Well as the title might suggest we have had a fantastic few days packed with fun, gorgeous mountains, and massive sand dunes. Since the start of our trip we have gone through 2 cars and have travelled a total of 4,500 miles. We have just under 4 weeks left and have already scene things I have dreamt about my entire life.
Saturday morning we left Windoak early and headed south west to Sousuvle near the coast. That is where the worlds highest sand dunes are. The drive was only 300 kilometers but we were driving through mountain passes and on dirt roads the whole way so it took a little over 8 hours. As we traversed the mountain passes heading deep into the Namibian desert we were accompanied by gorgeous views of the African Veld.
The roads in Namibia are very interesting indeed. There are 4 or 5 main roads in the country and they are pretty much the only tarred roads. All the other roads are a mixture of dirt, gravel, rocks, and sand. Some are decent others are horrendous. The quality often changes in the blink of an eye. It is a big country with a small population. For the majority of our drive yesterday we were the only car we saw.
We arrived to the place we were going to camp around 4 o-clock with a thick film of dust all over our bodies. I was too tired to shower so I lied down and read my book ina hammock looking up at the mountains. The sun started to set around 715 and so we headed up into the mountains to get a better view. The sun melted in open veld in front of us turning the entire sky orange. We headed back to our camp and started a fire. As we sat back with our feet up we just happened to be facing east the dirrectino the moon was to rise. the sky was completely black and then we watched as a full moon,as bright as I have ever seen in my life, seemed to rise from inside the moutnains we were looking at. It was by far one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. Without trying to sound corny it literally took my breath away with how beautiful it was.
We went to bed early that night because the following morning we were going to get up at 430 to drive to the highest sand dunes int he world to watch the sunrise. We awoke and started driving west. We could have driven without our lights and only with the light from the moon (I would have done this if I was not nervous about hitting one of the many animals along the way).
If you have ever seen a picture of Namibia it is sure to have a shot of the sussuvle sand dunes in it. They are bright red and over 300 meters high (about 1000 feet). When the sun rose over the dunes the colors changed hughs before our eyes (I will put pictures up when I get back to the US the Internet is too slow here). We hiked to the top of the dunes and ran down, or rather ran/tumbled down. We then went to a place called dead vle. it was nearby and as we walked over the dunes to see what they call dead vle. This was a place of erie beauty. It is a dried up pond which is an off white. The trees have all been dead for thousands of years and they are still standing. It is completely surrounded with towering red sand dunes and that led into the cloudless blue sky. the entire place reminded me of a children's book. None of it seemed real, it was just too massive, too gorgeous, too amazing.
Yesterday we drove to sacomond in the north west. The drive only took about 5 hours and when we arrived we went in search of the flamencos we had heard about. Well, we did not have to search far. as soon as we got to the coast we could see them. In fact it was hard to see the water. There were thousands upon thousands of flamencos all various sizes and colors. We hung out with them for a little while and then found the place where we were going to camp. This morning we woke up for a day I have been waiting for for a long time. The day of sand dune surfing!!! We got picked up at 930 and headed out to the dunes. The city is surrounded by miles and miles of sand. The sand looks similar to the ocean except frozen and yellow. We were issued our sand boards and we hiked to the top of the dunes. I strapped in and point my board south. It was amazing flying down the sand trapped a board. My next run I thought I was professional enough to launch myself off the huge jump built into the sand. Well I launched myself for sure but there was nothing professional about it. I landed on my face to the shouts and cheers of everyone watching. I got it caught on video so that helped take some of the sting away.
We sand boarded the rest of the day but I kept clear of the suicidal jump. They also had sand sleds which I think I liked even better. It is a piece of thick card board and you down and slide face first. My first run I made it up to 61 kph but my second run I blew that speed away when I clocked in at 70 KPH. I was sweet indeed. We are headed off to Etsosha national park tomorrow to find the elusive cheetah, leopard, and LIONS!!! Not sure if I am going to have internet for the next few weeks but we will see...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Cape town to Namibia
So shortly after my last entry we hit the road and headed north. We are now in Windhoek which is the capital of Namibia (about in the center of the country). Windhoek is approximately 1700 kilometers from Cape Town. The road between these two places is straight and there is absolutely nothing. except for to gorgeous canyons there is nothing but open flat land. The road goes straight and flat. It is impossible to know where the land ends and the sky begins. Even out there in the middle of nowhere we saw a pack of ostriches running across the road and drove through a group of baboons.
