It’s been said that Cajuns will eat anything that moves on four legs, swims or flies as long as it’s cooked up with something tasty. People tend to interpret that as we’ll eat anything. That’s not quite true. We Cajuns are very particular about taste. It’s got to taste good. For generations Cajun cooks have been experimenting with spices and methods of cooking that contribute to taste. We are avid borrowers, co-opting spices from our Spanish co-settlers like Cayenne and Tabasco to jazz up the original French style roux base. We added okra brought over by African slaves whose word for the green sticky substance became the moniker for the dish itself. Using sassafras to thicken gumbos and other stews was a trick we learned from the Native Americans. When German settlers arrived they brought rice and a variety of sausages. All of this ended up in the quintessential Cajun dish of Gumbo. Gumbo, an icon of Cajun cuisine can also be considered an icon of our South Louisiana culture. It is in many ways an analogy for the mixing of cultures, races and ethnicities that took place in this strange land called Nouvelle Acadie. After hundreds of years of such mixing it is little wonder that families whose last name is Segura might be related to those bearing the name Champagne, Signorelli or Zaunbrecker. The end product has become something unique for both our cuisine and our culture. It lends to that Louisiana mystique and attraction.
Here in Windhoek, Namibia our family has been missing that world renowned Cajun cuisine. Yet, even here in the wilds of Africa, there is an appreciation for our way of cooking. The restaurant Luigui and the Fish down on Sam Nujoma Street sports a menu with a variety of dishes billed as Cajun. There’s the Cajun Chicken, Cajun Kingklip and the Cajun Mississippi Mud Pie. The supermarkets all carry Cajun Spice along with the more typical Peri Peri powder. Unfortunately, the Namibians haven’t been very successful in reproducing the quality of fare to which we are accustomed. I guess John Folse hasn’t made the rounds here yet. I’m hoping that he’ll come before our Fulbright stay ends in December and bring along a couple of packages of his Corn and Crab Soup or his Seafood Gumbo.
The main problem for us has been obtaining the types of ingredients necessary to produce the dishes that at home are considered ordinary or every day fare. The desire to make just a simple chicken and sausage gumbo left us searching high and low for something resembling Andouille or smoked sausage. One would think that with such a strong German influence in the country (one of the principal supermarket chains here is Woermann Brock where the cashiers regularly address me as Frau), smoked sausage or any good tasting sausage would be easy to find. Not so. The people here eat a lot of something called boerwors which has such a strong flavor, unidentifiable to our palate, that it’d probably curdle the juice if we added it to Gumbo. Locating crawfish of course is out of the question, although there is a Crayfish Festival down in Luderitz. These guys are salt water crustaceans and have little resemblance to their Louisiana freshwater brethren. Even cooking red beans and rice presents a challenge here. My American acquaintances here swear that it’s due to the altitude, but it’s usually a three day undertaking of constant boiling so as to soften the beans to a somewhat edible state. Without any decent smoked sausage to put in it, who wants to eat it anyway. “Real rice” can be found in a few stores, but at a premium. Most supermarkets carry the parboiled stuff. No real Cajun would be caught dead putting red beans on top of that.
So, when my friend Stephanie, even though she’s spent much of her life in Texas, offered me smoked sausage, I was a little leery to say the least. Her husband had taken her eleven year old son out on a big game hunt at one of the nearby hunting lodges. Titus had bagged a huge red hartebeest which they were having processed not only for the trophy but also for the meat. They were having smoked sausage made with much of it and Stephanie would have to find room for 70 kg of meat in her freezer. Needless to say, she was more than willing to share. I accepted more out of politesse than out of a real desire to sample Namibian hartebeest, but hey as a Cajun I’ll try anything once.
We cooked a bit of it for lunch before deciding that it indeed passed muster. Thus, it was decided Chicken and Hartebeest Gumbo for Sunday dinner. The kids were delighted. Nights are quite cold here in Namibia during June, the middle of the Namibian winter, and the prospect of having a good Gumbo to warm our insides heartened us all. It proved to be quite tasty indeed served over “real rice” and worthy of a second appearance at some future date.
