Video at Sossusvlei

Southern Namibia Camping Trip--Installment Eight

After a quick pit stop at the petrol station in Sesriem, we began making our way home (at least our temporary home) to Windhoek. Once again the scenery was amazing of a different sort as we made our way through the pass of the Naukluftberge range. We were pushing hard—up and down, fast and slow, in and out of gullies. After taking a wrong turn and double backing, Ole Bess began experiencing some serious problems. First the power steering went out, then the battery indicator started flashing, finally the check engine light came on and there was nothing left to do but stop and try to figure out the problem. Fortunately we had come into an area where there was cell phone coverage and our friends called to check on us and indicated that they were turning around and coming to our aid. What a good thing because we were essentially in the middle of nowhere. Reid determined that although the coolant was overflowing, one of the main belts had broken. We had been warned about having spare belts given their elusiveness in the African bush, so we just so happened to have an extra. The next problem was the fact that we didn’t have the correct tools to get it back on. Larkin jumped in his vehicle and drove down to the village store and made inquiries about a mechanic who might have the proper tools. In the meantime a vehicle bearing embassy plates slowed to ask us if we needed help. In mid-sentence response, I recognized the couple as being the US AID Mission Chief, Greg Gottlieb and his wife Linda. “Hey don’t we know you?” Indeed we did and what a fortuitous coincidence. So, Greg and his wife joined our roadside entourage as we waited for the mechanic to arrive.
About 20 minutes later, a few chaps in a donkey cart showed up with tools that weren’t much better than what we had. The men played with the belt for a while until Reid determined that the bearing had seized and there would’t be any replacement of the belt until that got fixed. Just about this time a small pick-up truck pulled up alongside our party. The fellow introduced himself as Pinkie and said that he was a mechanic at Pupkewitz Toyota in Windhoek (mind you we were 110 km from the nearest big town, Rehoboth, and that was another 75 km from Windhoek). He had some tools too. Unfortunately, he hadn’t got a replacement bearing, but he made a few phone calls and said his friend could locate one. His friend, it would seem, is the chief mechanic at the shop where we usually take Ole Bess for normal maintenance, Minz Garage. At this point, we were so floored by the series of coincidences that we all stopped fretting and trusted that someone was looking out for us and this was all going to work out.
There are a good deal more details to this, but that would take another two pages, so just know that Annie and I got home with the Gottliebs, Emma and Augustus made it in with the Powells and Reid made it back before 11:00 p.m. even after driving the route between Rehoboth and Klein Aub (the village of our breakdown) three times that evening. God is Great indeed. We had no doubt paid it forward in the kindness we had shown to the Swiss ladies and were now on the receiving end of someone else’s kindness. Funny how things work out.

Southern Namibia Camping Trip--Installment Seven

We got up at the crack of dawn the next day to get out to Sossusvlei but not as early as some evidently. It is recommended that one visit the dunes as the sun is coming up. People were parked at the entrance gate waiting when I got up at 5:45 a.m. to take my shower. Typically, when and if anyone knows anything about Namibia, they are familiar with the photographs of the brick-red dunes cresting in the azure colored sky. As the sun progresses through the day, the colors apparently change and one can get an entirely different impression in the morning versus the afternoon or early evening. We sped down the 65 km of tar to get to the vlei. The tar ends at about 5 km from the most magnificent of the dunes and the pan where water sometimes collects. Driving on this stuff took some fortitude. The sand just sucks the vehicle in and stopping to catch one’s breath is not an option. Our little two vehicle caravan made it and we were most happy that we did.
The kids immediately jumped out demanding to be able to climb to the top of the dunes. We of course had to oblige. It was a lot tougher than it looked. Some of these dunes measure up to 350 metres high. Many are multi-crested in shape with four or five sinuous crests. These are formed by multidirectional winds that play the sand back and forth. Well about half way up, the wind got to playing making the trek all the more difficult. Once at the top, well, the only way to get down was to go down the side. When you’re over 900 ft. up, plucking up one’s courage takes a bit of doing. Reid and Annie watched a few other tourists and spearheaded our group’s efforts. Annie bit the dust only a couple of times, but insisted it was the greatest of fun and told us she wanted to do it again. I kept my shoes on which filled with about 20 lbs. of sand making the whole adventure feel like a walk on the moon. The view from the top was absolutely spectacular and well worth the effort of getting up there. Unfortunately, we had to get going so as to make it all the way back to Windhoek before night fall and so we had to leave the world’s largest sandbox and head for home. That was to become an adventure in and of itself……

