Story Aunt Gus and Little Bear's Adventure Book 4
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Found this this morning, thank you for your hard work.
July 17 - Day 8 Swakopmund (2)-Part1
Today was a “free day” where we were expected to arrange for our own activities … or not and turn it into a day off and stay in camp to relax. Hugh had arranged three activities for the day and quickly got the numbers to include Sadie. Before our early breakfast however I requested a brief audience with “Boba.”Mr. Dutton, the Secretary to his HRH, tried to play that I could just speak with him and he would relay things and then bring me the answer.
“Sorry Mr. Dutton. But Sadie is his granddaughter. Whether he has done a background on us or not, he should reserve the right to interview me for whatever you want to call this position – let’s make it easy and call it Chaperone – so he can have a level of comfort with his granddaughter’s safety.”
From behind me I hear some light clapping. I turned and saw “The Twins” and Sadie’s grandfather … who was not clapping but had an approving look. “Very good … what do you prefer to be called.”
“To be honest Sir, most people have always just called me Gus but under the circumstances and what might be considered socially acceptable, and because Mrs. Barrymore-Hargis is a mouthful, please feel free to call me August. Your grandsons are free to call me whatever you deem appropriate.”
“And what will my granddaughter call you?”
“My husband calls me Gus. My nephew calls me Aunt Gus. Sadie and I will work out what is comfortable for both of us once we get to know each other.”
He gave a nod, like he was humoring me. “I take it from your presence that you have agreed to … chaperone … my granddaughter for the duration of the safari.”
“She and I spoke last night. We both agreed that it could be a constructive solution for all parties involved.”
“Ah … you wish to speak of the money for your services.”
My face must have shown my opinion on that, and I noticed that he and Sadie had the same tell. Her brothers as well, which told me it was a family trait. “Actually, I hadn’t. But since you brought it up, the money can be put into a separate account that you have oversight of. Tell Mr. Dutton who I presume will also have some access to it to get with Hugh, the man that is Chief of Security for our detail and supervises your man Hendry as well, to arrange so that the funds are available for the cost of tickets and whatever personal items she could need.”
“And your reimbursement?”
“There will be no financial consideration,” I told him in a flat voice letting him know he was being insulting. “I don’t take care of my nephew for that reason. Sadie is going to fit in the same way, if not the exact same position. As for the rest, she is fourteen not four. Any receipts that she makes can be from a stipend you provide.”
“Sadie has her own trust fund,” one of the twins said. Not a strategic move unless he was trying to bait a hook.
“Look, I came over here to make sure I understood the situation in its entirety and to make sure that I had access to Sadie’s medical records since she revealed she has some dietary restrictions and needs as well as some allergies. My husband and nephew also have some dietary restrictions that I help them manage. It is just more efficient if I know everything up front rather than piece it out as an emergency occurs. I also wanted to give you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have.”
Blink.
He looked at The Twins and they stepped forward. I stood my ground and glad I hadn’t been obvious that having two strange males approach me from either side at the same time. The Twins didn’t register my discomfort, but the secretary did who said, “Perhaps it would make it easier to lay things out on this table?” While indicating a folding table just outside the tent flap. I stepped over putting the table between them and me and they still didn’t seem to register it. I looked at the secretary and nodded my thanks.
Belatedly Mr. Wight seemed to register the situation and attempted to mediate it. “Allow my grandsons, Kingston and Kerrigan, to provide you with the documentation you will need. There is also a card that is attached to an account my granddaughter already has access to for her needs. It is one she uses during school term. She is aware of the limitations on funding. In that folder is also a succinct explanation that is similar to what has been provided to her schools over the years. The facts have not changed so the dates do not matter. Anything else you can ask Mr. Dutton after you have had time to read the report thoroughly, if my granddaughter is not forthcoming. I believe that is sufficient for now.”
He was going to just waltz out but I managed to get the old goat to blink again when I asked, “To whom do you wish my reports to be given? Mr. Dutton or you?”
“Excuse me?”
“She’s your granddaughter, not a room being rented out. Since you are allowing us this opportunity, I presume you will wish to be kept abreast of the results. There’s also the issue of receipts from the account to be tied to expenses and activities.”
Blink. Blink, blink. Yep, definitely a family-wide tell.
“Will I be bothered with a daily report?”
“It wouldn’t be a bother, but if you prefer weekly or bi-weekly or some other time period, I would prefer you to state your wishes rather than waste any of our time trying to guess.”
He gave me a look like I’d become unfortunately interesting. “Weekly. To Mr. Dutton who will place it on my desk for review.”
I nodded respectfully then said, “The report you received on me likely revealed that I was in part raised by my grandfather, Capt. Laurie Barrymore of the US Navy. He taught me to respect the Chain of Command and that it isn’t just something you do as a job, but applies to the rest of life as well. You are Sadie’s grandfather. You’ve taken responsibility for raising her regardless of whatever circumstances I am not aware of. I am not going to usurp that position nor belittle it. Where possible I’ll help Sadie understand anything she might not already understand from the perspective of someone that has already shared a similar relationship with her grandfather.” When one of the twins opened there mouth I shook my head. “No. I don’t need you to explain anything to me. Your grandfather does things for his reasons. For the rest of it, he cared enough to check out everyone … crew to guest … before bringing any of you on this safari with him. I understand her age and gender make it more difficult for him to train you two for the family business, and that is also something else that is none of my business. The fact that he is looking for a situation where Sadie’s needs are addressed speaks volumes to me even if other people may not be as … understanding. As for you two, we aren’t that far apart in age. I was raised by my older brother for a while, but he was older than you when it started. He was starting his own family at the time, and had a demanding position in the navy, both of which complicated things. All that just to let you know, I get it. You are both busy young men starting off in life and your careers in the family business, and probably don’t have a clue about girls Sadie’s age. My brother was the same way. Just do me a favor and don’t suddenly find your overprotective big brother gene and make it more difficult for me to help Sadie navigate anything that comes up. Going to be a struggle to get my husband to not turn into Godzilla on occasion. He is protective of Benny and likely to be as much so with Sadie now that we’ve worked the details out.”
I turned back to Mr. Wight. “If the report needs to be more or less detailed, let me know. I tend to follow a military style for reports and as my grandfather used to say, they wanted it down to the color of the lint in each man’s belly button. I’ll try not to be repetitive with the facts.”
This time there was a small, humorous twist to his mouth and at his nod I left to go find Sadie and make sure she was properly kitted out before we got underway.
I was halfway back to the tent when the hamster reminded me I’d had a list of questions to ask including if he had restrictions about souvenirs and tchotchkes and the like. I nearly tripped over my own feet but didn’t because Lev was there to catch me. “Problems?”
“No, or nothing specific,” I said as I flashed the folder. “We’ll just have to see as we go.”
“Benny asked if Sadie wanted to go to breakfast with him so that’s where they are. Sadie seems anxious.”
I could have kicked myself. Forgot another one. Logistics. Dammit. I turned to go back to the tent when I saw Mr. Dutton coming towards us. I introduced the two men. Mr. Dutton said, “Thank you for understanding. And being willing to provide a report before one had to be asked for. And I know you were a little offended by the idea of … remuneration … but it really would make Mr. Wight more comfortable with the situation.”
I looked at Lev and before steam could billow out of my ears he said, “Then tell Mr. Wight it might be better to hold it on account and then disburse it at the end of the safari. Gus and I really aren’t doing this for a paycheck. We already have jobs. And we don’t need for Sadie to think that is all she is, a job. The details can be worked out as soon as the situation gets a good shake out.”
Using that as a cue I said, “And speaking of, Sadie asked about where she was going to sleep. The girl has a good eye to detail. My suggestion, should Mr. Wight agree, is that she could have a tent next to ours, share it with Benny … a big sister position as you will … and then they wouldn’t have to worry about her being in a tent by herself and possibly alone if they leave early for some activity, or on her own if they sleep in late. We would of course supervise as needed.”
“They have family tents or rooms in many of the locations,” Mr. Dutton said, giving it some thought.
I looked at Lev he shrugged and left the details to me. I turned back and said, “As long as we can give her some privacy. And if such arrangements could be made … at Mr. Wight’s approval. I also need to know if she is allowed to appear in Lev’s photos. I would actually prefer to have the same rules as we have for Benny … nothing facially distinct that could be altered, etc.”
