Adieu to the Southern Hemisphere, Africa, and Namibia

Apologies for this late post. For those of you that are also late in tuning into the adventure, allow me to fill you in on the last few days of our travels.

Our last night under African stars was spent at the Becker Farm in Omaruru. Mr. Becker runs cattle and also provides game hunting opportunities to people. Ben, Katie, and Tanner were able to join Becker's son in a game hunt that ended in the successful taking of an oryx. Others of us went with Mr. Becker on a drive around his land. He explained to us about his farming operation, as well as some of the more diminuitive residents of the farm: termites. They dig burrows from their mounds over to downed trees, encase limbs in mud, and eat away at the limbs inside the casing. That's fascinating, I don't care who you are.

We ate outside with the Beckers in the evening and had some springbok and lamb stew, or poiki. All in all, it was a good time at the Becker Farm, except for the part where I thought my feet were going to freeze off ( a small price to pay for getting to hang out on another continent).

We made it to Windhoek the next day and picked up our gear from THE CONSOLIDATION at the Schachts'. Carol asked us to think about how the things we had experienced would change our lives and our ways of thinking. It is a could subject to consider; since I saw little kids in the depths of poverty in Katatura, what am I going to do to help them. It is a topic everyone should contemplate, for at least a few minutes.

We returned the cars to the rental place and said good-bye to Tanner and Dr. Powell. I did my best not to tear up, but it truly was difficult. When you spend three weeks with two gentlemen that possess a sense of humor like those two, it is hard to suddenly depart from them. I hope they both have a great time in Africa, since Dr. Powell was staying on in Namibia for a while, and Tanner was going to South Africa. Good luck and have fun!

Somehow, when we reached the airport outside Windhoek, we did not have tickets waiting for us. Fortunately, after some emergency calls and a little strong-arming, Dr. Pegg got us underway. Haha!

The rest of the time was spent either in the air or waiting to get into the air. We tried to catch up on sleep and on movies. I must say, the return trip had some of the best airline food I've ever had, so my hat is off to the catering services.

We finally arrived in Lincoln a little before 7 pm. We said our good-byes to each other and went our separate ways. It is always difficult to just leave people behind after being around them all the time for three weeks. I am happy to say that I made friends along the way, and I hope I see them again soon. We had some good conversations, a fair amount of silliness, and the adventure of a lifetime ( again, apologies if this is too sentimental for some).

Well, I guess I had better sign off before the blog tells me it's overloaded. I have to say a huge thank-you to Dr. Powell and Dr. Pegg for making this trip amazing, educational, and funny. I also have to thank Uapii for being an awesome tour guide and showing us several different dimensions of Namibia. Have a great summer my fellow camel jockeys and anglers!

-Courtney Anthony

Blog from the cattleman

I thought everyone would be interested in our tour guide, Uapii's, story of our visit to his farm.  It's on his blog, here.

I think everyone would agree that Uapii was a great part of our trip!

These are the days that we'll remember

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

After 30 hours of flying and 40 hours overall being stuck in an airport, we finally saw the landscape of Nebraska. There were no opportunities to look out the window and see giraffes, zebras, elephants or jackals, but instead bunnies, squirrels and the occasional cardinal. It is so hard to believe that the trip is over. It seems like only yesterday I was telling Katie only 56 more days...32 more days...10 more days, and the next thing you know you are on a plane bound for Africa. Now I have traveled abroad before and nothing compared to Namibia, and that is saying a lot, I used to think nothing could rival Australia, but it seems that other places in the world are just as gorgeous, who knew?!
Before the trip I had expectations that Namibia would be this scary place where you would have to keep a third eye out every second, but it was relatively safe. The food was a lot different than I imagined it would be, but it does not hurt anyone to step outside of their comfort zone and try a "smiley," even if secretly you were clicking your heels together saying "there is no place like McDonald's." The people were just amazing, they were so interested in hearing where you were from in the United States, the basic question was usually "east coast or west coast" they had no perception that there was anything in between. But another thing that amazed me was the different viewpoints that we got from each different place we stayed. Such as the "farmers suck" guy, to working with wildlife, to having every organism play an important role in the ecosystem, and appreciating them.
Namibia you treated us well, and I think I speak for everyone when I say, that the second it hit us that the trip was over, was when we were waving goodbye to Tanner and Larkin from our shuttle driving us back to their airport. Or when we took our step onto the plane, where you literally were not touching African soil anymore. We became a family, we all enjoyed watching the sunset over the hills, and watching Oryx cross the road in Etosha. Namibia was a once in a lifetime experience to have, and I am thankful for every second I spent there, I took a lot of experiences home and am even more thankful for everything that I have. Thank you Larkin and Mark and thank you Namibia.

