Stuart and Amanda Charles Tour Africa

We departed Luderitz and made our way south for the last few days of our trip on the road to Cape Town. It was beginning to sink in that our trip was drawing to a close and we kept saying things like this time next week we will be on the plane and this time in 10 days we will be back at work etc. We were subsequently berated by our trip mates for uttering that evil 4 letter “w” word.

The temperature over the last week or so had soared to around 35-40 C as it is summer in Namibia and we were in the desert so it was welcome relief to find a swimming pool at our next camp site next to the 3rd largest canyon in the world at Fish River. Many campsites we have visited throughout our trip have had some kind of resident wildlife which have lived alongside the guests; Fishermans campsite at Naivasha with herds of grazing hippos; Simba at Ngorogoro with herds of Zebra and thirsty elephants; In Chobe there were warthogs and baboons wandering around, looking to steal whatever they can from unwitting tourists; In Etosha jackals would circle the cooking area scavenging for any leftovers from our cooking; Soususvlei had Ostriches and Jackals skirting the edge of the camp perimeter. This campsite seemed to have a chronic moth problem as well as hoards of hairy caterpillers. Some seemed to be suicidal as they dived bombed the pool and subsequently drowned, but the bastards got everywhere including our tent and drying clothes.

We got up early next morning and made our way to the Fish River Canyon to admire the views. It was undoubtedly impressive with stunning views across the so called “Devils Corner” but somehow it wasn’t particularly memorable for us at least, perhaps because we have been spoilt with so many better incredible views already on the trip. Unfortunately the path down to the canyon floor was closed off because someone (american most likely) slipped a couple of years ago, broke her leg and sued. This meant it was literally walk to one of the two look out points, take photos then go back to the campsite which is a shame as it would have probably been much better had we been able to walk through the canyon floor.

A short drive that afternoon took us to our last campsite in Namibia near the Orange River and it was very exciting to see we would be camping on grass again; the first grass campsite in weeks after the sand and dust of the desert. The activity here was canoeing on the orange river which was pleasant with some pretty views but thankfully nothing like the adrenaline rush of the Zambezi rafting although there were a couple of tiny grade 2 rapids. These gave the boat no more than a few bumps but we still embarrassingly nearly managed to capsize as we incorrectly followed our over enthusiastic friend Jeremy who had pushed on ahead rather than the guide and we collided with a rock, a consequence of being on the wrong line. We were stuck there at a bit of an awkward angle and were then struck by a boat behind us and started filling up with water, but we just got away with an early bath as we wiggled ourselves free from the rock and then bailed out the water inside the canoe.

After two nights at the Orange river we left Namibia and crossed the border into South Africa for a very long drive to our last stop of the Dragoman tour at Citrusdal, 200km north of Cape Town. We have thoroughly enjoyed Namibia and has entertained and enthralled us with contrasting landscapes, great wildlife viewing and fascinating cultural experiences in the north. I would recommend a visit to anyone - it would be an easy holiday to arrange, simply book a flight to Cape Town or Windhoek, hire a car and take yourself to all the attractions, either camping or staying in lodges. The only minor critism I would have is that it was almost like we left Africa after the bushman camp prior to Etosha because of the lack of a significant resident African population south of that point, and consequently lack of African culture. It was also a very well developed country with most of the amenities and goods you would expect in a western country although this did have its advantages as well of course.

We arrived at Cape Town around midday and a visit to Table Mountain was a fitting way to end our amazing journey through Africa with views across the city, Robben Island and the Atlantic Ocean. As I was wandering around the top of the mountain it suddenly struck me that this would be the last thing I do in Africa on this trip at least and I started to feel a bit upset. Its been an incredible journey and I have seen and experienced so much of this great continent and the memories will stay with me forever. Its time to come home but in a way I think we are ready for it. 3 months travelling has probably been the right amount of time for us and although I would love to stay longer, I think I would have to do something more constructive with my time than just sight seeing, maybe a charity project or other work.