“Ah, an excellent consideration. Let me get with Mr. Wight and I’m sure he would approve of that. Also … clothing. Hrmph. Sadie has always been modest, but we will be doing multiple water activities.” He didn’t seem to know quite how to bring the subject up.
“I’ll check what she has. I rarely wear a traditional bathing suit. Normally I am in a neoprene wetsuit when in or on the water, and a cover up when not. I prefer the new tan-thru materials but don’t always have the luxury. Leg- and sleeve-length depends on the kind of water we will be in and what the activity is. Same for Benny. Lev normally wears a dry suit since he is recording and doesn’t really get in the water unless we are snorkeling. Diving? Lev doesn’t so I normally offer to wear a go-pro or similar if film is needed. Benny and I are certified for diving. I’m going to want to check Sadie out before she joins any of that. We have a kayak activity scheduled to head out on shortly. She can swim?”
“Without a doubt. Miss Sadie was taught to swim from birth. Her nursemaid was rather … hmmm … insistent upon it. If that isn’t in the report get back with me and I’ll … hmmm … explain things. And I’ll … hmmm … also forward an inventory of her other belongings. The … hmmm … housekeeper should have made one.”
As the man hurried off Lev asked, “What’s with the hmmm’ing?”
“I think it may be the man’s tell … you know … nervous physical habit he is unaware of. For some reason the subject of Sadie makes him nervous or uncomfortable.”
“Er … do I have one of those things? A tell?”
I looked at him and then grinned. “Not exactly. You do tend to wear your more outrageous socks and t’ s when you are nervous.”
He looked at himself and then winced. “She’s going to think I’m crazy.”
Benny ran up, and hearing Lev he said, “She’s going to think they’re cool. She likes to wear funny socks too. You gotta see the ones she wore today. They’ve got bears on them. Not plain ol’ teddies but real black bears. She said she wore them for me. For real.”
I didn’t have to remind him “indoor voice” because he was using “family secret” voice.
Lev sighed. “Lions are too much you think?”
I heard an involuntary giggle and looked up to see Sadie who said, “Only for people that don’t understand. Um … breakfast?”
“Have you two eaten?” I asked.
“Some. Too many adults needed the tables so …”
I nodded but suggested, “So, let’s go get our share and I’ll ask you if you have kayaking clothing.
“All togged out. I asked Boba’s Entertainment Director at his hotel in Lochinver what I needed. They do sea kayaking there. The housekeeper turned her nose up at it so Boba said I had to bring a regular bathing suit, but I tucked the other one in by giving up my hair dryer. Mrs. Housekeeper is gobby but has Boba’s ear.”
“Smart girl,” I told her ignoring what sounded like a derogatory term for the housekeeper. “And a good compromise. Let’s check it out just in case.”
Lev said, “After breakfast. No skipping meals, remember? It is going to be a long day.”
After we’d eaten, I turned Benny over to Lev to make sure he had everything … a male pride thing I had learned to accept, especially now that Benny is getting older. And as I suspected what Sadie had was high quality and one of the better name brands. Same with her water shoes. What she didn’t have was a quick dry towel.
“I have an extra, you’ll just have to use it for both body and hair. And you’ll want to throw some extra clothes in your bag for a skin-out change afterwards, including shoes. Kayaking this morning, and we need to hustle to get to the meeting spot, then a quick lunch. After lunch we’ll be on a catamaran and then on some 4x4’s before coming back to camp.”
She just looked at me so I asked, “Is there a problem?”
“No. Just … are you serious? I’ll be going with you for all of those?”
I chuckled, “I warned you we tend to be more on the adventurous end of the scale.” Turning serious I said, “You need to let me know if something gets to be too much. Lev and I, and that means Benny, are here on a job. I like my job to the point it rarely feels like a real job, but that’s what it is. However, I know that some people don’t really enjoy the level of activity we are used to.” She went to say something, and I held up my hand in a stop motion. “I’m not saying you will or you won’t, I just want you to know I’ll listen if something comes up. I want to know if you are tired or if you are bored. I expect the same from Benny … and Lev too for that matter. I can’t process if I don’t have the info. Don’t make me guess or expect me to read your mind. And another thing, you’ll notice that occasionally I miss social cues so if you see something or suspect I need to notice something, you aren’t going to hurt my feelings bringing it up … just do it in private. Same if you disagree with something or have a complaint. I tend to be frank, that doesn’t mean I am unfeeling or think other people have a right to stick their noses in our business … or that we need to overshare what should deserve some privacy.”
I made a face without thinking about it and she giggled. “Um, you mean you didn’t need Mrs. Legrand to explain that we might hear noises coming from their tent?”
I made another face, “Definitely not. And let’s just keep it between us. I may be frank … what Lev calls forthright … but I noticed a lot of people doing more than blushing at the TMI during breakfast, including most of the men.”
She nodded as I heard a skid in the gravel. Benny looked at Lev who was a little alarmed and sotto voice asked, “Is this the girl stuff that you and Mr. Hugh were warning me about?”
I looked at him and said, “Definitely.”
“Oh. Ew. Can we go now?” He said in quick succession.
Sadie gave another surprised giggle when Lev said, “Definitely.” Only it was a few notes higher than his normal voice.
# # # # #
July 17 - Day 8 Swakopmund (2)-Part 2
With free time today, we checked out the Germanic architecture while others in our group took advantage of some souvenir shopping. I told Lev to inform Hugh that I don’t really shop so he needed to stop egging me on. “I’ll do what I can Babe, but Hugh just doesn’t believe how different you can be about stuff.” Hmph. He better start.
While most of our group peeled off for a dose of history and culture, we took advantage of the many outdoor activities on offer – this town is the adventure-sports mecca of Namibia. Our first such activity was a Walvis Bay Pelican Point Kayaking Tour that lasted 4.5 hours. We started with a scenic drive by 4x4 vehicle along the Walvis Bay Lagoon and the salt mines to Pelican Point. We stopped along the way to take pictures but Hugh said that we’d actually be going to them tomorrow. Instead we got photos of countless flamingos, pelicans, large flocks of cormorants, and a large variety of other birds and wildlife. After about an hour of driving we reached Pelican Point and hopped our kayaks after the mandatory safety spiel.
Pelican Point is home to up to 50,000 Cape fur seals year-round. This group wasn’t as aggressive as the others we saw from Cape Town. They were almost too friendly and playful and not scared of the kayaks at all. The seals were inquisitive (aka nosey ol’ things) and often came within touching distance of the kayaks. Benny road tandem with Lev and Sadie with me since I wanted to see her in action to check her skill level. Not bad, not bad at all. We stayed on the protected side of the peninsula and spent around 2 hours on the ocean. Our guide used a waterproof camera to capture some photos to sell to the rest of the group – which Lev insisted on buying – but he was also busy taking photos as well.
After kayaking, we recharged with a light lunch of finger foods then headed back to Walvis Bay for a excursion called Walvis Bay Catamaran and Namibia’s Ocean Big 5. The only thing Lev did was make sure I was not interested in shark diving. Not that I wouldn’t have done it but when you’re in a relationship with someone, you try and not do things to make them lose their hair too often. Needless to say Hugh stayed on dry ground for the 3.5 hours the excursion lasted.
We began our dolphin and whale spotting expedition by checking in at Walvis Bay. From there we began our search for Namibia’s marine Big 5; seals, penguins, dolphins, sharks, and whales. Everyone got to sip a hot coffee or tea as we approached Pelican Point. This is where we saw 60,000 cape fur seals. That was one. Since we were visiting in-season (from July to November), we were able to spot large sea mammals including the Southern Right Whale and the Humpback Whale. That was two. Then we saw a buttload of dolphins; bottlenose, Heaviside's, and dusky dolphins. That was three. Our boat captain found us some mola molas (local name for sunfish) and leatherback turtles. We saw seabirds galore like kelp gulls, Hartlaub’s gulls, and cape cormorant. We saw a couple of shark fins but we’d already seen them up close and personal (I warned Benny not to brag) but other people were really wow’d by the fins alone. If they only knew. So I guess technically that was four. Number five showed up while we were in the middle of our return journey. Crazy critters.
On the return journey, we cruised past ships and oilrigs docked in the bay. Our crew surprised us with fresh oysters, sparkling wine (or juice), savory snacks, and desserts alongside light drinks and water. Suddenly something flew up and landed on the deck of the catamaran. I heard some of the crew curse and some laugh. Apparently there was this one penguin that knew how to get what he wanted. Mr. Smarty Pants waddled over to the guy holding the tray of oysters. I couldn’t understand what the guy said but I swear if it didn’t look like the penguin took the hint, went back to the aft and sat and waited his turn. After everyone else was served there were a couple of oysters leftover and guess who got them and then with a wave of his flippers jumped back in the water. I guess the African penguin isn’t called the Jackass Penguin for no reason. And no, I’m not kidding, that’s really their common name.
