Otize and Cattle Dung

Eye balls and mopani worms

"guys, I have eye ball in my teeth and need some floss"
-Amber
What a day! So many new experience, almost a sensory overload. We had a tour of the slums of Windhoek, named Catatoura. The name means"place where we won't settle" conveying the blacks resistance towards moving during the apartheid. Our expert tour guide Ouapi showed us the diversity of the slum. It was amazing to see how different one area was from another, ranging from concrete brick houses top tin shacks. One thing that was the same thought was the tenacity and ingenuity of the people in ecking out a living.
To end our tour we went to a local resaurant and tried a variety of traditional foods including a "smiley" which is a whole head of a goat or cow, grilled or roasted then boiled, causing it to grin. In our case we were treated to a goat. I have to say the cheek meat was not bad, but Amber went to an extreme and decided to eat the eyeball. Katie was kind enough to extract the eye while reminding us of how similar it was to making a European mount. After some hesitation Amber made good on her promise and ate it. According to her it tasted like "chalk and butt" or something along those lines. All in all it was an amazing day.
Love,
Ben

Otize and Cattle Dung

There is so much to tell and so little time! I can't wait to tell everyone in person about my favorite day in Africa so far, and that was on our friend Uapii's farm on a conservancy. He spent the day having us meet his traditional Herero family, grandmother mother and little sister. We got to learn the daily activities, and even take part in them!

 Us girls started off with a woman's duty of patching their hut houses. I was prepared to do whatever in order to immerse myself in their culture and really live the experience, but nothing prepared me for sticking my hands and fingers into a pile of warm fresh cattle  dung! But I did it with a smile anyways as I filled a bucket with the dung and carried on my head back to the hut. Then we mixed it with soil and water and formed balls. The balls were thrown onto the hut in places needing patched and then kneaded into the wall. The arid environment dries this mixture like concrete, making it a great insulator and a good foundation for their house. The old grandmother watched me work and said I was worthy of staying! She said I got the highest marks for how much I participated with a smile :)

Next the boys rounded up the donkeys and hooked them up with harnesses made of old tires to what we called the "Kalahari Ferrari" which was an old donkey cart! Then all of us got to ride and direct the donkeys. It was a blast!

After that we learned how to milk their cows. Uapii's mother strapped up her little 2 year old daughter on her back and we followed her into the cattle corral made of sticks. She leaned over and put the bucket between her legs and started milking like a pro. We each got to try it out, and pretty soon had a bucket full of milk.







Then we went up to the house and sat on cow hides as we poured the milk into a big gourd hanging by a rope tied on sticks and began to rock the gourd back and forth to make butter. She said she does this every day for an hour. The grandmother later showed us how she strains the butter and cooks it for a better taste.






The last thing we did was go into one of their huts and they showed us how they apply otize, which is a mix of butter and red ochre, to make a red paste that is applied to the skin. This paste acts as a sunscreen, and is also great for your skin. I was the only one who volunteered to put it on, and I put it all over my face and arms. I can still remember the grandmother laughing and laughing, she'd never seen a white girl with this on! Speaking quickly in Herero, she told me I looked so beautiful, and that she wanted me to marry her grandson Uapii. Uapii laughed and Ben told him "She's your for 15 cattle." Uapii said "Deal!" ha ha.

Later that day we visited another tribe the Himba. They greeted us with a traditional lion hunting dance, and after awhile I even joined in the dance. They all laughed and loved it! The kids were so cute. The Himba wear little clothing and are covered in the red otize. Their hair has red clay and otize in it, and it looks like painted dread locks. They are beautiful people and I'm so glad I got to meet them.

That night we camped by the river and parked our truck right over some elephant dung! We played in the river and I searched for tracks, then we roasted a whole goat from Uapii's farm. Pretty soon there were Himba men and Herero woman coming from all over throughout the forest to join in the feast. I spent the night practicing the little language I knew "Movango" means "want some?" as I passed around food. "Koda" is a greeting like "Hello how are you" and "Nowya" is the response meaning good. Even though we were all languages apart, we spent the evening enjoying good food and laughing and telling stories to one another as Uapii acted as the interpreter. The stars overhead so thick there were star shadows, the fire burning before us, and about 25 people from all different races and tribes sat together and enjoyed each other's company all night.

There is so much more to tell, and I'm sorry I don't have pictures. But this was by far one of the best days not only on the trip, but of my life. I learned so much, experienced so much, and put myself out there 100% to walk in the shoes of people across the world from me on so many levels.

Cape fur seals and Sand dunes

A couple nights ago we had or first camping experience. As the sun was setting over the savanna we found out spot against a rock outcropping. We grilled bush toasties (kal you would love them! They're like grilled cheese!) And lamb. The tents are on top of the truck so you don't have to worry about snakes and predators. The next morning we headed to Swakopmund. This is a city on the coast.
Yesterday we had a boat tour of the harbor. We saw dolphins, jelly fish, pelicans, and cape fur seals. Three different seals actually came on our boat! We got to pet them and feel their slick fur and powerful slippers. Its unreal how big they get!
Next was the dune tour. The dunes of the Namib Desert come right up to the ocean, the only place on the world this occurs. We took a land rover over the 100feet dunes so fast it was like a roller coaster! Then I looked to my right and there was an ostrich running over the dunes! It was incredible. We found a lot of lizards and chameleons when we stopped to have lunch. They served us fresh oysters and fish right on the middle of the desert. It was fantastic.
Later that night Ben, Katie and I attempted to cook mexican for everyone, but we had to make the tortillas because there of nothing like that here. It was a success! We called it african mexican because it wasn't exactly the right spices and had an african kick to it.
We are having a blast everyone! I love and miss you all but rest easy (especially you momma) that I'm having the time of my life! This might be the last post for awhile. We will be visiting the Himbas for a few days, and then make our way to Etosha.

