tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89040987605749072062024-02-07T11:24:05.043+02:00OkuhepaA blog about being a Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia, in Africa.MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-13268887674418255912017-08-17T05:15:00.000+02:002017-08-17T05:19:30.940+02:00Khorixas with Friends<i>looking back to February 2017</i>:<br />
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Sometime in November, my fab Peace Corps boss Linda phoned and requested a favour: could I bear a roommate for a few months? PC volunteer H. needed a new work site due to some security concerns at her location, and the transition would require some time, during which Linda wanted H. to live and work in my town. I'd do a lot for Linda, but H. is delightful and the house is plenty big enough for two, so it was no hardship to say yes, of course.<br />
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And then take off for <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/06/a-time-to-plant.html" target="_blank">permagardening workshop</a>, and then H. went to Windhoek, and then we both started <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/07/a-different-bit-of-africa.html" target="_blank">traveling</a> for the <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/07/low-key-christmas.html" target="_blank">festive season</a>, and what with all these various things, we barely saw each other until the end of January. A few weeks later, she was packing up and getting ready to go. Her new site is a good bit north of us, and in between is volunteer A. in <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/05/bash-out-hiv-and-aids.html" target="_blank">Khorixas</a>, so H. decided she'd spend a weekend there on her journey, and I decided I could use another dose of <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/05/halloweekend.html" target="_blank">Khorixas</a>, so off we went.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNm-sMCv3Okyvpmiyu2P6XREovuYJuS_jYvzpr8K9CUAT2f2GdQVV0ED0QSga3qqswMTMZm-uBP8hvqSxt-pESL5AQv9Ewa7lKj-GwF2DqnS1sKSLdYzbfqOSt-2GeaBW2QN-euCvhIQV/s1600/2017-02-03.1+rain+near+outjo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNm-sMCv3Okyvpmiyu2P6XREovuYJuS_jYvzpr8K9CUAT2f2GdQVV0ED0QSga3qqswMTMZm-uBP8hvqSxt-pESL5AQv9Ewa7lKj-GwF2DqnS1sKSLdYzbfqOSt-2GeaBW2QN-euCvhIQV/s400/2017-02-03.1+rain+near+outjo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serious water outside Outjo</td></tr>
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A. had a site mate in Khorixas, and he had a girlfriend a region or two east, and H. had two future site mates in Opuwo, and all seven of us PCVs converged on this small town on more-or-less Friday evening. H. and I hiked to Otjiwarongo without too much difficulty, bought the groceries and connected with a Namibian friend of A's who had offered to chauffeur us to her place. Ka ching! and boo-ya! We scooped up D. and N. in Outjo or thereabouts, and drove through a streaming, mind-blowing downpour. After four or five years of drought, Namibia had a decent rainy season in 2017, and this was one of the more remarkable bits of it. We had to stop at one point and carefully negotiate a short stretch of flooded roadway, so we chatted briefly with a farmer out inspecting the damage the water had done his fencing. He told us they'd had about five centimeters of rain fall in an hour, washing away some of the post-holes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8BNiqWmpf_u0eGpfr59-1A-c9Vh8zt8jNFzXiPWVjTWOx976kVtffzRW82p38YDzfKMfBracbC2bFVxPj9U12vszSmQunAd2qBGJNXU-xNmftvywPYOvX_97CF47A2xIH-K18H3UAUnS/s1600/2017-02-03.2+rain+near+outjo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8BNiqWmpf_u0eGpfr59-1A-c9Vh8zt8jNFzXiPWVjTWOx976kVtffzRW82p38YDzfKMfBracbC2bFVxPj9U12vszSmQunAd2qBGJNXU-xNmftvywPYOvX_97CF47A2xIH-K18H3UAUnS/s400/2017-02-03.2+rain+near+outjo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not even a river, just a flood. A very temporary one.</td></tr>
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The rain stopped completely about 20 kilometers from Khorixas, and our driver, B., who is a geologist working to identify likely locations for mining of rare-earth minerals, laughed as he related tales of Khorixas's continuing drought being attributed to the poor morals of its residents. "People say it's because of all the fornication there," he said. Later I heard someone else blame the high prevalence of lying and drinking in the town's people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCIDluGKWGamo5w2GKZ65tQ5Kb7JtVDNcDByximSTSugnqyAAHuSAnR2LybfMOCLGp_OqYkWRp7iCxblTG2X45Hq_8MQ7oUMHKrydsoZHYWHM-2WiAPAMmttfrA1_P2dCqFc9GEI2Es1m/s1600/2017-02-04.9+river.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCIDluGKWGamo5w2GKZ65tQ5Kb7JtVDNcDByximSTSugnqyAAHuSAnR2LybfMOCLGp_OqYkWRp7iCxblTG2X45Hq_8MQ7oUMHKrydsoZHYWHM-2WiAPAMmttfrA1_P2dCqFc9GEI2Es1m/s400/2017-02-04.9+river.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No imminent danger of flooding in the 'xas, but they held<br />
their phones and wallets up crossing the riverbed, just in case.</td></tr>
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Pity the livestock, but clear skies do make a braai easier, and that's how we started the weekend. As PC volunteers, we're never really not working - we try to serve as good role models for financial and physical health, and lifelong learning, and anytime I'm out in a community, I'm probably doing some kind of English teaching, and trying to create a good, and accurate, impression of the USA and her people with anyone I meet. However, we didn't have any formal work to do this time. So we cooked, and walked about, and played ridiculous games like Paranoia and King's Cup or Elevenses or whatever it's called. And when the sun got fierce, we stretched out at the lodge and napped a bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjud6ZMsTT0cmsiLnU7j3gxkiuqfQqNafL7nIcYjMjRQkV9_rXfynaFJDaS1twwhZ5rPfB2WDfJInldg9R7kdRxdZ7dpuX8ECH1xudo_2PftHSCDpa-Rd8raBkuD-84jnXEYzKOc4T6x8/s1600/2017-02-04.7+khorixas+street.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjud6ZMsTT0cmsiLnU7j3gxkiuqfQqNafL7nIcYjMjRQkV9_rXfynaFJDaS1twwhZ5rPfB2WDfJInldg9R7kdRxdZ7dpuX8ECH1xudo_2PftHSCDpa-Rd8raBkuD-84jnXEYzKOc4T6x8/s400/2017-02-04.7+khorixas+street.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And tourist-gawked at the adorable donkey carts.<br />