We figure that it’s now our duty to introduce this unique version of an old dish to the Namibians in the absence of Chef John Folse making a surprise visit. What’s been passing for Cajun around here is sadly lacking and there would no doubt be a strong appreciation for genuine Cajun Cuisine. Who knows perhaps Gumbo might be one way to unite the diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities evident in modern Namibian society. Lord knows, they could sure use it.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Visit to Elim Primary
Today, I visited Elim Primary in Khomasdal (an area of Windhoek) where Priscilla Harris is employed as a year 3 teacher (8 and 9 year olds). Priscilla’s class consists of 42 students. The language of instruction is English, however, for many under her tutelage, English is often their second or even third language. She recently received the donation of books made by the Livonia High School Student Senate and I went there to read the children a story and to take the various other book donations made by family and friends. The children were extremely well behaved and very respectful. They listened attentively while I read even though they were crammed into a tiny space between the board and their desks. Afterwards, many gave me a hug on their way out to break. It was truly a very moving experience. The students will now have the chance to take some of these home and work on developing their English comprehension and reading skills further.
I got the chance to chat with Priscilla’s principal while I was waiting and she communicated her profound gratitude and also the desire to possibly broaden the scope of the project. She’s got several teachers who have expressed an interest in creating a classroom library similar to what Priscilla is doing with her book donation. I indicated that I would see what I could do about that, so readers send in your ideas because right now the biggest obstacle is the cost of shipping as it often out-weighs the value of the books.
Once again, I want to express my gratitude to those who contributed to injecting a bit of good in this world filled with inequalities and injustices.
I got the chance to chat with Priscilla’s principal while I was waiting and she communicated her profound gratitude and also the desire to possibly broaden the scope of the project. She’s got several teachers who have expressed an interest in creating a classroom library similar to what Priscilla is doing with her book donation. I indicated that I would see what I could do about that, so readers send in your ideas because right now the biggest obstacle is the cost of shipping as it often out-weighs the value of the books.
Once again, I want to express my gratitude to those who contributed to injecting a bit of good in this world filled with inequalities and injustices.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Book Drive Update
Many thanks are in order to the Livonia High School Student Senate under the guidance of Kristie Langlois. Kristie read about the need for children’s books here in Namibia on the blog and answered the call. The LHS Student Senate collected loads of books and had them shipped over. Priscilla Harris, whose year 3 class this will benefit, has finally received them. She is delighted and has indicated the belief that this will be the only public school class in Namibia to have its own library. Her class numbers around 42 students, so having access to leisure time reading materials will no doubt help improve the children’s reading skills and encourage them to read more on their own. I will go by sometime in the week and read a story from one of the donated books and take a photo.
Additional thanks to Fr. Jamin David, Suzanne Laviolette and the many others who sent books separately. Often times the shipping costs far exceeded the value of the books, making the donation all the more commendable.
This has been a valuable learning experience for me and my family. What a wonderful way to inject a little good into our world. I am constantly amazed at the generosity of the average American and the can do attitude of seeing a need and addressing it. I hope this can either become a long term project or one that spreads in scope to encompass other American schools in partnership with other Namibian schools or African schools for that matter. Any ideas on the subject are most welcome!
Additional thanks to Fr. Jamin David, Suzanne Laviolette and the many others who sent books separately. Often times the shipping costs far exceeded the value of the books, making the donation all the more commendable.