That evening we treated ourselves to an expensive banquet of food from all over Africa at the “Africa Cafe” on Long Street and reflected on the last 3 months and also what we are going to do in the next 3 months. There are some things I am looking forward to coming back to, especially seeing friends and family again. Other things I am looking forward to include a good cup of tea, fresh milk, Christmas, British curry, wii (I want it back Lucy!!), Internet and a monthly wage.

Our British Airways flight was again faultless and we arrived bang on time at Heathrow airport after gouging myself on free wine and food. I managed to watch four films, my favourite being Blood Diamonds which was absolutely amazing. Some incredible cinematography and although there were shocking scenes of child soldiers mowing down civilians it was hard hitting and is one of the best films I have seen for a while. Dad picked us up but I barely recognised him - hes grown a Dickens style beard for Christmas!

I am now back at home in Cambourne and its nice to be back in our house again even if there is a lot to sort out. The biggest shock is the freezing temperature and the night drawing in so early but Christmas is a good time to be back even if it doesnt quite feel like Christmas yet. Back at work tomorrow (Wednesday) but shouldnt be too bad as Thursday is the Christmas party and Friday is the day after Christmas party when everyone is too hungover to do any work anyway.

I’ve finished uploading all the best photos of my trip onto our Flickr site here which includes all the pictures on this blog plus many more. I’ll post another article in a few days to let you know how i’m settling back into a normal life…..

Swakomond is a small little town on the west coast of Namibia which is renowned for its extreme sports activities which I had gone off since my white water rafting experience. Its a quiet place and very western and has been described as more German in architecture and atmosphere than any other town in Germany itself and I can see why. Lots of gabelled buildings and street names such as Kaiser Wilheim II street but we instantly liked it and felt at home, not least because of our upgraded hotel which was welcome relief after 2 weeks of camping! Dont get me wrong, camping has been great and is definitely the best way to see real Africa but you definitely appreciate the perks of a western lifestyle after roughing it for a couple of weeks.

After settling in to our hotel with a jacuzzi and a posh lunch with cold South African white wine, I signed up to sand boarding the next morning and both of us signed up for Quad biking the following afternoon.

Sandboarding was good fun and comparitively cheap although there was a lot of walking up sand dunes. This was my first experience of the real Namib desert and I have to say I was in awe of the landscape which was completely unique to anything I have seen before. So barren, yet so intruiging, almost like a different planet. The boarding itself was fun and I reached a respectable 69kph coming down the biggest slope called “Dizzie”.

In the afternoon we went on a quad bike tour through the dunes and despite it being “the thing to do in Swako” it turned out to be even better than I thought it would be. It was mostly the incredible scenary that kept both me and Amanda fascinated throughout but it was also fun driving the quads which can reach speeds of up to 60 kph. There were only 4 of us plus the guide on the dunes and this added to the isolation we felt in the dunes. The sun gradually went down and the shadows got longer and we eventually ended our journey on the bikes, thoroughly statisfied with pictures to prove it!

The meals in Swakomond deserve a mention primarily because of the huge portion sizes which were really nice but almost impossible to eat. I had pizza one night but had to take half of it home in a doggy bag (only to hand it over to a well fed beggar outside) and another night I ordered fillet of Ostrich but instead of one fillet I got two on my plate, although I did manage to eat it all because it was so tasty!

Next morning we went on a boat ride from the nearby port of Walvis Bay and saw another local fur seal colony along with Pelicans, Falmingoes (didnt realise they are seabirds as well) and a load of dolphins. The best thing about this trip was that some of the seals have learnt to come on board the boats for some handouts which gave us a shock at first. Amanda got a huge male seal on top of her at one point whilst it jumped across for a fish. The dolphins were cool to watch as they jumped along side the boats, masturbating according to our guide from the vibrations of the motors. We learnt a new fact that day: Dolphins are the only other creature other than humans that like to have sex for fun.

We left Swako the next day having thoroughly enjoyed our three nights of luxury although its hard to believe sometimes that you are actually in Africa.

Next stop was soussesvlei which are a set of dunes further down the coast which are more orange in colour and higher. We got up early at dawn to go and see one in particular called Dune 45 and climbed right to the top, taking in the incredible scenary. It was like walking on the moon. We climbed another dune further down which surrounded the dry lake which is Soussevlei itself but by that time it was getting almost unbearably hot. Its amazing how many animals still live in this part of the world despite the dry climate including ostriches, springbok and jackals which hovered around the campsite looking for left overs.