It took us about two and half days to get to where we are now. Yesterday morning we were in Springbock which is in northern South Africa. When I woke up I had a minor sore throat. I did not think too much of it but nonetheless I took good care of it. After driving all day and finding all the places we wanted to go either closed or abandoned we went to a small town and found a place to set up our tent. At night I only slept about 15 minutes at a time. I could feel my throat getting worse be the minute. When I woke up I took my temperature, saw that I had a fever, and realized I needed to go to the hospital. Now one thing I was hoping to avoid while in Africa was an African hospital. I however had no choice. We looked at our map and saw there was a hospital about 10 minutes away. When we were pulling up to it I was relived because it was a rather large building. As we got closer however my feelings and perceptions changed. The security gates to the hospital were closed and it was apparent someone had tired to force them open. I could see the windows of the hospital broken and there were bullet holes in the guard tower. It was pretty easy to surmise the hospital was no longer functioning and I needed to find another one.
The closest hospital or medical treatment was a 5 hour drive to the north. For me that was no problem at all because I had the transportation, the time and the money to make the trip. If I was one of the people living here there would have been nothing I could have done.
We are going to plan out our next couple of weeks tomorrow as I rest up an give the antibiotics time to kick in (I have tonsillitis) and then we are off exploring again.
It took us about two and half days to get to where we are now. Yesterday morning we were in Springbock which is in northern South Africa. When I woke up I had a minor sore throat. I did not think too much of it but nonetheless I took good care of it. After driving all day and finding all the places we wanted to go either closed or abandoned we went to a small town and found a place to set up our tent. At night I only slept about 15 minutes at a time. I could feel my throat getting worse be the minute. When I woke up I took my temperature, saw that I had a fever, and realized I needed to go to the hospital. Now one thing I was hoping to avoid while in Africa was an African hospital. I however had no choice. We looked at our map and saw there was a hospital about 10 minutes away. When we were pulling up to it I was relived because it was a rather large building. As we got closer however my feelings and perceptions changed. The security gates to the hospital were closed and it was apparent someone had tired to force them open. I could see the windows of the hospital broken and there were bullet holes in the guard tower. It was pretty easy to surmise the hospital was no longer functioning and I needed to find another one.
The closest hospital or medical treatment was a 5 hour drive to the north. For me that was no problem at all because I had the transportation, the time and the money to make the trip. If I was one of the people living here there would have been nothing I could have done.
We are going to plan out our next couple of weeks tomorrow as I rest up an give the antibiotics time to kick in (I have tonsillitis) and then we are off exploring again.
Monday, November 19, 2007
cape town
We have been in Cape Town now for about 3 days and it is a very cool place. The best way I can describe it is a mix between Madrid and Bourbon street in New Orleans. It has a very European and cosmopolitan feel to it. Our first night here we went to a flaminco show which was quite good. We drove along the coast which looks very tropical and hung out at the beach for a while. Yesterday we went to a day spa which was amazing. I got an hour swedish massage and then we hung out and used all of their facilities. There was a salt pool that was fashioned after the black sea. You lie on your back and you float without any trouble. The whole spa was on a bluff overlooking the ocean.
Cape Town is definetly a city that I could live in however, I am ready to get out of here. I did not come to Africa to see the cities but rather to see the wilds. I am ready to get back out in nature and listen to the birds instead of the cars. We are taking off in a few minutes for Namibia which everyone we talk to says is amazing. In Namibia they have the highest sand dunes in the world and I can't wait to get there and sand surf down them. THey also say you have to wear your sunglasses at night because the stars are so bright!!!
