On Holiday...

This one is a bit old but I figured I would finish up by posting some of the pictures from my awesome "holiday!"...

My last post. It has been awhile! In the meantime, I have been packing up, saying goodbyes, camping through the Namibian countryside, snapping photos of baby animals, and relaxing at the coast.

I guess I should try to explain why I came back to the US on January 13 instead of staying under African skies. But it was a very difficult decision and it is quite complicated. I based a big part of my decision about staying on the assumption that District Attorney offices were not hiring. The minute I cancelled my ticket, there seemed to be a hiring frenzy among the Colorado DA offices. It was a heart-wrentching decision. But I want to be a DA. So I am back in CO!

I spent most of December trying to pack up work into nice little boxes to prepare for the next volunteer. Testing torches, testing more torches, and preparing for a big road trip holiday all over Namibia!!

The holiday started with a few lazy days on the Kavango river outside of Rundu...I watched the river from the window, I watched the sunset. Then we moved on.

We left for Etosha National Park on Christmas Eve. Etosha was originally 100,000 km sq, but today its about a quarter of that size...still a HUGE park. Its biggest feature is the salt pan, which fills with water seasonally, attracting animals, like lions, leopards, giraffes, wildebeests, elephants, hyenas, and many others. There are plenty of natural watering holes, and some man made watering holes for animals as well. The first day, we spotted 27 giraffes at one watering hole, as well as zebras, wildebeasts, and plenty of different types of antelopes, including wildebeests. The highlight of the day was two lions crossing the road, a female and then a male, and then two hyenas...all on the same road!!

One of the hyenas we saw looked pregnant!! There were even ostridges running through the veld.

We had a few run ins with elephants on our trip. We would drive up and they would stubbornly keep on walking down the road...straight for our vehicle. These elephants are MUCH more tame and used to people than the ones that we usually encounter in the Caprivi (those elephants supposedly still remember the war...they probably also remember all the poaching and conflict with people in the villages!). In any case, I am still pretty freaked out by the giants.

On Chistmas Eve, we walked to the Moringa watering hole at our campsite. The sun set was brilliant orange. A rhino appeared and quietly lapped at the water. Everyone was silent. "Si-lent night," I thought to myself.

After three days of all day driving in the bakkie, watching for wildlife, we emerged into a beautiful part of the Namibian countryside called Damaraland. We found a nice little hotel with a pool, nice bungalos, and DRAFT BEER! (My first in months!! Heaven!) We took all back country roads through rocky, hilly, southwestern-type of landscapes to see various features, like the Vingerklipp (= finger rock in English), and ancient rock at at Twefelfontein...camping all the way, of course.

We also came upon one of my favorite camping spots...ever. And I have seen a whole lotta campsites in my day. Giant boulders at the bottom of a rock-pile-hill, gorgeous views of the valley, and our own personal outdoor shower between boulders. Amazing!!

View from campsite and sunset at campsite.

We ended the trip with a few lazy days at the coast and a drive through Windhoek, the capital, with a stop at Joe's Beer House for more game steak and beers. Then it was back to the Caprivi and through Johannesburg for the 15 hour flight from Joburg to ATL.

Goodbye Namibia! I'm sure I will be back.