Southern Namibia Camping Trip--Installment Six

This was one of the longest legs of the journey and we definitely didn’t set aside enough time. We pushed ole Bess hard down the gravel and encountered many on the side of the road either broken down or replacing flat tires. One of whom was the diesel truck that services all of these little back woods communities. We saw lots of wildlife along the way as well. It got to the point where we’d say, “Hey kids, look a herd of springbok,” and they’d just mumble and go back to their video games. When we finally got to Sesreim and pulled into the station there, it was again getting toward evening. We asked the attendant if he had diesel today and he looked at us like we were from the moon, “We have diesel every day.” Guess they get serviced by a different truck. The attendant also noticed that the right rear tire was going flat. It was beginning to look like a theme with this right rear tire. So, another half hour or so to pull it off, plug it and put it back on. In the mean time who should pull up but our Swiss lady friends even though they had left Namtib hours before we had.
We all arrived at the check-in to the campsite together. Of course our reservation had been screwed up, we’re talking government employees here, but not as badly as the Swiss ladies’ reservation—they had no campsite assigned to them at all (oops, their name was listed on the back of the reservation sheet and no one had noticed it). So, we offered to share if it couldn’t get straightened out. We left them there to get it all sorted and headed for our site because we were losing light fast.
We hurriedly set up camp and while we were in the midst of getting our dinner ready, a lovely springbok bourguignon that Reid had made at home and frozen for the trip, our lady friends drove up and once again requested to share a site with us. They offered to pay for their part in Swiss chocolate and we heartily accepted.
The facilities here were probably the poorest we’d experienced on our trip due to the fact that this is run by the government and gets a great deal of usage, but the showers were still hot and there was even a swimming pool (a bit green with algae). As we made ready to bed down for the evening we spotted a couple of jackals circling our site, attracted no doubt by the smell of that springbok bourguignon. I was glad I had been assigned to the roof top tent for the night.