That could have topped off our day but we had one more activity to go and this one Hugh decided to go with us. It was a 4x4 desert excursion. Our guide was waiting for us at the Walvis Bay Waterfront, and while Hugh was checking us in we got admire the mass of flamingoes in the Walvis Bay Lagoon. Then we got into our assigned vehicle and headed out to a tidal lagoon consisting of adjacent intertidal areas, mudflats, and sandbars that support thousands of wetland birds. In addition to the many flamingoes, there are 11 species of endangered birds regularly observed. From there we proceeded to the Kuiseb river delta, a dry riverbed where we saw a couple of springboks. We also saw some of the area’s smaller creatures, such as the fog-basking beetle, dancing spider (white lady of the Namib), golden mole, shovel-snouted lizard, and palmato gecko.
Because the tide allowed for it, we drove along the beach right to the Sandwich Harbor Lagoon, one of Southern Africa’s richest wetlands. Wedged between the sea and the Namib Dunes, it is one of Namibia's most important coastal wetlands and supports eight endangered species among the large numbers of wading birds. We were fed more oysters and other snacks from atop a high dune overlooking the Atlantic Ocean or on the beach.
Hugh and Lev were talking on the way back to our camp and I suspected something was up. After evening meal – see what I mean about needing more workout time? – Lev pulled me to the side.
“Babe, I need a work day.”
“Okay. How about tomorrow. I’ll keep the kids in camp and we can work on …”
“It is going to be tomorrow but … Hugh has made arrangements.” He grimaced.
“What?”
“I hate that I’m abandoning you.”
“You aren’t abandoning me. You need …”
Basically we went back and forth with that a few times until I … er … distracted him in the bushes. Fine, I pulled the Gus Card to get the subject dropped but he enjoyed it and I was happy he was no long unhappy. It is part of my job to make it so he can do his job. ‘Sides, I enjoy that part of our life as well.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yes, thank you for the chapters.
July 18 - Day 9 Swakopmund (3)-Part1
“Lev, stop. You need a workday. We did the same thing in Alaska and got along just fine on our own.”He looked at me with an are-you-serious face and then said, “That was Alaska, this is Africa.”
“I know. They both start with A.”
His mouth fell open. Then he said, “So does Admiral.”
Whoops. Apologetically I said, “Yes it does. So if you are really against …”
“Which also starts with A,” he said, scrubbing his face before muttering. “My gawd, the damn hamster really is getting infectious.” He cleared his throat. “Babe, I trust you. I suppose I even trust Hugh who will be there with you three. Just promise me that you’ll play it safe.”
“Of course. Not to mention horses, camels, and flamingoes aren’t among the Marine 5.”
He gave me grumpy face again. “And a new person in the Crew. A kid-type person. Worse, a teenager kid type person. I feel like I’m abandoning you. Or worse, using you.”
I gave him a kiss on his scruffy cheek – he wasn’t shaving daily, nor were any of the men – as we were in the tent for a little private conversation. “You are over thinking this and that’s my gig, not yours. We have the trackers. I actually managed to talk Sadie into wearing one which was a big concession on her part you gotta admit. And yes, I put one in my t’ s collar as well. And you have Townzen’s gadget; just don’t sit and watch it all day or the battery on it will run out and then you might not have enough for editing and uploading.”
“Have you got your extra batteries?” He asked.
“Yes. And my first aid kit. Snack bars for the kids and … yes Admiral one for myself as well. I have the water filter for just in case. And a couple of other things for just in case.”
He scratched his head. “I’m being stupid.”
“No, you aren’t. You are being a worrywart and you love us.”
He slowly calmed down and then smiled. “Yes, I do. So, you are going to be Wonder Gus and be careful, have a good time, and then come back to me because I can’t live without you.”
“You’re feeding off a couple of our fellow travelers,” I told him.
“Mebbe. Just … come back.”
“I will. You need to get to work. And I need to get to going.”
# # # # #
Lev is not usually that overt with his worrying. I’ll keep an eye on it. Some of these people really need to keep their emoting to themselves. We don’t need to know that much about each other. Widow, widower, divorce, whatever. They all seem to have some level of loneliness about them. I don’t know if they are trying to connect with other people or are just out looking for an adventure to take their mind off where they are in life. For once it seems to be Lev who is over empathetic rather than Benny. Me? I see that the safari seems to be stripping layers away from people but again, keep your TMI under control and I’ll keep my hamster under control, so it doesn’t start gnawing off people’s body parts when they get annoying.
Lev really did need to work. The Director and Producer were doing their own bit of emoting according to Tommi. Of the good kind surprisingly. Only now they want more, more, more like a druggy after a fix. I explained the challenging work environment to Tommi and asked her to try and explain it to the people on the other end. She said she’d try but Lev’s stuff was really good, better than they expected even knowing his work. They’re getting a little greedy. It was then I said if they wanted to keep getting stuff as good as he was giving them, they needed to remember he needed some breathing room to do it. He wasn’t a machine. He’s proud of his work. And he isn’t going to give them crap filler but to get it the correct level of professionalism takes some time.
Thankfully she gets it having worked overseas doing freelance to put herself through college. She understood the suckage of connectivity and would handle it on her end. We were actually doing better than she expected but doubted it would stay that way. No way was I going to tell her about one of Townzen’s gifts … a signal booster that he’s managed to miniaturize and make look like just another extra camera battery.
As for me, Benny, and Sadie we got in a jeep with Hugh and another guide and took off to ride horses and camels – yes I said camels – on the Okakambe Trails, see the famous flamingoes at Walvis Bay, and then hit Swakopmund for what smart aleck Hugh called “retail therapy.”
The camel ride was different but short and the guides didn’t seem particularly happy to be at their job. I know that Hugh made note of it and muttered, “We sure as hell won’t be using this group again.” Meh. It happens. I was prepared to tip them but they were … well … barely worth the cost of the excursion so they sure didn’t need a tip. I got a taste of the “damn the Americans” stuff that I’d been warned of but hadn’t seen up to that point. I took it in stride because of the kids being there. It flew over Benny’s head but Sadie surprised me.
“Grandfather would have had something to say.”
“Maybe, but I doubt he would have said anything right in the moment. He probably would have spoken with the business owner. I don’t have that kind of pull, but I can and will write reviews. I’ll also ask Lev to leave any pictures of the business out of what he is preparing to send back to our bosses.”
She gave a small smile. “I like you way better. Less noise.”
“Oh, I can make all kinds of noise. I’ve just learned that sometimes it will do some good, and sometimes a quiet word in someone’s ear works better.”
We were only there an hour before being picked up for our activity at Walvis Bay. After a short briefing and introduction, we made our way out of town towards Dune 7. It was just a twenty-minute ride and gave me a chance to make a few notes. It was just to give everyone a chance to climb up the sand and take photos. I got some for Lev to play with, but I also took some of Benny for his portfolio and a few for Sadie for her to keep and to send to Mr. Wight in my weekly report. Then we headed back towards town and to the Walvis Bay Salt Refinery.
Okay, weird kinda field trip but it was also interesting. The refinery produces a staggering 750,000 tons of salt per year, much of which is exported internationally. That’s tons and not pounds. It covers an area of 4500 hectares and is in the process of expanding. That’s over 11,000 acres. We saw massive heaps of salt that looked like snow and bright, pink-colored water basins. As you can guess we were also offered the chance to buy some of the salt and yeah I did since Lev said he was making arrangements to mail some stuff off to our drop point in Jacksonville. Salt is practical and useful … unlike a bunch of little wooden animals which is something I bought later in the day much to my chagrin.
From there we traveled out onto the peninsula with the calm lagoon to the right and the Atlantic Ocean to the left. The drive took us to the very tip of Pelican Point and to see wildlife, a shipwreck, and the Pelican Point Lighthouse along the way. The Lighthouse was built in 1932 and stands 115 feet high. It is now some luxury accommodation type place, but it still looks cool.
