Up, up and away in our beautiful balloon! Not quite....

It is too windy to go up in the balloon! So we all enjoy the sunrise.


The balloon slowly inflates as the sun rises.



The hot air balloon pilot and crew filling up the balloon with hot air before sunrise.


We decided that a great way to end our amazing Namibian vacation would be to take a hot air balloon ride over Sossusvlei and the beautiful Namibia desert and dunes at sunrise. The gracious lodge staff woke us before sunrise. We had a quiet breakfast and then made our way on the short and bumpy drive to the launch site.

As we approached the balloon, we were met with quite a sight. The sun was just coming up over the horizon. The dunes were a deep red in the early morning light. The balloon and basket were lying on its side. We could see the bright flames in the darkness as the crew worked to fill up the balloon with hot air. Our driver took us right up to the balloon basket and beckoned us to move closer. We were honestly wanted to stay away from the balloon and the flames!

As we approached the balloon, we saw a crew of 5 or 6 men working hard to hold the massive balloon down in the breeze as it filled with hot air. As we got even closer, we saw the handsome hot air balloon pilot. We were both quite taken by him! He was holding a large flame thrower which was pointed up into the balloon, filling it with hot air and gas. He shouted at us to "get into the basket!" I admit that we were too distracted by his good looks to really be listening! It was only then that we came around the side of the basket and that we noticed the 10 German tourists already in the basket. They were all crouched in the basket, and only their little faces were visible--just like in an egg carton. (In the moment, it was quite comical, because we had not noticed that they were there!). All that we could see was that the German tourists did not seem to be making any room for us. Confused, I asked "do you want for us to get in on top of them?" He replied "get in the basket--now!"

We crawled into the basket and as the balloon filled with air, the basket started to move to the upright position. It seemed that we were about ready to launch! But looking up at the balloon, it was only partially filled with air in the breeze. The balloon then slowly came to rest back on its side. One more time the balloon came slowly up as the pilot and crew worked to fully inflate the balloon, but then balloon slowly deflated and then came to rest back on its side.

At this point the pilot said that he was sorry--but it was too windy to launch. It was rather disappointing, but we were all much happier to be safe! So we decided to try again and take another hot air balloon ride in the future!

So we are looking forward to another visit to take our hot air balloon ride someday, hopefully with the same cute pilot!

Driving in Namibia

Driving in Namibia must be approached with extreme caution, as both roads and vehicles are often in poor condition and wildlife lives in such close proximity to man. The only paved roads are main routes or highways between major cities. The majority of roads are dirt or gravel. These roads can make for very difficult travel in the rainy season. Therefore the 4x4 pickup truck, or "bakkie" as it is known in Afrikaans, is the main mode of transportation. It is not unusual for roads to be filled with potholes, lined with washboard style ruts, deep standing water and large mud puddles. Another daily hazard is the multitude of wildlife and cattle on the road. We learned that travel in Namibia is very slow going. A trip that might take two hours in the US could take up to 8 hours in Namibia.

On this trip we covered a large part of Namibia, traveling over 1000 kilometers across the scorching deserts of Namibia on dusty roads seeing only eighteen other cars and one tortoise per day. After our two week volunteer stint at CCF we drove from the capital city of Windhoek to the beach resort of Swamkupmond on the west coast, then from Swakump to the desert dunes of SSvlei, and from SSvlei back to Windhoek.

Ecological surveys: name that acacia! ouch!

We have an efficient system--all done in 6 or 7 minutes!


Matti--our fearless leader, expert bird spotter and plant identifier.


Name that plant--D sin, A flecki? Don't let them fool you, when they are full grown, they have thorns up to two inches long!


The Earth Watch crew: Joyce, Janice, Lisa and Kim

The native landscape in Namibia is vast and varied, from arid desert, to ocean beaches, to grass savannah to sand dunes, to bush to rich ranch land. It is interesting to note that cheetahs are most commonly found on farmland due to the fact that they are sadly not able to compete with other predators in protected areas in Namibia. Much of the native landscape is a healthy balance of bush and open grassland. Due to poor farming practices during colonization, much of the landscape has been covered with thick, thorny bush. This bush does not allow animals to move freely or the cheetah to run and pursue their prey. CCF is a leader is efforts to return thick thorn bush areas to a more native grassland by selectively removing areas of dense thorn growth. CCF volunteers conduct ecological surveys to study how quickly thorn bushes are growing back in cleared areas.