Over all thoughts

Well now that I'm home I can see complete differences from what it is like in Namibia. I had an amazing time with everything from learning all about Namibia to getting to really know that people I ended up with on the trip! Everything was amazing. I have to say that my favorite part of the whole trip was going to Uappi's farm and learning the ways of the Himba and Hiraro people. The chores are gender specific and learning how to make cow poop walls was really cool. I enjoyed getting to know how to speak the different languages and all that. I also loved Etosha and being able to drive around and see all the different types of wildlife! I loved every minute of when we were there, and I'm hoping i will be able to go back some day.

Homeward bound!

Today was a bittersweet day for us, as we left the Becker's home near Omaruru.  Peter Becker is a cattle farmer and professional hunter in Namibia, and he spent time in Nebraska (working on ranches) during his training program at a South African university.  He and his wife Doris hosted us for our last night in Namibia, and we had a great time sitting around their table and enjoying some traditional Namibian stew (lamb and springbok versions!).

Today, we returned our camping equipment and a vehicle and most students and the good Dr. Pegg are headed for the airport.  By all reports, it was an excellent trip, and there will be many stories to share upon return.

There will be some post-trip blogs to follow, after people get back to better internet connections.  So, check back.  Perhaps one of the quickest lessons learned was that we should be grateful for our mostly free internet connections and free WIFI.  In Namibia, you pay for every minute you use, and there is no WIFI.

Happy trails everyone!  Enjoy your return.

Northern Namibia photo update



Just some quick photos of the end of our journey through northern Namibia.  We left the coast and traveled to the Kamanjab area, where we spent some time at a cheetah farm and a traditional Namibian farm in a communal conservancy.  We then traveled to Etosha National Park.

Katie gets up-close and personal with a pet cheetah.

Uapii, a student at the Polytechnic of Namibia, helps Ben and Tanner hook up a donkey cart.  The bridles and hitches are made from fencing wire and old tires.

We split into two teams for a milking contest.  Monica was the clean-up hitter for our team, and has a real knack for this---even when competing with the calf for the milk!  It was a tie---3 cups of milk for each team.

Students get their jiggy on while visiting a Himba village. 

Dr. Pegg shows the Himba kids video of the students dancing.  Looks like he just made some new friends.

A large group of elephants at Etosha National Park.  We were happy to see them at the water holes, as we had been warned that all the rain in the past year might keep animals away from tourist waterholes.  Nothing like a group of elephants to make everyone happy!



A male lion roams across the plains at Etosha National Park.  We watched him follow a lioness for about a couple of kilometers.

FINALLY!! an update from Ariel!!

So this trip as been amazing and I have to say that I am super happy I'm here! We have had an amazing time and every one can see some of the things we got to do from other people. I have to say that I have found that I dont like open markets and that I really like tripe! Shark fishing is great and the people here are amazing.... excluding the people who try and see you nuts with your name on it... they are scary! But I'll be back on later when I have more time and I'll see ya'll back in the states!!

How the time flys

Just a quick update since I'm running out of time here at the internet cafe.