This has been a valuable learning experience for me and my family. What a wonderful way to inject a little good into our world. I am constantly amazed at the generosity of the average American and the can do attitude of seeing a need and addressing it. I hope this can either become a long term project or one that spreads in scope to encompass other American schools in partnership with other Namibian schools or African schools for that matter. Any ideas on the subject are most welcome!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Brandberg
On May 21st the Namibians celebrated Ascension Thursday, a public holiday here. May 25th was also a public holiday, Africa Day. This meant a 5 day weekend for the Bates family and another excuse to head out and explore the wilds of the Namibian bush—as if we needed any. The girls, especially Emma had been ill with what I term the two ended virus and so I, particularly, was raring to get out of the flat and see the countryside. We had made plans with our trusty traveling partners, the Powells, to visit Brandberg, home of the White Lady Rock Painting. There are over 1000 of these paintings in the Brandberg area. They are generally attributed to the Bushmen but there are a few myths that need to be dispelled before proceeding. First off the “Lady” in the painting is no lady. The first European explorers clearly missed the mark with their original interpretations of the painting. Now to quote Wiki (I know, I know, not the best source…),
It is usually assumed that the painting shows some sort of ritual dance, and that the "White Lady" is actually a medicine man. "She" is definitely a male, as a penis is clearly visible. He has white legs and arms, which may suggest that his body was painted or that he was wearing some sort of decorative attachments on his legs and arms. He holds a bow in one hand and perhaps a goblet in the other. Because of the bow and the oryxes, the painting has also been interpreted as a hunting scene. Apart from the shaman/lady, the other human figures have less detail, and are mostly completely black or completely white. One of the oryxes has human legs. The painting was probably made of ochre, charcoal, manganese, hematite, with blood serum, egg white and casein used as binding agents.[2]
Additionally, the paintings were probably done over a long period of time with different artists and or groups of people adding to the tableau. No doubt there were also some Damara contributions as well, as they are one of the major tribes currently residing in the region. The paintings are thought to date back at least 2000 years if not more.
Getting to the White Lady was somewhat of a challenge for our party of eight. We first checked in at the entrance and were assigned a guide, Matthews. He was very patient with us of little stamina. In all fairness, the girls were just recuperating and their energy level was a bit low for such a demanding hike. Once again we learned our lesson with trusting the guide book. Here’s what Wiki had to say about the hike, “To reach The White Lady it is necessary to hike for about 40 minutes over rough terrain, along the gorge of the dry Tsisab river.” Needless to say, that’s not exactly how the guidebook portrayed it. And the gorge wasn’t dry either. That provided the fun and distraction though, crossing over the water. Yes, I have discovered that I am just a beast of burden in the eyes of my children as I alternately carried either the backpack, Emma or Annie along the 2.5 km hike up and the 2.5 km hike back. Reid pitched in on occasion, but it’s always the mother’s burden isn’t it? We spent about 3 hours total on the round trip, which we thought was pretty good for a party of eight containing young’uns.
It was truly an awe inspiring visit. I personally was humbled by the surroundings. This is Namibia’s highest peak and there is something about the area that is no doubt at once spiritual and uplifting, somewhat akin to being in the church of the great outdoors. I sincerely doubt that my kids experienced the same sensation, however, as they panted and complained about the heat.
We camped at the White Lady Lodge. The staff was friendly and helpful. We ate dinner there on our first night and the food was quite good. We had our choice of oryx prepared in various ways, schnitzel or stroganoff or kingklip (fish). I had the stroganoff which was actually well seasoned. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The reception area has two pools and a rockery. It is a beautiful sight to encounter in the midst of the vast emptiness. The kids enjoyed the pool, even though the water was very, very cool while the adults enjoyed the bar. It made for some welcomed R and R on the part of the adults.
The camp sites were, on the other hand, a bit lacking. The braaii had no grill and the water tap was difficult to use. The showers, although heated, were no match for what we had encountered on our previous camping trip down south on the guest farms. Additionally, there was a large number of campers present due to the holiday weekend, so the noise level was beyond desirable for me and Reid, but one of the advantages to this was the fact that these touring visitors had engaged the services of local singing groups who serenaded them acapella (sp?) for the evening. So, on two occasions, we fell asleep listening to the strains of African folk songs.
