Oh frabjous day, callooh callay!

Note: The following blog post is old but I have it written, so why not post it right?

I SOLD THE PRADO!!!! YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! I SOLD THE PRADO!!!!!!!!!!! Ehem.

I guess I’m a little excited about that. After spending so much time in Lusaka focusing on selling the Prado with no success it figures that the one trip I make to Lusaka for other reasons (paying tuition for our university students and doing general logistical things) would be the time that the perfect situation presented itself. A really nice American girl doing her PhD in Zambia saw my ad in one of the frequented Muzungu cafe’s and phoned me to look at the Prado and basically bought it on the spot. She did want a mechanic to check it out, but after that checked out we struck a deal and started the (LOOONG and confusing) change of ownership process. Its really perfect because she is going to be up in the bush studying primates and didn’t need a flash Lusaka car but a sturdy bush car (enter the Prado) and I wasn’t going to be able to sell my sturdy bush car to anyone in Lusaka looking for a flash city car. The stars aligned. Hopefully the whole change of ownership process will be done soon and the exchange can be made and I can enjoy my triumphant return to Meheba complete with trumpets and cascades of flower petals. Or at least a long bus ride and friendly faces at the Solwezi station. I’d take that.

So with that weight off my shoulders I can turn to telling you, my faithful readers (hi mom!!!) about my trip to Namibia. My wonderful glorious ridiculously fun trip to Namibia. The trip to Namibia that began with a trip to Victoria falls and included a fall down a hole and a fall out of an airplane. Lots of falls involved. Lets start with the first one.

Victoria Falls is beautiful. Well, at least I think it would be if I could see it. Its Powerf thats for sure. (Local note: Powerf = powerful. People love to drop the “ul” from words here. Its wonderf.) The time of year I chose to visit Vic falls would not be the time I would recommend to people if you only have one shot at seeing it. Going right at the end of rainy season means the Zambezi is VERRRRY full and the sheer volume of water going over the falls produces such an amazing mist that you can see it rising in the air from kilometers away and if you get anywhere near it you will feel as though you are in a monsoon downpour. This mist also obstructs your view of the falls almost entirely. There is only one tiny spot from which you can see anything at all but its really cool to experience the mist and the “rainfall” it produces (even with raincoats we were soaked to the bone). Plus, Livingstone is a really fun town with lots of cool people to hang out with. We met many of these people on the sunset cruise we took on the Zambezi the evening after “viewing” the falls. I’ve yet to see a more perfect sunset. I also got to see my friend Doc from the bookbus. You truly faithful readers (shout out to mom again) will remember that the bookbus was a group of British voluntourists who camped behind our house in Meheba for a month in July last year and Doc was their awesome Zambian driver who lives in Livingstone. Rumor has it the book bus will be back again this July. Wicked.

After enjoying the sites and mist of Livingstone we headed to Namibia. On the way we saw a rhino hanging out by the side of the road. Cool. It was very obvious when we crossed into Namibia (besides the whole border post thing) because we immediately found pothole-free tar roads. Wow. It was so nice. We started our long journey from Zambia to Etosha National Park and stopped in the little town of Rundu to catch some Zzzz’s in the middle. We were right on the Okovango river and it was lovely. Upon entrance to Etosha we almost immediately saw a herd of Zebra on the side of the road. Scratch that, in the middle of the road. Honking did not deter them. It became clear that animals here were used to cars and would not be difficult to spot. We camped in the park at a campsite on a watering hole for two nights. At the watering hole in the middle of the night I saw three male lions coming to drink. We also saw a big male elephant, several giraffe, and a few jackal. The jackal did not confine themselves to the watering hole though and I also got an up-close and personal encounter with one in my campsite next to my tent. Sweet…. We saw tons of zebras, giraffes, springbock, hemsbock and other antelope species, several lions, a couple elephants, and on our last drive of the trip were lucky enough to see the rare and elusive leopard. This is the second leopard I’ve seen in Africa, the first being a freak spotting on a late night drive on a rural road in Tanzania. This one was almost as up close and personal. At first it was very hard to spot crouched down in the tall grass, but finally stood up and gave us a full view of its beautiful feline self. It was an excellent way to end our game park adventure.

From Etosha we headed towards the Skeleton Coast. Along the way we stopped to see the world’s largest meteorite and Namibia’s petrified forest. I admit both were equally underwhelming. However the general scenery as we drove through Namibia was overwhelming. It was so beautiful and parts of it I swear were taken directly from West Texas and Arizona. The Skeleton Coast on the other hand was taken from nowhere. As you near the Skeleton Coast you almost forget that it was named that for the many shipwrecks that dot its beaches and not because of its complete sparseness and general lacking of life or any life supporting elements. It is really miles and miles of nothing. Yet it is oddly beautiful nothingness. I can’t describe it so I won’t try but rather will advise you all to go and see it for yourself.