Donkey is also a popular entree in this area.</td></tr>
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We also talked about ridiculous things, in ridiculous shorthands, like A's crazy cat Clementine, who is a mighty hunter and has killed scorpions, bats and many rodents and birds -- many of them in A's flat. And the poop toilet -- her toilet doesn't flush well, so she and guests used to have to cross the Ministry complex's courtyard to the public toilets when the urge to poop came upon them. However, her next-door neighbor had recently moved out, and on this visit we got to use the toilet right next door instead! And it contained the murder mattress where H. and D. slept -- no need to ask, right? Also Khorixas sauce. I dunno about that one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqENGwuB9fxA3eO3ppUD4HnEZUhs6AMhcuZlrZALrn6DvJvhha6_JlAud7VnPsAGFh_2OtEY72ka6CrdruseIN12DheH-FK90_RX7K0dhCw_bEEodga2YFcYO7ZrcXHqCa0hwWj7fNR8f_/s1600/2017-02-04.16+hillarie%252C+dave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqENGwuB9fxA3eO3ppUD4HnEZUhs6AMhcuZlrZALrn6DvJvhha6_JlAud7VnPsAGFh_2OtEY72ka6CrdruseIN12DheH-FK90_RX7K0dhCw_bEEodga2YFcYO7ZrcXHqCa0hwWj7fNR8f_/s400/2017-02-04.16+hillarie%252C+dave.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working up an appetite for dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_JS7kYiPCouJQp3DcGKL6h2XbQSlV6QMxQcc5HK6kxhr865i603tNYH5ncn86qf_qSNf0cxR__LjanDfvy_PITjKdu1r1fSW2F6G66Z2T9yY32DttQkuveo3feaCxhrrORfh7bAL8g9x/s1600/2017-02-04.24+dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_JS7kYiPCouJQp3DcGKL6h2XbQSlV6QMxQcc5HK6kxhr865i603tNYH5ncn86qf_qSNf0cxR__LjanDfvy_PITjKdu1r1fSW2F6G66Z2T9yY32DttQkuveo3feaCxhrrORfh7bAL8g9x/s400/2017-02-04.24+dinner.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feast in the 'xas. With sauce.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy8NwZl_r1GQ1ITxfohGm8brQToR30iNdgpt8tI6KAuzYlO9Y9iyBPDziV0WvMZDIqK4Znu2PtvRVViaT5NZ5gF22XpoTuftjtmF4p_lUjG854NeGHa8OZfJlc9uYuSYPjr6f6pHLmHnc/s1600/2017-02-04.2+paranoia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy8NwZl_r1GQ1ITxfohGm8brQToR30iNdgpt8tI6KAuzYlO9Y9iyBPDziV0WvMZDIqK4Znu2PtvRVViaT5NZ5gF22XpoTuftjtmF4p_lUjG854NeGHa8OZfJlc9uYuSYPjr6f6pHLmHnc/s400/2017-02-04.2+paranoia.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An enthralling, even bedazzling, game. I don't recall which one.</td></tr>
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A. snagged me a free ride back to Otjiwarongo, and from there I hiked home with a businessman from Swakop, who warned me a bit too often about the dangers of hiking, but was otherwise safe and sane. Score!MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-53587595752360691562017-07-31T07:04:00.002+02:002017-07-31T07:04:51.829+02:00Usakos with Friends<i>looking back to January 2017</i>:<br />
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January was a bit rough, with a sad family situation and some very looong flights and layovers. As glad as I was to get back to Arandis, I was very willing to leave town for a weekend to help M. celebrate his birthday with a whole bunch of other volunteers in the next town east, Usakos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifvu_5YpoyojYmmdyPj_rBB2kfjxkNHMoHtBNBTWOaK_m6cVoWXY9HTdxnYsbFe0udaADfoeklUZ6y9J3L7-a1qSXMu17yfIWnaeoRusbTNxbDIxYuFkb9IvgzplhlgV8yTjcz7h0oyjH/s1600/2017-01-21.11+view+from+porch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifvu_5YpoyojYmmdyPj_rBB2kfjxkNHMoHtBNBTWOaK_m6cVoWXY9HTdxnYsbFe0udaADfoeklUZ6y9J3L7-a1qSXMu17yfIWnaeoRusbTNxbDIxYuFkb9IvgzplhlgV8yTjcz7h0oyjH/s400/2017-01-21.11+view+from+porch.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view, from M's porch, of the outskirts of town.</td></tr>
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Usakos is a bit bigger than my town, and a bit wetter, with the Khan River supplying enough water underground to allow for a few trees to survive. A bit wetter also means more possibility of mosquitos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHlBXmkYqpl3oiOJaPc78vS_xOP0R-2bsYio8uskB3qQ_meguAM0Hnj58X8q9xAISvfE8B8dwJvHrLHdqDkchjRFlSCf8Xbk-c1_XeQVI_DYu6RpZsWbih9JN-lYGF_oNa5Co3j9aq5_d/s1600/2017-01-21.4+sleepers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHlBXmkYqpl3oiOJaPc78vS_xOP0R-2bsYio8uskB3qQ_meguAM0Hnj58X8q9xAISvfE8B8dwJvHrLHdqDkchjRFlSCf8Xbk-c1_XeQVI_DYu6RpZsWbih9JN-lYGF_oNa5Co3j9aq5_d/s400/2017-01-21.4+sleepers.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And it's hot, even at night -- but night two they couldn't sleep outside,<br />due to rain! That's right, rain!</td></tr>
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It's also a main stopping point for traffic between Windhoek, the capital city, and Swakopmund and Walvis Bay on the west coast. Swakop is a big tourist center; Walvis is the only deep-water port on this stretch of Africa's coastline, so it's a major transport and business center. That means that the east-west corridor stays busy with trucks and combis full of people traveling for work or to visit family and friends, and almost all of them stop for toilets and the mini-mart (biltong, kooldrink, chips).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyLUrG_3BxvOMjVBQaU4Wbuhn7Av9sqsvHiJB-QTDKdNa9nFVkFks0bdLi_qnSqLaxJpEM5LBPTdr4_SRb5Xg4iNNTXatzNU-_3VGyBzEs56em8Ht1DLXjeesWmPuFIkY2A6wWOXiPiFb/s1600/2017-01-21.15+engen+station.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyLUrG_3BxvOMjVBQaU4Wbuhn7Av9sqsvHiJB-QTDKdNa9nFVkFks0bdLi_qnSqLaxJpEM5LBPTdr4_SRb5Xg4iNNTXatzNU-_3VGyBzEs56em8Ht1DLXjeesWmPuFIkY2A6wWOXiPiFb/s400/2017-01-21.15+engen+station.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mini-mart also supplements the local mini-grocer.</td></tr>