Southern Namibia Camping Trip--Installment Five

First stop was to secure diesel for Ole Bess. The Total Station on the way into town had none the previous day and still had none the following morning. It was a bit tricky to find the CalTex, the only other station in town known to carry diesel, but we managed. Then it was off to Agate Beach.
The sun was shining the breeze was pleasant and the sound of the surf was mesmerizing while we combed the beach for agates, shells and other treasures. The kids had a marvelous time and we had the beach all to ourselves the entire morning. They were quite pleased with their treasures and Annie was royally amused playing in the dunes. Reid and I also wanted to pick up every rock and shell we saw.
Lunch was on the deck of Ritzi’s overlooking the harbor and then we were off again to our next destination. We had hoped to tour the ghost town, Kolmanskop—an abandoned diamond mining town that is gradually being overtaken by the shifting desert sands, about 10 km outside of Luderitz –but we were again running late and had missed the only two tours of the day at 9:00 & 11:00 am. So, we stopped at the entrance, took a peek into one of the old buildings and snapped a few photos before being chased off by a security guard.
Next stop Namtib through some of the most spectacular scenery we’ve ever seen, replete with springbok, ostrich and oryx sightings around every turn. Namtib is also a farm with camping facilities. The owners are a relatively young couple who adhere to certain guidelines that enable them to classify the place as a biosphere. They of course raise sheep, goats and cattle, but they do so in harmony with the natural environment. We spotted as many springbok and gemsbok oryx as cows. The predators are allowed to co-exist with the domesticated stock and we were even able to get a photo of a bat-eared jackal on our way out. We were heading out to the site just when the herder was bringing in the flock and Augustus got it on video.
In addition to the campsite, the Thiele’s also maintain cottages and dining facilities. Quiver trees abound in the courtyard between the cottages and the dining hall. The campsite is of course located a bit of a ways from the main house. The facilities here were among the best we had encountered so far-- hot showers (another donkey geyser) which the Namibians refer to as ablution facilities, scullery and awesome braaii pit. We purchased lamb and sausage when we checked in and Larkin roasted it up like he was Emeril Lagasse with Emma hovering about for supervision.
We weren’t the only guests on this particular evening. While setting up camp, a couple of women drove up and requested to share the site with us. There were other available spots, but ours was closest to the potties and they were a bit frightened of snakes especially in the night. Turns out they were a Swiss mother/daughter group traveling around Namibia in a hired camper. They were on a three week vacation and completing virtually the same circuit at the moment as we were. They had stopped earlier to take photos of a monstrous social weaver bird nest when a huge, absolutely huge, snake slithered in and out of the holes swallowing up eggs and or baby birds. The daughter actually got some awesome photos of the entire affair on her digital camera. Needless to say, we were speechless when shown this documentation. We didn’t hesitate at this point to include them at our site. It wasn’t to be the last time we’d share a campsite with them either.
During the night, we awoke to the sound of hoofs and the snuffling of some sort of large beasts. I was absolutely convinced that it was a herd of kudu or gemsbok, but it was just the cows. They settled themselves near our tents and spent the remainder of the night in our vicinity. We had to shoo them away in the morning just to get at the fire pit.
After a nice conversation with the owners and an interlude with one of Larkin’s interns conducting research there (she showed us a scorpion that she had snared in one of her pitfall traps), we headed off to our next destination Sesriem , the access point to the magnificent red dunes of Sosusvlei.

Southern Namibia Camping Trip--Installment Four

Later that day we headed out for Luderitz. Luderitz is located on the Atlantic coast of Namibia at the very edge of the Namib desert. When one approaches Luderitz from the west, one must wonder what ever possessed any one to settle here until he reads all of the signs warning drivers to stay out of the restricted diamond areas. Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds brought the Germans here originally and it’s got a lot to do with what keeps people here.
We got our two car caravan on its way out of the Miller’s Farm, Aubures. Had a stopover under a camelthorn tree on the side of the road for a light lunch and proceeded to undertake the next leg of our journey to Luderitz when Reid began to hear a strange noise emanating from the right rear wheel. Stopping to check it out was of course a requirement but our friends who were leading the way obviously didn’t notice, what with all the dust a vehicle churns up on these gravel roads, and appeared to be long gone by the time we determined what the problem was. The possibility of phoning them to tell of our predicament was nil given that we hadn’t had cell phone coverage since leaving the tar. Fortunately for us the part that had broken loose from the inside of our back wheel didn’t appear to be vital to its functioning, some sort of protective plate over the brake however it still needed to be removed lest it sever the brake line. That meant removing the back tire, no small feat with all of the camping gear stacked on top of the jack implements. Still no sign of our friends at this point……Well, the plate came right off after we removed the tire just as our friends drove up wondering about our whereabouts. Disaster had been averted---but only momentarily.
Along the route to Luderitz there is a turn off called Garub, it’s not even indicated on the map, where one encounters the wild horses of Namibia. Garub consists basically of a trough where the horses can water themselves. They have roamed wild in the desert for over a century and are the subject of many a coffee table book here in Namibia. Emma of course had been fascinated with them since our arrival and we wouldn’t have heard the end of it had we not stopped to view them. They were indeed a curious sight to see out in the middle of the desert and we got quite a few nice photos. Additionally, on our way back down the “track” to the main road, we encountered a swarm of locusts of biblical proportions. Augustus filmed it and we’ll try to post it because it is an amazing thing to witness. We were yet again running late given our tribulations with ole Bess, but fortunately the rest of the way was on tar.
On the approach to Luderitz one gets the impression he’s visiting another planet. The landscape is indeed reminiscent of the moon. There’s absolutely nothing for miles and miles—not a tree, not a blade of grass. Luderitz itself is frequently buffeted by extremely strong southwesterly winds. People have to lean into the wind virtually doubled over to get up the streets when it’s blowing at its best. Such was the case when we arrived there in the late evening. There was to be no camping in this kind of a gale so we set ourselves to the task of finding accommodations for our two families.
After being turned away several times, we stumbled upon Hansa Haus Guesthouse where we were shown to the top floor of this 1909 building. It was to be all ours for the night for about $70 Am. We were given a set of four rooms with two baths, living area and completely equipped kitchen. The place also had a deck that overlooked the habor area complete with braaii equipment, deck chairs, umbrellas and loungers. Had the wind cooperated, we’d have eaten on the deck. Unfortunately, it howled most of the night blowing in sand from the neighboring desert through any unsecured crevice. We had to improvise on dinner that evening and made our hobos in the oven instead of in the open fire. The kids had a blast running down the lengthy corridor connecting all of the rooms. We woke the next day to a magnificent, calm view of the ocean in all of its splendor. Reid cooked bacon out on the deck on this cool braaii contraption and Larkin made the hugest pancakes we’ve ever eaten. We packed up and set out on our next leg with an exquisitely blue sky and ocean as our backdrop.