The other really cool thing about the White Lady Campsites is that being out in the bush, one can’t help but attracting the local wildlife. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a feisty springbok who attempted to head butt our small party. He later showed up at our campsite for round two. Upon awaking on the following day, we were greeted by the caws of a pair of hornbills. We later got them on video doing their thing with a little prompting from Reid. After breakfast, as if ordered in to patrol our area for debris, a pair of meerkats sauntered in looking for their morning meal. Emma was bold enough, despite my protests, to pet them. So, all in all it was worth camping there despite the noise and the less than adequate facilities just to experience the close encounters with the little critters.
It is usually assumed that the painting shows some sort of ritual dance, and that the "White Lady" is actually a medicine man. "She" is definitely a male, as a penis is clearly visible. He has white legs and arms, which may suggest that his body was painted or that he was wearing some sort of decorative attachments on his legs and arms. He holds a bow in one hand and perhaps a goblet in the other. Because of the bow and the oryxes, the painting has also been interpreted as a hunting scene. Apart from the shaman/lady, the other human figures have less detail, and are mostly completely black or completely white. One of the oryxes has human legs. The painting was probably made of ochre, charcoal, manganese, hematite, with blood serum, egg white and casein used as binding agents.[2]
Additionally, the paintings were probably done over a long period of time with different artists and or groups of people adding to the tableau. No doubt there were also some Damara contributions as well, as they are one of the major tribes currently residing in the region. The paintings are thought to date back at least 2000 years if not more.
Getting to the White Lady was somewhat of a challenge for our party of eight. We first checked in at the entrance and were assigned a guide, Matthews. He was very patient with us of little stamina. In all fairness, the girls were just recuperating and their energy level was a bit low for such a demanding hike. Once again we learned our lesson with trusting the guide book. Here’s what Wiki had to say about the hike, “To reach The White Lady it is necessary to hike for about 40 minutes over rough terrain, along the gorge of the dry Tsisab river.” Needless to say, that’s not exactly how the guidebook portrayed it. And the gorge wasn’t dry either. That provided the fun and distraction though, crossing over the water. Yes, I have discovered that I am just a beast of burden in the eyes of my children as I alternately carried either the backpack, Emma or Annie along the 2.5 km hike up and the 2.5 km hike back. Reid pitched in on occasion, but it’s always the mother’s burden isn’t it? We spent about 3 hours total on the round trip, which we thought was pretty good for a party of eight containing young’uns.
It was truly an awe inspiring visit. I personally was humbled by the surroundings. This is Namibia’s highest peak and there is something about the area that is no doubt at once spiritual and uplifting, somewhat akin to being in the church of the great outdoors. I sincerely doubt that my kids experienced the same sensation, however, as they panted and complained about the heat.
We camped at the White Lady Lodge. The staff was friendly and helpful. We ate dinner there on our first night and the food was quite good. We had our choice of oryx prepared in various ways, schnitzel or stroganoff or kingklip (fish). I had the stroganoff which was actually well seasoned. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The reception area has two pools and a rockery. It is a beautiful sight to encounter in the midst of the vast emptiness. The kids enjoyed the pool, even though the water was very, very cool while the adults enjoyed the bar. It made for some welcomed R and R on the part of the adults.
The camp sites were, on the other hand, a bit lacking. The braaii had no grill and the water tap was difficult to use. The showers, although heated, were no match for what we had encountered on our previous camping trip down south on the guest farms. Additionally, there was a large number of campers present due to the holiday weekend, so the noise level was beyond desirable for me and Reid, but one of the advantages to this was the fact that these touring visitors had engaged the services of local singing groups who serenaded them acapella (sp?) for the evening. So, on two occasions, we fell asleep listening to the strains of African folk songs.
The other really cool thing about the White Lady Campsites is that being out in the bush, one can’t help but attracting the local wildlife. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a feisty springbok who attempted to head butt our small party. He later showed up at our campsite for round two. Upon awaking on the following day, we were greeted by the caws of a pair of hornbills. We later got them on video doing their thing with a little prompting from Reid. After breakfast, as if ordered in to patrol our area for debris, a pair of meerkats sauntered in looking for their morning meal. Emma was bold enough, despite my protests, to pet them. So, all in all it was worth camping there despite the noise and the less than adequate facilities just to experience the close encounters with the little critters.
