More on Driving in Namibia

Well, you all know how I feel about driving here since it was the topic of one of my first blog entries. It’s not just the fact that driving is done on the “wrong” side here that makes it difficult to adjust to; it’s all the various and sundry other crazy things that occur as well that contribute to my being a nervous wreck behind the wheel.
First anything goes here. Like the photo above demonstrates, four-wheelers are allowed to be driven on city streets. As you can see from the picture, they’re even licensed! We’ve seen dune buggies, three-wheelers, elderly chair scooters, etc. If it’s got wheels and a motor, we’ve probably seen it on the streets of Windhoek.
Additionally, there seems to be a high tolerance for risk taking behavior here. Safety appears to be a non-issue for Namibians. Parents think nothing of driving with kids in their lap, in the front seat unrestrained or packed to the gills in an open-bed bakkie (pick-up truck). I cringe every time I come up behind one of these vehicles because I can envision a kid falling out right in front of my on-coming vehicle and me running over him/her with my kids in the car.
Taxi drivers are the absolute worst, however. They will make two lanes where there was only one originally. They’ll turn right in front of you even if you’ve got the right of way. They typically jump the light before it turns green and run the red ones. They’ll pass you in town, in neighborhoods or any time they feel like it even if the road signs indicate against such. An acquaintance from school is currently driving around with a huge dent in her driver’s side door where she “was kissed” by a taxi! Because there are zillions of taxis, they can't be avoided either.
Perhaps it’s the German influence, but excessive speed is a major factor in road accidents here in Namibia, so many of which end in a fatality. Drivers treat these little two lane shoulder-less roads as if it were the Autobahn. Posted speed for the “highway” is 120 km. That’s 75 miles per hour on a road that’s not even close to being in interstate condition. Mind you, that’s the posted speed; people are typically flying by us and so we figure they’re up to 150 or 160 Km. Encountering a wart hog or an oryx at that speed would spell sheer disaster, but it’s as if most drivers don’t even give it a second thought.
She may be slow and lumbering, but she’s built solid like a rock. With her bull bar in the front, Ole Bess can out intimidate most other vehicles, so we’re hoping that we can stay safe and sound for the remainder of our 3 month stay here in Namibia. We’ll be sad to part with her when the time comes. She’s been such a good girl.

Gus Wins Silver at the 27th Annual Namibian National Science Fair

Held September 8-10, 2009, Gus’s Birds in My Backyard project earned a score that qualified him for the silver medal in the category of Biology. Hundreds of kids from around the country descended on the exam basement of the Polytechnic, Namibia’s premier university for the three day event. WIS had only two entries to advance to this high level, Augustus’ and his classmate Sharifa’s. The competition was pretty stiff especially from St. Paul’s and St. George’s, well noted for their strong programs in both academics and athletics (somewhat like Catholic of Baton Rouge and Episcopal), but his research held its own in the end. Incidentally, Sharifa also received a silver (they are pictured together above). Both may qualify to attend the next level in South Africa—we’ll keep everyone posted. We, his parents, are extremely proud of him, needless to say!

The “Eisheiligen”—Being Cold in Africa

When Reid was finally awarded the Fulbright and we had to make decisions about what to bring with us to Namibia, we did a bit of research into the climate. We knew that Namibia, being a desert country, was prone to some pretty low temps especially at nighttime. The statistics indicated that during the Winter (June-August here) nighttime temps typically fell around the freezing mark (0 degrees Celsius). Daytime temps however were quite mild according to the literature—hovering in the upper teens and low twenties Celsius (50’s & 60’s F). We thus packed a few sweaters and light jackets. We did not even consider heavy duty pjs or coats. What with Reid being the packing Nazi that he was, we were lucky to make it here with enough underwear in tow. Upon arrival in December, mid-summer, we were glad we had brought our Louisiana cottons and clothing of other light weight fabrics. With the approach of winter, many of our Namibian acquaintances kept telling us to brace ourselves. We tended to down play it, after all being from the Northern Hemisphere and Reid a native Iowan to boot, it would take snow and ice to scare us, a most unusual sight in Namibia to say the least. Little did we understand, however, the ways of Namibian construction. Most of the houses here are built with the heat in mind. Walls are made of thick brick that are designed to keep the interior cool. The exterior is usually painted a light color so as to reflect the sunlight. Windows are just basically panes of glass and don’t do much to resist either the cold or heat. Insulation as we know it is virtually non-existent here. The term furnace as a household item does not exist in the Namibian vocabulary. So when the Namibians experience freezing temperatures; it is not only freezing outside, it’s literally freezing inside as well! Literally!