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Strangely, Usakos doesn't have a great grocer, unlike my town, which has three. But it does have a lovely cafe where we ate breakfast both mornings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIhyphenhyphen95FuVZ8j_wHULsfrtNbuZ8w7t8wqlBsnFL-DR5OH4nVbvnqMoGeeWrIXHgOAD0Q3_0Lyoi5kOjr0XosSZP7EumeT5ApvCx-enxI5L-HuamhkMUh54EYzFe1XgIZtaB0HJ4yeS5YLv/s1600/2017-01-21.17+usakos+park.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIhyphenhyphen95FuVZ8j_wHULsfrtNbuZ8w7t8wqlBsnFL-DR5OH4nVbvnqMoGeeWrIXHgOAD0Q3_0Lyoi5kOjr0XosSZP7EumeT5ApvCx-enxI5L-HuamhkMUh54EYzFe1XgIZtaB0HJ4yeS5YLv/s400/2017-01-21.17+usakos+park.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a little park. The town also serves regional, far-flung farmers.</td></tr>
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We braii'd for M's birthday dinner, enjoying the lovely view from his porch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDKXWREUkVvVikFvU8f8ZxNInso00DWPW_EVYvgfJgU1hLfOGJ1V2wPqp7GvxElV1h-K1A4VeogcZKO0lTsFIQKC9Os03nBNOsCQPvnC4oDj9t9PfwmRB_wwSmBH45GEBaSF0MjQDNi2e/s1600/2017-01-21.19+front+porch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDKXWREUkVvVikFvU8f8ZxNInso00DWPW_EVYvgfJgU1hLfOGJ1V2wPqp7GvxElV1h-K1A4VeogcZKO0lTsFIQKC9Os03nBNOsCQPvnC4oDj9t9PfwmRB_wwSmBH45GEBaSF0MjQDNi2e/s400/2017-01-21.19+front+porch.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sweet set-up for a PCV, but of course no grocer is a challenge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ficQ5OCC83JuzXEEKuqjCf6ykNrGO6Txe9yYplfXSX_wFoGs8q94TCBUY54YdL8QoG3ALdxjzlYe3TPiZejjXmcx4ZsWbHOVktz74HZ427_xC5WPMuC3gJOqtlV_B-226FzpE-0rLtmz/s1600/2017-01-21.10+anastasia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ficQ5OCC83JuzXEEKuqjCf6ykNrGO6Txe9yYplfXSX_wFoGs8q94TCBUY54YdL8QoG3ALdxjzlYe3TPiZejjXmcx4ZsWbHOVktz74HZ427_xC5WPMuC3gJOqtlV_B-226FzpE-0rLtmz/s400/2017-01-21.10+anastasia.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But a lovely neighbor like this sweetie is a bonus.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPjlrAgvz26gAYzIaETOH97ky1UvZi4bREhD7L3a05z7MWa-MWFs8kBdXvIURcVnBtLRxvO3yo5xKYBCiSsE27Xc3eM3eZKXqzFvHyrc4pBRkh6Lbe-gfkJCcIlyimJCLhNYGv-jLRMLd/s1600/2017-01-21.14+usakos+train.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPjlrAgvz26gAYzIaETOH97ky1UvZi4bREhD7L3a05z7MWa-MWFs8kBdXvIURcVnBtLRxvO3yo5xKYBCiSsE27Xc3eM3eZKXqzFvHyrc4pBRkh6Lbe-gfkJCcIlyimJCLhNYGv-jLRMLd/s400/2017-01-21.14+usakos+train.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know why there's a little engine on display in Usakos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-4553466477148936402017-07-30T20:36:00.002+02:002017-08-17T00:55:21.773+02:00Low-key Christmas<i>looking back to December 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Plans for my second <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/07/merry-boxing-day_31.html" target="_blank">Christmas in Namibia</a> went all kinds of skew-whiff, zigging and zagging about through various possibilities, places and people. Different illnesses and difficulties were, sadly, responsible for the arrangements and re-arrangements, but eventually a happy outcome arrived, with PCV A. coming to visit for three days and a rent-a-car so we could putter about with a good bit more freedom (and a great deal more expense) than we would usually have.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6wtqsSGGyEoVrNmEPiwUNbeyPIT5oSoNqkvJlqhUJJuiacyGGQ8Sk6EzxPqNPpIdiUJmU7V51umHkgnCVwaojVM9LMSBG0uGzO2VMmGxPPBkdQV4-f9gUSZRiMsozS1AniQQR25ze5Nm/s1600/2016-12-24.9+view+from+dune+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6wtqsSGGyEoVrNmEPiwUNbeyPIT5oSoNqkvJlqhUJJuiacyGGQ8Sk6EzxPqNPpIdiUJmU7V51umHkgnCVwaojVM9LMSBG0uGzO2VMmGxPPBkdQV4-f9gUSZRiMsozS1AniQQR25ze5Nm/s400/2016-12-24.9+view+from+dune+7.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white one is ours, trying to catch some shade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We were both mostly in the mood for movies, music and conversation, and got plenty of each. Our major planned activity was a visit to Dune 7 and the moon landscape, both close by my home and each other.<br />
<br />
Dune 7 is not especially special, but we didn't know that until we got there. It's advertised as a tourist draw: a high dune close enough to the bigger towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to make a visit easy and quick. On clear days you can see the Atlantic from the top of the dune, which is probably at least ten kilometers away and maybe more. I don't really care. The other mildly entertaining features are that walking a steep uphill of fine sand is <i>hard</i>, and coming steeply downhill in fine sand can be fun. We did not have a clear day, so missed the ocean, but A. took the downhill route in great leaps, sinking far into the sand with each landing. I was considerably more sedate, given my camera, knees and fear of falling. With one or both feet sunk deep in the sand, if you fall forward I don't see why you couldn't just snap a fibula. Jeez.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWLR6TxStiwt_SSwlou59r0ucrYyEm2DDdkkluvvk3WeRwx9fPklAN83tnWdQklCzKa8b9oqNtQMwCjMfaw1YdzA-Gv-mILmHPrNfmXBy62kuj1bIaYvYvvdjHcQuwnvQSjyt86p4B3wj/s1600/2016-12-24.2+andy+dune+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWLR6TxStiwt_SSwlou59r0ucrYyEm2DDdkkluvvk3WeRwx9fPklAN83tnWdQklCzKa8b9oqNtQMwCjMfaw1YdzA-Gv-mILmHPrNfmXBy62kuj1bIaYvYvvdjHcQuwnvQSjyt86p4B3wj/s640/2016-12-24.2+andy+dune+7.