Namibia

My first day in Namibia, much like Myanmar, was wide open.

So, I did what I do best.

Wander around until I find something that interests me.

LET ME TELL YOU.

There’s not much going on in Walvis Bay. Nothing.

We (me, Frances, Tricia, Sarah, Michael, and Phillip) aimlessly followed a group that had departed the ship shortly before us (in that group was the dean of student life, so we figured they knew what they were doing) ((they didn’t)) to see some flamingos. Well, not just some, a lot. A lot of flamingos.

But we took a wrong turn and ended up in an area of town that only really had a liquor store. We took a different route, and stumbled across a craft shop! To say that Tricia and I were excited would be an understatement.

The shop owner (Ria) had scrapbook materials, glue sticks (random, I know, but I really needed one), embroidery thread, charms, completed wood projects…it was just a nifty find.

What to know something even nifty-er? Ria lives in a house that is adjoining to her shop, and her husband preaches in the backyard. Ria uses her shop as a ministry. She asked me if I had seen women lining the roads trying to sell their various crafts, I answered yes- and she said “I want to help them, teach them to make something unique, something they can sell to make a living off of.” She went on to tell me that she asked God that she would make a difference, and that after making that request- broken women from all over have found their way into her store. She was just a really cool woman.

I had been struggling lately with missing Mark, growing impatient with primarily communicating through email, lines getting crossed- and all of that melted away when I saw this sign. I felt drawn to it, though I didn’t know what it said.

When I asked, she said it roughly translates to Trusting in Him is the key to all peace- even when the road is full of potholes.

I don’t know why, but I felt a very deep connection to her. She obviously had a gift of making people feel loved- and it overwhelmed me.

So much so, that I hugged her. That’s right, after 30 minutes, I hugged a stranger.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was happy being in a country where the majority of it’s inhabitants believe in Jesus, maybe it was because she reminded me of my mom- whatever the case, I felt rejuvenated when I left. I really think we all did (except for Phillip, who stayed outside).

We made a move to the lagoon, because we figured there would be restaurants close to the waterfront. Sure enough, we were right!

We dined at a cool place called the Raft.

It was awesome. If I lived in Walvis Bay, I would be a regular. They had great pizza, burgers, beer, snakebites (pieces of prime rib, wrapped in bacon with BBQ sauce)…SOLID place.

Oh...and adult milkshakes.

We were all happy campers

After lunch, a member of our group started to feel bad, so a few of us went back to the ship for the evening. Which, worked out because I had not yet packed for my trip.

I felt much better once I was organized- and was about to start getting ready for bed- but Frances called my room to ask if I wanted to go wifi hunting. Sam translation- do you want to talk to Mark? YES. So off we went to a place called the Spur! Let me tell you about the spur…their wifi was HORRIBLE. And so was the service. It took 30 minutes to get a drink, and then 45 minutes from the time we asked for our check to when we got it. We left quickly because I needed to rest up for my trip!

This was a very special trip- and I didn’t even know it when I signed up. It just looked like a nice time, but it was an EXTRAVAGENT TIME. It was apparently designed for faculty and Life Long Learners. Whoops. 

Let me tell you about it.

I got out of bed at a leisurely 08:10, headed to the union to meet up with my eight traveling companion. You heard me, EIGHT. We had a short drive to the airport and then waited for our two chartered planes. And we waited, and waited, then learned they were stuck in Swakopmund. No big- they summoned another 12 seat-er plane for us. We met our pilot, Hannes, and were off!

I had never been on such a small plane before, and was kind of worried it would feel rickety- but I was pleasantly surprised by a smooth flight and breathtaking views.

God really outdid himself with this “minimalist” landscape. You can see clear lines where the terrain of the desert change. The Namib desert could really give any ole’ mountain range a run for its money. Maybe. OKAY, it’s all cool. This is just really different than anything I’ve come across in my lifetime thus far.

(I'm sorry...but my pictures of it really didn't do the landscape justice, so I decided not to add them.)

We landed, and were only a short distance from our final destination- Sosussvlei Desert Lodge.

Holy guacamole. This place is top of the line. Our bags were taken to our rooms, and we were served a great lunch, lovely wine, and were greeted by our guides to talk to us about our itinerary. I have a note in my journal that says “I think I’ll be okay here.”