As we left the Skeleton Coast national park and continued south we decided to stop in Henties Bay to visit some friends of my traveling companion, Stefan. They have an angling tours business (thats fishing tours for those unfamiliar with the term...I was) and they have pictures of people with their huge catches lining their walls. I was busy walking around looking at the pictures when all of the sudden there was no longer ground underneath my feet. Instead I was falling down a hole in the middle of their living room. I’m not entirely sure why there was a sunken pit in the living room but I am glad there was a mattress at the bottom of it. I managed to jump out of an airplane a couple days later with no problems, but walking in someone’s living room proved to be too dangerous for me. I have a pretty nice scar on my knee now because of it.

Speaking of jumping out of a plane, I did that. We went to Swakopmund the next day and looked around the really fun town sandwiched between the ocean and the desert. It was pretty amazing. The best way to see the scenery is by plane, but when you see the little plane they take you up in, you’d want to jump out of it too. Sky diving has got to be one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever had. The 30 second free fall doesn’t feel like 30 seconds at all, and I think I need to go skydiving a second time to really enjoy it instead of being so nervous. It was awesome and I will for sure do it again, though I’m not sure if anything can beat falling through the sky with the ocean stretching to the horizon on one side and golden sand dunes as far as the eyes can see on the other.

The next day we took it easy because a giant sandstorm came up and made visibility zero and grit in teeth possibility 100. It was pretty amazing seeing such a powerful storm. I had to get out into the dunes the next day when the storm subsided so we went to Dune 7 and rode quad bikes through the dunes. It was INSANE. Some of these dunes we were going up and down were several stories high. Freaked me out and simultaneously was the only activity that could have followed sky diving.

After our adrenaline filled few days in Swakop we headed to the beautiful and serene Sossusvlei to camp and see the beautiful red dunes. Pretty freaking cool. Would have been even better if I hadn’t become really sick though. We decided to get me checked for Malaria as my condition wasn’t improving, but luckily there was no round two malaria. Stefan has family that live on a farm in Namibia, so we went and relaxed on their farm for a few days for my recovery. They are wonderful and hospitable people and it was really nice to relax for a few days.

All good things must come to an end and so finally we left the farm and headed to Windhoek. Or at least we tried to. A few miles outside of Stefan’s family’s place I smelled burning rubber. Then I heard a wheezing noise coming from the engine. I’ve decided I’m bad luck for cars. We pulled over to find out that the air-conditioning belt had snapped and in the process had cut a slit in the rubber air intake hose for the turbo. Not terrible, but not good. Luckily Stefan’s cousin is a very handy man so we drove back to the farm and they spent the next few hours rigging up a fix. A few hours later we were back on the road and drove up and spent an evening in Windhoek then made the long drive back to Zambia. We had to stop every so often along the way to re-fix the rigged up hose, but all and all it could have been a lot worse. Moral of the story, don’t let me in your car. BUT I sure do know a lot more about cars after this year and my several car trouble filled trips.

In short, I would like to implore all of you to go to Namibia. Its awesome and you will love it. Also, go skydiving. Its awesome and you will love it.

So Write before I die, “ ‘E liked it all!”

Its like a book, I think, this bloomin’ world,
Which you can read and care for just so long,
But presently you feel that you will die
Unless you get the page you’re readin’ done,
An’ turn another - likely not so good;
But what you’re after is to turn ‘em all.

Gawd bless this world! Whatever she ‘ath done -
Excep’ when awful long - I’ve found it good.
So write, before I die, “ ‘E liked it all!”
-Rudyard Kipling

I’m working on a poetry project with the students we sponsor at the high school right now. I’m having them study some of the great poets of the past and present as well as write their own poetry. We’ll get together and have a poetry reading where they’ll recite a poem that spoke to them and then read their own creation. I’m looking forward to it.

The above poem spoke to me. This is only part of a poem by Rudyard Kilpling, but it outlines what I’ve been thinking over the past few months. Realizing that my time is now drawing to a close here in Zambia, I’ve started thinking about the future. While I’m not yet to the point where presently I feel I will die unless I get the page I’m reading done and turn another, I completely understand that feeling and know its not far off. What I’m after is to turn ‘em all.

In an effort to turn that next page I have decided that I will be going to Cameroon to study French for three months. I won’t head immediately there but rather when my contract expires on August 15 will go to Zimbabwe to visit a couple of friends then fly to South Africa for a week to visit my dad who will be there on business. From South Africa I will head to Cameroon at the beginning of September and will stay until December 7, at which time I will head to Montreal to visit friends and meet my parents in Quebec for some fun in the...snow. This all just recently came together but I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve come to realize that if I want to work in development I need to learn French. As such I found a program called the Humanity Exchange (based in Canada) that has a French course and volunteer opportunity all wrapped into one. I will be staying with a French speaking host family, studying French for two hours a day three times a week and volunteering with a local NGO using my marketing skills and, you guessed it, improving my French. All together I think this sounds like a pretty great experience and I’m excited for the chance to see more of Africa. While I think I’ll be ready for a break by the time I finally make it home to the States, I’m looking forward to working with another organization and having another perspective of development work in Africa.

With only a month left in Zambia it’s hard to believe that its almost over. I’m starting to look back and see how much is behind me, but looking back doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot ahead of me and I’m excited for my next adventure. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to write that I liked it all, but at least I have turned a few pages.