We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to see the desert elephants, the lodge's other big draw. They had not yet returned from the north. We've been told that sometimes they come right through the campsites. So, I guess we'll be returning to the Brandberg White Lady Lodge some time soon so that we can get the full treatment.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Science News
It’s off to the regional science fair for Augustus. His birding project garnered him the Teachers’ Choice Award at the WIS Science and Maths Fair (yes, they put an ‘s’ on math) and he’ll be representing WIS there (year 8) in July. He tested what food types would attract the greatest number of bird species. The birds here are so exotic, that the whole family really got involved with identifying the various specimens and photographing them. We got to the point where we started calling the birds our customers. We’ve now got what seems to be a whole flock of Laughing Doves frequenting our feeder on a daily basis. Some of the birds were so strange to us with vivid colors, long tails or often bizarre calls. Of course WIS being on the American academic year will be out of session at that time, but Namibian students will be in full swing as their year runs from January to November. So, we hope that our travels won’t interfere with Augustus attending the competition.
There seems to be a greater emphasis on science at WIS than we experienced at home in Louisiana or at least in our little parish. Emma’s class held a mini-science fair earlier this year where the kids completed experiments for which they created backdrops/posters and subsequently invited other classes and parents to view them. Emma elected to do the Coke and Mentos geyser. No one here, remarkably, had ever heard of it, so of course, it was a big hit. The class and visitors went out into the court yard so as not to spray everything with the Coke. All the kids and parents oohed and ahhed and Emma performed like in a circus act, even taking a bow at the end. I hardly recognized my own daughter.
Annie’s class too is taking its turn at science experiments. They are working with the forces of “push” and “pull”. They will complete an experiment at home, record their results, present it to the class and also to parents. The parents, it is assumed, will be guiding them quite heavily through the process, but it still introduces the little ones to the scientific method and Reid and I are quite appreciative of that.
There seems to be a greater emphasis on science at WIS than we experienced at home in Louisiana or at least in our little parish. Emma’s class held a mini-science fair earlier this year where the kids completed experiments for which they created backdrops/posters and subsequently invited other classes and parents to view them. Emma elected to do the Coke and Mentos geyser. No one here, remarkably, had ever heard of it, so of course, it was a big hit. The class and visitors went out into the court yard so as not to spray everything with the Coke. All the kids and parents oohed and ahhed and Emma performed like in a circus act, even taking a bow at the end. I hardly recognized my own daughter.
Annie’s class too is taking its turn at science experiments. They are working with the forces of “push” and “pull”. They will complete an experiment at home, record their results, present it to the class and also to parents. The parents, it is assumed, will be guiding them quite heavily through the process, but it still introduces the little ones to the scientific method and Reid and I are quite appreciative of that.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Etosha Giraffe Surprise
A family group of giraffes stepped out of the bush right in front of our vehicle. They are so well camouflaged that we didn't see them until we were almost upon them. This is the one who crossed the road and then turned back giving us an inquiring look as if she wanted to know if we were done with our picture taking.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Etosha National Game Park
May 1st is a holiday here in Namibia as in most of the rest of the world. It is workers’ day—the equivalent of our Labor Day. We celebrate it at the end of the summer no doubt to get in a few extra days at the beach, but the rest of the world uses the May 1st date. Monday, May 4th is also a holiday—Cassinga Day. We’re not exactly sure what the Namibians celebrate on this day, but it means a four day weekend which for us means time to take off and explore some new area of Namibia. So, once again, we packed up the Rover and the kids and headed to Etosha. Etosha is the big National Game Park here in Namibia. It is just over 100 years old and boasts a large number of species in vast quantities. It is about a 5 hour drive from Windhoek and the road is tarred all the way there.