Southern Namibia Camping Trip--Installment Three

On Wednesday we drove the relatively short distance to Jorn and Adrienne Miller’s farm. The term farm doesn’t even come close to describing what their place really is. This is a 22,000 hectare spread. Multiply by about two to figure out how many acres that is. Most farms are of that size which makes one’s nearest neighbor a good distance away. Perhaps now it’s beginning to sink in just how vast the emptiness is. There aren’t any convenience stores around the corner, no neighborhood Walmart, not even a doctor or a hospital for miles and miles and miles. The Millers receive their mail in Helmeringhausen, a couple hours’ drive from their home. Adrienne homeschools the boys, Thomas and Alex (their daughter is still too young for school) otherwise they’d have to be sent off to some larger city like Windhoek and be boarded there.
Jorn is the brother of the woman from whom we purchased Ole Bess. He has a doctorate in chemistry, but always just really wanted to farm. Farming is somewhat of a relative term here as well. The Millers keep cattle, goats and caracal sheep (more about them later). They also cultivate a local variety of cactus called hoodia. Hoodia has all sorts of medicinal properties much of them as of yet not fully understood. It has been used mostly by the weight loss industry because it helps to suppress the appetite. This knowledge of course was discovered by the Bushmen who would ingest the plant while on long hunting trips. It helped to hydrate them and also kept them from feeling hungry. It was a huge business for a while until unscrupulous manufacturers began using substances that had no active ingredient at all, but continued to market it as hoodia. It was then that it began to lose its cachet. Jorn’s association is trying to remedy that as well as promote the study of the plant and broaden its medicinal usage. It apparently can be used in the treatment of diabetes and other ailments as well.
Additionally, the Millers have a campsite at their farm, complete with hot water shower, where we set up our tents for the night. During the afternoon Jorn and his sons took us all around the farm pointing out all of the interesting sites—like the spot where we could find Bushmen tools and arrowheads, the various outposts where the workers are stationed to take care of the different herds/flocks on this wide spread piece of earth, to the grave site of the first white man in Namibia, Max Kruger. Jorn was extremely informative and we learned tons about Namibia and farming as well as had a blast riding in the back of his 4X4 on all the bumpy farm tracks.
Caracal sheep originally came from Afghanistan. They are black and the young lambs are slaughtered within 48 hours of birth in order to harvest the hides. These hides have a unique pattern that is highly prized in coat making. Most of the consumers of this product are from the Eastern Hemisphere like the Russians and Asians but it also appears to be quite popular among African American Rappers we were told.
The Millers are also “off the grid”. Their house is entirely powered by solar energy. Their refrigerators are low energy consumers and use about the same amount of energy as a light bulb. Jorn has rigged his panels so that they track with the movement of the sun. They are mostly self-sufficient, so they also raise geese and chickens. They grow grapes and are putting in a large vegetable garden.
The next morning we hiked the dry river bed for a while before encountering a black spitting cobra with his hood all flared. We side stepped him and he went on his merry way. The kids then spent a good deal of time searching for crystals and Bushmen tools before we headed out to our next destination. With all of the interesting rocks in Namibia, I figure we’ll be severely over weight in the luggage department on our return journey to the States. Annie wants to pick up every rock she sees and sometimes so do I.