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6rqjbzHumOhUkRW1o1IByO1YMxNoPjOlBBsUJZuYPUTbRtDCD6E0mftekradPicvhoO8riViwCDhb7EOlV9Gp3a-Bs5cIGzuzHO_ao_XdPME1sgKnZY6tBSehRFS7Hv4vFumBZSUo2k3/s1600/2016-12-24.11+andy+dune+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6rqjbzHumOhUkRW1o1IByO1YMxNoPjOlBBsUJZuYPUTbRtDCD6E0mftekradPicvhoO8riViwCDhb7EOlV9Gp3a-Bs5cIGzuzHO_ao_XdPME1sgKnZY6tBSehRFS7Hv4vFumBZSUo2k3/s400/2016-12-24.11+andy+dune+7.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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However, I did have the fun of literally burning my toes. Like most people, I did the climb barefoot because boots full of sand are no fun at all. Since A. and I had had a holiday-like dilatory morning, we didn't reach the dune until about ten or eleven, by which time the strong December sun had heated those silicates to egg-frying temperatures. We both kept digging our feet in deeper with each step, trying to find the cooler parts, but there weren't any. I wound up with several blisters on and around my left toes, and considerable tender pinkness on the right.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIDcfSk7voKoc4dNhfRqObOorWEdln0ywEBSPyfPeBWhB-_lvfy8Mnib44C8lyI0Ka7FUwKzBxP6rDYkpv7DVya9JY8xDTL1YYWtvPB66gwREg2k9PTI-QrGPqnttMcIRRU3GiEmdwiq4/s1600/2016-12-24.16+andy+dune+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1492" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIDcfSk7voKoc4dNhfRqObOorWEdln0ywEBSPyfPeBWhB-_lvfy8Mnib44C8lyI0Ka7FUwKzBxP6rDYkpv7DVya9JY8xDTL1YYWtvPB66gwREg2k9PTI-QrGPqnttMcIRRU3GiEmdwiq4/s640/2016-12-24.16+andy+dune+7.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When A. fell, he fell backwards. Also he did not burn his toes, but he's a barefoot-runner kind of guy, so...</td></tr>
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<br />
The <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/03/vacation.html" target="_blank">moon landscape</a> is gorgeous, and A. hadn't seen it before, so that was worth a drive. We did set off to find some welwitschias, but we've both seen those and didn't enjoy the bumpy gravel road in a VW compact, and so turned back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh483CcayEXUMTXqQWAokLkT4kSiehBMhun8n9oSwfyN_UTzT5Z_2c3BTA-eFa5_cjoS8YepVJfm5FIFPNMkmM-ka9l0Dr98whDCea8V9oxc3S-xGtysvUIu7_pZuKCTlCTeAXh0fKeBW3T/s1600/2016-12-24.20+me+moon+landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh483CcayEXUMTXqQWAokLkT4kSiehBMhun8n9oSwfyN_UTzT5Z_2c3BTA-eFa5_cjoS8YepVJfm5FIFPNMkmM-ka9l0Dr98whDCea8V9oxc3S-xGtysvUIu7_pZuKCTlCTeAXh0fKeBW3T/s640/2016-12-24.20+me+moon+landscape.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does it look lunar in this photo? Because it does in real life.</td></tr>
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Christmas Eve's big fun was introducing A. to <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/10/without-music-life-would-be-mistake.html" target="_blank">The Fate of Miss H</a>. Actually introduce, it turns out: Lisa the nice waitress invited us to sit at a big table marked 'Reserved' and I checked with the lone man there, who welcomed us kindly. Lisa then explained it was the band's table, and the man explained that he's the drummer and sound tech. So we chatted with various band members and got some music recommendations that I've forgotten, and A. was as enthusiastic about their set as I'd hoped he'd be. Lucky him; he saw them again in Windhoek this May, the night before he closed his PC service.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qGhGwBBI56JNCezwOweJPg7Gclyx2N4Fmfe92cZAU4Bc2uMBeiSWY5Kqcaj1eg3sp4pY8-mRHKukAQbheeK1Qk8yOQKDqvr8GmUaB0b5XYB_UCe5UzutkeUvZSq04SrUsOcP9xXOSTgW/s1600/2016-12-24.24+fate+of+miss+h.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qGhGwBBI56JNCezwOweJPg7Gclyx2N4Fmfe92cZAU4Bc2uMBeiSWY5Kqcaj1eg3sp4pY8-mRHKukAQbheeK1Qk8yOQKDqvr8GmUaB0b5XYB_UCe5UzutkeUvZSq04SrUsOcP9xXOSTgW/s400/2016-12-24.24+fate+of+miss+h.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Festive!</td></tr>
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<br />
On Christmas Day we cooked lentil loaf and Yorkshire pud with mushroom gravy and A's fabled mashed spuds, and it was all delish with a bottle of South African red. And some superb Scotch whisky. We picked 'Frozen' as our Christmas flick, and all together were very mellow, in a happy, merry way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGIZ4ndOa9yWdIxZtTMLOsC4xabkubYV1xM1lQigMmK2hcMTZArLtPE89mbOaG0Q1zOTxGWzh9xUqmndIGta4NCF5FwfZxzd5PQWLQ-kQ1fRF1jHIIUparDlSrKW04pI31JCqikVynXuT/s1600/2016-12-25.3+dinner+plate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGIZ4ndOa9yWdIxZtTMLOsC4xabkubYV1xM1lQigMmK2hcMTZArLtPE89mbOaG0Q1zOTxGWzh9xUqmndIGta4NCF5FwfZxzd5PQWLQ-kQ1fRF1jHIIUparDlSrKW04pI31JCqikVynXuT/s400/2016-12-25.3+dinner+plate.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Christmas spirit, I ate too much mashed potato<br />
to choke down a Cape Town chocolate for dessert.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23I2zF2-PzTtO0fcAYpCvfegxLDrow2Sgh0pSASEEYElThBGRh05ocqGDpG_lGyX0gYb4KHK19NkAnkwZua2ME_1Umm45IKe9gDjoJ-VF8LVSBmAIF1Z4MUlWRZ_el-qnyqCrY4Fk0kaJ/s1600/2016-12-25.4+eliz%252C+andy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23I2zF2-PzTtO0fcAYpCvfegxLDrow2Sgh0pSASEEYElThBGRh05ocqGDpG_lGyX0gYb4KHK19NkAnkwZua2ME_1Umm45IKe9gDjoJ-VF8LVSBmAIF1Z4MUlWRZ_el-qnyqCrY4Fk0kaJ/s400/2016-12-25.4+eliz%252C+andy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry, merry!</td></tr>
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MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-59873812719936570532017-07-18T22:30:00.000+02:002017-08-17T00:55:05.507+02:00And Now for Something Completely Different<i>looking back to December 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Cape Town! Oh, my dears.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuct-HUP3hNI9P70X8GHuZ98CyroyFcrp6c6tdqa6P9BUkjKUar3JaEnS8d8IuAjU7zH8uRnfMELjARKUfkqqVnfnH17NInq1Oyej8Ype6H8G5TT6DUj_pwZGI49Qfehxgd0T0Tasokhv0/s1600/2016-12-15.56+city+from+lion%2527s+head.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuct-HUP3hNI9P70X8GHuZ98CyroyFcrp6c6tdqa6P9BUkjKUar3JaEnS8d8IuAjU7zH8uRnfMELjARKUfkqqVnfnH17NInq1Oyej8Ype6H8G5TT6DUj_pwZGI49Qfehxgd0T0Tasokhv0/s400/2016-12-15.56+city+from+lion%2527s+head.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the whole city, but a decent portion of it, from Lion's Head mountain.</td></tr>
