BANNERDAYS: 2010

Monday, June 14, 2010

Zimbabwe and Botswana

VICTORIA FALLS

- a wonderfall: majesty and mist, rainbows and rain, thundering water. We had come to the other side of the world to see one of nature's wonders - just as legendary explorers, Stanley and Livingston, had come more than 150 years ago. Thinking about their lengthy, exhausting expeditions reminds us to be grateful for our "mere" 24 four hours plus journey from home to here.

Do you know the story behind the famous greeting, "Dr. Livingston, I presume?" No? Well---

After discovering Victoria Falls in 1855, Dr. David Livingston returned to Africa in 1864 to search for the source of the Nile River. He wasn't heard from for seven years, and the world wondered what had happened. Had he been abducted? Did he die? In 1871 the editor of the New York Herald had the idea of sending one of its journalists, Henry Morton Stanley, to find the great explorer. During his eight months there Stanley began to hear stories about a white man with a long grey beard and finally, on November 10, 1871 he found him on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. It's a great story, and you can read a description of this epic moment in history in Mr. Stanley's words by going to

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/stanley.htm

We always enjoy visits to schools and watching the students perform. Our mutual curiousity and eagerness to know one another better is always a highlight of these trips. This is the Chinotimba Government School where the children's dancing, singing, energy and enthusiasm wowed us.
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"A Walk with the Lions" Gone Awry

During our time at Victoria Falls our group of twenty looked forward to a day in the bush that included a night drive safari and bush dinner, preceded by riding elephants and walking with lions. So that afternoon our group was divided in half, and ten of us were driven to the "elephant boarding area" while the others went for their lion walk. We climbed aboard a 36-year-old bull elephant named Tusker with his handler Tom and off we padded quietly and peacefully into the veld (the bush and scrub of Zimbabwe). It was lovely. Really.

Thinking nothing could top that experience, we were driven back to where we were to meet the lions - young females who had been orphaned and raised in protected quarters and who were used to humans. The fact that we had been asked to sign release forms before our two adventures with basically wild animals never raised too much concern. We felt well-protected----animals handlers for each animal and a guide with a rifle to shoot in the air in case something unexpected occurred (such as other wild animals spooking our new friends). The other group told us how much we were going to love our walk, and we were excited. We received more instructions -- no loud noises, nothing dangling from our necks (these were cats, after all, who liked to play), no fast movements--and above all, don't act scared. As we walked off, Jerry asked if he could have the camera so he could take pictures of ME petting the lions. I couldn't believe it. He was afraid? I reminded him how much he loved cats, and off we went.

We met four young, beautiful, verylarge female lions.. We all took turns petting them (we had been told how to do it correctly), and it was amazing. They were soft and sweet. We couldn't believe what we were doing. Finally, we were told it was time to walk with them. So off we went down a path through the bush --- ten of us, four lions, four handlers and Manuel, our guide with the rifle. It was truly exhilarating, and I said to one of the women, "This is even better than riding an elephant." About thirty seconds later, something large and powerful rushed by me, and we all watched in disbelief as one of the lions jumped on Judy, knocking her down and staying on top of her until the handler started hitting the lion with his stick, and she ran off. Judy was screaming, her husband yelling for help, and the rest of us stood there horrified. Jerry and Manuel tended to Judy who calmed down immediately but was probably in shock.

The end of the story is that Jerry went with Judy and Karl to the hospital in Victoria Falls, a clinic with only one light bulb hanging over the table where a doctor sewed up three claw wounds on Judy's head, a total of 30 stitches! It was a somber group that gathered for our bush dinner that night. Judy was going to be fine, but the reality of engaging in close encounters with wild animals on their own turf was sobering to say the least.

It could have been any of us; it could have been disastrous. It's made quite a story for all of us to tell, but especially, of course, for Judy and Karl whose grandchildren will be telling this story to their own families someday: "You'll never believe what happened to your great-grandmother."

BOTSWANA

Crossing the border into Botswana is eye-opening. It's immediately obvious that the infrastructure here is better - better roads and facilities - a higher quality of life. Only minutes after we drove into Chobe National Park we encountered one of the most industrious creatures we'd ever seen, the inspiration perhaps for Botswana's hard-earned achievements. It was a scarab beetle, better known as a dung beetle because it rolls dung into balls that can then be used for food storage or brooding (a place to lay their eggs.) Dung beetles can roll up to fifty times their weight, so it's no surprise that these little fellows move so fast.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Namibia (Continued)

April 23/Sossulvlei Sand Dunes

Freddie endeared himself to us at the Sea of Sand, the world-famous sand dunes. We're not sure who was more courageous, those of us who worked our way up the ridge of "Big Mama" or Freddie for taking us all under his wings and giving us priceless lessons in nature as well as what he called "Lessons in Life" along the way. Most memorable lesson: holding hands as we walked down the sand dune at a 90 degree angle (well, it seemed like 90 degrees) and experiencing a "symbiotic relationship." Thank you, Freddie!

Welwitshia Mirabilis ["Welwitshia," named after the Austrian botanist

who discovered it in 1859, and "mirabilis" which means "miracle"].

They are the oldest plants on earth and considered living fossils.

They're found only in the Namib desert and can live 1,000 years or more.

The Sossulvlei Lodge

Our home in the desert.

Camping in style

The view from our "tent."

I assumed, when invited to ride one, that a "quad" was a four-wheel bicycle. Not exactly. Basically, I just held on for dear life and prayed I wouldn't hit a rock or pothole as I zipped along the desert road. The most exciting moment was watching an ostrich trying to escape a fenced enclosure. As we noisily approached, the terrified ostrich backed up for a running start and headed towards the fence at full-speed. I was bracing for a collision as she headed in my direction, but she missed the top of the fence by a few inches and fell in a heap on the other side. Not to worry though. She scrambled up and, with feathers flying, zoomed away.