Goat and sheep dipping! (much harder than it looks)

Our goat and sheep handling teacher--Joe!

Holding a goat kid down in the tub (they hate the tub!)


Look at that technique!


CCF maintains a flock of up to 300 goats and sheep. The purpose is to be a demonstration farm for the local area. CCF teaches local farmers how to ensure the health of their small and large stock as well as their protection. Monthly classes are held at the CCF Education Center which focus on all aspects of raising small stock from birth and development, preventing parasites, to proper fattening and selection for market. CCF estimates that several thousand local Namibian farmers have been through the courses over the years.
Goat dipping is a comprehensive process of providing oral and external medications to small stock to prevent worms and parasites. It is especially important during the rainy season when goat pens are filled with mud. This process entails administering an oral medication, and then thoroughly applying an external medication to a goat in a bathtub. This process is very difficult as the goats and sheep do not like being lifted into a bathtub and being doused with cold water!

The Spooky Skeleton Coast

Information about the Namibian Skeleton Coast:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705/namibia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeleton_Coast

Swakopmund, Namibia

Here is a great website with information about Swakopmund, Namibia!

http://www.swakopmundnamibia.com/

A toast on the Skeleton Coast!

The delightful town of Swakopmund is located on the central western coast of Namibia. It is a charming German seaside outpost. It is very upbeat, with a positive vibe and friendly people. Lots of German food and beer. It is a great place to shop, eat in an outdoor cafe, or just to relax by the sea. We spent a couple of days here just relaxing after working at CCF.

We decided to take a drive north along the Skeleton Coast. What a difference! The landscape is a vast, stark and dusty desert. This area is known for it's large quantity of shipwrecks. Sailors would become disoriented in the dense fog and run their ships aground. Next time we come to Namibia, we plan to take an aerial tour of the coast to enjoy the wildlife and beauty of this amazing region.






A skeleton coast shipwreck.


One of the seaside developments of vacation homes just north of Swakopmund.


A birthday toast on the Skeleton Coast!

Running down Dune 45!

Our trip to Sossusvlei was the highlight of our trip. It is a gem located in the western central part of Namibia. Below I have listed a link which gives some details about the area. It is fascinating! It is a place of stark beauty: sand dunes, canyons, and vast arid stretches deep in the Namib Desert. The sand dunes in Sossusvlei are some of the highest in the world.

One of the most special parts of our stay in Namibia was our stay at the Kulala Lodge. Its proximity to the park entrance makes it perfectly situated to enjoy the area. It is a very warm and special place. The lodge sits along a river bed, and blends beautifully into the surrounding landscape. It consists of a main building--dining area, bar and pool, surrounded by individual guest accommodations. Everything about the lodge is impeccable, from the rooms, to the service, to the food, to the tours! The rooms are sumptuous. The rooms have thatched roofs with large balconies perfect for sleeping under the stars if desired. The service is amazing. Every morning, the staff comes to gently wake you and summon you to breakfast. After breakfast, the staff sees guests off to trips to see the countryside or makes sure they are comfortable just lounging and relaxing for the day. After dinner, the staff serenades guests with lively local, traditional music and dance. The Namibian nights are very dark, and as a result the stars are very bright and dense.


Kulala lodge is an excellent jumping off point for exploration of Sossusvlei. Sesreim Canyon is a long, thin, deep canyon cut into the desert, filled with water during the rainy season. A lot of local lore surrounds the origins of the canyon's name--which is detailed on the website below. It is beautiful to behold. We decided to take the tour to Dune 45 and Dead Vlei. Dune 45 is so named because it is 45 miles from the park entrance. We arrived at the dune at sunrise, and took a short 20 minutes of so to trek up to the top. At sunrise and sunset, Sossusveli is striking. The deep red and orange hues of the dunes and surrounding desert, the starkness and vastness of the Namib desert are absolutely breathtaking! Dead Vlei is a group of trees that died after being cut off from water from the movement of the dunes. The vlei is reached after a short walk from the road. The trees look so lonely, stark and desolate.

Janice shows off her technique.



Running down Dune 45!



Look, I can run sideways!

Sunrise at the top of Dune 45 in Sossusvlei, Namibia.