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I'd never really given it much thought, and it certainly wasn't someplace I planned to visit. However, a group of PCV friends were going, which meant none of them would be available to go anywhere I did yearn to visit, and with the office closed for the festive season, I'd either languish sweating through another December alone, or spend too much money looking at things with no one to share the expenses or my sense of wonder, or to help me up when I fell off a mountain. So when one of my friends had to drop out of the Cape Town trip, I asked if I could take his place and was glad to be accepted.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL21P0QzSY_TBPu_vQMwip76Dp60QqyeapvjqsHrwXPIeKhw2bsVVzmqjBCTQ8-hJrDyeBVgIvhTKgNpVY3zk12Tk4k8OOqj_mzMCgn7zlrumyPSAO8TaOGVDZ_mtVZ9id4iaTJk4kv7pq/s1600/2016-12-16.z+flower+-+cape+of+good+hope.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL21P0QzSY_TBPu_vQMwip76Dp60QqyeapvjqsHrwXPIeKhw2bsVVzmqjBCTQ8-hJrDyeBVgIvhTKgNpVY3zk12Tk4k8OOqj_mzMCgn7zlrumyPSAO8TaOGVDZ_mtVZ9id4iaTJk4kv7pq/s400/2016-12-16.z+flower+-+cape+of+good+hope.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the fynbos microecoregion or whatever.</td></tr>
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The others did the bulk of the planning, which was fine with me. I'm big on serendipity and somewhat lighter on internet access, and as a late addition to the group, I didn't wish to push. And it worked out beautifully, though I wish I'd figured out a way to get to Robben Island, and maybe a township tour.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_v7RF07olCbDjd2gO5f74rRc5_sGdssCxxzj3c70DinNSklMU-NNv8nNj9dxZdoInXwc_eGIpmxlILXoRBbtS53QC-hqfUhyphenhyphenA4Ck7HjaWkQ6HY2aj7r7Z6PT_aUKha-_EvUJ8TQ0Dfo19/s1600/2016-12-14.7+sunset+from+balcony.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_v7RF07olCbDjd2gO5f74rRc5_sGdssCxxzj3c70DinNSklMU-NNv8nNj9dxZdoInXwc_eGIpmxlILXoRBbtS53QC-hqfUhyphenhyphenA4Ck7HjaWkQ6HY2aj7r7Z6PT_aUKha-_EvUJ8TQ0Dfo19/s400/2016-12-14.7+sunset+from+balcony.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over table mountain from the Air B&B</td></tr>
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I do question, too, whether I'd be quite as enraptured with Cape Town if I hadn't spent 18 months in a small town in a sparsely-populated, often poor desert country where I wasn't allowed to drive. However, given those conditions I was seriously enraptured.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02B5OKzyMB-pEF84yYFMZ-omjkVgXbH60gvEVpi-anwj3dtYcRw2xSWru9ABk_YvtdGc3DI52sscgzW5F8cb5ju9LnHiKelHMVwADp2BA2YXDqxyre-N2ZWaGObMkq1YWHUbjt2Myx5ph/s1600/2016-12-15.51+lion%2527s+head+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02B5OKzyMB-pEF84yYFMZ-omjkVgXbH60gvEVpi-anwj3dtYcRw2xSWru9ABk_YvtdGc3DI52sscgzW5F8cb5ju9LnHiKelHMVwADp2BA2YXDqxyre-N2ZWaGObMkq1YWHUbjt2Myx5ph/s400/2016-12-15.51+lion%2527s+head+sunset.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fynbos on a mountain over an ocean. Love this a lot.</td></tr>
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<br />
Here are a few of the reasons:<br />
<br />
1) Uber. You could just push a few buttons on your phone, and a car would arrive in a minute or two and take you where you wanted to go moderately safely without driving around in circles for 45 minutes first, gathering six or seven other people to pile on top of you.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMELwsNitA2cq2IDcMWNZcJLZLG6wGJZvc1zYHp8taT9fZ_2LVLKlH0jeBWQUKCOzZbqsbyJ9V8dLsjbX1Hgf_vUYJz1cNK19Ek-Jhvu2vsC6gegr8UyS-Oek3d0QbkYECnE6WOM9-OEZ/s1600/2016-12-14.4+bo+kaap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMELwsNitA2cq2IDcMWNZcJLZLG6wGJZvc1zYHp8taT9fZ_2LVLKlH0jeBWQUKCOzZbqsbyJ9V8dLsjbX1Hgf_vUYJz1cNK19Ek-Jhvu2vsC6gegr8UyS-Oek3d0QbkYECnE6WOM9-OEZ/s400/2016-12-14.4+bo+kaap.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any of these cars might be Uber cars.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
2) Mountains. Gorgeous mountains covered with greenery ring the city. You can reach one in a few minutes with Uber and climb a well-marked trail to the top.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zuoxiTkpUxq8wgT3nAM1xFT9WVUls2WlhPWZqLPa9O6fzzMLAD8ILKMXnkUMqfxdx6U1FqHSCRCKC2Gcm9A06o2HAphZjidNSi_NDZffwICrlhAjW40pkG0ZkdtYmxKWs5I-jisBuAE5/s1600/2016-12-20.8+moon+on+table+mountain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zuoxiTkpUxq8wgT3nAM1xFT9WVUls2WlhPWZqLPa9O6fzzMLAD8ILKMXnkUMqfxdx6U1FqHSCRCKC2Gcm9A06o2HAphZjidNSi_NDZffwICrlhAjW40pkG0ZkdtYmxKWs5I-jisBuAE5/s400/2016-12-20.8+moon+on+table+mountain.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half a moon over Table Mountain</td></tr>
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3) Ocean. The part of the city that isn't bounded by gloriously green mountains is bounded by beautiful blue ocean.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpHaRSobaIjzSe3q6pmLQTnfLQDMnqA2ZukcV-TVGzspV8JHjEVtSemxk_GqvHpW1Td-z8ljepXJYSNQUbN1Z3FXOULko01Tc8BwcxBobIW-s3-aHM-LiACeix_wENx2LWZmR_loqTruZ/s1600/2016-12-16.aa+cape+of+good+hope.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpHaRSobaIjzSe3q6pmLQTnfLQDMnqA2ZukcV-TVGzspV8JHjEVtSemxk_GqvHpW1Td-z8ljepXJYSNQUbN1Z3FXOULko01Tc8BwcxBobIW-s3-aHM-LiACeix_wENx2LWZmR_loqTruZ/s400/2016-12-16.aa+cape+of+good+hope.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the Cape of Good Hope</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfqfzB1J36p7GTcbrYmJYbyQjhsVqIxxQTVPJE9R28_XpVwyWKBj3Siw3xi1cE1A4dROfCQlUfggJSF2fEKwgqxGfI0EHZtTxtNGQaEVCZw1Ca0l4_Z-r95Iddp40xcIG8o6xd9VG1fuq/s1600/2016-12-16.ah+cape+of+good+hope.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfqfzB1J36p7GTcbrYmJYbyQjhsVqIxxQTVPJE9R28_XpVwyWKBj3Siw3xi1cE1A4dROfCQlUfggJSF2fEKwgqxGfI0EHZtTxtNGQaEVCZw1Ca0l4_Z-r95Iddp40xcIG8o6xd9VG1fuq/s400/2016-12-16.ah+cape+of+good+hope.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Chapman's Peak Drive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