We are now in a small coastal town called Luderitz which has a big diamond mining industry. This morning we visited a ghost town called Kolmanskop which had been abandoned by the mostly german settlers in 1956 due to the diamonds running out but still had a lot of ruined buildings to view and walk around, partially claimed by the sand. Was quite interesting as this place used to be a fully fledged community with a ballroom, butchers, skittles alley and cinema but had been totally abandoned and left as it was.

Not long before we come home now and in a way we are looking forward to it as we see everyone again and its Christmas as well! We should be back in Long Itch late on the 9th December (a day earlier than planned to give us more time to settle back in before we start work) and will be back in Cambourne on the 10th Dec. Its been a great trip but it has to come to an end at some point although we still have Fish River Canyon, Orange River and a very brief visit to Cape Town to look forward to still.

We left Etosha and headed off to a nearby Himba tribe for another cultural village visit. The village was set next to a white south african’s farmhouse and has been purposely built so that the Himba’s can get some income from visiting tourists as most Himba villages are well off the beaten track. The cute children were running around and playing and the women sat around not doing much at all other than selling their range of jewelry. Again the women were dressed minimally with their boobs hanging out but most uniquely of all, they had dyed their skin bronze using an ointment and had their hair in kind of dreadlocks. There were no men around and it was explained that this was because the Himba have no tradition of relationships or marriages so the women invite men into their village only when they want babies or a bit of fun. Although it was undoubtedly interesting and i’m glad we went it did almost seem like a themepark with the locals out on display. The South African woman whos land they live on claims all the money they take goes back to the village in terms of healthcare, food etc but there was something weird about it which we couldnt quite work out. Good, but nowhere near as authentic as the san bushman camp we did before Etosha.

We moved onto a Cheetah sancturay where we stayed for a couple of days and almost straight away we were introduced to the two tame cheetahs that the family had raised from birth. They were purring and behaved just like oversized cats as we sat with them and stroked them whilst getting our picture taken. Beautiful animals. After chilling out for most the next day we were taken into the enclosed area where the wild cheetahs were kept so we could see them being fed. These cheetahs would have been shot by farmers as pests but the family who run the sanctuary offer money for captured cheetahs so there is an alternative to shooting these amazing animals, who number only 7500 in the wild. It was great to see them up close and feeding as well - especially as we have only had one fleeting sighting of a cheetah in the wild during our visit to the Ngorogoro Crater.

The next couple of days were spent on the road, stopping off to see ancient rock paintings at Twylfontein and Brandberg. The best bit about this was part was that we just veered off the road behind a rocky outcrop and set up our tents so we were camping totally in the middle of nowhere. Next day we saw a cape fur seal colony at Cape Cross which had a disgusting smell and some very angry seals who seemed to be permanently fighting with each other. It was quite sad to see half decaying baby seals interspersed with the colony, maybe that was what caused the smell, but we did see a happier side to the circle of life after we saw a seal give birth.

We finished that part of the tour with another bushcamp at an amazing place called Spitzkop which was a orange rocky outcrop in the middle of a semi arid plain. Dramatic scenary, I thought it must be fairly similar to Ayers Rock in Australia.

From there we left for a welcome three days of luxury in Swakomond on the coast which is where I am now. I’ll try and find time to write up a bit about the sand boarding, quad biking and dolphin cruise at some point soon put for now you can check out the pictures here.

Next stop after the excellent San bush camp was Etosha National Park for 2 nights for some more game drives. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the game drives and this one was particularly notable for another excellent lion sighting. We almost ran a pack of lions over in our truck who jumped out onto the road but Blair slammed on the brakes and reversed back to the lions who it seemed had just woken up and were emerging from their den which was a man made underpass underneath the road. After observing the lions from a few metres away we notices A lion was 300 or so metres away from the rest and stalking a herd of Zebras who were totally oblivious. You could see what the lions were trying to do - one lion out in the middle of the grass plain under cover whilst the rest were near the den lying in wait. They were hoping the Zebras would walk right in between, where the single lion would pounce frightening the other zebra into the path of the rest of the pride. It was all very exciting but unfortunately the Zebra walked just the other side of the solitary lion and we had to make our way back to the lodge as it was getting dark.

