October 2013: Nambia! Sarah Kayaks with Seals, Climbs Sand Dunes, and Goes to Oktoberfest

Namibia!

Hey you! Remember me? It's Sarah Stewart, your trusty yet estranged Peace Corps Volunteer. I know I've been MIA for a little bit...umm try 3+ months...and I apologize for that. My only excuse is that I've been on adventure after adventure and every time I sit down to write I get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of experience that I need to describe! Because there is so much,  from snuggling with a cheetah in Zambia to climbing sand dunes in Namibia, I've decided to break this up into several individual posts. And without further ado, I introduce...NAMIBIA!!!

Himba ladies

Namibia is a small country, maybe slightly larger than Botswana. Like Botswana, the country is sparsely populated due to the mostly uninhabitable Namib desert. Most of the population lives in the Northern part of the country, including the Himba people. When you think of Africans and you think of naked people covered in dirt, you're thinking of the Himba. They cover themselves in red clay mud each day, a practice that replaces bathing. That's right. They don't bathe. The women wear traditional clothing made of skins and beads, their breasts unexposed. Never have to shower? Get to let your tatas be free? That's the life right there!

Namibia has several large, touristy cities: Windhoek (the capital) and Swakopmund (on the coast.) Because Nambia was colonized by Germany, the German influence can be felt everywhere, from the doll house architecture and high density of white folks, to the most amazing party ever: OKTOBERFEST. Do you know anyone who's been to an authentic Oktoberfest celebration, complete with wursts and women in drindles? Now you do!

So getting to Namibia...I was blessed with an amazing amount of good travel juju. On October 19th (I know-I'm REALLY behind) I rode the bus for an hour to Kang, a tiny village that serves as a major thoroughfare for truckers taking loads to Namibia from South Africa. After getting off the bus, I was able to hitch hike with a truck driver to the Namibian border, about 5 hours northwest. I walked across the border and set off walking in the desert sun, hoping for another ride. I walked just long enough for the sweat to soak through my clothes before Herr, an Afrikaans trucker, swooped me up. I spent the next 4 hours admiring Herr's Native American Dream Catcher collection (TIA!) and enjoying some air conditioning. We pulled into Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, after 6 pm. I had been hitch hiking for 12 hours and I was WORE OUT.

Not only did Herr not charge me for the ride, but he drove me all over the city until we found the backpackers hostel where I was staying. The first truck driver also gave me a ride for free. That means that I traveled from my house to Windhoek, Namibia for 20 pula, $2.50. That's good juju right there.

Me in Swakopmund

The next morning (Sunday), the good karma continued when I got a ride to my next destination, the coastal town of Swakopmund, with a nice Angolan man named Gervasio. He dropped me off at the Villa Viese guest house and Pam, my PCV travel companion, and I checked out the town. We had a nice lunch on the beach followed by an even nicer dinner at The Lighthouse Pub and Restaurant. I was able to really appreciate my bottle of sauvignon blanc and mussel pot after eating maize meal all month to save money.

On Monday morning, we woke up early for a big day of adventuring in Walvis Bay, a small town 30 km outside of Swakopmund. A gentleman from Pelican Point Kayakers picked us up from the hostel, filling us in on the history of the area as we drove. At the Pelican Point office we were treated to coffee and cookies while Naude, owner of Pelican Point, loaded up the gear for kayaking. We piled in his truck and drove down the deserted beach, passing herds and herds of giant seals, to our destination. While Naude unloaded the kayaks, we donned waterproof clothing. I expected to get wet. I mean, kayaking in the ocean. You expect wetness. It wasn't until a seal popped up out of the water and splashed me with his fin that I understood the purpose of the gear. This wasn't just any ol' sea kayaking. This was kayaking with seals. Thousands of them! Swimming all around us, playing and splashing. As if that wasn't amazing enough, a humpback whale decided to join us. Although I didn't get to see him super up close (they're shy) I was able to watch the 60 foot long creature surface to breathe. After kayaking, I tried to swim with the seals. What a nice idea! I got in up to my crotch and then decided that, as much as I wanted to say that I'd swam with seals, hypothermia wasn't worth it. That water was COLD. We ate some sandwiches and drank some beer. Can you imagine? Kayaking with seals and a whale, and drinking beer before 11 am? That's my kind of adventure.

Me and Pam kayaking with seals.

That afternoon, Pam and I hitch hiked back to Windhoek, checked in at the backpackers hostel, met up with our friend/PCV Christina, and enjoyed dinner at Joe's Beer Haus. During our week in Namibia, we would end up eating at Joe's 4 times. That night I had a kebab of monkfish, kingklip, prawns and mussels in a light tarragon-mustard sauce. Yes, I wrote down the menu description of everything I ordered. I'm that kind of tourist now.

Flamingos everywhere!

Me and Mr. Moose McGregor, Africa's Best Applie Pie baker

On Tuesday morning, Pam, Christina, and I left Windhoek on a 3 day safari into the Namibian sand dunes. The safari outfitter provided transportation, tents, a guide, food, and an attendant to prepare the food. On our way to our dune destination, a place called Sossusvlei, we stopped in a one building village known as Solitaire. Solitaire is home to the world famous Moose McGregor, baker extraordinaire, maker of Africa's Best Apple Pie. Mr. McGregor charmed me with his cheesecake and we became fast friends.