All I can say is 'Wow, how the time flys!' I can't believe out time here in Namibia is almost up. It seems like just a couple days ago we were landing in Windhoek tired from our travel but excited for the trip laying ahead. The multitude of experiences our group has encountered in the last couple weeks could fill a book and I'm sure nobody will soon forget them. Two things have struck me on this trip and represent the spirit of Namibia in my eyes. First is the diversity of this country. Not only from an ecological standpoint, as we have seen everything from dense shrublands and mountains to baren sand dunes and coastal flats, but the people as well. We have seen the full spectrum of people on this trip, from native Himba peoples living their traditional pastoral lives to modern students that would look just as common in Nebraska as Windhoek. In this same vein is the tenacity of the people here in finding ways to live and find comfort in less than ideal conditions. Some of the places we have stayed are extremely remote, sometimes several hours from the nearest town or city, but everywhere has been more than hospitable. Even Uapii's family, who live in traditional dung and earth houses on a farm have all the necessities and comforts. This trip has truely changed my view on what is important in life.

Thanks for reading
Ben

Chameleons, Giraffes, and Cheetahs OH MY!

May 21, 2011 Today we drove to Kamanjab to visit and camp at the Cheetah Farm. On the way there Larkin had put us on chameleon lookout. Monica and I were desperate to see a chameleon the whole trip, and Larkin had promised that you can usually see them crossing the road. Sure enough Larkin spotted a desert chameleon crossing the road, so we pulled over to have a look! He was a very chunky little guy and we were able to hold him and have a photo shoot. We then placed him on his destination side of the road and trekked onward to the Cheetahs! As soon as we pulled up there was a juvenile giraffe that came running up to our truck. Apparently they had found this giraffe a year or two ago stuck in their fence. They couldn't find its mother so they decided to bottle feed it. The giraffe is now semi-tame, but he comes and goes as he pleases. They said he had recently came back after being gone for over three months. This was a real treat for us because we were able to pet and take photos with a giraffe. The cheetah farm has 16 wild cheetahs that they have rescued from farms where they faced sure death. They also have 4 cheetahs that were abandoned from their mothers that were rehabilitated and bottle fed. These 4 cheetahs will never be wild and so they literally live in the front yard of their house. We were lucky enough to go inside their yard to interact with the semi-tame cheetah. They reminded us that no wild animal is truly tame and that we must keep our guard up- after all these still are big cats. This was most certainly a special experience to be able to get close up and personal with one of Africa's big cat predators. It was awesome! We were able to pet and take photos with them. After we were done lounging with the "tame" cheetahs we were taken on a game drive to view the "wild cheetahs". This was a little spooky because we had 14 cheetahs stalking our vehicle. These cheetahs are free to hunt for themselves, but they still feed them if they do not have a kill that day. For the rest of the night we cooked and sat around the fire and gazed up in awe at the spectacular African night sky!

Tara!

Sweet Aroma of Seal

May 20, 2011

Today we left Swakopmund mid-morning and headed towards Cape Cross to experience the Cape Fur Seal Colony. I have never seen so many seals at once. This is the largest Cape Fur Seal colony and is a reserve to Safe Havens. It was fun watching the seals ride the waves and do flips and to see them bask in the sun. As mark promised we also experienced their sweet aroma that was pretty close to that of cat urine. It was well-worth putting up with the smell just to see all the seals. We then drove to Henties Bay and spent the rest of the day on the beach collecting sea shells. The sweet aroma of the seals was stuck in our clothing. For supper we ate at a seafood restaurant called Fishy Conner or Place and fave place for Dr. Pegg. Almost everyone ordered the Calamari and from what I could tell they were all in bliss over how tasty it was. "I'm eatin' Calamari in the Kalahari while on a safari with Katie Lawry in my Kalahari Ferrari!"

It was a great night!

Tara!

Sharks and camels

Yesterday was an 'option' day for students...they could choose shark fishing in the Atlantic or a day of other activities, including camel riding.  We split up and here are some photos from our adventures.

Ben caught a spotted gully shark, supported here by Katie and Ariel.  Dr. Pegg led this expedition, with his good friend Terence who has been a captain of the Namibian shark fishing team.  They also caught a bunch of fish that we grilled for dinner.  This shark was luckier...it's catch and release for sharks!

Should we mention that Katie and Ariel both removed their coats (they look cold, don't they--it was cold!) and went swimming in the ocean at the end of the day?  Katie reports the ocean was warmer than the air...probably right.  Both were probably about 50 degrees!

