We weren’t expecting such levels of development when we first arrived in Windhoek (Namibia’s Capital). With the infiltration of South African chain stores (retail and fast food), Les was even able to find a non-fat latte. Not intending to be racist, but the other stark difference was the much higher proportion of Caucasians (for the first time in Africa we could potentially pass for locals, until we spoke).
The big treat in town is dinner at Joe’s Beerhouse and this is not your typical brew fare - you can order some of the game we have been viewing with menu items such as the Bushman Sosatie or Namib Bush Fire. I ordered a kebab platter that comes with five different animal cubes - Ostrich, Crocodile, Kudu, Oryx and Zebra (not sure if I got the black or white stripe meat).
The next day we traveled north to the showpiece of Namibia’s parks – Etosha. The park system is quite advanced in Southern Africa and a bit different by North American standards. The tendency is to mix all types of accommodation with equal access to all facilities. That means that we lowly campers got to share the swimming pool and bar with the well-healed luxury lodgers. After a few hours of morning game driving and the obligatory Giraffe and Zebra sightings (one gets non-chalant after visiting six parks in six weeks), we did manage to add to our game viewing list when some majestic Oryx pranced by with their ominous spear-like horn.
Despite some obvious peril, it is interesting that in Etosha you can drive yourself around the dirt roads unescorted. There are several strategically positioned watering holes within the park where normally, with quite a bit of patience, you can wait for the thirsty animals to arrive (we saw some Springbok and a Wildebeest). Problem is that there had been so much rain throughout Namibia that most fauna had easy access to more proximate water flows and small pools throughout the park.
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| Springbok |
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| Wildebeest |
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| More fun poolside with the Kids |
After a few hours poolside (annoying the fancy-ass folk) it was time for the late afternoon game drive. This time we stumbled upon a pride of lions by the side of the road (which for us was becoming commonplace), but this time the situation was right out of the discovery channel. One large male was attempting to dismount his mate of the moment as we approached, for what seemed like a very short rest period. Off in the distance we could make out a solitary second mature male literally licking his (pretty severe eye) wounds. The best theory proffered was that there had been one, or many, fights between the two males over the past few hours or days for Pride dominance. It seems the old proverb proved true here in the wild – to the victor goes the spoils - as we learned that in the mating season they “do it” every 25 minutes for four days.
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| Winner! |
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| Loser! |
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| Spoils! |
Adjacent to the park’s luxury condos is another watering hole (this time man-made), with 180 degree seating alongside (and some barbed fencing). More importantly, this strategically positioned site is equipped with flood lights for night viewing. After dinner, several of us made the “arduous” two minute walk from the campsite (with a sufficient supply of cocktails in hand) and were almost immediately rewarded with the sighting of an approaching Rhino. The next morning some compatriots told us that around 3am, a Rhino couple and infant came down for a dip – but alas, we had retired a few hours earlier when we ran out of Gin.
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| Lots of prep - but alas no night vision equipment |
We arrived in the seaside vacation spot of Swapokmund the next afternoon - a nice place to find some finer dining for our tenth anniversary dinner. Hey, we got married somewhere funky; why not find a suitable spot to celebrate this milestone anniversary. I was also able to add another animal to our newest list - Game eaten – with the German influenced Springbok Schnitzel.
Swapokmund is also the action / adventure capital of Namibia, so stay tuned…
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