Once we reached the end of the peninsula, we got to enjoy some free time to explore and take in the scenery surrounded by wildlife that included the second-largest Cape Fur Seal colony in the country, and yes they stank. Then, Hugh surprised us with a “picnic lunch” from a German Pub which the kids both inhaled and enjoyed, proving to me at least, that Sadie’s problem was not an eating disorder, that she just needed someone to take her nutritional needs and intake in hand. The adults could enjoy sparkling wine and local beers, but I was happy to see that for the younger set, and those of us who don’t imbibe, there was alternatives like sparkling juice and water.
After lunch we traveled towards Walvis Bay Lagoon. This lagoon in the southwest area of the town is regarded as one of the most important wetlands for birds along the southern African coast. The area is a feeding site for up to 50% of greater flamingos found in Southern Africa and also attracts other species like gulls, plovers, pelicans, and the endemic Damara Tern. So yeah, it smelled a little funky, but it was still interesting.
For whatever reason Hugh had been poking the Gus Bear the entire day and I’d had just about all I was going to take.
I pulled him to the side while Benny and Sadie were laughing at the pelicans and said, “Hugh, if you make me shop any more than is absolutely necessary to say thank you to our guides or whatever needs to be done you are going to need physical therapy. Capiche?”
He looked at me in disbelief then in a little more disbelief. “You don’t care for shopping?”
“No.”
Still in disbelief he asked, “What about all the gear you brought with you? You certainly made a fuss that first night.”
“That is because you acted like a jack hole and messed up the hours I’d spent packing things up neatly.”
“But Lev said you bought it all.”
Explaining what I thought was the obvious I told him, “I was kitting us out with proper gear when some nutcase brought wardrobe that came out of a historical film. Lord, white scarves and pith helmets and there was even some kind of decorative whip you use with horses.”
“Called a crop you nutty female,” he said finally laughing. “Fine. We’ll skip the swank bathers. Is there anything you do need?”
I pulled out my mini-note pad where I was making a list. “A couple quick dry towels, ginger tea, some leave-in hair conditioner and detangler, a small sewing kit since I just discovered customs must have taken out the one I had, a pair of funny socks for Lev, and a store that sells feminine …”
“Oy, that term you use … TMI. I’ll take you to the pharmacy and run you by the Craft Market just to say you had your chance at souvenirs. Lev told me to tell you …”
“That we could ship stuff home if we needed to. Yeah.” I shook my head. “The point is not to do that. Take only pictures, leave only footprints. I’d rather collect pictures.”
“And the kids?”
I stopped for a moment. “I’ll consider things so long as they know if they buy it, they carry it. No one is going to be their pack mule.”
“Says the woman that took their jackets and put them in her pack.”
“That’s different.”
“Oh yeah, that’s different all right,” the man said with snark that was nearly up to my own standards. I nearly pushed him in front of a moving truck. Every time I think I’m beginning to consider Hugh a real live human being he just goes right back to being a jack hole.’’
July 18 - Day 9 Swakopmund (3)-Part 2
I took care of the most important first. In the apothecary shop I asked for something that a person allergic to both ibuprofen and acetaminophen could take. There’s not much but I did get a few natural alternatives besides some ginger candies which I would have to seal inside a couple of ziploc bags due to smell. Cats Claw is a local remedy but can cause diarrhea if too much is taken. I got the 250 mg tablets and would use them judicially if needed. I got some magnesium for headaches though she already takes it as a daily supplement. Boswellia cream which is a topical which I can use for pulled muscles, bruises, etc. Same for the Capsaicin Gel which is a topical that blocks pain chemicals the body generates. And turmeric is something I already take for … well for just in case because I want to be with Lev a long time and its properties seem to help with some of the problems I could have as I age. And speaking of female issues, with Benny standing with Hugh outside of the pharmacy, Sadie and I picked up a couple months’ supply of female supplies and these little paper bags to dispose of said items in when it was time. I’ve also given her a couple of zip seal bags to hold them in until we get to a proper disposal location. Pei’s friend told me animals are nosey, you don’t want to give them any reason to be nosier.
I looked at her and asked, “You get the munchies or anything like that?”
“Chocolate, the darker the better,” she answered looking at some candy bars in the snack aisle like I imagine a Great White might look at a bucket of chum.
“Is there any other kind?” I replied matter-of- factly rather than like I was handling sweaty nitroglycerin. I got her a bar of DeVilliers chocolate, an African brand, that was 85% cocoa for her to munch on. I would have liked to have gotten more, or nuts or something similar, but having our own food was already problematic. I have to leave the gluten-free bars with the safari’s cook staff to keep animal problems at bay. After asking for a recommendation, the woman at the register directed me next door for a few other things on my list. The store was a bit like what Grandma Barry used to call a five-and-dimer and that’s where I picked up the unscented leave in conditioner and detangler, sewing kit, and socks … they had flamingoes on them but you wouldn’t be able to see them under his pants. The only thing I was missing was the quick dry towel.
Surprisingly I found the towels – plural – at the souvenir market. They weren’t full-size but I fixed that by buying two. And because they were so inexpensive, I bought five of them … two for Sadie and a spare for Lev, Benny, and I. They came in these cool little stuff bags I wrote our names on. I didn’t like the idea of tossing anything but if we must toss our other towels because they become too gross and can no longer be rinsed out enough, I can replace them with the ones I got today.
And I got tempted. I admit it. Lots of cool stuff including wooden carvings of animals. Some of them were small miniatures but they still managed to look totally life-like. And prices were really cheap compared to what I would have paid for similar back in the States. I looked at pieces that weren’t half so nice at Busch Gardens when we went there on the Florida Assignment and had been blown away at the prices. I got one of most of the animals that we’ve seen. The artisan running the booth couldn’t stop smiling.
After that Hugh suggested getting Amasi … it is a fermented milk and good for the digestion similar to a probiotic with lots of other health benefits. His kids drink it when they come for a visit. To me it tasted like a yogurt drink. He also recommended getting a supply of rooibos tea. It is another herbal tea and very popular, especially as an inexpensive substitute for black tea leaves. It is caffeine-free and the red color is natural, not an artificial dye.
I gave him a suspicious look. He snorted, “Relax. My son had a problem with red dye when he was a toddler. Like having a damn psychotic magpie in the house. My wife … I mean his mum promised …”. He shook his head. “I understand about red dye.” He was suddenly very sad and trying to play it off. I gave him the space to do it. I’m not sure that I like Hugh, but it isn’t a game that he is feeling bad about his impending divorce.
Once we got back to camp you can imagine the relief that Lev was trying not to show. I let him pretend but asked him, “Day go well?”
He relaxed and nodded. “Got more done than I expected. Should give me some breathing room.” Then he made a face. “’M sister emailed me.”
“How did she get your email? I gave her the blog’s contact so she couldn’t get to you.”
Making another face he explained, “She … er … likes dolphins. I sent her a picture of the ones we took in Cape town.”
I wanted to ask why but knew the answer to that. Hope springs eternal.
“And she said?”
“Thank you. That she was having a print of it made and was going to hang it in her study.”
“Okay. Then why the face?”
“Because … aw hell, I don’t know,” he said in obvious frustrated irritation.
I gave him a hug. “Take it at face value and don’t pin too much on it. Maybe she was being polite and maybe … like you said … it is easier for the two of you to get along from a distance. At least now she knows you think of her when she isn’t right there in your face. The rest of it we can take as it comes.”
“You don’t like her.”
I shrugged. “I don’t like how she can wind you up. She’s not intentionally toxic but that’s what makes it hard for me to take. Maybe she’ll start calming down now that she’s not trying to overcompensate. If I had to guess … never mind. I hate when people psychoanalyze me so I’m not going to do it to her. I’m just glad she kept it under control this time.” Lev nodded and we both dropped it. His sister is just one of those subjects we both struggle with.
We’d missed “tea time,” a practice that I was having a hard time wrapping my head around. But everyone was ready for the evening meal, myself included.
Dinner was another outing, this time to this place called 1905 on the Pier or something like that. The food was all seafood and delish beyond describing. We also had a ring-side seat for sunset. I’m glad Lev brought his camera. If he doesn’t use the sunset photos for this assignment, I think I may just get a print of this particular shot and do my own bit of “hanging it in my study.”
We get back on the road tomorrow. I need to get back to a regular exercise routine or my butt is going to look like a couple of beach balls stuck on my back.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thanks a lot Kathy.
Well, the last brace is up in the lean-to and the stove pipe redone. What an afternoon!
Well, the last brace is up in the lean-to and the stove pipe redone. What an afternoon!