Amber found a web site about camel rides near Swakopmund, so we tried it out.  Here, Monica, Amber, Courtney, and Tara (with appropriate head-gear) head off on their hour-long camel ride through the desert.  Camels aren't native to Namibia, but it sure was fun for the gals.  Tanner and Dr. Powell sat in the shade and had coffee with the camel lady.

A little desert ecology along the coast.  These plants all get their moisture from fog, which rolls in from the ocean.  Here, Monica, Tara, and Courtney look for lizards that Dr. Powell promised could be found.  Turns out, not.  But, every plant in the photo is a succulent plant, which is pretty cool.  Well, maybe not as cool as lizards, Monica?!

Skeletal Remains

I just wanted to upload a photo of the springbok remains in the tree. I hope the leopard enjoyed his tasty snack!

Some updates from Amber

One of our students, Amber, has her own blog.   She's been posting things there, so here are some links to some posts so the rest of you can play along:

Cape fur seals and sand dunes (go to blog by clicking here; photo below!)

Weaver Birds and Klipsringers

We have been off the grid for the last couple of days. So there is a lot to tell! I have been enjoying the peace of being out of the city and into the country. We were at a ranch called Namtib, settled into the beautiful Tierras mountains. We did counts and surveys on the giant weaver bird nests, pictures to come. In the morning I hiked a mountain at 530am and got to see the sun rise over the tips of the mountains. You could see each minute the warm rays lit up the valley below, catching it on fire with golden color. It was breathtaking. In the distance you could see see the smoldering orange dunes lit up by the morning sun. On our way back down we saw three klipspringer hop along the mountain. I don't have a picture so you'll have to google them :) We've seen so many oryx ostrich and springbok. Last night we camped and the stars were amazing. I am so happy! Today at Swakopmund on the dock over the Atlantic I saw dolphins! My friends made fun of me because I was so excited I did a dolphin dance :)

More to come later!! Love and miss you all!

Amber

-------------------
Eye balls and mopane worms

"guys, I have eye ball in my teeth and need some floss"
-Amber

What a day! So many new experiences, almost a sensory overload. We had a tour of the slums of Windhoek, named Catatoura. The name means"place where we won't settle" conveying the blacks resistance towards moving during the apartheid. Our expert tour guide Ouapi showed us the diversity of the slum. It was amazing to see how different one area was from another, ranging from concrete brick houses top tin shacks. One thing that was the same thought was the tenacity and ingenuity of the people in eecking out a living.

To end our tour we went to a local resaurant and tried a variety of traditional foods including a "smiley" which is a whole head of a goat or cow, grilled or roasted then boiled, causing it to grin. In our case we were treated to a goat. I have to say the cheek meat was not bad, but Amber went to an extreme and decided to eat the eyeball. Katie was kind enough to extract the eye while reminding us of how similar it was to making a European mount. After some hesitation Amber made good on her promise and ate it. All in all it was an amazing day.
Love,
Ben

Photo update!

We're at the coast, in Swakopmund today, and students are busy blogging.  I think you can tell we are having some great experiences.  I thought I would post some additional photos from my camera to illustrate some of our experiences thus far.  Judging by the number of hits on the blog, there are some family members interested in what is going on--we have a good group, and it's been a great trip at this mid-point.

Enjoy!

We toured Katutura and learn about how the residents live.  This is a 'shabeen' (bar).  Don't worry, it's not a jail.  No one has come close to a jail, yet. 

Our friend, Uapii, took us to a place in Katutura that serves traditional meals.  We sampled goat head (some of us sampled more parts of the head than others...), mopane worms, dried fish, oryx (antelope), spinach, chicken, and mohangu (among other things).  Quite an interesting culinary stop on our tour!

On the way south, we stayed in Maltahohe.  It's a town in the middle of nothingness.  For a flavor of what it is like near Maltahohe, check out this blog post from 2009 when my family lived in Namibia.

On Farm Namtib in the south, we did surveys for weaver bird nests.  The Theile family was very hospitable and showed us the farm.  For one activity, we loaded up in the truck.  Don't forget to look at the scenery behind the truck---breathtaking!