4) Art galleries, nightlife, all kinds of cultural stuff. Several art galleries, one so crammed with paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures in myriad media that I clasped my hands in front of myself for fear I might knock something over. Some artwork by artists with African- instead of European-sounding names. Local traditional dancers doing street performances. DJ's of many styles; signs of bands, cinemas and theaters though we didn't make time for movies and the only band we saw was a pretty modest cover band in a mock-Irish pub.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMk3nEdfiXBA0_-U13UDdrJUeQOO-MgPpF16akpErrMfTNbhuU5uNKo9NFQ_aI4m7O6zBWL1hb8j6WECaUrM6fI1vhNxLCldbQ2-GdLyULl1w1J1NZhaXTJof9AxEgd9eZC2zltrJbM87t/s1600/2016-12-21.3+house+of+machines.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMk3nEdfiXBA0_-U13UDdrJUeQOO-MgPpF16akpErrMfTNbhuU5uNKo9NFQ_aI4m7O6zBWL1hb8j6WECaUrM6fI1vhNxLCldbQ2-GdLyULl1w1J1NZhaXTJof9AxEgd9eZC2zltrJbM87t/s400/2016-12-21.3+house+of+machines.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We just missed open-mike performances at this bar, <br />which is in the neighborhood where I visited art galleries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
5) Bo Kaap. The gorgeous neighborhood where we stayed in an Air B&B is clean, cobbled, hilly and very brightly painted. It's got a lot of Muslims, so we heard the call to prayer ring out periodically.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfVxt-DIMsD0jGrXT5jEDjvtG0YaxYJWIud-wU05Y2ut77pRzo0rp7ebuvvqhQkbtICpkhX_e9Kd4rscircNFE-2OSEJB3oBEFvxqiw_wC8jUdzUbwYpiuTlfJpjg2Sh4pcBlSrWxO0XK/s1600/2016-12-16.c+bo+kap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfVxt-DIMsD0jGrXT5jEDjvtG0YaxYJWIud-wU05Y2ut77pRzo0rp7ebuvvqhQkbtICpkhX_e9Kd4rscircNFE-2OSEJB3oBEFvxqiw_wC8jUdzUbwYpiuTlfJpjg2Sh4pcBlSrWxO0XK/s400/2016-12-16.c+bo+kap.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bo Kaap!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
6) Restaurants. We had a full kitchen and tight budgets, and nonetheless we ate out most meals. One night at <a href="http://www.fork-restaurants.co.za/" target="_blank">Fork</a>, a tapas place, I had one of the best meals I've ever had anywhere. There was also a chocolate shop, a couple markets with artisanal food stalls including mushroom amazingness and fine cheeses, Mexican, a steampunk place... Good whole-wheat bread was still hard to find, oddly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSb8GS-KAyXeKXMoUXMjYtnxW8QHxu8Ru3uQD0SCqzIO8NMfBgfu4OhAEQInhziKgRfvQxGlgtNbmYC946fLfWe49BFPFZk5m5I0G46D6Ny45XM8660F2Bt-zJRSZKC8DZoyoWZ5Os-_5/s1600/2016-12-21.4+honest+chocolate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSb8GS-KAyXeKXMoUXMjYtnxW8QHxu8Ru3uQD0SCqzIO8NMfBgfu4OhAEQInhziKgRfvQxGlgtNbmYC946fLfWe49BFPFZk5m5I0G46D6Ny45XM8660F2Bt-zJRSZKC8DZoyoWZ5Os-_5/s400/2016-12-21.4+honest+chocolate.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wanted to move in to the Honest Chocolate shop,<br />
which had a gin bar in the back at night.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUhV6X1uRATPTkINXDY5sUSZ_-X4GgdaMbKZkOl-1M1LQBGlSu6c-_UiShjILiw4PLBHeLHiE-L3UXOyPGx57aC1StA2Vy0WGjq56sJxNkgqP5XzAs_H7j5RCmb1cAXkmTlLvqA-vsUT8/s1600/2016-12-21.5+honest+chocolate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUhV6X1uRATPTkINXDY5sUSZ_-X4GgdaMbKZkOl-1M1LQBGlSu6c-_UiShjILiw4PLBHeLHiE-L3UXOyPGx57aC1StA2Vy0WGjq56sJxNkgqP5XzAs_H7j5RCmb1cAXkmTlLvqA-vsUT8/s400/2016-12-21.5+honest+chocolate.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chocolate pecan brownies were a large part of why. Also the staff.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZGl0-xXBUkbaTyA81lqisCBUgIJ-DS7JdS0Hm6p8YaD4nT8rhR3iKbAoTFLaqkiB0uS3QJBKDz8i4FYjB48YXtnBKHkFl4UYvHuq5Bs7RSmOS4WZYf_zi_XSG9lPa9nkaoBhtuFQKO_i/s1600/2016-12-21.13+woodstock+gin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZGl0-xXBUkbaTyA81lqisCBUgIJ-DS7JdS0Hm6p8YaD4nT8rhR3iKbAoTFLaqkiB0uS3QJBKDz8i4FYjB48YXtnBKHkFl4UYvHuq5Bs7RSmOS4WZYf_zi_XSG9lPa9nkaoBhtuFQKO_i/s400/2016-12-21.13+woodstock+gin.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not hugely important, but it was fun to run into buckets of gin everywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
7) Company. We spoke the same language in many more ways than the obvious one. And we spent boatloads of time together, for over a week, sharing two bedrooms and a single bathroom, with no apparent tension.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1QJD3IHWLSWk1bJ7J44gw1oWqIYIi1-YprNOId1HIsasDwXGksBIpc9Lgbj48m-0aR4xjfexeJ0jatVUn_GlZdplDFJY9Q3ESRjAxnYSyacVdDnqt5793hDpQvMQIpEl8sAG3nkzfRAB/s1600/2016-12-20.34+table+mtn+top+view+group.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1QJD3IHWLSWk1bJ7J44gw1oWqIYIi1-YprNOId1HIsasDwXGksBIpc9Lgbj48m-0aR4xjfexeJ0jatVUn_GlZdplDFJY9Q3ESRjAxnYSyacVdDnqt5793hDpQvMQIpEl8sAG3nkzfRAB/s400/2016-12-20.34+table+mtn+top+view+group.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omajete, Khorixas, Mpungu, Swakopmund, Arandis. On a mountain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