July 19 - Day 10 Spitzkoppe
Spitzkoppe, I don’t know who got the giggles worse, Benny or I. I know it was rude but … Spitzkoppe. C’mon, sometimes names just tickle the brain.
The name might have tickled me, but the six-hour drive did not. We drove past all the seals one more time on the shores of Cape Cross while travelling up the Atlantic Coast. Our guide said it was one of the most stunning areas of Namibia. I couldn’t deny that. Then came the wild lands around the mountain of Spitzkoppe, also known as the Matterhorn of Namibia.
The Spitzkoppe is known for its stunning beauty and the thousands of ancient Bushmen rock art paintings that are still viewable. Tonight was a bush camp, and I am sitting here writing this watching a sunset of unbelievable oranges and reds.
We were on the road right at 6 am on the dot, driving pass Henties Bay where we stopped briefly to view a shipwreck. We pulled in at our Spitzkoppe camp to learn some interesting facts and to enjoy lunch. From there some of joined an optional activity where with walked or climbed some of the peaks and saw some of the ancient bushman rock art.
Although the Bushman Circle Route normally takes 7 hours to complete, but we shortened the route. It is also the least strenuous of the three hiking trails in the area. This route involved a steep chain climb followed by relatively flat terrain. The Wights … the other Wights I mean … were on a different trail, one that went to an overlook and back … and no one else from our tour group was with us so Hugh was the guide. We ran into another group with a guide that Hugh knew so we combined since we were all there for the photograph. Meh. I was there to get the wiggles out but you know what I mean.
Despite its desolate appearing environment, the Spitzkoppe is teeming with over 200 species of birds including the Herero chat, rosy-faced lovebird, dusky sunbird, booted eagle, and Augur buzzard. Other animals include the bat-eared fox, oryx, aardwolf, dassies and mountain zebra. We got very lucky and Hugh spotted a spotted or brown hyenas, a caracal, and even a leopard which are all endemic to the area. It was from far away but we still put them in play on our animal list. The trees and plants we saw included quiver trees, acacia trees, shepherd trees, thorny scrub, and dry grasslands on walks. I will admit the sound of the grass in the slight breeze was a little creepy and I was on guard in case one of those hyenas or leopards decided to poke their heads out. Shiver.
According to Lev, the evening light was perfect for capturing incredibly beautiful shots and the many interesting rock shapes. And if I heard it once I heard it a dozen times from the others that had joined us, it was some of the most amazing photography in Africa.
Benny and Sadie did very well and I praised them both before they crashed and burned after a good evening meal and a stargazing activity. When evening falls, the sky lit up with what looked like billions of stars clearly visible in the low light conditions of the campsite. After the kids hit the hay, some of the adults continued to sit around the fire and I found out that there were two films made in the area; 10,000 BC and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 Space Odyssey.
Need to hit the hay myself, Lev is waiting, because tomorrow we head into two days at Etosha National Park. We will also be staying in one place about two days at a time, at least for a bit. Sounds good to me.
July 20 - Day 11 Etosha National Park (1)
This morning we were on the road at 6 am sharp. Didn’t bother me as I’m used to early hours. Felt normal. A few of our tour members were barely more than comatose, crawled into the bus, and went back to sleep. How on earth they could do that with the condition of the roads was mind blowing. A couple of them had those neck pillows like people use on airplanes and skull bobbed around like a bobble-headed doll.
Our destination, after an approximately nine-hour drive, was Etosha National Park. The drive was no more nor less remarkable than the other long drives we’ve had to this point. We did stop at a market which was also a fuel stop to break up the drive. We also had a boxed lunch kind of thing as our meal en route.
Once we got to Etosha and got off the bus it took a bit for me to get the kinks out of my body. I think everyone was feeling like that, but our guide – a jolly fellow named Bayron – got everyone back in the game by telling us about the national park. A wide range of southern Africa's wildlife roams here, including all the big carnivores and the five rare or endangered species: black rhino, Hartmann's mountain zebra, black-faced impala, roan antelope, and the tiny Damara dik-dik. Tonight, there was an option to take an evening game drive in the park before spending the night at the particularly spectacular Okaukuejo Camp[1]. The camp overlooks a floodlit waterhole visited by many different species throughout the day and night.
Well of course we took the option which meant having to set up our camp and then hurry to the open vehicle we were to ride in and to be on the lookout for Namibia’s ‘Big 4’: lions, rhinos, leopards, and elephants.
Our driver knew his stuff. We went close to watering holes where the animals went to cool down from the afternoon heat and other places for getting close encounters with the animals. Once sunset drew close, our guide took us to experience some of the best game viewings we’d gotten to this point before returning us to camp. The guide that had been with us said Benny and Sadie were “good luck” and that is why we got to see all the animals we did. Sure, the elephants were a bit far off but we still saw them “in the flesh” as it were. Of course, that got made up for later.
Tonight we are staying at one of the watering hole chalets. Four beds, two of which were moved together for Lev and I to sleep in. All the beds had mosquito netting around them. We are near the watering hole … it is floodlit and it is hard to stop watching the animals coming to drink and socialize. It is hard to go to sleep when you keep thinking you’ve seen the last animal only for another one to show up. There was a herd of elephants and at least five rhinos. Freaking amazing. But I suppose I need to get them all to bed. Lev and Benny are snoring on the loungers and Sadie seems to be determined to stay up as late as me. I hope she isn’t worried about sharing a room. I’ve promised her as much privacy as she needs.
Either way it is time to hit the hay though I hate to. I think this was my favorite night of this trip. That dinner buffet we had after returning to camp didn’t hurt either. Lev and Benny both got as full as a tick. And do I need to say … real bathroom! All four of us scrubbed up really good. I washed my hair because I was tired of the dry shampoo. Sadie has her own supply of dry shampoo but we both agree that it felt like we were wearing a dirt helmet after about a week. It keeps your hair from smelling sour – a smell I despise – but it doesn’t do much for actually getting it clean.
I also need to make sure that all the miscellaneous that came out of our bags is put back in because we change camps tomorrow, or in the morning our gear will change camps while we are on an all-day game drive.
[1] Okaukuejo Resort - Namibia Wildlife Resorts
July 21 - Day 12 Etosha National Park (2)
Today was a full-day game drive in the national park. I discovered that game viewing in the park is relatively easy due to the human-constructed watering holes and the large, sparsely vegetated pans. The bushland surrounding the pans is difficult to see through, but there are enough clearings, pans, and waterholes to usually allow for some sightings. Namibia has protected its game reserves against poaching, which means significant numbers of elephants, antelope and other herbivores reside here.
After breakfast we were picked up in the same open 4x4’s as yesterday. We stopped at the Anderson Gate near Okaukuejo for a few group photos. From there we traveled close to several watering holes in an attempt to catch the animals during their feeding time. I think we all must have taken multiple memory cards full of pictures. Then, at midday, we enjoyed a ridiculously good lunch at one of the lodges. After lunch, as the afternoon heat began to cool, we headed out on the second half of the game drive. Our guide provided opportunities for us to Oooo and Aaaaah at how the animals gather again near the water holes to cool off and feed. Then, as the sun began to set, we once again experienced some of the best game viewings.
We were dropped off at Namutoni Camp for our evening meal and our sleeping accommodations. I’ll admit that Namutoni Camp isn’t as nice as Okaukuejo Camp but we still had a en suite bathroom so no way am I going to complain. Dinner wasn’t a buffet either, but it was still good. Nor was our camp at a watering hole. That I kinda missed, but we do need some sleep. Being out in the open sun all day has taken it out of the kids and Lev even asked for a headache tab where he’d been squinting into the sun a lot to get good photo shots.
Tomorrow is one long travel day only broken up by lunch, fuel stops, and some weird tourist thing run by the government. We don’t have Wi-Fi so I can’t look it up. I suppose I’ll just have to wait until we get there.
July 22 - Day 13 Grootfontein/San People
Leaving Etosha behind, we stopped to see the Hoba Meteorite on the way to our camp for tonight. That’s the weird tourist stop I mentioned last night. The Meteorite is supposedly the biggest meteor that has been found on earth thus far. A big hunk of metal some farmer found on his property. I will admit here in this log what I didn’t add to the blog; Hoba Meteorite is disappointing, a waste of time, and an expense we didn’t need.