The Theile family at Farm Namtib, where we had an excellent time and learned a lot about farming with wildlife and cattle.  We gave some CASNR t-shirts to the family, as well as some School of Natural Resources jackets to Linn and Thorsten.  They're wearing them, here.  Hated to leave, but we have an entire country to see!

Camping along our way from Helmeringhausen to Swakopmund.  This is at a place called the Rostock Ritz, and they had a nice campground.  I thought folks would enjoy seeing our rooftop tents.  The campground had warm water from a wood-burning 'donkey' (hot water heater).  Everyone pitched in with dinner and breakfast---good food out on the plains.  When we woke up, there were about 20 mountain zebra 150 yards from our campsite.  You never know what you'll discover in Namibia!

Had to stop for a photo opportunity, here!  How many other college students can say they've been here?!

Clowning around...trip must be going OK if the prof's are still doing stuff like this.

On our harbor tour of Walvis Bay, the boat captain brought a visitor aboard...a cape fur seal. 

During our tour of the Namib Desert, we had a chance to climb a dune.  Later, they actually drove us to the top, as well.  And, we had several fun roller coaster rides on 4x4 Land Rovers through the dunes!

"I will prepare a meal for you in the wilderness."  Or something like that.  How about the middle of the desert?!  Some students learned that they liked Namibian oysters.  Others were happy to eat other stuff.

The Snake Park in Swakopmund.  This is a python, native to Namibia.  Tara and Monica rated this as a pretty good stop!

Stay tuned for more.  We're headed into areas with less internet, so there may be less blog activity for a few days.

Last day in Swakopmund!

19 May 2011
by Tara!

Last day here in Swakopmund! Just wnated to say yesterday was amazing! We went on a marine tour and saw a pod of bottle nosed and heavi-side's dolphins. We also go to pet a cape seal that climbed on board our boat. We went on a desert tour and climbed many dunes! It was awesome! We saw a barking gecko and a legless skink! Today we went to the reptile farm and saw the world's most venomous snake the black mamba and held a python!

<3
Tara!

Farm Namtib

Sunday, 15 May 2011
by Tara!

Today was awesome! We woke up to a beautiful sunrise at farm Namtib and were ready to start our Social weaver bird research. Monica, Courtney, and I were on a team with the farm owner Torsthan, and collected data on over 17 weaver nests. During our day Torsthan was able to spot out many awesome animals to us! One of the coolest things we spotted today was an Aardwolf. These guys are the smallest of the Hyenas and they primarily feed on termites. We also spotted a tree with the remains of a springbok skeleton! This is probably the coolest thing I have seen so far on the trip. It is one thing for Torsthan to say that he had leopards on the farm, but it completely blows you away to actually see evidence of a leopards meal hanging from a tree branch. On top of that we also saw several small lizards, including the Kalahari tree skink and a common flat lizard (this pretty much made me and Monica's day!). We also found a tan colored scorpion under a rock. To wrap up the day we helped Larkin set up a mist net near a large weaver colony. It was fun getting to handle the birds and collect data on their sex, weight, and primary feather lenght. Overall today has topped the list of the most exciting day in Africa so far! This Farm is breathtaking and words can not begin to describe how miraculous it is! I can't wait for what our trip has in store for us next!

Loving Africa,

Tara!

A few photos

Our time in Namibia is rapidly passing. We have seen quite a few amazing things. I have put up a couple of photos to tide everyone until the next student blog.

Larkin and Tara measuring a social weaver at Farm Namtib.

Last sunset at Farm Namtib.

Mopani Worms

For the first time in my life, I am in a place where it is culturally acceptable to eat bugs!!! (google fried mopani worms- they taste like McDonalds french fries...just more lepidopteran)
-Katie

Destination Farm Namtib!