Staying inside the park presents an expensive proposition, so we decided to stay at a place just outside the southern gate (Anderson Gate) and drive in each day. We were very pleased with the accommodations because to quote Emma it allowed us to, “Live the dream—have all this nature at the same time having luxury.” The “rooms” consisted of elevated tents large enough to fit actual beds, which were quite comfy, shelving, pull-out couch and a vanity in each. The tents could be unzipped to the view of the outside while still being protected from the creepy crawlies by the netting. This was great because we were awakened each morning by the light of the rising Eastern sun. Outside, there was a toilet and outdoor shower that were decorated and concealed with wooden stick type fencing so as to maintain privacy. The kitchen was also outdoors with a working refrigerator, hot plate, sink, braaii pit and all of the necessary kitchen equipment. This was especially nice for us given that eating out for every meal for a family of five is much too costly and it allowed us to keep food expenses to a reasonable amount. The lodge’s restaurant did offer a nightly buffet of which we partook on our last evening there. The sides are of course pre-prepared but the meats are by choice and cooked right on the spot in front of the guest. The offerings included oryx, zebra, springbok, chicken and pork. Most of us opted for the springbok. We just can’t get enough of the stuff. The chef took great pleasure in grilling it up for us and even though his English was quite broken, he was most congenial. There was also the possibility of choosing a stir fry where another chef cooked up any concoction of given ingredients to one’s delight. The desserts were scrumptious as well. Needless to say the kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Etosha itself was absolutely fabulous. From Anderson’s Gate there is a 17 kilometer drive to the lodge at Okakuejo, one of the places available to stay inside the park. Lots of animals can be spotted along this route and we saw zebras, giraffes, birds and jackals. Within the park itself, we encountered so many zebras in our two days there that the kids started saying they were “fed up” with zebras. The springbok were even more numerous and were so close to the vehicle that one could have probably reached out and touched them. We purchased a map as one of the first orders of business which showed the waterholes. Some of the waterholes are maintained by park personnel and are equipped with solar-powered pumps so that the animals will have water all year ‘round. Others are not and we were surprised to see how many had already dried up given that the rainy season just ended in March. It took us a while to figure out which were dry and which still had water and which were the most frequented by the widest variety of animals but we did eventually and were rewarded with some of the most spectacular views of wild animals we’ve seen so far in Namibia. At one water hole there were black-face impalas, springbok, zebras, wildebeest, and elephants. We also happened upon four lionesses setting up for a kill by sheer dumb luck. They had a few zebras, including a baby, separated from the rest of the herd and were attempting to route them through a bottle neck so as to grab the baby no doubt. They had probably been setting this up all morning and we came upon the scene in the last few dramatic minutes when the action was coming to a crescendo. Emma was rooting for the baby zebra but we wanted to see the lionesses’ labor come to fruition. The adult zebras weren’t going to have any of it though, they kept really close to that baby and having more stamina than the lions pushed their way through narrowly escaping the lionesses’ handiwork. When it was all over, we felt like we had just taken part in an Animal Planet video. The lionesses just kind of sat there with their tongues hanging out looking like they were contemplating what went wrong. They appeared to take it in stride, nonetheless, as they leisurely regrouped and headed out in the opposite direction of their prey.
On the second morning, as we were driving on one of the less frequented roads of the park, we were graced with the appearance of a group of giraffes. They just gingerly stepped out of the side brush and onto the road right in front of the vehicle. They had a juvenile with them so we assumed that it was a family grouping. One crossed the road in front of us, loping to the other side and turned back to look at us like she was inquiring as to whether or not we’d gotten her photo yet. We were all awestruck for several minutes.
The only thing we weren’t able to see that we regret is the rhinos. Etosha is host to a large number of rhinos, the Black Rhino as well as the White. We understand that they have a tendency to frequent the waterholes at night. This is where staying within the park pays off given that each of the interior lodges boasts waterholes where visitors can view the wildlife even after the gates have closed for the evening to outside guests.
All in all it was a most remarkable visit and we feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to view such magnificent beasts in their natural environment. We wonder how many of these creatures will still exist in our children’s twilight years and are glad they got to experience it firsthand.