Link to awesome photos of trip by Larkin

http://http://picasaweb.google.com/larkinpowell/OurFulbrightExperience?feat=embedwebsite#

Larkin's got a camera with a super duper lense and has uploaded some awesome photos of our camping trip complete with commentary. He's definitely more tech savvy than I and the photos are super crisp and clear.

Southern Namibia Camping--Installment Two

We set out from Windhoek a bit late on the first day and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the trip. Our first leg was to be from Windhoek down to Helmeringhausen—a distance of about 430 km or 300 miles. We stopped and had lunch at a place called Hardap Dam. Namwater, the national Namibian Water Company uses it for its purposes but there is a recreation area around the reservoir where people can rent “cabins” and have conferences. The facilities there have definitely seen better days, but it was a nice spot to stop and stretch our legs and get a bite to eat especially with the pelicans soaring overhead.
It was at about this point that the tar ended and the rest of the journey to Helmeringhouse was on either dirt or gravel. It rained along the way and that made for some pretty tricky driving conditions but also gave rise to a beautiful rainbow above the countryside. We made it to Helmeringhouse then quite a bit after we had intended.
Helmeringhouse consists basically of a hotel and a petrol station. It serves as a stopping point for all sorts of tourists making their way to various parts of Africa. We had decided that we’d stay in the hotel for the night instead of camping. Having a large family, we were given accommodations across the street in what essentially turned out to be a house which had just as much if not more room than our flat in Windhoek. It was exquisitely decorated with a completely equipped kitchen (except for the fridge), a veranda, braaii pit and garage for the car. It was missing the refrigerator because it was powered entirely by solar energy and the fridge would have taken too much energy to run. The hot water tank was of the variety called a “donkey geyser” (see photo). This means that one must got out and light the fire within the compartment and then wait for the water in the tank to heat up before showering. Once heated, it makes for a wonderful shower.
That evening we ate on the terrace of the hotel under the magnificent stars of the Southern Hemisphere. The “menu” was pre-planned and consisted of several courses—an appetizer of a slice of quiche; a main course of some sort of springbok in the form of a steak with a gravy sauce, sweet potatoes and veggies (delicious); and a dessert that looked like it was prepared by a Parisian pâtissier. We split a bottle of estate red wine that cost about $10 Am and the hostess threw in a shot of Jagermeister after dinner to top it all off.
There was a group of German tourists staying for the night as well (at least we assumed they were German because they spoke the language, but they could very well have been Swiss or other nationality). They were obviously retired and enjoying the fruits of their youthful labor. They had not however lost their youthful outlook on life. One of the old guys pulled out his accordion during dinner and entertained us with his rendition of various folk songs. The rest of the group often joined in with the singing and our girls had a fabulous time running around and dancing to the music. It was all very enjoyable if not rather surreal eating such wonderful food, listening to German folk music and imbibing Jagermeister in the middle of nowhere Africa.

The following morning when we tried to tank up, we learned that although there was petrol, there was no diesel to be found. Ole Bess only drinks diesel and we were a little concerned about finding more along the way. Additionally, I didn't feel so good after the previous evening's Jagermeister. Fortunately for us the next stop was only a couple of hours away---albeit on gravel.