My understanding is that the farmer who found it set up a nice little, inexpensive tourist attraction. About like what people have done since time began when they found something natural they might be able to make a living from. Then the government heritage foundation got wind of it and kablooey, it turned into what it is today … an overpriced tourist trap with disinterested staff. We spent a total of ten minutes at the site, about twice as long as was needed. I will stop there. It could have been really cool but is anything but. It was also down an unmaintained road in bad shape that added time to our trip that didn’t need to be. Whoops, said I was going to quit.
After the attraction that wasn’t one, we continued to our camp which is located 31 miles outside Grootfontein. This will be our base for visiting the San people tomorrow. The downtime tonight was not appreciated by me but everyone else, including Lev and the kids, seemed to enjoy it. I will admit that the cool beverages and good food was appreciated, but the hamster wanted to do more than kick back and chit chat with our fellow travelers.
The kids were drawing. I had no idea Benny was lonely but that is how he is acting, like having Sadie around is a real bright spot and that it was great to finally have someone closer to his age around. I wonder if that is how he really feels or if the hamster is building worry-mares for me to deal with. Sadie appears to be blossoming under Benny’s attention. I will need to be careful that he doesn’t get fixated. I’ll worry about that later; however, for now they seem to be good for each other.
Lev is in his element in several different ways. One, he is much better with the people thing than I am. I’m better than I was but my low tolerance for certain personalities that was legendary back home still wants to be present and accounted for here. I don’t like the Sheldons (brother and sister duo that give me the heebies) and I pretty much despise the LeGrand couple, or at least I do the wife. And fine, I’ll admit some of that is even jealousy. If she makes one more pass/not pass at Lev she might accidentally on purpose get lost out in the bush during a bathroom break. Given that her bladder must be the size of a thimble, when we are with them there are way too many stops anyway.
Speaking of Lev, he is completely oblivious, or at least seems to be, of the “eye” Sister Sheldon and the LeGrand woman give him. The two women have turned it into a competition of sorts. Who can get him to notice them first. Grrrrr. Brother Sheldon tried to “console” me and I told him that if he tried that crap again they wouldn’t find his remains. Ever. I haven’t been bothered since and didn’t even mean to record it in the log except that tonight while I was doing push ups I caught Hugh keeping an eye on me.
“What? I’m not going to walk out into the bush. At least not without telling someone.”
“Oy. Don’t give me nightmares ‘cause I can see you getting fed up and doing it. Just …”. That’s when he started snickering.
“Do I have dung on me?” I asked.
“You are too much. I noticed that knothead Sheldon has been giving you a wide berth the last couple of days.”
“Good. He knows his life is forfeit if he starts that manure up again. And don’t you dare say anything to Lev.”
“Oh Lev noticed it. He’s the one that asked me to keep an eye out. ‘Cause if I didn’t he said the poor man might become lost and never be found.”
I smiled in appreciation. “Good. So long as Lev knows I can handle the little case of monkey pox the guy is. I just don’t want people saying there is something there that isn’t.”
“Yeah. Lev thought for two seconds about being jealous, but the man is smart enough to know you’d only consider Sheldon and anyone like him annoying rather than charming. Got a question.”
“Which is?”
“The LeGrands. They spiking your radar?”
I stopped when I’d finished my last rep and stood up. “Truth?” At his nod I answered, “The LeGrands are annoying but that’s all I get off them. It’s the Sheldon’s that spike my meter more.”
“The guy really bothered you.”
“That little play he made?” At Hugh’s nod, I shook my head. “He wasn’t serious, just bored. I’m not his style at all but the idea of helping him alleviate his boredom is just an annoyance I’m not willing to put up with. No, there’s something else. And it isn’t Sister Sheldon’s act either though that is part of it. Something is just … off. Can’t explain it. They both try and put off a certain vibe … wear crosses, dress conservative, when we are in groups put on an act like they are on an evangelical sabbatical. But it is all fake. I don’t know that anyone is buying it but then again, some of this group seems pretty oblivious.”
I was surprised he took me seriously. “Ol’ Man Wight pulled reports on everyone. I’ll see if I can pump Dutton for any info he might have. And I’ll spend a little extra time keeping an eye on them. That kind of trouble we don’t need.”
“We don’t ‘need’ any trouble.”
Hugh tried to be serious then snickered. I guess he was being human with a couple of screws loose. Whatever. At least he took me seriously.
Everyone is now asleep but I’m struggling. Normally a work out relaxes me. I’d do another rep of sit ups but I might wake the others up. Guess I’ll put this log down and try counting sheep … or elephants or something. It is either that or take a caffeine tab and I’d rather not.
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
I found out recently at a trivia game night that the African continent has the least amount of shoreline of all the continents. And that hippos are considered the closet mammal related to whales.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I got to read this on a break, thank you.
Mr Bill
Veteran Member
July 23 - Day 14 Grootfontein (2)
We were up early and breakfast was fairly light when most people wanted more. We needed to get going for a 112-mile round-trip visit to the San people. What makes the San people so special? They are the oldest people group still in existence in Southern Africa. They are hunter-gatherers – or were, some of them mostly still are. The majority of them live a dual life these days. They maintain some of their original way of life and dress, but at the same time we heard a couple of them complaining at the poor cell signal at the meet up point and also discussing soccer teams from England.
Most of the day’s activities occurred at The N/a’an Ku Se Wildlife Sanctuary. No, that is not fat fingers on the keyboard, that really is how that word is spelled. It has something to do with the San people’s language which doesn’t just have vowels and consonant sounds, but “clicks” as well. Very little is known about the different dialects of South Africa's San people, as most of these beautiful, ancient languages were never recorded. Fortunately, the /Xam dialect, which is spoken by the San, was recorded almost in its entirety according to one of the guides who took us to the wildlife sanctuary. /Xam speakers originally occupied a large part of western South Africa, but by 1850, only a few hundred /Xam speakers remained. Today, the language no longer exists in its original form, but survives in 12,000 pages of hand-written depositions taken down word-for-word from some of the last /Xam speakers in the 1860s and 1870s. These pages record not just the /Xam language, but also their myths, beliefs, and rituals.
Once at the N/a’an Ku Se Wildlife Sanctuary we were introduced to a group of the San People who shared their way of life with us. Now these people understand needing to get the wiggles out. We took a walk with some of the tribe, listening to their stories and songs. They demonstrated their unique dialect and how the 'clicking' sound that is part of their language is similar to languages with other unique sounds such as the “tilda” that is used in Spanish or the “schwa” that looks like an upside down e that is part of the phonetic alphabet of Latin based languages. Ha! Don’t I sound smart. I guess I remember some of them college edumacation after all.
Around 30,000 of the San People live in Namibia, but only approximately 2,000 still follow their traditional way of life. Their traditional culture gives them a deep connection to and understanding of nature and ecology. Several historical events endangered the San People’s way of life. The most recent was in the 1960s when the Department of Nature Conservation began to take over large sections of their traditional hunting lands for game and nature reserves. A law passed in 1970 meant that they lost 90% of their traditional land. Today, they have hardly any land on which to hunt and gather.
Not only did we learn the history of the San People we learned several traditional skills. I was fascinated because I knew I’d be able to use them for survival purposes. I later found out that Benny and Sadie were sketching me so that they could practice “scene” drawing. We learned tracking in the veldt (bush), fire making using traditional San fire sticks, and hunting in the traditional San way.
The social structure of the San People is also distinct. They do not believe in any person having an elevated status because they believe inequality only leads to problems. As an example of this, men and women see one another as equals in their culture. And while each gender has its determined role, men and women both contribute to the tribe’s food and general wellbeing.
One of the weirder practices, or at least in my opinion, is the insulting a hunter’s kill. The San believe that if a man has many successful hunts, he may start to think that he is of great importance. So they undermine a hunters’ kills to avoid inflated senses of self-worth. And the hunters cheerfully accept the practice.
This isn’t a commune culture and men and women are different. The women frequently decorate themselves with ostrich eggshell trinkets. They are the gatherers; foraging for food. The food that they gather contributes more than two-thirds of a tribe’s calories so their opinions on nourishment, movements, and social decisions have long been well-regarded and respected.
The men are the hunters and they are very skilled, relying heavily on poisoned arrows to bring down their prey. The poisons are normally plant-based, but sometimes insect poisons are also used. The poisons are slow-acting and can take hours to bring the animal down. That’s where the San’s tracking skills comes into play.