The next morning we drove out to the Sea of Sand where we discovered there is more than one way to view the desert.

This is the famous Dune #45. Can you see the people walking on the ridge? We didn't realize we'd soon be doing the same thing on the dune known as "Big Mama."

And here we are, ready to tackle a sand dune. Since we were at

the head of the line (this photo was taken by someone else), we didn't realize that a few of the group turned around and waited in the shade while we marched on, three steps forward and one step back in the soft sand.

A sand-diving lizard was no match for Freddie who dove onto the wall of sand to capture him. We were impressed by BOTH of their diving abilities. (Can you see the lizard in Freddie's hands?)

Here are our shadows on the sand just before we joined hands to descend. It was a vivid example of the importance of hanging onto each other for survival. It would have been much harder trying to do it alone. A life lesson indeed.

Though it doesn't seem too high at this distance, the Big Daddy Dune

is almost 1,000 feet high, one of the tallest in the world.

And finally, an oryx emerges from the shadows, transforming itself before our eyes from black to white. Another miracle in the desert.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Namibia, Land of Endless Space

April 21/Flight to Namibia and the Namib Desert

We flew from Cape Town over the southwestern coast of Africa and soon were looking down on miles and miles of desert. The loveliness of Cape Town, it seemed, was being replaced by the unrelenting harshness of an inhospitable environment. It only seemed that way, however, until gradually we were introduced to a different kind of beauty and a country that is one of the most unusual we've ever visited. Arriving at the Walvis Bay Airport, I looked around at miles of nothing and asked Tony, only half-kidding, "Where in the world have you taken us?" The word "Namib," in fact, means "nothing."

We began our four days in Namibia with local guide and proud Namibian Freddie Bester.

At Walvis Bay (a Dutch word for whales) I took a birthday photo with Jerry and one of the thousands of flamingos that reside there.

We drove past an enclave on Long Beach that was famous for a time as the hideaway of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie when they were expecting their first child, Shiloh. (Some of you, we know, are really interested in this.) By the way, she didn't deliver the baby at home, as was suspected, but in the hospital in the thriving coastal German town of Swakopmund where we spent two nights.

We stayed at the Swakopmund Hotel, built as a replica of the Railway Station in Hamburg for those who were missing their home country. The Germans arrived in the late 1800's and created a protectorate here. Very strange to see German architecture and to hear German spoken by all the residents, including the African street vendors. Even though Germany left the country to its own devices during World War II and Namibia was granted independence from South Africa in 1990, the country retains many of its cultural ties to Germany. Does the beach front remind you of anything familiar?

April 22/Swakopmund, Damaraland, Spitzkopp

It's "Earth Day," and what better way to celebrate than explore this "Land of Endless Space"? Spitzkopp is called the Matterhorn of Namibia. You can see why.

On the way to the mountains we stopped at the Skeleton Coast to view one of many shipwrecks that litter the shore. Later, a bathroom stop at Hentie's Bay gives us an opportunity to see a golf course with more sand traps than greens.

Jerry and Freddie examine rocks on the side of the road. Most of our finds are mica, nicknamed "the baboon's mirror."

Spitzkopp is part of an area known as Damaraland where ancestors of the Damara tribe lived for thousands of years. Eddie, one of the Damaras, shows us Rock Art that's two thousand years old that was part of the communication system of the people. He also demonstrates the language which is one that involves the "clicking" sound that became famous in the movie The Gods Must be Crazy. Can you see the rhino on the wall?

After stopping for a short climb to the Arch Rock, Freddie

takes us deeper into the mountains to find a nice place to

stop for lunch. "What, you didn't bring lunch with you?"

he jokes. "Then what shall we eat?"

The answer is found behind one of the larger rock formations where a pavilion has been set up by a tree, and a tasty buffet awaits us. Isn't this how everyone dines in the desert?

Eddie briefly demonstrating the Damara clicking language.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Robben Island and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

I've been reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, so a highlight of our time in Cape Town was touring Robben Island, the prison where he spent 18 years in a very small cell. A former political prisoner took us through the cells, explaining what life was like there. Derrick Bosson was only eighteen-years-old when the system of apartheid was wreaking havoc on the lives of those condemned because of the color of their skin. He spent five years there and is a strong advocate for tolerance and acceptance of others despite differences. We all want the same things, he said; we are all God's children. Amen.

The view of Cape Town from Robben Island ---another San Francisco similarity.

Derrick

Bosson,

Freedom

Fighter

The limestone quarry where prisoners labored in the unforgiving sun. The small cave provided temporary relief. The 1200 stones in this pile near the entrance to the quarry were placed there by former prisoners. It reminded us of the stones placed on Jewish graves - a sign that the lost will not be forgotten.

The cell where Nelson Mandela

spent eighteen years of his life.

The gate where prisoners left the prison to return to their former lives - "The long walk to freedom" of Nelson Mandela's book.

The new soccer stadium, one of nine throughout the country of South Africa built for the 2010 World Cup.

Nobel Peace Plaza with statues of the four recipients of the Peace Prize from South Africa:

Albert Luthull, President of the ANC, African National Congress who won in 1960;

Desmond Tutu, Bishop of Johannesburg who won in the 1980s for his work against apartheid;

Nelson Mandela and FW DeKlerk who shared the prize in 1993.

The mountain peaks known as the Twelve Apostles.

The temperature was perfect as we strolled through the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. We saw many plants and flowers that were familiar because we've seen them at UCSC's Arboretum which has an African garden. Now we know where to go when we want to remember our time in Cape Town, South Africa.