Camping Trip to Southern Namibia--Installment One

We just returned from a six day whirlwind camping trip to Southern Namibia that was so filled with interesting, exciting and untoward events that it's going to take several installments to get it all down in writing. So stay tuned because it may take me several days.

Larkin Powell, the other Fulbrighter here from Nebraska, had been down this way with his department chair checking on students completing internships. Many are posted to farms for a semester where they conduct research on various forms of wildlife. So, the department chair brought Larkin along with him to accompany him thinking this would be a good way to get Larkin introduced to the farmers so that he can begin conducting his own research to complete that aspect of his Fulbright grant. Having visited many of these places and given that our kids were going to be on a two and a half week holiday from school due to Independence Day festivities, Larkin planned this ambitious itinerary going down to Luderitz, with various interesting stops along the way and taking in Soussevlei on our way back to Windhoek.

Larkin and his family, wife Kelly and son Tristan, rented a 4 X 4 bakkie (pick up) complete with camping equipment and two roof top tents. We, having purchased ole Bess and our own roof topper, simply rented camping equipment to the tune of about $8 Am. per day for all the kitchen equipment, 2 person ground tent, chairs, cooler, lanterns and bottle of propane we needed. We set out on our journey on Tues. 17th of March in our two car caravan for the adventure of a lifetime and boy did it ever turn out to be an adventure. This was our first really big outing and we got to test our limits and learn a lot about travel in Namibia. We'll be adjusting our expectations and rethinking itineraries (calculating for about double the time indicated in the guidebooks for distances over gravel roads). What's for certain is that we don't ever want to travel alone given the vastness of the empty expanses where no gas station, town, village or even farm house is to be found for many hundreds of miles.

Stay tuned for installment number 2--Reid needs the computer to prepare his classes.

English?

Namibia's only official language is English. However, the great majority of the inhabitants speak Afrikaans and other tribal languages. German is spoken by a good number of people as well. It is certainly a very multi-lingual place in which we live especially in Windhoek where people can switch from one language to another in mid-sentence.
As for the English, one might be interested in taking a short course in the Namibian version of the language before attempting communication with the locals. Take the following as an example: I took my bakkie into the panel beaters' so that the bonnet could be adjusted; while there he also repaired the hooter and filled the tyres with gas and topped off the tank with petrol. Translation: I took my pick- up into the body shop so that the hood could be adjusted; while there he also repaired the horn and filled the tires with air and filled up the tank with gas. If one is invited to a braai one would be eating something barbequed, typically lamb or sosaties (shish kabobs). Don't ask for ketchup with those fries because no one will understand you. You'll be wanting tomato sauce with your chips. When desiring potato chips, one must request crisps. You might also be directed to turn right at the first robot you encounter. In which case, you'd have to take a right at the light. Ask for a serviette (napkin) when needing to wipe your mouth in a restaurant. And give the kids biscuits (cookies) for their afternoon snack. If you want jelly on your toast ask for jam otherwise you'll be served Jello. If all this is giving you a headache you'll want to visit the chemist for a few head ache tablets. Do be polite and tell them dankie when they hand you your docket (receipt). At which point you'll want to head home on the pavement (sidewalk), take the lift from the ground floor (1st floor) to your flat (apartment) and just call for take away (carry out). Perhaps after all this, a visit to the bottle store (liquor shop) is in order!