Cape Town is definetly a city that I could live in however, I am ready to get out of here. I did not come to Africa to see the cities but rather to see the wilds. I am ready to get back out in nature and listen to the birds instead of the cars. We are taking off in a few minutes for Namibia which everyone we talk to says is amazing. In Namibia they have the highest sand dunes in the world and I can't wait to get there and sand surf down them. THey also say you have to wear your sunglasses at night because the stars are so bright!!!
Friday, November 16, 2007
hair don't
guest author today .... luke
our mom was complaining about zak's new hair and beard style, so i decided the brotherly thing to do was take some heat off him .... zak, make sure to let me know when you get a new tattoo. just don't get that one on your nectk, not sure i can one-up that ...
our mom was complaining about zak's new hair and beard style, so i decided the brotherly thing to do was take some heat off him .... zak, make sure to let me know when you get a new tattoo. just don't get that one on your nectk, not sure i can one-up that ...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Losutho, the mountain kingdom
A few days ago we went to the mighty Drakensburgh mountains that border Losutho. Losutho is one of the smallest countries in the world and it is completely surrounded by South Africa. It is truly a mountain kingdom and their #1 export is Marijuana. On the eastern border of Losutho is the fore mentioned Drakensburgh mountains. It literally means Dragon mountains. The whole region is dirt roads and many of these roads you need a 4X4 to traverse. We went to the Sani Pass in the Lower Berg. Our goal was to cross the pass into Losutho early in the morning and return before the border closes at 4pm. On the day we were supposed to embark on our trip a massive thunderstorm blocked our way. This ended up being an omen because we spent the day lieing in hammocks, reading, relaxing, and watching the storm. It was a well needed rest as we have not stopped moving since we flew into the country.
The following day the weather behaved much better. We set out a little after daybreak to attempt the pass. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The jagged mountains were covered in mist high on the horizon. We had been camping at 4,500 feet and the border crossing was at 6,000 feet. The road twisted through the mountains and was probably one of the scariest roads I have ever been on. When we reached the top the weather must have dropped to about 35 degrees. We went to a local village and ate some fresh made bread. The views had changed dramatically and the mountains gave way to open valleys with grazing sheep.
We headed back down to our camp site and passed through the border with South Africa with 10 minutes to spare. The next day we woke up early and headed back to the shore to get the chill out of our bones.
The following day the weather behaved much better. We set out a little after daybreak to attempt the pass. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The jagged mountains were covered in mist high on the horizon. We had been camping at 4,500 feet and the border crossing was at 6,000 feet. The road twisted through the mountains and was probably one of the scariest roads I have ever been on. When we reached the top the weather must have dropped to about 35 degrees. We went to a local village and ate some fresh made bread. The views had changed dramatically and the mountains gave way to open valleys with grazing sheep.
We headed back down to our camp site and passed through the border with South Africa with 10 minutes to spare. The next day we woke up early and headed back to the shore to get the chill out of our bones.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Poverty
the coutnry has a facade of being in good shape but it is really a complete disaster. today after almost three weeks of being here I saw the first affluent house. I have seen medium sized homes and they are always surrounded by shanty towns, cow dung houses, houses constructed out of metal tins or anything the poeple could find. The HIV rate of the people ages 15-30 is something like 60%. Parents are dieing off from AIDS and the country is raising a generation of children without parents. Many people do not believe that the anti retral drugs work at all; they instead prefer to go to their local healers. The man who is most likely to be the next president is notorious for having sex with HIV infected women because he believes that if you shower afterwards you can't become infected. If a man of education, money, and fame thinks this way the millions of people who have zero education must believe it as well.
About five years ago there was a rumor going around in this country that if you had sex with a virgin you would be cured of HIV. This led to thousands of men raping girls as young as 5 years old.
I went hiking with a guy I met the other day to a water fall out in the jungle. When we got there we went straight to the top and jumped the 30 feet or so into the pool underneath. When he took his shirt off I noticed a massive scar on his side. It was 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. I asked him what happened and he told a story that I am sure is an everyday occurance here. Seven years ago he was in his township and got into a fight with another guy over a girl. He won the fight but the guy he was fighting had been circumsized whereas he had not been. In the xhosa tradition (same tribe as Nelson Mandela) you are not a man until you have been circumsized. The guy then went to get a knife and stabbed my buddy to try to save some face. I asked him why he did not go a hospital and he said he had already lost so much blood he did not want to lose his money as well. It would have been too expensive for him to take transportation to the hospital to get treatment. He then went on to say that he wanted to press charges but it would have cost him too much money as well. He would have had to pay to get to town, pay for court fees, and pay for lunch while he was in town. He did not have the money so the guy did not get into trouble.