May 14, 2011

Today we woke up early to set out on our second day drive to Farm Namtib. It was a long truck ride but the awesome scenery was captivating! Most of the landscape was flat yellow grassland with areas of randomly protruding rock mountains. I have never witnessed anywhere this breathtaking in my life. We saw several springbok, gemsbok, ostrich, and secretary birds. The farm is almost undescribable. The mountains are huge red rocks and desert savanna. The farm owners are Torstan and Lynn Tyler, they are originally from Germany. Everything here is ran on battery and solar power- which means when the sun goes down there is really no power, just warm showers. We went on a game drive of the farm later that day. Torstan is so knowledgeable about wildlife and the natural resources of the farm. The farm is huge and you can see the red dunes of the ocean coast in the distance. They are close enough to the coast that they are also affected by the ocean fog and breeze. The farm is in the shape of a horse shoe. It's awesome!

Loving Farm Namtib,
Tara!

The Saga Continues...

Koda! It is so amazing that we’re finally in Africa!!! We started off in Windhoek, and the Polytechnic guesthouse we stayed at was beautiful! The best part was the tiny gecko I found in our bathroom.

One night we met up with Dr. Walt Schacht and his wife, Carol, at Joe’s Beerhouse; some people had fish, Ben and Tanner had the “Game Knuckle”, which contained enough kudu meat to feed the two guys and about ten of their friends! A couple of us tried a kabob that had several types of meat on it, including ostrich, kudu, zebra, crocodile, and chicken. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the meat and would recommend Joe’s to anyone traveling through Windhoek.

The next day, we met Uapii, a Polytechnic student and an assistant of Drs. Schacht and Powell. Uapii is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He even surprised Dr. Powell with a cake since it was Dr. Powell’s birthday. Uapii might have been concerned about making sure we had a good time, but I don’t know why; the whole day was really cool. He gave us a tour of the Namibian community of Katatura. Katatura’s history is paved with oppression and violence; in its early years, the community was the site of a massacre, and a human rights holiday exists today because of that carnage. Major acts of violence are not seen there today, and it was very interesting to see the shantytowns and observe people in their day-to-day routines, but it was also sobering; I felt somewhat guilty about being a rich white tourist driving amongst extreme poverty, and I could leave Katatura whenever I wanted; the people that live there have no choice. However, the children of the community lightened the mood; they were very cute and came to meet us when we stepped out of the vehicle. They loved having us take pictures with them and then showing them the pictures on the digital screens. One girl, Desiree, told me to come back the next day with the photos; I felt really bad because I knew that actual photographs would be trophies for those kids, but I would not be returning. I let them have one more look at the pictures I had taken, and that was the best I could think to do. Without a doubt, the visit to Katatura was the most intense and fascinating part of our stay in Windhoek.

I know that this adventure will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Courtney

The Circle of Life has begun!

Well 20 hours and 4 planes later we finally made it to the great continent of Africa. That’s right I said Africa!! When we got here it was 5:15 am, and pitch black outside, which you think would make seeing wildlife difficult to see, but obviously you haven’t been hanging out with the fisheries and wildlife students because we can spot that stuff for miles away. So to our new friend the giant grasshopper we would like to say “Koda” or hello in the Himba language. We then waited for our rent-a-car person to pick us up and get us into our pimped out safari vehicle, complete with tent toppers and four wheel drive. Along the way we spotted just the typical African animals; Giraffes, Baboons, Zebras, and a Hartabeest. Next stop, the most amazing shower of our lives.

After that shower we headed out to the Amani Lodge where we met Tarzan, vine-swinging, long curly brown hair, loin-cloth and all. Okay, not really the vine-swinging but I swear everything else is true. Actually his name is Oliver and he was the son of the owner of the lodge. We met the two pet Warthogs of the lodge and had them suckling on our thumbs before the night was over. We then climbed up into our safari vehicles and headed down the fiery pits of hell, also known as the Namibian Gravel roads, and our first stop was the leopard. He was very quiet and everything you think a big cat would be, beauty and all. We also saw four Cheetahs where Tarzan threw them a rack of meat and we watched them pick it apart and make all sorts of the Cheetah noises. To be completely honest the Cheetahs reminded me more of dogs than they did actual cats, they made barking noises and growled till their faces turned blue. Our last stop of the safari was the lions, that was after our sister vehicle got stuck in the mud on the trails due to all the rain that Namibia has been having. So when we saw the lions we were looking I am sure great for dinner, but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to go into the pen with them, which I totally would have. Wouldn’t you?? But anyway, the lodge was interesting to view and to gain a new perspective into the whole wonder of Namibian cats and the conservation efforts that have gone into conserving these animals, even if Tarzan’s viewpoints were a little far-fetched from our own, never-the –less it was a great way to start off our African adventure. Believe me this was only a taste of what we will be experiencing.