After lunch, I headed to my shared room with Shelley (we were all under the impression we’d be getting our own rooms- but no matter, Shelley and I get along quite well!) 

I admired our super swanky desert digs

....sorry for the heavy breathing. It sounds like I just ran a marathon or something.

..and took a nap- with this backdrop.

My nap was a short one, but it was followed up by fresh iced coffee- so no complaints from me (I mean really, how could I?)! 

We split up into two groups (5 adults and 4 kids) into a couple of open air vehicles for a desert game drive. We saw a few oryx (not too lucky on the whole “seeing animals” front) and then stopped to watch the sunset.

THEN, out of nowhere, our guides pulled out a table, various kinds of drinks and bar snack to accompany the sunset. Yep. I think this is the place for me.

I mean really…who would have expected to be enjoying wine, gin and tonics, or whiskey to finish out our evening?

Even better? They had amazing wifi. In the middle of the desert. It was nice to be able to sit in a nice, comfy chair in the lobby and not feel bad that I’m keeping a restaurant from turning over our table or something. We could talk for however long we wanted on a steady stream.

The next morning was one of those 05:30 mornings, except how could I wallow in not enjoying being awake at such an hour when I am given tea?

We went on a drive to Sossusvlei to:

1. See dune 45, the most photographed dune in the world (I helped out a little bit)

2. Climb a different dune- which took me a while. 

You know how running on a beach is difficult for someone not in the best shape? Now- I’m not talking about the sand close to the water, I’m talking about the loose sand that tries to trap your foot with every step you take. And that’s exactly what it did. SO, I took it nice and slow (at least compared to the physically fit guys in my group- lucky me). But it was all worth it! It was a cool feeling to make it to the top, and then even more fun to run down! 

The downside of rolling in the sand? It getting EVERYWHERE. In my bag, pockets, watch, shirt, bra…the struggle.

I was excited by the idea of going back to my little paradise and taking a shower- but we were surprised by breakfast underneath the shade of a tree!

Our new dean was excited by the sight and said , “Ooh, I hope there are gin and tonics!”

She wasn’t too far off.

It was quite an extravagant breakfast on the go- these folks really don’t stop surprising me.

While enjoying our breakfast, I caught site of another SAS group that were about to climb the dune- and I learned that I picked the correct trip.

Not that being all crammed into one car, sweating, and hiking doesn’t sound like fun- but comparatively…mine took the cake.

Except for when it came to the ride back to the lodge (1 ½ hours). WHICH, would have been a beautiful drive- but after a bottle of water, orange juice, and champagne- I really needed to go to the bathroom.

The guys in my car asked our driver to pull over when they had to go. They can just willy nilly go wherever they please. You know? So, I just turned my head the other direction and wished I could do the same. But it’s not like being out in the woods, you know? This is what I had to work with:

Okay...so this is an image of the Deadvlei. But still, you get my point.

So, we had to pull over half an hour before arriving at out lodge- I could not wait any longer. The ladies restroom was full, so the sweet guys in my group checked the men’s restroom and sent me in while they guarded. BLESS.

After that, it was smooth sailing.

Our days had a certain routine to them. Once we finished our afternoon activity- we were given free time before our evening game drive and dinner.

THIS GAME DRIVE…was much more exciting than the last. Instead of stumbling across a few Oryx…

We also saw….

Zebras

 Giraffes

And even some cheetahs and Springbok (not pictured)

It was another beautiful Namibian sunset topped off with a glass of wine.

After dinner I sat in my facetiming spot:

And talked to not only Mark…but my mom, dad, sisters, brother in law, and niece! I had facetimed with my mom a couple of times- but seeing everyone was a little overwhelming. That’s right- the waterworks returned. We caught up and I told them about my desert palace. It was wonderful! But the BEST part was when Amanda pointed to the screen and said “who is that” and Amelia responded with “Sam!” That was the first time I had heard her say my name!

A lot of people have said my name in my lifetime- but that was definitely the cutest my name has ever sounded. 

I woke up on our last full day at 04:45 (thanks to a wake-up call) to go hot air ballooning!

We were on the road by 05:10 (after tossing back some coffee, of course).