To try and keep warm during this time, we’d turn the oven on and open the door to let the heat warm the living space of our tiny flat. We baked a good bit (needless to say, I’ve put on a few pounds as a result) but we finally had to succumb and purchase blankets and an electric space heater even though we’ve been trying hard not to spend money on things that we’ll just be leaving behind in a few months time. Finally the first of September drew nigh and we thought we were home free, this date being the first day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

As if by magic, plants and trees that looked utterly spent have begun to sprout leaves and the most exquisite and exotic blossoms. We’ve had to really rethink our understanding of the workings of the natural world during this time. For us in the Northern Hemisphere who understand that April showers bring May flowers, we are taken aback with the complete lack of rain prior to the onslaught of Spring. It hasn’t rained in months and won’t do so we’re told until November and yet trees have begun to green up and the flowers are popping out everywhere. Nights had begun to get warmer too. We had even broken a sweat at the first session of baseball practice we’d conducted at WIS. But lo and behold today we are experiencing what older Namibians refer to as the Eisheiligen. I’m not sure the origin of the word, whether German or Africaaner, but it roughly translates as the Ice Saints. Suddenly, the wind has begun to blow up from the South (yes, it’s the South wind that brings the cold here) and we’ve had to break out the sweaters again. I’m on my third warm beverage this morning and I can’t feel my toes in my shoes at the moment. We’ve got baseball practice again this afternoon and I hope the wind mellows before we get out on the field to toss the ball around. The Eisheiligen, we’re told won’t last long and the lovely spring weather should return shortly but a true Louisianian, I like my weather warm!

Please take note, with the Spring came the return to Daylight Saving Time here, so we are now 7 hours ahead of Central Time/ Louisiana & Iowa time. That is until you guys go back to standard time in October when the differential will again change!

Photo above: Annie celebrates her 6th birthday on a lovely Namibian Spring Day. We'd have been sweltering back in Louisiana.

Gus Goes to the Namibian National Science Fair

The National Science Fair of Namibia begins tomorrow, September 8, and Gus will be there. His bird project has taken him far and he’ll present his findings to the judges on Wednesday. Being held once again in the exam basement at the Polytechnique, Augustus is beginning to feel like an old pro at this business. What a wonderful experience for him as students from around the country will be there mingling and sharing their findings as well as their culture. We wish him the best of luck!
The pictures above are of the Long-Tailed Paradise-Whydah and the Southern Red Bishop.