Driving along the highway you pass through villages of postage stamp sized houses. I have been in bathrooms bigger than these houses where 10 people could be living. Many people seem happy despite the poverty but sometimes you can see the desperation in peoples faces. A look of helplessness, misery, and fear. Some people look as if they reached the end of their limit and have given up.
I have seen poverty before traveling but it has never had this type of effect on me. It could be that it has been building inside of me or it could be that here it is just everywhere.
I would not change the privelages I have had my entire life. Having said that it does not seem fair that one person can have so much and millions of others have nothing. There are millions of people living with no electricity, water, food, work, safety, or education. Without education these people will have no weapon to better themselves.
These are just some of my thoughts that have been going through my head on my travels. My next entry will have some of the adventrues I have been going on.
About five years ago there was a rumor going around in this country that if you had sex with a virgin you would be cured of HIV. This led to thousands of men raping girls as young as 5 years old.
I went hiking with a guy I met the other day to a water fall out in the jungle. When we got there we went straight to the top and jumped the 30 feet or so into the pool underneath. When he took his shirt off I noticed a massive scar on his side. It was 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. I asked him what happened and he told a story that I am sure is an everyday occurance here. Seven years ago he was in his township and got into a fight with another guy over a girl. He won the fight but the guy he was fighting had been circumsized whereas he had not been. In the xhosa tradition (same tribe as Nelson Mandela) you are not a man until you have been circumsized. The guy then went to get a knife and stabbed my buddy to try to save some face. I asked him why he did not go a hospital and he said he had already lost so much blood he did not want to lose his money as well. It would have been too expensive for him to take transportation to the hospital to get treatment. He then went on to say that he wanted to press charges but it would have cost him too much money as well. He would have had to pay to get to town, pay for court fees, and pay for lunch while he was in town. He did not have the money so the guy did not get into trouble.
Driving along the highway you pass through villages of postage stamp sized houses. I have been in bathrooms bigger than these houses where 10 people could be living. Many people seem happy despite the poverty but sometimes you can see the desperation in peoples faces. A look of helplessness, misery, and fear. Some people look as if they reached the end of their limit and have given up.
I have seen poverty before traveling but it has never had this type of effect on me. It could be that it has been building inside of me or it could be that here it is just everywhere.
I would not change the privelages I have had my entire life. Having said that it does not seem fair that one person can have so much and millions of others have nothing. There are millions of people living with no electricity, water, food, work, safety, or education. Without education these people will have no weapon to better themselves.
These are just some of my thoughts that have been going through my head on my travels. My next entry will have some of the adventrues I have been going on.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Zulu Land
So we decided not to go scuba diving. Too much money and too many other things to see. We went to Zululand 3 days ago. When we first got there we set up camp in a small town called eshawe. After we pitched our tent we went to the local brewery to plan out our time there and see who we could meet. We were having a beer and a local guy came up and sat down next to us. I started talking to him and asking questions about the area. We hit it off and he invited us to go to a coming of age ceremony (similar to an engagement party) the next day. The following day we went for a walk in the forest and then around 12 headed out into the village. It was about 30 miles on dirt mountain roads to get to where we were going. Our car barely made it up some passes and we bottomed out many times. We Finlay arrived and the scenery was amazing. I know understand why Hemingway always talked about the green hills of Africa; The mountains were dramatically green spotted with mud house villages. When we first got there (we were the only white people) they brought us Zulu beer in black pottery for us to drink. It did not taste like any other beer I have ever had. you had to kneel down and blow off the top before drinking. After that they brought us a delicacy. I knew exactly what it was but I did not want to ask (plus there was an enormous language barrier; they spoke a few words of English but mainly just Zulu which is a clicking language). They cut us up some meet and we took a few bites. they then cut up the testicle and liquid spurted everywhere. What we ate was the scrotum. I can't really say that it was tasty but it was interesting.