The views were breathtaking. The vastness of the Namib desert is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. NOW, I know I use that phrase a lot, but these past few months- I’ve seen so many different parts of the world! It’s hard not to be constantly in awe of everything that is different. And for that I am thankful.

Other than the natural beauty that surrounded us, our group (+ the other groups on the balloon with us) were having a grand ole time! They put up with my ukulele playing, one of the guys in my group was afraid of the sounds of a hot air balloon firing up, and we all took turns taking pictures of each other to preserve for posterity.

We flew over one final dune and from above we saw three long tables. Two of them had chairs surrounding them, the third was covered with food.

I could really get used to these surprise breakfasts.

It would be even better if we had some champa….

They think of everything.

From there, we drove back to our desert home for naps. Well…I played with the watercolors they supplied us, worked on my Africa video, and then took a short nap. I woke up and it was a little after lunch time, so I meandered to the dining area to join the group.

Our next planned activity was at 16:00, ATVing through the dunes with the guys! It was so much fun! I’ve never really been on a fourwheeler or anything- so it was a new experience for me!

There was one time, however, where I did not give myself enough space to turn around and I just about took myself over the side of a dune.

We drove until we met up with Shelley and Dean Spain (who were already drinking with our guides) for our nightly sunset viewing.

As darkness fell, we had to get a move on to take the ATVs back to the shed (you know, before the cheetahs came out to play). And as luck would have it, my headlights didn’t work and the guys had already taken off…when I couldn’t see but 15 feet in front of me. THANKFULLY, one of them didn’t see me, but could hear me- came back and drove behind me to be my light. Nice, huh?

When we got back, we went up to the observatory to take an up close look at some stars, Jupiter, and a small section of the moon (because it would otherwise burn our retinas) with the second most powerful telescope in the world. Cool, huh? AND, our astronomer was visiting from Georgia!

I turned in a little early that night, because though it was a relaxing trip- I hadn’t been getting much sleep. AND, this was the last night to enjoy my full sized bed before returning to my room on the ship. I even opted out of the cave hike the next morning. I just asked the group to take pictures and tell me all about it later on.

So I walked back to room #7 without a flashlight on me- and I heard footsteps a few feet in front of me. I thought it was the guys messing with me, so I told them to “knock it off!” I reached for my phone and turned the flashlights on “them…” only to find an oryx only a few feet in front of me!

So, I did what any rational person would do- I ran and got the guys. Needless to say, I got a hefty escort back to my room. I was a little shaken, I must admit.

How would you feel if THIS is what you stumbled upon walking back to your room late at night?

I did not take the image above- I just wanted you to see up close what I saw. Now imagine it in the dark. With only a phone light.

I woke up at a leisurely time, skipped breakfast, and utilized the outside shower. It was such nice weather, and how often do you get the chance to actually shower in nature? I then packed my things and headed back to my couch to look up the Texas Tech courses that I will be taking in the fall (sad thought).

The group came back, showered their hike off, and met me for lunch. I asked them where the caves were and they pointed straight across the plain.

Oh no.

“You mean, those cliffs over there? Right across from my suite?”

Remember when I said I took an outdoor shower?

Yep. Let that sink in.

FORTUNATELY, it was too far away to see anything, and only my roommate and another woman on our trip had a powerful enough camera to reach that far had they decided to take a photo of the lodge from a distance.

Everyone got a kick out of that, and I relaxed because they wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t just told them.

While they were packing, I had every intention on updating my blog, but Hannes (or pilot) was there early and sat down with me to have a drink.

We talked about school, our significant others, how he came to be a pilot, and pretty much anything and everything we could think of. I didn’t get the things done I had hoped to accomplish, but one of the most significant things I’ve learned thus far is to really form relationships. Be curious about people, their lives, and their culture. It was a lovely conversation that lasted up until it came time to depart from our desert home.

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY.

This has been another one of my favorite countries.

And yes, I know they are all my favorite.

But really. If given the opportunity, I would be back here in a heartbeat.

Things I love about today:

1. My relaxing getaway

2. The opportunity to get to know shipmates I likely would not have otherwise conversed with so deeply

3. Being with people whose purpose for coming on SAS was not to be in a constant state of drunkenness