We finally got back in our vehicle and returned to our base camp for a hearty dinner – I’m amazed how much the people in this group can eat. They continued to talk ... and I swear this group would use up all of the oxygen in a room if we actually had walls around us. For the most part they aren't a bad mix, but certainly not people that I would have much to do with if not for this tour thing. I suppose I could say the same thing for the San People. Need to set a better example for Benny (and Sadie). Learning about cultures different from our own shouldn't be a chore, but should be interesting.
Everyone has turned in but me and I hear Lev being restless which means I need to go to hit the hay myself so he will go to sleep all the way. Tomorrow we stop in Bagani where Sadie and I need to do a little restocking of female essentials and then we are off for another series of game drives. G’nite.
July 24 - Day 15 Bagani (1)
Still in Namibia but tonight we are in this place called Bagani. We were told that Bagani is a small, friendly town with some good hiking trails along the river and plenty of nice spots in which to relax and soak up the ambience and the homestead of the local Mbukushu kings. ‘M kay. Wasn’t a lot of free time after the endless road trip, but it is a good stopping point for our next two days. Then we’ll come back to Bagani before heading to Chobe National Park and then … drum roll please … Victoria Falls.
But before I get ahead of myself, need to do the happy dance for our camp. We once again had a family-style set up and what they called an en suite bathroom. Very outdoorsy. Bathroom walls were basically just sorta like a bamboo rattan … like the bamboo blinds you find in Florida only turned on their sides so that the bamboo is vertical rather than horizontal. A real live porcelain toilet was stuck in a corner. Yippee skippee, because I gotta say that pit toilets don’t smell any better in Africa as they do back in the States. No shower, just a bucket of water but still better than some of the primitive spots I’ve been hearing about.
I’m surprised at how much green there is. Hugh said it is because Bagani is on a river so there is plenty of year-round moisture. Yep, that’d do it.
The economy around Bagani is still fairly poor and they count a great deal on the safari-tourism money that comes in. Even by African standards they could use some spiffing up. It is because Namibia didn’t become independent until 1990 and before that the area was really affected by all the mess that took place in neighboring Angola and money hasn’t exactly been pouring in since then to build any kind of infrastructure. Angola is still not a place you want to spend any time. I’m a little on edge about our proximity but Hugh said to relax, that they are too busy with their own Marxist civil war to mess with a small place like Bagani. Yeah, that made me feel all sorts of comfortable. I suppose when you live in an area of constant upheaval you can get used to anything after a while but I’ll be glad to be done with the area when we eventually get out of here.
We didn’t actually stay in the town of Bagani but in a lodge along the Kavango River. They had a small “grocery” and “pharmacy” there and all the women took advantage. We didn’t absolutely need the supplies but I don’t want to leave that sort of thing to chance. Given they stocked common brands it was like going to a flea market vendor back home. Sadie was a little embarrassed until she saw that all of the women treated it like a normal thing and she admitted she would be happy knowing that that sort of thing was not going to turn into an emergency down the road.
I really don’t have anything to complain about no matter how I made it sound when I first started writing this log entry (little full up of people). The setting of our camp is pretty spectacular as such things go. I liked that we were withing the sound and view of the Popa Falls in the distance. Hugh knows his business and arranged during our “free time” to go on a tiger fishing excursion. All three of us caught one and doggone those are some fierce fish!
I wasn’t sure how to describe them, so I am copying the brochure Hugh handed me. It can grow to up to 33 pounds and is common in the southernmost areas of the African continent. Biologically its naming is a literal combination of the English phrases ‘water dog’ and ‘striped’. The African Tigerfish is common in areas around the Okavango Delta and the Zambezi River system. While most Tigerfish species are not known to be dangerous to humans, the Goliath Tigerfish is a scary exception. Citing recorded instances in the Congo River where unsuspecting swimmers have been preyed upon, it is the only African freshwater fish that is actually known to attack humans. The African Tigerfish, is a fierce predator characterized by a long slender shape and a forked caudal fin. Distinguished by large & sharp protruding teeth, the African Tigerfish’s jaw holds a series of replacement teeth, meant to take the place of any teeth that might be lost or broken similar to a shark. The Tigerfish is probably the most prevalent type of fish in any river system around the South African region.
In addition to the very cool fishing experience, we were surrounded by hippos and crocodiles. I’ll admit it freaked me out a bit but I refused to let Hugh see it. Benny and Sadie loved it and both took a break from fishing to sketch what they were seeing.
Back in camp our catch was added to the dinner of grilled tiger fish. Yum. For once I was so hungry that I went off our family diet and had some of the vetkoek[1]. It is a stuffed, fried bread common to South Africa. Wow was it good but now I am so full I am having a hard time getting to sleep. I need to force myself so I can be prepared for the next two days.
[1] South African Traditional Vetkoek (Fried Bread)
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, nice adds. The filled bread reminds me of the filled German buns.
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I will get back to Edie, I just needed a break. Probably tonight. Lots of stress in the world and the travel stories are my escape. LOL
July 25 - Day 16 Okavango Delta (1)
Added a country to the passport … Botswana. This morning we drove across the border and headed south along the Okavango Panhandle (the narrowest part of the delta) to this dot on the map called Seronga. We left our vehicle and got into another safari transport for a trip into the delta.
Our transport? Boats that took us out into the swamps. We traveled to Gao Island to meet up with our mokoro team and started exploring the Okavango Delta with them. Each mokoro (a type of small dugout canoe) takes two people. Benny went with Lev and Sadie with me. I gave Benny the Gus-eye when he looked like he was about to stick his hand in the water. Nope. Not when I know there are bitey things in there.
The mokoro was poled along through the meandering waterways by a local tribesman. I’ll be honest, it looked like old pictures I’d seen of gathering wild rice in Louisianna, the people were dressed similarly. Our guides quietly told us about the huge herds of elephants that traipse down to the water’s edge, submerging themselves and rolling on the muddy banks. About bee-eaters, fish eagles, and pied kingfishers that flit and swoop across the channels. And how, in the long grasses, leopard, lion and wild dog share a common goal: to hunt, kill and eat.
We punted along past birds and lily pads which was peaceful and reminded me how much I love being on the water. However, then we’d hear hippos occasionally piercing the peaceful atmosphere with their oh-so-charming grunts and I remembered we weren’t in Kansas anymore Toto and I went back to making sure that Benny didn’t take it into his head to “explore” more than I could handle.
At the end of the leisurely trip, we were at our campsite for the night. How. Very. Cool. We had lunch and afterwards most of our group had a riverside siesta moment. But Hugh knew me too well by this point and arranged an afternoon nature walk. Thank you, Mr. Not-A-Jackhole. So not kidding. How people could sleep when there is so much to explore is beyond me. Not connectivity, not even of the satellite variety, so rather than working Lev came with us which just made it even more enjoyable for all of us.
One important fact for the area is that while there’s water in most areas of the delta year-round, it reaches peak levels between April and October. Water flows south from Angola’s highlands, feeding the Okavango’s rivers and channels to form the largest inland delta in the world. Covering almost 5,800 square miles the Okavango Delta in Botswana is one of the largest freshwater inland wetlands on the planet and it turns the red sands of the Kalahari Desert into a land of plenty. The Delta is one of the few places where you can see the Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. Big-game hunters coined that term as they regarded those five as potentially the most dangerous of the animals they hunted. The government of Botswana has introduced a deliberate policy of deterring the "budget traveler" from large parts of the Okavango Delta to try to protect the fragile ecosystems of the area. To achieve this, it has created over a dozen private concession areas that strictly control visitor numbers. Many of these areas are hundreds of square miles in size and include a large variety of diverse habitats plus all the usual game-viewing.
Upon return to the camp, we were each treated to a bucket of hot water for a camp shower before we proceeded to dinner around a campfire. The campfire forms a critical part of the safari experience. Much of the time it is just a chance to wind down and discuss the day, and get a little info for the next day’s activity. Tonight, our guides shared their heritage and also asked us about ours. We are a rather diverse group and some of the diverse share more than I find personally comfortable. Happily we didn’t have to participate since some of the group over participated if you know what I mean. Plus, a telescope was brought out so that we could look at the stars. A few of the first-in-line types continued to talk which gave me a chance to get the kids a turn at the ‘scope before the adults hogged it.