Wa lele po tate, meme

Reid and I have been taking language lessons as of late. We contacted one of the Oshikwanyama language teachers who contracts with Peace Corps to provide language training to the volunteers. Oshikwanyama is spoken in the North of Namibia by one of the country's many tribes of indigenous peoples. We've been going about twice a week to her house for the past month or so and we've gotten most of the greetings down. Whether or not we master the rest of the language remains to be seen, however. The grammar is quite complex and most all of the vocabulary begins with an oshi- or om- or an e- making it difficult to distinguish one noun from another. Plurals are made by changing the word's begining. So, for example, oshapi (the word for key) becomes eeshapi in the plural. That's actually an easy one and it of course can get vastly more complex yet.
Our teacher, Rachel Hatutale, tries to incorporate as much of the culture as possible, so yesterday afternoon and evening she invited us over to help cook a traditional style meal. On the menu, mopani worms (caterpillar type creatures that are dried and then "reconstitued" when cooked before being eaten), omohangu, a grits-like dish made from millet flour, evanda, a spinach type dish, and two types of bean dishes (one that closely ressembled black-eye peas). The pièce de résistance, however, was the chicken that we killed, plucked, cleaned and cooked on the open-fire ourselves.
We brought the kids along for the affair and they were about as adventurous as they could be. The girls wouldn't touch anything green, but they did like the chicken. Augustus got the mopani worm into his mouth, but couldn't quite get the nerve up to chew it even with heavy encouragement. I must confess that I probably won't be including mopani worms in my repertoire of recipes, but they were spicy and would no doubt be good in an étoufée had we been able to acquire them fresh instead of dried.
Rachel dressed up for the occasion (see her photo above) and was the consummate hostess. Many thanks to her for working so hard for a bunch of oshilumbos (I probably got the plural wrong on that--no --s plurals in this language). The dishes were all laid out as if it were Christmas or New Year's. In fact the black eye peas and the spinach combination reminded me greatly of our Louisiana tradition of eating black eyes and cabbage on New Year's. Perhaps there is a connection, who knows. Maybe good luck is in store for us yet, despite the fact that we missed out on those items on the first of January as we had just gotten in country. Let's hope so anyway!

Signs

There are lots of interesting things about driving here in Namibia beside the fact that it's done on the opposite side of the road from the way it's done in America AND the fact that most all cars have a manual transmission AND Windhoek is about as hilly as San Francisco (so some of the streets and driveways actually appear to be vertical). I usually select the route to and from my destination based on the number of hills I'll have to ascend. Ole Bess (the Land Rover) and I are still in the acquaintanceship stage and so, I try not to push her since I don't quite know her limits.

Street signs here can be posted in a number of languages, so at the top of the street the sign might end with ...strasse, the German word for street. When you get to the bottom of the street, the suffix might have changed to ....straat, Africaans for street or it might very well be labeled with the English ..street. Additionally, many of the streets are named for some very "interesting" individuals. Of course there is Sam Nujoma Street named in honor of one of the native Nambians who led the revolution for Namibian independence, but there's also a couple of names of main thoroughfares that make many of us Americans cringe. For example, there's Fidel Castro Street that leads into the downtown area. There's also Robert Mugabe Street that leads out to the mall. The Zimbabweans in exile here, and there are many, must derive a certain amount of pleasure from rolling over Robert Mugabe, at least figuratively. I know I would if I were from Zimbabwe.

When one leaves the city, the wilderness begins almost immediately. Farms sometimes consist of thousands of hectares of "bush". The trees that grow are somewhat scrubby and almost all have thorns. This provides the perfect habitat for a variety of wildlife from the very small, like dassies (hydrax, see above photo) and wart hogs to the very large like oryx and kudu. Driving especially at night can prove to be a dangerous sport for the ill-equipped. Many vehicles come equipped with bull bars in the event that one should encounter a kudu which he can't avoid while travelling at a high rate of speed. Speaking of speed....the tarred roads tend to be treated like the Autobon. Even the gravel roads witness excessive rates of speed. One of the other Fulbrighters recounted that he was a passenger with his colleague who maintained a speed of 120 km (on gravel) for the 400 or so miles from the destination in the South back to Windhoek on a recent outing!

We especially like when we're given warning of possible crossings. We are obliged to take the kudu crossing signs very seriously, but we can't help but chuckle when we come across the ones announcing the wart hogs (see photo above). I guess a good sized male wart hog might cause considerable damage for a Toyota Tazz, but I don't think many of these 4X4s would be much phased if they ran over one. It is always a good idea to keep one's eyes peeled when presented with such a sign, nonetheless. Besides, wart hog babies are just about the cutest darn things we have ever seen.