After we ate the ceremony started and we went outside and sat down on a hill. Below us were all the women aged 8-22 dancing, chanting and singing. The available women danced bare breasted and the taken women (or the women that were too young) had tops on. The men and women were in separate groups and there was almost no interaction between the two groups. the men had spears and shields and they were chanting and singing. There were a lot of rituals going on that we did not understand but it was fascinating nonetheless. Groups of men, sometimes 100-200 at a time, would come out of no where chanting and banging their shields with their spears. They would then donate money to the wife to be. She would get on her hands and knees and they would pin it to her head. This money would then be given to her husband to be so he could pay her dowry. The dowry is 11 cows which costs about $6,600.
The whole experience was amazing. The houses these people lived in were made out of mud with dirt floors. Children had to walk to the one school for sometimes 2 hours. There were no pens, no paper, no materials for these kids to do any work with. Seeing the way people live here and other places I have been really makes me realize how blessed I have been in my life to have all the things that I have.
I am in Durban now which is a beach town and am headed up to drakensbugh tomorrow to do some hiking. That could all change in the morning but I think the plan will stay in place. I have taken a lot of photos and will put them up online as soon as I can. I shaved a Mohawk into my head the other day and a fu-man-chew into my beard. It looks hilarious and I love it.
I need to get going but a quick note on a driving hear.
We have done about 1700 miles at this point and it is very interesting indeed. I have to drive on the left side of the road and on the left side of the car. While driving down the highway there will sometimes be 12 inch deep pot holes that take up the entire lane. I have to dodge all sorts of animals, everything from cows, goats, to zebras, and giraffes all while driving sometimes 50 miles an hour. The people also walk down the side of the highway. This next bit is going to sound a little scary but keep in mind that I am in another part of the world. and am driving how they drive here. With that said... the other day I was driving down the highway and passing a vehicle with oncoming traffic over a double yellow line speeding into a military road block. I got pulled over and the soldier (or cop or whatever he was wielding his ak-47) told me that I should not be doing that and sent me on my way. Then 3 days later I got pulled over in Swaziland and the cop came over to me and talked for about 5 minutes about where I was from and how to have as much fun as possible while in Africa. He then told me I had been speeding and gave me the maximum fine of $8.
More stories to come soon.
By the way it is too expensive for me to proof read these entries so I am sure there are plenty of mistakes.
After we ate the ceremony started and we went outside and sat down on a hill. Below us were all the women aged 8-22 dancing, chanting and singing. The available women danced bare breasted and the taken women (or the women that were too young) had tops on. The men and women were in separate groups and there was almost no interaction between the two groups. the men had spears and shields and they were chanting and singing. There were a lot of rituals going on that we did not understand but it was fascinating nonetheless. Groups of men, sometimes 100-200 at a time, would come out of no where chanting and banging their shields with their spears. They would then donate money to the wife to be. She would get on her hands and knees and they would pin it to her head. This money would then be given to her husband to be so he could pay her dowry. The dowry is 11 cows which costs about $6,600.
The whole experience was amazing. The houses these people lived in were made out of mud with dirt floors. Children had to walk to the one school for sometimes 2 hours. There were no pens, no paper, no materials for these kids to do any work with. Seeing the way people live here and other places I have been really makes me realize how blessed I have been in my life to have all the things that I have.
I am in Durban now which is a beach town and am headed up to drakensbugh tomorrow to do some hiking. That could all change in the morning but I think the plan will stay in place. I have taken a lot of photos and will put them up online as soon as I can. I shaved a Mohawk into my head the other day and a fu-man-chew into my beard. It looks hilarious and I love it.
I need to get going but a quick note on a driving hear.