Tonight and tomorrow we sleep in tents (on cots) – more like an Adirondack in my opinion – that also have a veranda which is where I am sitting trying to ignore all the bugs. There’s also an attached bathroom with flush-able toilet, shower, and sink. All the comforts of home, and more comfortable than we had a few times at the River House when things were so upside down. Tomorrow we will also be here and while the activities are a bit of a repeat, we’ll pretty much be guaranteed to see something new and different just like I did every day along the river at home. Hmmm. Mentioned that more than once in the last day or two. Wonder if this is the hamster trying to say it is homesick? I’ll just have to feed it some more adventure tomorrow to keep it comatose and quiet.
July 26 - Day 17 Okavango Delta (2)
Packed up camp and sent our stuff on ahead of us while we continued our trip around the delta. We got a rise and shine wake up call with everyone falling in to say hello to a fresh morning over coffee, tea, and rusks. Those that are used to a heartier breakfast had to wait because we headed out for a 3-hour early morning nature walk. To me that was a great way to start the day. I was probably the most exaggerated example of this with everyone else falling on the scale with Mrs. LeGrande bringing up the rear. Bwahahaha. No really. The woman is not a morning person and is about the only time she isn’t looking to become the center of all male attention. I don’t suppose I should enjoy that but … yeah … I’ll take what I can get.Very happy that I picked up some local bug spray as it seems to combat the flying vamps better than the stuff that I brought from the States. The tall grass next to the water was the perfect breeding ground for those bloodsuckers. They didn’t stop me enjoying myself though because I was also wearing my hat with the attached netting. All four of us were though how on earth Lev’s did any good at all when he was constantly lifting it up to take photos. Upon our return around 10am we were treated to a filling brunch and even my stomach was ready for it by that point. Yum, yum, yum.
Lev did a little work while things were quiet – most of our group opted for a mid-day siesta again – while the kids and I with Hugh and s guide had more adventures in track identifications and birding with a kind of Bingo activity. Yes, I know it was a little kid-ish but it was still fun, especially as I helped the kids “collect” them with photos. Lev was pretty impressed with some of them. I admit that I always have had fun taking pictures for Benny and I with my phone camera and I’ve gotten good if I do say so. And the recent hardware upgrades thanks to Townzen means the camera is doggone fast and I can get pictures of birds in flight. And with them being digital Lev thinks he can take a couple and work with them and maybe made something of them. Maybe I can help him help us.
Afte grabbing a snack when we got back to camp we headed out for a 3-hour mokoro trip arriving at Umvuvu Camp just before sunset. FYI, umvuvu is one of the African words for hippo. While I was relaxed on the mokoro, I had no inclination to sleep. Believe it or not, some of the group did doze again. OMG. You are in freaking Africa, on a safari. You do not sleep unless you must. I felt like my head was on a swivel.
Once in camp we got another hot shower in the privacy of our en-suite tent and then “dressed” for our campfire dinner. Dressing for dinner is all relative, basically it means putting on something clean and making sure all of your exposed skin has been scrubbed clean.
Dinner was amazingly good considering the setting. The main dish was an Africanized version of a cowboy stew[1]. There were a few other things but they weren’t gluten-free but for dessert there were s’mores and we were able to make ours using gluten-free cookies. I know Lev had a glass of wine but the kids and I sufficed with a kind of sparkling fruit juice. I made sure Benny scrubbed his teeth well before dinner. We’re both lucky that dental bills have never been a problem but even if Benny had been humoring me Sadie helped me to reinforce the habit by telling Benny some stories of her own time in a dental chair. Yep, that did the trick and I gave her a wink in appreciation.
“It’s true. I had bad teeth when I was little. Because my mum … yeah, anyway, now that I’ve got my adult teeth I don’t want the same problems.” Ugh. It had added just another layer of hesitancy about having a bio-kid.
Tomorrow we head back to Bagani before heading to Chobe National Park for two days. Everyone is excited. My butt not so much. It means we are back to spending a lot of time on the road getting from one place to another.
[1] Camping recipe: Cowboy stew | Getaway Magazine
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Great, thank you. I started reading like 3 or 4 hours ago. But had to do a lot of thing in between. Finally got to finish 
.
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July 27 - Day 18 Bagani (2)
We returned to Bagani for the night. While Lev spent the day working in camp (and incidentally getting me a surprise), the kids and I decided to go on another fishing trip since we had such good luck the first time. We repeated our luck, only this time bringing in four tigerfish[1] for the chef, all of them good sized. I got two of them almost by accident. The second one was a real river monster and it took me forever to land it with the kids cheering me on. When I brought it on board it still had plenty of fight in it and they had to knock it out with a club.One of our river guides was very happy to see it taken out of the river as such fish can turn into man-eaters and create a danger to the indigenous people that live and work on the river. He spoke of losing a cousin when he was younger when she was dragged under and attacked while washing clothes along the river and that his grandmother almost died as well trying to rescue her. The story impressed the kids and kept them from leaning too far out.
We turned the fish over when we got back to camp and then the kids agreed that going swimming (in the pool) sounded like a good way to spend some time before having to get reading for our sunset dinner.
I’m afraid I drew a little more attention than I was comfortable with. Apparently “athletic” physiques are more attractive over here than your standard hourglass figure that is more common in the West. I wasn’t showing off, I was simply taking advantage of the time and space to help the kids, especially Sadie, with a little physical training. She was really enjoying the extra attention and was learning to have good form when I heard Benny yell, “Aunt Gus!”
I knew the tone and turned to see a younger kid had fallen (been pushed) by his older brothers into the deep end of the pool. Lev, who had just come to see what we were up to said I did this turn, twist and dive and went straight under without much splash to get to the kid who had sunk straight down. I grabbed the kid and came to the surface by kicking off from the bottom.
It had happened so quickly that the little boy hadn’t even had time to panic but I could feel him winding up when I broke the surface. I didn’t think, just treated him the same way I would have Benny at that age and got the boy to hold on to my back and swam them around the pool a bit so they wouldn’t be scared of the water and refuse to learn to swim.
When the parents showed up thankfully they understood and approved. Both were EMTs in England. The two older brothers had not had permission to go to the pool and I had a feeling that they were going to be on a tight leash for the duration. I got out and Lev was there and handing me my cover up.
“Thanks,” I said in a whisper. “You can do me one better by telling everyone to put their freakin’ eyes back in their heads. What the heck are they looking at anyway?”
“One hell of a woman,” he whispered back. “You ready to go dress for dinner?”
“I am not running but if the kids are ready, so am I.”
It is when we got back to our tent that he put a choker necklace of ostrich egg shell bits around my neck. It was made by the San People and while he’d purchased in there, he’d needed to wait until we’d gotten it through customs and had the sticker for it.
“Lev!”
He gave me a huge, triumphant grin. “Surprise!”
“How? When? …”
“Ha! I knew you liked it. Yes! Finally found something …”
“Don’t give me that,” I said, fingering the unusual piece of jewelry. “I remember a certain wine cooler that now resides in the kitchen at the River House.”
I explained to Sadie about the cooler that Lev had ordered even before we started our Alaska Assignment and had waited until the following Christmas to install on the van. “He understood me before I was ready to understand what that meant.”
“Oooo … romantic.”
Lev’s ears lit up red and I laughed and said, “My kind of romance. Everyone ready for dinner?”
Thankfully the only thing I had to put up with at dinner was Mrs. LeGrande and her counterpart Ms. Sheldon doing even more competing than normal. Ugh. Lev gets me and stuck close and ran interference for the few that tried to talk me up. It was not that friggin’ big a deal. I was just the closest adult at the time. The wolves could roll their tongue back up in their mouths. I’m not interested.
I refused to let them lose my appetite and ate with gusto, especially when I knew that the kids and I had helped to put the food on the table. That’s the best seasoning for any food there is.
We came back to the tent and Lev knew I needed to unwind a bit so we did the family thing of comparing notes and getting an idea of what was coming up on the next few camps and also asked if there was anything in particular on their minds or that they wanted to do. They are both really jazzed for Victoria Falls but first comes enjoying Chobe National Park. Sadie is just gobsmacked at all the things that she is going to get to do and still needs some reassurance that she is included. It is like she is savoring and saving up all the experiences for when she has to go back to school in London. I will admit that I am going to miss her when she has to return to her normal life. She fits with us more and better as every day passes. I don’t even want to think about it right now though I know that I need to be able to turn loose and be happy for her. That’s September, over six weeks away. Don’t go borrowing trouble Gus. Enjoy what life is letting you experience right now instead of waiting for the next shoe to drop. That’s the old way of thinking, stick with the new and better.
[1] How to Fish for Tiger in South Africa: The Complete Guide for 2023