Weaver Birds and Klipsringers

We have been off the grid for the last couple of days. So there is a lot to tell! I have been enjoying the peace of being out of the city and into the country. We were at a ranch called Namtib, settled into the beautiful Tierras mountains. We did counts and surveys on the giant weaver bird nests, pictures to come. In the morning I hiked a mountain at 530am and got to see the sun rise over the tips of the mountains. You could see each minute the warm rays lit up the valley below, catching it on fire with golden color. It was breathtaking. In the distance you could see see the smoldering orange dunes lit up by the morning sun. On our way back down we saw three klipspringer hop along the mountain. I don't have a picture so you'll have to google them :) We've seen so many oryx ostrich and springbok. Last night we camped and the stars were amazing. I am so happy! Today at Swakopmund on the dock over the Atlantic I saw dolphins! My friends made fun of me because I was so excited I did a dolphin dance :)

More to come later!! Love and miss you all!

Amber

Cats!

Today we went to Anamani Cat Reserve. We got to see leopards, cheetahs, and lions who have been rescued and rehabilitated to be back in the wild. When we first showed up we were greeted by two baby warthogs who affectionately nibbled on my fingers and squealed with delight as I scratched their ears. soon we jumped into a vehicle with sidebars and open top and headed towards the Khomas mountains to search for the big cats. Seeing them up close was amazing, and I was reminded of the raw power of these predatory cats. And when the lion roared as the sun went down, the deep bellow echoed through the mountains and awakened something in my soul. While driving back to the lodge I asked some of the Damara people to teach me some words. They were delighted to teach me several phrases that had the clicks in it! Now I'm practicing my clicks with whoever is listening ha ha. We ended the night at a famous game restaurant where I had zebra, ostrich, crocodile, and kudu. Great food and even better people! Here's a toast to our first day in Africa! With so much fun today, I can't believe there is over two weeks left! Love you all from Africa!
Amber

Welcome to Africa!

After a grueling ten hour flight we arrived in Windhoek at 5am this morning. Ben had the biggest smile on his face and we couldn't stop catching each others eyes and smiling ! As we walked off the plane together, I was about to take my first step on African soil when I looked down at a grasshopper the size of my hand! I managed to miss it as we all laughed and walked on. On the way to the city we drove through country side. suddenly up ahead crossing the road was a whole troop of baboons, babies and all! We also saw a giraffe, hartabeest, and zebra. It was an amazing site for our jet lagged eyes to take in. it was Africas welcome for us :)
We are now chilling at the hotel until we go to a big cat center later. The picture is the pool at the hotel. Love you all!
Amber

Same Patterns, New Adventures

Around this time four years ago I had just graduated high school and was ready to start a new chapter in my life. Just a few short days after smiling for the cameras dressed in my cap and gown and waving my diploma, I was on a plane bound for the adventure of a lifetime: Africa. If there was ever one thing I was absolutely sure about as a child, it was that I was going to travel to Africa. And after holding three different jobs and saving every penny, my dream finally came true after graduation as I headed to South Africa to volunteer with a conservation effort.

Now, fresh off the market with my Fisheries and Wildlife degree, I am heading back to the land I've been in love with since a child. Only days after graduation again, but this time from a university, I am heading to Namibia. Three weeks of wildlife viewing, learning about conservancies and conservation initiatives, traveling over sand dunes in the Namib Desert and visiting the indigenous tribes all await me as I step on the plane tomorrow.

Although I have been to Africa before, I am entering this trip with no expectations or anticipations. This is hard to do, especially if you simply google "Namibia". The beauty of the people, wildlife and land is breathtaking. However I will let my own adventure unfold before my eyes, and not taint any moment with preconceived notions or expectations, but simply take everything for what it is; an amazing experience.

Of course this is what I do know about Namibia:

• The Namib Desert is considered the oldest desert in the world and has been around for at least 55million years.
• The Namibian coast line is the only coast in the world where the desert meets the ocean, making it a favorite setting for movies.
• The Namibian coast line is also the only coast line in the world that is completed protected by National Parks.
• The Namibian constitution (which is only about twenty years old) is one of the only constitutions in the world that includes conservation as a mandated priority, making Namibia very forward and  successful when it comes to wildlife conservation.
• Namibia is home to Fish River Canyon, which is the largest canyon in all of Africa and the second largest canyon in the world.

So, my bags are packed (mostly) my ticket and passport are sitting patiently on my desk, and I am ready to close my eyes and dream of Africa until I can wake up Wednesday morning and see it for myself. It seems my life has fallen into a familiar pattern of starting each new chapter with a trip to Africa. Of course I don't mind this at all, and look forward to every chance I get to go to the land I feel most at home: Africa here I come!