Namibia "finally"

Well, we finally reached Namibia! We traveled 7,500 Km. (4660 miles). Now that's a lot of road. Namibia is a relatively big country for Africa. It is 318,250 sq. miles. Mostly arid, it is a country of remarkable contrast. Below are some examples of the landscapes.

This is Damaraland. It is really wild. Open spaces and very few people. Namibia has a population of less than 2 million people.

This is the Namib desert. The center photo was one of our campsites. Balloon trips are available as well as guided tours if you are into that kind of thing.

This is the tallest sand dune in the world. More than 1000 feet high.

The area is also famous for its ROCK ART. Not John Lennon, but the San People. The pictures are more than 5,000 years old.

This rock art was done by HUGH HEFNER about the same time period. You can only look at so much rock art. We moved on. Etosha is the jewel of game reserves in Southern Africa. It has the largest population of BLACK RHINO in the world. Sorry for the poor quality of photos but everything had to be done at night with a flash and without lights to focus with. It was hit or miss. Here are some Black Rhinos at Etosha.

Black Rhinos are different from White Rhinos in the sense that they shoot first and ask questions later. A Black Rhino will not back down from anything. Including a Bull Elephant. Black Rhinos are killed by Bull Elephants in full musk from time to time. It is the difference between a Black Bear and a Grizzly. You have to be careful around them.

These two decided to duke it out in the water hole.

Young bull elephants are always sparing. They love to test their strength on each other. Mothers watching their babies will not put up with horse play around the little ones. One grunt from a big female is enough to make the teenagers play somewhere else.

Elephants love the water. It is a real luxury in the desert. They never miss a day at the water hole. You can set your watch by it. 4 P.M. and everyone needs to move over.

Many of the grazing animals will wade out into the pond to drink cleaner water. The edges are usually too muddy from all the activity.

This is a male Damara Dik Dik. They are not a common sight. They are bush dwellers and are very shy.

This one is a female. They are about the size of a medium sized dog.

Predators abound in Etosha. Lions, Cheetahs, Jackals, Hyenas, etc. All can be seen if you have the patience to wait them out.

This big male decided to take a rest right "in" the water hole. Too bad for the other thirsty animals. He is the top predator in the reserve.

Sometimes you get lucky and get a rare pose like this one.

 This Leopard was a rare sighting. Pepi saw this one through her lens by accident.

 This Genet Cat was chasing a mouse in a huge bush. I walked around until I got lucky. Here he is above. The mouse is below.

 A Chameleon!

This was one of the lodges we stayed at. It was an old fort converted into a lodge, restaurant and various shops.

This girl is from the Herero tribe. They suffered under colonial rule. Their wealth is in their cattle. Her head set resembles the horns of a cow. They are very colorful and friendly people.

The Himba are very interesting. Something attracted me to this girl right away. It probably was her "Mona Lisa" smile!

The Himba "never" bathe or wash their hair. I'm always looking for a good business opportunity. However, I instinctively knew a bath boutique, hair saloon, or topless bar was not going to be a big money maker around there. We moved on.

This is a banded mongoose. Ever wonder how we get such great close ups?

Now you know!

Hiking in the rocks is great exercise. The little animals you see in the rocks are very interesting. Below is a Damaraland Rock Dossie.

Its nearest relative is the elephant. No kidding, look it up!
 This old bull is this guys next of kin!

This is the CAPE CROSS FUR SEAL COLONY. Right on the Atlantic Ocean.

This pup is having a lunch break.

We drove across Africa from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean right along the Tropic of Capricorn through South Africa, the Kalahari and Namibia.

Made it! Except for some poor judgement on a salt flat we had no problems.

This was a great trip but after all that driving I plan on taking a little break from all the fun. Our next trip will be a quickie! I'll keep you posted.

Travelling in Southern Africa

Many of my friends ask me what it is really like traveling in Southern Africa. I usually say "It's like everywhere else, but different!" Does that make sense?

Well for example we all read in the local papers about shootings, robberies, gang violence etc, etc. Most of us are tired of reading about it. Now here in Africa the local paper sometimes runs some interesting events. Here is one you might enjoy reading.

Now that must have been some race. 

They have a president here by the name of Jacob Zuma. He lacks any formal education but he does have a birth certificate.

These are three of his five wives. There is a young black kid that works at the filling station where I filled my car. I told him I like the idea of multiple wives. I said" I'm going to try and join the Zulus and see if I can get a few extra wives." He looked at me for a minute and then said, "You had better apply by fax."

A good friend of mine sent me an email from Florida, USA. He says he has never seen so many people standing on street corners with signs begging for money. We have that as well. Here are a few I thought you might enjoy.

Ever wonder why Africans are so good a sports. It is because they practice all the time.

The police are strict here. It is a dangerous job. They have to enforce safety laws and protect themselves at all times.

They have many fast food restaurants. McDonalds, KFC, Spur etc. One very popular restaurant is Nandos.

I was watching a TV series the other night. It's called PIMP MY RIDE. It is about guys that take old vehicles and customize them. They have that here too!

Apple is doing a great job with ipods, computers, and such. I heard Google is going to buy motorola. Here is the African version of an ipod.

Girls are getting more aggressive every day. It isn't unusual to find one that will grab you right where it hurts. Check this chick out.

On the news it said many girls are turning to exotic dancing to make money for college. Some girls reportedly make $500.00 USD per night or more! I don't know how much this girl makes but she is worth every penny.

II have been watching political activists on the news lately. Syria, Libya, Greece, all over. Here is how they handle them in South Africa.

Well so much for this history. Like I said, It's all the same, just different!! Take care and have a great week.