8) Architecture. The parts of the city we explored were great mixes of ornate and stately 18th through 20th century edifices, gleaming high rises, brightly-painted, modest single-family homes, New Orleans-like beer palaces and a bunch of other stuff I can't identify. It was all gorgeous, and it all blended quite successfully.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCnHF4pIBZSdOD9FypY9Jze7jX5vG4Q2UFL8L8Ef4atcNHseHeMbHU72XqMZK3VLyPPcWdzLdrQ8PTGGFQ6lGfQzhLfXfyrykh9xAR8ribGO-MPzXjt4NroyvWODm6Dvd-30CV7PoIwqt/s1600/2016-12-21.12+nice+building.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCnHF4pIBZSdOD9FypY9Jze7jX5vG4Q2UFL8L8Ef4atcNHseHeMbHU72XqMZK3VLyPPcWdzLdrQ8PTGGFQ6lGfQzhLfXfyrykh9xAR8ribGO-MPzXjt4NroyvWODm6Dvd-30CV7PoIwqt/s400/2016-12-21.12+nice+building.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This might be the Cape Dutch style.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsQ6AcFcvrqzkqHwTMLscthTuJddG8JbbC5WQcG4WAWRBauBCvJxavaDqY4IcRvgni29Wlrpax9cJw1dcpjJw3pdCw8ObCNfE3WhkeXMYrPthMpUl5lx7ogCTIGKIoLIc0MKTIY0_Uany/s1600/2016-12-21.9+nice+building.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsQ6AcFcvrqzkqHwTMLscthTuJddG8JbbC5WQcG4WAWRBauBCvJxavaDqY4IcRvgni29Wlrpax9cJw1dcpjJw3pdCw8ObCNfE3WhkeXMYrPthMpUl5lx7ogCTIGKIoLIc0MKTIY0_Uany/s400/2016-12-21.9+nice+building.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one, too, I think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0GWabsCwP4aDMswGfI181Q7yq7nO3ImUqi8PvIa-oWIpxRgxlyVrnAirjTYWICm58DEjGh8xMZWVjpFyH276v2rw6yRXeHhWzSoQ5t1D6DvYeVkBAzCpxEB-WbfRgT86JxAkPVkmPmV4/s1600/2016-12-21.6+long+street.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0GWabsCwP4aDMswGfI181Q7yq7nO3ImUqi8PvIa-oWIpxRgxlyVrnAirjTYWICm58DEjGh8xMZWVjpFyH276v2rw6yRXeHhWzSoQ5t1D6DvYeVkBAzCpxEB-WbfRgT86JxAkPVkmPmV4/s400/2016-12-21.6+long+street.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here they are mixed up together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
9) The amazing view from our front deck; cf: mountains, ocean, architecture and Bo Kaap.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyzBGyrHLxvrTUAoShn064WLj-Snga9QzJvTapN0kIuevTO2T-m1EypLHOIHL6bC2iVCxnU6pd2_O65WDt0VCwHpWhPzY0VeFpN8VfrudLBo6U2L2TI0CdiL4nltgTg9cwW78rm3uUXAD/s1600/2016-12-21.112+clouds+gather.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1600" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyzBGyrHLxvrTUAoShn064WLj-Snga9QzJvTapN0kIuevTO2T-m1EypLHOIHL6bC2iVCxnU6pd2_O65WDt0VCwHpWhPzY0VeFpN8VfrudLBo6U2L2TI0CdiL4nltgTg9cwW78rm3uUXAD/s640/2016-12-21.112+clouds+gather.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table Mountain, from the front door.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
10) Ecological uniqueness! One of our guides claimed Cape Town's <a href="http://planet.botany.uwc.ac.za/nisl/bdc321/ekapa%20cape%20towns%20lowlands/biomes/fynbos.htm" target="_blank">fynbos</a> ecology is a globally unique <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biome#/media/File:Vegetation.png" target="_blank">biome</a>, which gets a scholarly argument from Wikipedia. However, it does seem to have an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fynbos" target="_blank">enormously high number of endemic species</a> -- 6,000 types of vegetation you can't find growing naturally anywhere else. So that was pretty amazing, and interesting, and very new information.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMP_u2T0xAFcrBarmLrexVWtuClge9OQvWTRnu0o-0pVMV0ISYJysOqarjHMU0Nun3mM00V3juRZNIaeeNeESTYg2xYxJ1xVGUBk7jemlLaIEyitZ04nkDELiEJLjg6cjgAY8qUtffOL8S/s1600/2016-12-21.53+botan+gdn+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMP_u2T0xAFcrBarmLrexVWtuClge9OQvWTRnu0o-0pVMV0ISYJysOqarjHMU0Nun3mM00V3juRZNIaeeNeESTYg2xYxJ1xVGUBk7jemlLaIEyitZ04nkDELiEJLjg6cjgAY8qUtffOL8S/s400/2016-12-21.53+botan+gdn+view.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The botanical garden celebrates vegetative diversity, plus mountains.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAcv6wmRW91i32y9F1ubpE8VWs-aGaHv_0WiQ4VSLLItpUR8hChWqo3oaqWkf9fGGCS9SPjrTDiBSNtd4iu8Lf54-nMBdH6NcsqvIXwn0TgSaPvmXlSju9BYDn8gmFDS1LdMi62WzYU2W/s1600/2016-12-21.82+protea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAcv6wmRW91i32y9F1ubpE8VWs-aGaHv_0WiQ4VSLLItpUR8hChWqo3oaqWkf9fGGCS9SPjrTDiBSNtd4iu8Lf54-nMBdH6NcsqvIXwn0TgSaPvmXlSju9BYDn8gmFDS1LdMi62WzYU2W/s400/2016-12-21.82+protea.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are really big on protea, which come in many sizes and colours<br />
plus the national cricket team.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-81862191923225028962017-06-30T22:43:00.007+02:002017-07-30T15:38:03.129+02:00A Time to Plant<i>looking back to November/December 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Our estimable Director of Programs and Training, Patrick, led a couple of <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/10/a-lovesome-thing.html" target="_blank">permagardening workshops</a> for PC volunteers in 2015, with a view to having his mentor and PC permagardener extraordinaire Peter Jensen visit Namibia from his home in Ethiopia for a master class in 2016. It wasn't until late November that we finally got to meet Peter, and learn so very much from him.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOB1uL27jjLtQkGqIRAJFrhv7hEPc_fisqCnJBWvT2ZIr2RHr-EC2czFjUbpBUbq3pcLtBxlTsCGuF5e36nfqELsd1LpUeG3RwUoSbAMvrVYPhS4D8I3o3OeZY_AwcCEuqB19yGZG8iMq/s1600/2016-11-28.1+permgardening+class.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOB1uL27jjLtQkGqIRAJFrhv7hEPc_fisqCnJBWvT2ZIr2RHr-EC2czFjUbpBUbq3pcLtBxlTsCGuF5e36nfqELsd1LpUeG3RwUoSbAMvrVYPhS4D8I3o3OeZY_AwcCEuqB19yGZG8iMq/s400/2016-11-28.1+permgardening+class.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We started in the classroom, but quickly moved into the literal field.<br />
It was really hot up north in late November and early December, so we tried<br />
to get the physical, outdoor labor done early in the day, and usually failed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