Staying inside the park presents an expensive proposition, so we decided to stay at a place just outside the southern gate (Anderson Gate) and drive in each day. We were very pleased with the accommodations because to quote Emma it allowed us to, “Live the dream—have all this nature at the same time having luxury.” The “rooms” consisted of elevated tents large enough to fit actual beds, which were quite comfy, shelving, pull-out couch and a vanity in each. The tents could be unzipped to the view of the outside while still being protected from the creepy crawlies by the netting. This was great because we were awakened each morning by the light of the rising Eastern sun. Outside, there was a toilet and outdoor shower that were decorated and concealed with wooden stick type fencing so as to maintain privacy. The kitchen was also outdoors with a working refrigerator, hot plate, sink, braaii pit and all of the necessary kitchen equipment. This was especially nice for us given that eating out for every meal for a family of five is much too costly and it allowed us to keep food expenses to a reasonable amount. The lodge’s restaurant did offer a nightly buffet of which we partook on our last evening there. The sides are of course pre-prepared but the meats are by choice and cooked right on the spot in front of the guest. The offerings included oryx, zebra, springbok, chicken and pork. Most of us opted for the springbok. We just can’t get enough of the stuff. The chef took great pleasure in grilling it up for us and even though his English was quite broken, he was most congenial. There was also the possibility of choosing a stir fry where another chef cooked up any concoction of given ingredients to one’s delight. The desserts were scrumptious as well. Needless to say the kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Etosha itself was absolutely fabulous. From Anderson’s Gate there is a 17 kilometer drive to the lodge at Okakuejo, one of the places available to stay inside the park. Lots of animals can be spotted along this route and we saw zebras, giraffes, birds and jackals. Within the park itself, we encountered so many zebras in our two days there that the kids started saying they were “fed up” with zebras. The springbok were even more numerous and were so close to the vehicle that one could have probably reached out and touched them. We purchased a map as one of the first orders of business which showed the waterholes. Some of the waterholes are maintained by park personnel and are equipped with solar-powered pumps so that the animals will have water all year ‘round. Others are not and we were surprised to see how many had already dried up given that the rainy season just ended in March. It took us a while to figure out which were dry and which still had water and which were the most frequented by the widest variety of animals but we did eventually and were rewarded with some of the most spectacular views of wild animals we’ve seen so far in Namibia. At one water hole there were black-face impalas, springbok, zebras, wildebeest, and elephants. We also happened upon four lionesses setting up for a kill by sheer dumb luck. They had a few zebras, including a baby, separated from the rest of the herd and were attempting to route them through a bottle neck so as to grab the baby no doubt. They had probably been setting this up all morning and we came upon the scene in the last few dramatic minutes when the action was coming to a crescendo. Emma was rooting for the baby zebra but we wanted to see the lionesses’ labor come to fruition. The adult zebras weren’t going to have any of it though, they kept really close to that baby and having more stamina than the lions pushed their way through narrowly escaping the lionesses’ handiwork. When it was all over, we felt like we had just taken part in an Animal Planet video. The lionesses just kind of sat there with their tongues hanging out looking like they were contemplating what went wrong. They appeared to take it in stride, nonetheless, as they leisurely regrouped and headed out in the opposite direction of their prey.
On the second morning, as we were driving on one of the less frequented roads of the park, we were graced with the appearance of a group of giraffes. They just gingerly stepped out of the side brush and onto the road right in front of the vehicle. They had a juvenile with them so we assumed that it was a family grouping. One crossed the road in front of us, loping to the other side and turned back to look at us like she was inquiring as to whether or not we’d gotten her photo yet. We were all awestruck for several minutes.
The only thing we weren’t able to see that we regret is the rhinos. Etosha is host to a large number of rhinos, the Black Rhino as well as the White. We understand that they have a tendency to frequent the waterholes at night. This is where staying within the park pays off given that each of the interior lodges boasts waterholes where visitors can view the wildlife even after the gates have closed for the evening to outside guests.
All in all it was a most remarkable visit and we feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to view such magnificent beasts in their natural environment. We wonder how many of these creatures will still exist in our children’s twilight years and are glad they got to experience it firsthand.
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