This is us jumping in the middle of the Etosha Pan, a huge dry salt pan in the middle of the park.

One of the most notable things about Etosha is the floodlit water holes built right next to all the camp sites with a viewing gallery from within the campsite itself. On the second night I was sat there for a couple of hours watching game come and go including a couple of rhinos which briefly faught with each other. Just as I was about to leave I saw a couple of lions come to drink and then move just to the edge of the floodlit area where there was a lot of roaring and movement. I think they were startled by some passing Rhino. I fetched Amanda from the tent and we saw the lions again at the watering hole who seemed to be stalking a giraffe who was well aware of their presence in the shadows. Eventually we went to bed but it was an amazing experience to go to sleep with the sound of roaring lions outside, it sounded like they were right by the tent!

We eventually left Etosha and moved onto a cheetah sanctuary…..

We visited another school on the way out of our next camp and although it was good to see they obviously have a lot of trucks pass through and have comparitively good facilities compared to other schools. The pupils were very comfortable with the camera and posed into rap style positions everytime a camera was pointed into their direction.

A longish drive took us to Roys camp where we spent an evening relaxing next to the pool, watching some kudu and springbok come to the waterhole before heading off for the next item on our itiniary, a bush camp with the San people. The hunter gatherer, nomadic san inhabited large parts of Africa for 1000s of years but were pushed out by farming immigrants from the north and west of Africa a few hundred years ago. They have been persecuted by both black and white people until relatively recently who considered them almost a sub species of human but now they have been granted an area of land by the government to live their way of life, much like the aboriginies in Australia.

We arrived at the San village and were immediately greeted by lots of kids and a couple of adults. It was obvious that these people were very different to anyone else we have met in Africa with a small stature, round heads with high cheek bones and thin almost asian looking eyes. Most of all their language is quite different to anything else, combining speech with lots of click noises, very interesting to listen to them talk.

We played with the kids for a while with skipping ropes, footballs and frisbees which was great fun. I’d like to introduce a play time at work if I could! In the meantime the men decided that it would be a good idea to dig a long drop toilet behind a tree as we were literally camping in the middle of their village and there were no facilities to use at all. I wasn’t to know then but I was to become well acquainted with that hole by the end of the night!

We were then taken as a group to observe how the san people track animals and otherwise find food in what seems a totally dry and barren landscape. The guides were traditionally dressed, that being not much at all - the men and women wore thongs only with the women displaying their boobs to all, very rude! They showed us traps for birds and pulled up lots of different kinds of roots from otherwise bare looking bushes. Half way through we encountered a snake and these supposedly hardened bushmen ran away screaming like girls, almost trampling over us in order to get away! The snake turned out to be a relatively harmless spitting variety which only causes temporary blindness if it gets you in the eyes, we gave it a wide birth anyway. The tour was finished off by a hunting display where the san prentended to stalk an animal then fire their mini bows and poisened arrows at nothing.

That evening we enjoyed a chilli before sitting down over the camp fire to watch a dance put on by the san people. The sang songs and dances around the campfire to songs that had been passed down by generations and involved a lot of bum wiggling by the men in front of a chorus of singing and virtually naked women.

We went to bed in our tent totally in the middle of nowhere and felt a little nauseus but didnt think too much of it. The pain gradually got worse but I decided to hold off a visit to the toilet as it had started raining and was very dark - plus we had earlier been shown leapard prints in the sand. It rained a bit harder and I heard loads of singing and shouting from around the village - evidently these were the first rains of the wet season so the villagers were celebrating but I certainly wasnt. Eventually I made the first of 3 visits to the newly dug long drop in the rain and said hello again to my dinner and it wasnt a pleasant night. In the morning I still felt rough but a few immodium and I made it to our next stop in Etosha national Park where thankfully I felt a lot better after a good nights sleep.