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!
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