We have done about 1700 miles at this point and it is very interesting indeed. I have to drive on the left side of the road and on the left side of the car. While driving down the highway there will sometimes be 12 inch deep pot holes that take up the entire lane. I have to dodge all sorts of animals, everything from cows, goats, to zebras, and giraffes all while driving sometimes 50 miles an hour. The people also walk down the side of the highway. This next bit is going to sound a little scary but keep in mind that I am in another part of the world. and am driving how they drive here. With that said... the other day I was driving down the highway and passing a vehicle with oncoming traffic over a double yellow line speeding into a military road block. I got pulled over and the soldier (or cop or whatever he was wielding his ak-47) told me that I should not be doing that and sent me on my way. Then 3 days later I got pulled over in Swaziland and the cop came over to me and talked for about 5 minutes about where I was from and how to have as much fun as possible while in Africa. He then told me I had been speeding and gave me the maximum fine of $8.
More stories to come soon.
By the way it is too expensive for me to proof read these entries so I am sure there are plenty of mistakes.
Sorry this is the right number
send text messages if you want or call. finally this is the right number 011 27 76 739 5211
Friday, November 2, 2007
Swaziland, a Mountain Kingdom
We have been on a few different safaris in a few different places. There is an absolute plethora of animals on this continent. Here is a list of some of the things we have seen:
monkeys
impalas fighting
baboons mating (10 ft from us)
herds of elephants
herds of giraffes
herds of Zebras
huge herd of African wild dogs (5 ft from us)
Dung beadle rolling a ball of dung
water buck
wildebeest
warthog
white rhinos
hyenas and babies
Guinea fowl
sable
hippos
crocs
We have not seen any cats yet but we will be on many more safaris before this trip is out. We are headed up to Namibia in about 3 weeks where they have the largest concentration of cheetahs.
Three days ago we were in Swaziland camping in the mwilani wild life sanctuary. When we woke we saw Zebras grazing in the valley. IN the morning we went on a 3 hour self guided safari around the park. It was probably one of the most amazing walks I have ever done. The scenery was stunning and we were surround by everything from Zebras to Warthogs to wildebeest. At one point we had to pick up sticks to fend off a bird that was dive bombing us.
We are now in St lucia south africa. Two nights ago when we were walking back to our tent we herd a noise on the other side of the tree line. We went over to investigate and there was a pod of hippos walking no more than 15 ft away. This and everything else has been surreal.
South Africa has amazing scenery. The crazy thing about it is that it can change within a couple miles into something completely different from what you had been seeing. We have rented a car for 2 months and have already put 1500 miles on it. It is not the cheapest way to travel but it gives us the flexibility to see and do what we want to. Today we are headed to sodwana bay where we will be scuba diving for 5 days. They supposedly have some of the best diving in the world. We'll see....
I'll write more soon
monkeys
impalas fighting
baboons mating (10 ft from us)
herds of elephants
herds of giraffes
herds of Zebras
huge herd of African wild dogs (5 ft from us)
Dung beadle rolling a ball of dung
water buck
wildebeest
warthog
white rhinos
hyenas and babies
Guinea fowl
sable
hippos
crocs
We have not seen any cats yet but we will be on many more safaris before this trip is out. We are headed up to Namibia in about 3 weeks where they have the largest concentration of cheetahs.
Three days ago we were in Swaziland camping in the mwilani wild life sanctuary. When we woke we saw Zebras grazing in the valley. IN the morning we went on a 3 hour self guided safari around the park. It was probably one of the most amazing walks I have ever done. The scenery was stunning and we were surround by everything from Zebras to Warthogs to wildebeest. At one point we had to pick up sticks to fend off a bird that was dive bombing us.
We are now in St lucia south africa. Two nights ago when we were walking back to our tent we herd a noise on the other side of the tree line. We went over to investigate and there was a pod of hippos walking no more than 15 ft away. This and everything else has been surreal.
South Africa has amazing scenery. The crazy thing about it is that it can change within a couple miles into something completely different from what you had been seeing. We have rented a car for 2 months and have already put 1500 miles on it. It is not the cheapest way to travel but it gives us the flexibility to see and do what we want to. Today we are headed to sodwana bay where we will be scuba diving for 5 days. They supposedly have some of the best diving in the world. We'll see....
I'll write more soon
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