The first day of our safari was driving and stopping to snap photos of wildlife. We pitched our tents, ate supper, drank some wine, and went to bed early to prepare for our sunrise dune climb. Wednesday morning we got up at 4:45 and drove the short distance to Dune 45, one of Namibia's most famous dunes. We were given the option to climb to the top and watch the sunrise. Ok. Easy Peasy. NOT. Sand dune sand isn't like any regular ol' sand. You sink. A lot. Not to mention the fact that if you take one wrong step, you could fall off the side of the dune. Each step was a tiny terrifying mountain in and of itself and by the time I was halfway up, I was exhausted. But by God, I didn't come all the way to Namibia to quit halfway up the dune. I put my big girl panties on, took off my shoes, and hoofed it the rest of the way up that dune. I made it just in time to watch the sun rise over the beautiful, desert landscape. From up there, I coulda been the queen of the world. A very tired queen.

Sunrise on Dune 45

When it was time to go down, I realized that you can't actually fall down a dune. If you fall, you just sink a little bit and then stop. Then I saw somebody RUNNING down the dune. With renewed courage and energy, I ran down the dune too. I didn't even care that Japanese tourists were giving me funny looks. If I wanna act like a 5 year old and run down the dune that almost bested me, then I will.

"Big Daddy" dune

The rest of the day was spent hiking over dunes and through valleys. I tried to slide down a dune on my butt. I ran and jumped, expecting to "wheeeeeee" slide all the way down. 15 minutes of scooting and undies full of sand later, I finally got to the bottom. Not quite what I expected but still fun. The goal of all the walking was to get to Deadvlei, a dried up lake in the middle of the Namib desert. The lake had existed for some 300 years, with trees growing right out of the water. When the lake dried up 600 years ago, the trees died but remained intact. Because there is no fungus or bacteria to decompose them, the trees still stand, reminders of the unpredictable nature of our fragile habitats. After Deadvlei, Pam, Christina, and I were all duned out.

Deadvlei, Namibia

Sossusvlei Canyon

In the cooler early evening, our guide took us to Sossusvlei Canyon, 30 million years old, formerly a river. All that is left of the river is a tiny pool of stagnant water, home to some miracle catfish. We decided that the canyon needed a margarita stand and headed back to camp. Shower, game meat kebabs, bedtime.

Teddy, Ambassador cheetah

Thursday was a travel day, this time back to Windhoek. We passed through Solitaire again and partook in more of Mr. McGregor's tasty treats. All of the rumors are true, his apple pie is Africa's best. We also had the opportunity to visit a cheetah sanctuary. We met two cheetah "ambassadors" as they napped in the shade. We spent the long ride back to the city debating requirements for future husbands, appropriate times for body glitter, and how to recognize a Peace Corps Volunteer (dirty, poor, faded holey clothes, shoes falling apart, hitch hiking, may smell of booze, backpack, talking about the consistency of their poop.) After showering and resting, we went out for canneloni and wine at Joe's.

Cafe time!

On Friday, we met up with a bunch of other PCV's from Botswana. Christina and I went shopping at a local craft market and drank tea at a cafe. Nothing like a cup of mint tea in a cafe to make you feel like a real person again. In the afternoon, I decided to cool off in the hostel pool and I ended up meeting a nice, young farmer by the name of Peter. Peter was born and raised in South Africa but lives on a ranch in Namibia. We hit it off right away and I invited him to dinner with the gang. We all went out to Joe's (again!) Get ready...I had a game kebab of zebra, oryx, crocodile, ostrich, and kudu meats. How's that for some protein? We followed up our amazing dinner with cocktails at the skybar on top of the Hilton hotel. Vacation done right!

German Dancing at Oktoberfest

All of this was pre-gaming for our biggest, most highly anticipated day- Oktoberfest. People travel from all over the world to come to Oktoberfest in Namibia. I was super pumped to be a part of a celebration of one of the world's most cherished beverages. Not water. More important. Beer. And let me tell ya, when your beer celebration starts at 11 a.m. you expect big things. Shenanigans, if you will. Loaded up in Peter's car, we were some of the first people to arrive at Oktoberfest. We got a table right up near the stage, souvenir beer tankers, free cotton candy, and some authentic German food. The 13+ piece band, flown in all the way from Germany, rocked the stage. Occasionally they would come down and perform dances, leiderhosen, drindels, and all. Since coming to Africa, I have never seen so many white people in one place, much less so many blonde-haired blue-eyed white people. We drank all day, danced, and ate. Christina, Emily (another PCV), and I went to the hostel and were asleep by 10.

Peter!

Pam and me. 500ml tankers of beer + $1.50 refills = DRUNK.

Me and Christina burning off some of them beer calories!

Do you know what happens when you start drinking at 11 am? You feel like shit the next day. And we did. Pam and Christina set off for Botswana early as I pondered what to do. Peter had invited me to come stay with him for a few days at his ranch. When our plans fell through, I left Windhoek at 11 am with the intention of making it home that day. I hitch hiked all the way to Kang with truckers. None of them charged me! Granted I had to do a little flirting, but it was worth it. I arrived in Kang after 10 pm. For obvious reasons (lions and rapists), I couldn't just hitch hike on the side of the road. I hung around a gas station, where some ladies made it their personal mission to find me a ride to my village. I ended up getting a lift in the mail truck all the way to my house. I arrived around midnight and crashed, sad that my awesome vacation had ended.

The whole gang in Namibia! Skybar at the Hilton Hotel.

So that was Namibia. Namibia is awesome. The people there are beyond friendly. The scenery is breathtaking. The wildlife, flora and fauna, is breathtaking. If you stay at hostels and hitch hike, it's possible to explore Namibia for less than $1000! I sometimes talk about karma in my blog posts. The universe blessed me on my trip, lining me up to meet the right people time after time. When I needed a ride to Swakopmund, somebody swooped me up. When I needed a SIM card for my cell phone, somebody gave me one. When I needed a reminder that people are inherently good, somebody picked me up out of the desert and took me to my hostel. Namibia was truly more than just another patch on my backpack!

Namaste

PS-Check out my next post for details of my CRAZY trip to Zambia!