Hippo Talk

Ndhovu Lodge, Rundu, Otjiwarongo & Ole Bess

While at Ndhovu we went on two game drives, one with Horst in the Bwabwata National Park, the other on our own in the Mahango Game Park. We saw a wide variety of wildlife in both: hippos, crocodiles, kudu, roan and sable antelope, water monitor, vervet monkeys, elephants, water buffalo galore and even a python. Although not in evidence in the same numbers as in Etosha, we did feel like we had seen more types of birds and animals than in our previous experience. In Mahango, we even had an elephant just about charge into us as he was wanting to cross over to the other side of the road just at the spot we had stopped the vehicle. We managed to get Ole Bess cranked up and out of his way just in the nick of time. The kids found that to be very exciting and Augustus was able to get a number up close and personal shots of him as he nearly grazed the Rover. He didn’t appear too angry though, so Reid was thinking that maybe we could have waited him out another click or two….I for one am glad that we made our escape when we did. Saw huge Baobab trees along the drive and were treated to dancing and singing by the lodge staff at Ndhovu after dinner that evening. Speaking of Ole Bess, well what kind of adventure would it be without some sort of input on her part? After our game drive in Mahango, Reid noticed that the steering was getting a bit tight. He got under her and discovered that the power steering line was leaking rather badly. Reid made mention of our circumstances to one of the staff, who in turn radioed Horst, in town to pick up provisions, who picked up some power steering fluid for the old girl. What was to be done about the leak, however? Horst indicated that we could get the line repaired in Divundu. Divundu, readers, is about the size of Morganza and then again I might be exaggerating. Next door to the Engen combined petrol station and supermarket is the 435 Garage. This place looks more like a car graveyard than a repair shop. It consists basically of a shack with a few tables containing tools with derelict cars and car parts strewn willy-nilly about the yard. Reid stood around for about 5 minutes before anyone appeared. When the guys did so, they were fairly efficient but had to send the line off to someone else to have it brazed---ah, the weak link in the repair process. Needless to say, the repair did not remain repaired for very long and we found ourselves in the same circumstances of having a leaking power steering line when we arrived in Rundu some hours later after picnicking briefly at Poppa Falls. Rundu, a hodge podge sort of town with its people spilling out into its streets everywhere hasn’t got a whole lot to offer to its tourists, but we did find a competent mechanic there who got Ole Bess back in her running shoes. Rundu sits on the South side of the Kavango River across from Angola. We took a boat ride with the lodge where we were staying and got a good deal of insight into the everyday life of the people on the Angola side. There were loads of fishing boats made from what looked to be dug out tree trunks, some being used to ferry passengers to Namibia, others for their intended purpose. Since it was nearly sundown, many of the villagers were bathing, brushing teeth and washing clothes in the shallows and on the river bank--the children splashing happily, oblivious to their poverty. The Kavango is also the source of their drinking water so it’s a good thing that it flows rather rapidly at this point given the heavy usage it gets by the local inhabitants. Rundu offered a glimpse to our kids of the Africa with which Reid and I had been acquainted through our Peace Corps experience. It’s a place that has largely escaped the influences that Windhoek and environs were subjected to and as a result retains its “disorganized” qualities that lend a certain charm to the town. Stopped in Tsumeb on the next leg of our journey. Tsumeb is a pretty little old mining town that is well kept and one can still find lots of interesting stones and minerals in the vicinity. Of course, Augustus obtained several new acquisitions to his rock collection. Visited the museum there and had lunch at a “biergarten.” Stayed the night in Otjiwarongo and toured the Crocodile Farm in the morning. Would have had lunch there, where what else but crocodile is featured heavily on the menu, but Annie got sick so we headed back to Windhoek. Were glad to get back to our temporary home sweet home and a functioning washing machine after so many days on the road!

Sleeping with the Hippos

After our interlude at Roy's, we headed up to the Caprivi Strip, a little narrow thumb-like projection on the Northeastern corner of Namibia that touches Angola, Zambia and Botswana. The area is noted for its diversity of wildlife, open-flowing rivers and angling appeal. Our fellow Fulbrighter family, the Powells, had recently been through the area on their way to Victoria Falls and had stayed at a very cool lodge called Ndhovu where the guests are housed in Lobatse military style tents with a detached bath. The tents aren’t in the least bit Spartan, however. They are well appointed with embroidered linens, thick wool floor rugs and sparkling white mosquito netting. We seized the opportunity and capitalized on the Powell’s tip and scheduled 4 days and 3 nights there. We weren’t disappointed.
The main attraction of the lodge is that it sits right on the banks of the Okavango River. There just so happens to be a grassy island right in front of the lodge where a herd of hippos hang out for out 7 months of the year. Our tent was located just opposite the island and we were able to almost literally sleep with the 15 or so hippos that make it their home. Most were mothers with nursing calves. What a treat! The great part is that they’re nocturnal and so as we drifted off to sleep each night, we could hear them milling about in the river and on the bank right in front of our tent. They’ve got the strangest call that resembles the laugh of Jabba the Hut on StarWars.
Additionally, the owner of the lodge, Horst Koch, is very hands-on. He sits and has meals with the guests, takes them out on game drives and will even fetch supplies for one’s broken-down vehicle when necessary. (More about the Adventures of Ole Bess later). Horst is a wealth of knowledge and information and just a downright nice fella. He still owns a farm near Windhoek, but his heart is with the lodge in Divundu and that’s where he spends most of his time. His children live in different places around the world, so he’s got some work to do to get them to come back and take over the farm and free himself up entirely for life in the “unorganized sector” of Namibia.
Indeed, this area of Namibia is vastly different from the Central and Southern districts. The population is much denser up here. Many still live in traditional homesteads that can easily be seen from the road. Non-existent are the huge 20,000 hectare farms like in the South and life appears to be much more hard scrabble for people who engage in subsistence farming. The people must battle malaria here as well. No easy task when there is little money for prophylactic medication. Things aren’t as clean here as in the Windhoek area either and there is often trash on the roadsides especially near the larger towns. It is nonetheless a most interesting place to visit and we enjoyed it thoroughly.