was taking us out to the dunes (only 15 mins or so) , but he told me we'd have to hitch back, as is common in Namibia as public transportation is virtually non-existant. Because it was common practice, I have faith that most people are generally good, and was in the mood for a bit of adventure, I happily agreed (and I was getting virtually free sandboarding, afterall). We got to the dunes, climbed up (consirably more laboriously for me, I might add- for every step forward, you sink back half a step in the sand), strapped in to our boardsn, and down we went! It was a blast, and much easier than snowboarding (not to mention far more comfortable to fall on sand rather than snow). Lastly, someone had left a couple of pieces of plywood (smooth and waxed, as they use for lay down sand boarding) on the dune, so my new friend, Polly, showed me how to lay down and shoot down the ridiculously steep dune head first, explaining that people often reach 60k/hr on the way down-- it was terrifying, but so much fun! We hitched back without a problem, and Polly showed me around town for the afternoon. Swakop is a charming little town, dripping with German influence, as it was settled by Germans and still remains a popular holiday spot for them... you would never know you're in Africa, though. I met a couple of other Americans later that day, and we decided to go kayaking to see the seals. The next morning we hitched down to nearby Walvis Bay to meet a guy who was to take us out. We loaded the 4x4 and had an eventful ride out to the end of the beach peninsula, spotting some jackal working on a seal carcus in the distance. Our initial search for dolphins was fruitless apart from a couple distant sightings, so we headed over to the seals. I was impressed by the first colony we saw about 20 yards away, playing on the sand and in the water, little did I know hat was to come. As we carried on, seals began surrounding our boats as they got more comfortable with us being there, until we were in the middle of literally thousands of them. The babies were about six months old, so they were old enough to be brave, but young enough to be curious, and it was often difficult to paddle because they were biting at our paddles so much and we were trying not to hit them with the paddles. They were so comfortable that they would lay on their backs relaxing, and they were shockingly unaware of our whereabouts to the point that when they would turn over and start swimming again, often it wad right into the kayak or even jump on it if we were where they didn't expect us. It was truly one of the most mesmerizing experiences I have ever had, and something I will never forget. I joined up with an overland tour in Swakop to go out camping in the bush for a bit, as transportation in Namibia is so unpredictable. We headed up to Spitzkoppe, a very impressive red rock mountain in the desert. We set up camp and went exploring, having a grand view of the sunset from a neighboring mountain. Because we were hours from anywhere, the stars out there were like none I have ever seen. We spent several hours just sitting around the fire, gazing at the milky way and watching the shooting stars- absolutely incredible! In the morning we continued up to camp with the famous Himba tribe, and spent the day getting to know them and their highly unique culture (they live entirely off the land, wear only loin clothes for cover (men and women), and the women paint themselves in ________ to make their skin red). They don't speak any English, so we needed a translator, and very few of them ever go to school. We played with the kids for hours, and it just goes to show how far a smile and non-verbal communication can go. While I don't like the idea of organized tours, I would not have been able to learn first hand about their culture otherwise, so in that respect it was good. We spent the next few nights in Etosha National Park in the north of Namibia, spoiled with bush showers and electric outlets! The campsites were overlooking watering holes, so we were treated to watching several herds of elephants drinking, as well as rhinos and giraffes-- we even witnessed a stand off between a giraffe and a very impressive white rhino. I felt so lucky just to be sitting so close to these magnificent animals in the wild, watching them as they would be naturally, completely oblivious to us, and it's pretty amazing to fall asleep to elephants trumpeting to each other just 100 yards outside your tent! Only problem was the jackals can get through th fence without a problem and they wander freely through the campsites helping themselves to whatever they fancy! During the day we did game drives, seeing endless zebra, springbock, ostriches, and wildebeast, as well as several elephants, giraffes, and multiple lion sightings, many up close. As we were leaving the park, we were delayed about 20 minutes because two lionesses were strolling in the middle of the road, and while the rest of the pride moved off into the bush, these two just sauntered along giving us quite the show, and we were more than happy to wait and follow behind them! We were all keen to have a good shower, so we had a great night out in Windhoek, Namibia's capital city, and treated ourselves to a night in a backpacker's, before heading to Botswana in the morning. We weren't inside for six full days, and it was absolutely incredible! Namibia was an excellent host, and I am so glad I was able to explore so much of the country and meet so many wonderful people.