What was your favorite experience during the trip?
Sitting at the Maringa Waterhole at our camp in Etosha. Watching the animals especially the elephants come and go and how they interacted with each other. I think that spot is heaven on earth. I also really liked our site under the stars at Naukluft National Park
What was least favorite experience?
Uncomfortable discussions with some guides about politics and race.
What was your favorite animal?
The giraffes
Which national park safari was your favorite?
Kruger because it felt more adventuresome.
How would you rate your African adventure?
Amazing!!!!!
What was your favorite foods?
The many braai ( barbecue ) meals.
What was the scariest moment?
I got nervous at the rest area on the drive back to Windhoek where we ate a picnic lunch when a car pulled in. I felt vulnerable in that moment.
Who was your favorite tour guide?
A tie between Simphiwe our guide around Johannesburg and Debbie our guide in Kruger.
What do you want people to know about your trip?
South Africa and Namibia are very modern and I felt safe the whole time.
What most surprised you about Africa?
1. Police road blocks where every car most stop and have their paperwork checked.
2. They have elderly parking spaces next to the disabled parking spaces.
3. The walls and security got to the point if ridiculous when we got to Windhoek and our room/suite had rolling doors ( like garage doors) over all the windows. I literally. Felt like I was sleeping in a box. I wouldn't want to live my life in such constant fear that I had to fully cover every window and door.
4. Everyone I met had a blackberry. My seat mate on our flight to Namibia explained that Blackberry has a special African deal...$50Rand a month with unlimited text, data and phone. Brilliant marketing for a huge untapped market.
What characteristic of African culture do you want to incorporate into your life back home?
With each international trip, I like to consciously adopt a piece if the culture. In England, in 1987 it was to appreciate subtle differences in culture. In Zimbabwe in 1996 it was to value and appreciate my family like Zimbabweans. In Italy in 2002 it was to live outside more especially eat dinner outside more like Italians and their cafes. In Cuba, it was to be more politically informed. This SA and Namibian trip is to build my own coalition. Cheetahs are usually solitary but will come together. A group of cheetahs is a coalition. All the wild animals work together. We often saw a lone kudo who had been kicked out of his herd milling around with springbok. The Ox picker bird has a symbiotic relationship with the rhino, they sit a top the rhinos back and eat parasites which help keep the rhino healthy. Female elephants form a family unit that is highly organized in protecting the herds calves. So consciously form a coalition of support is what I will take away from this trip and to again start reading regular news out of Africa. I found myself politically out of touch with issues important to Africans.
What do you wish was different about the trip?
I wish Mairyn or Paul had come too
What did you miss most about home while away?
Green salads
What was most exciting experience?
The cheetah hunt and live impala kill.
What I wish I had done different?
I wish I had read more on Apartheid, and Mandella's biography before coming and I wish I had gotten to visit a rural school and a library.
Such an insightful blog. I especially like your observations about the guides/locals and our political and social differences.
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