Monica

UNL vs. Polytech

May 13, 2011 Today we visited the Polytechnic School of Namibia. This is where Larkin taught for the year he was in Namibia. There we met Walt (who is a professor from UNL who took over Larkin's spot of teaching the Natural Resource students here) and he gave us a tour of the college and took us to his classroom. The Namibian students were so excited to meet us and talk about our common schooling interests. We gave a powerpoint presentation to the class outlining research that us UNL CASNR students are doing. I started the presentation talking about my internship at the Zoo and my frog research at Cedar Point. The students were very intrigued about the photo I showed them of me and a red-necked wallaby. The Namibian students then gave us a presentation on the type of research and field work they are doing as students in Namibia. It was very interesting talking with students in the same major as us, discussing how they manage wildlife and natural resources in their country. After were finished up at the college we set forth to Maltahohoe (A stopping point on our way to Farm Namtib). We arrived at the hotel near sundown and enjoyed a wonderful supper in the hotel's beautiful courtyard. Tara!

The Longest Journey

Well we finally made it to germany after a lovely nine or so hour flight, and we are all exhausted with about two or three hours of sleep, but we have done good for the flight. We get off and strech our legs, and I have to say that the airport in Germany had a odd and poopish smell to it, which kind of took the excitement out of the fact that I was finally in another country besides America. Not long after that I went and got $40 exchanged which I only got back about 22 Euros... but then we went on a short train ride into the city of Frankfurt and got experience alot of new things! The class mates and I went off on a walk to a river which was beautiful and to a small area that had shops all around. We ended up stopping to get food and my first German beer, which I sadly cannot remember the name of the beer. I like it a first, but as time went by I had to give it to one of the guys that went with me. Soon afterwords, we went walking around trying to find souvineers, but came up empty. Me and some other students found a starbucks for us to use the wifi, and tell our parents and loved ones that we were safe in Germany. I was suprised to see how nice the place was and how it felt different from America. In Germany, it seems that not everything has to be a rush and you can just slow down to enjoy your day, which is kind of nice. However, there were some crazy drivers in that town as well!
We had to soon walk back to the train station to go and get ready for our next trip to Namibia Africa!

I think I'm all done packing...?

Camera....
check.
The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals...
check.
Snorkel Mask....
check.
Land Mammals of Southern Africa...
check.
A Field Guide to the Antelope of South Africa...
check.
Frisbee...
check.

Fighting past the packing phase

It's been just about 1.5 years since our family came home from our year in Namibia, and I am pretty excited to go back and see the country and some friends.  Still, packing and logistics have a way of clouding the excitement from time to time.  So, I just thought I'd post a photo of a lion in Etosha National Park. 

Word has it that elephants are scarce in Etosha, for tourists, because they can get water without coming to the water holes--a side-effect of the rainy weather.  But, lions are having to move around more to get their game (can't wait at the water hole for dinner to come to them!).  So, folks are seeing a lot of lions.  Here's to a great trip, safe travels, and our first breath of Namibian air as we come off the plane!

Getting a wet start?

Namibia is known for its deserts (Namib and Kalahari), but 2011 appears to be the Year of Rain.  Rains, starting in late January, normally tail off in March/early April.  But, the rains are still going in early May!

As a country that relies on tourism, the May-July time period is known as a cool and dry winter...and tourists really don't have to even think about rain.  When we lived in Windhoek during 2009, I remember being happy to see clouds in September---the sky was simply devoid of any moisture.  Weather forecasts were almost exactly the same every day.  Perfect for tourists, who don't want to think and plan.

This year has been different.  Packing rain coats looks to be a good idea.

However, the end of the rain-slaught may be in sight.  This article notes that weather patterns are changing in southern Africa, and the rainy season looks to be a thing of the past.  We'll cross our fingers, and hope for dry traveling weather (especially when camping).