He's an RPCV (Returned PCV) of about 30 years' standing, and he's gardened around the world, adopting sustainable techniques from anywhere he can find them. I yearn for a chance to get him to <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/09/dreamland-garden.html" target="_blank">Dreamland Garden</a>; I bet he'd have some great ideas. They've tried a bit of <a href="https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur" target="_blank">hugelkultur</a> there, and some composting, and both have worked very well. They need to do more, but wood is hard to come by in a place without trees, and compost takes some creativity in a very dry environment. (Hugelkultur involves using wood - usually just logs and sticks - in the growing medium to help conserve water. You throw a few logs on the ground, pile your dirt or sand-and-manure mix on top, and then plant. The logs absorb water that would otherwise drain into the deep ground, and release it gradually to your plants. Clever and simple.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9rTGu42_H3iaiABazDTvZ-eaEgCJ0OTHQk8V-0dBFb4rBDYNX2dysayEM-1FnU2gOvZnMVlSKRBLWlfQkl-OpjzeOb6-zUQoHtZsklP2Nnihn_vrDwExBFijo5OOWmZdf8JF_49MawDD/s1600/2016-11-28.11+untouched+ground.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9rTGu42_H3iaiABazDTvZ-eaEgCJ0OTHQk8V-0dBFb4rBDYNX2dysayEM-1FnU2gOvZnMVlSKRBLWlfQkl-OpjzeOb6-zUQoHtZsklP2Nnihn_vrDwExBFijo5OOWmZdf8JF_49MawDD/s400/2016-11-28.11+untouched+ground.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Ongwadiva, they have grass and trees.<br />
We do not get those where I, and Dreamland Garden, live.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Peter uses lots of mnemonic devices to assist his trainees' learning. One is CLOSE - he wants community leaders with an eye toward gardening to keep their projects Close, Local, Organic, Small and Easy. A project that's far from the people operating it, that requires importing foreign or buying synthetic goods, or one that's too large or too complicated to maintain probably won't succeed. So he urges us to think about all those factors when planning.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeS12ljvqOCWnv8qst6A8_dduc1ELMrO_d9PLQYb1lwF6YkTY5VI02-osT19NHb70_Z0YUoxc33za6Ys71EC9a5WYaKWLioA6u3QPPNhke1P3I0MVGEp27itmLuzAErm7xTV-SjC4S3-u/s1600/2016-11-28.13+manure+chopping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeS12ljvqOCWnv8qst6A8_dduc1ELMrO_d9PLQYb1lwF6YkTY5VI02-osT19NHb70_Z0YUoxc33za6Ys71EC9a5WYaKWLioA6u3QPPNhke1P3I0MVGEp27itmLuzAErm7xTV-SjC4S3-u/s400/2016-11-28.13+manure+chopping.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right next to a PCV's on-campus housing</td></tr>
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Then there are the Six S's, which come with a warm-up-and-stretch exercise. These are the critical steps in water management: Stop, Slow, Sink, Spread, Save and Shade. In a lot of climates, rain is a seasonal thing - you have rainy season and dry season, and plants can drown in one and wither in the other, so you need to think about how to collect the water and disperse it more gradually than the natural cycle would do. We built berms and swales, and intercropped both for pest control and to allow taller plants to shade shorter ones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ht2UBSMIYtMyuQeCQbJIK9hcbDOGBJxAkfjtJvhjsb_JtCLkRc3BVMj3HYs0jMhhQn03FKtsDL1klPKGZgXX2L0SwJDKuGfvJ5JAKW7GQQo9fj9ZRli1cITUE2DvFnc4Te-CsCy1PZGd/s1600/2016-11-28.5+six+s%2527s+energizer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ht2UBSMIYtMyuQeCQbJIK9hcbDOGBJxAkfjtJvhjsb_JtCLkRc3BVMj3HYs0jMhhQn03FKtsDL1klPKGZgXX2L0SwJDKuGfvJ5JAKW7GQQo9fj9ZRli1cITUE2DvFnc4Te-CsCy1PZGd/s400/2016-11-28.5+six+s%2527s+energizer.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are Sinking and Spreading in the Shade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Peter spent a lot of time on soil conditioning, too - we added charcoal, egg shells, coffee grounds, and elephant dung, as well as more conventional ungulate dung, to the sandy-but-okay soil of Ongwadiva. We double-dug with traditional short hoes; we kept the beds narrow enough for two people to shake hands across them. We collected brown and green compost from anywhere we saw it on the grounds of the school where we were planting, and built a compost pile for future conditioning.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_Pe16ouyqEpaMoevp3LT5TfGWZz59Ol0psoAhChGKYQz0Yuyc5BwAd8wR_rnX0bl4sCEqxbzow3R079d7bR8rPIido9FMKmNQKpSXe3x93FUVUwsH1WiWIU0WeRjrauxLviX4VBINO7z/s1600/2016-11-28.10+compost+pile+done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_Pe16ouyqEpaMoevp3LT5TfGWZz59Ol0psoAhChGKYQz0Yuyc5BwAd8wR_rnX0bl4sCEqxbzow3R079d7bR8rPIido9FMKmNQKpSXe3x93FUVUwsH1WiWIU0WeRjrauxLviX4VBINO7z/s400/2016-11-28.10+compost+pile+done.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The completed compost pile, with plastic to help keep it moist in<br />
this arid climate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi805K1QIKER47XI3iqZ435W1_1Pxi8UZZHwY4RUzR7OvaONTpiWdNhTiMuvDqUo6Nx1-pM8nJ6NL1D00lSe7b-zBsnXABZK3m9VCE4f2nKWQNM8mCw9Xlfffw1jUViuQaoNfK6V0YXxLJ0/s1600/2016-11-30.1+soil+amenders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi805K1QIKER47XI3iqZ435W1_1Pxi8UZZHwY4RUzR7OvaONTpiWdNhTiMuvDqUo6Nx1-pM8nJ6NL1D00lSe7b-zBsnXABZK3m9VCE4f2nKWQNM8mCw9Xlfffw1jUViuQaoNfK6V0YXxLJ0/s400/2016-11-30.1+soil+amenders.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soil amendments from breakfast</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ukJsncRfyYECFwvkkxH6JO98GnezdLX-Z997vCfVHzML71hzk-1CEzyTjjGgjg9pv4tu60qDtBt_IH25nK70gf_Hs6bQlDTxxkv19CB9ZFcgKver_q8cr4U8kevAJLaSC3XJM2eM9jCr/s1600/2016-11-30.2+compost%252C+char.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ukJsncRfyYECFwvkkxH6JO98GnezdLX-Z997vCfVHzML71hzk-1CEzyTjjGgjg9pv4tu60qDtBt_IH25nK70gf_Hs6bQlDTxxkv19CB9ZFcgKver_q8cr4U8kevAJLaSC3XJM2eM9jCr/s400/2016-11-30.2+compost%252C+char.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We mixed little twigs into the soil, too; mini-hugelkultur.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOkuI2YjBDbfLk32u3za83xc-02JQVVQRWcLu3fDyN2b4gKuWHiOU2Jg3-idhZ5coYM4trlNnXcjvIRTTajuyUc_w8JOVrVt4XFI66N_JAtHvRvAzbhMNDUIxDWPWkEkRYP6pxQJ_zKvU/s1600/2016-11-30.11+elephant+dung.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOkuI2YjBDbfLk32u3za83xc-02JQVVQRWcLu3fDyN2b4gKuWHiOU2Jg3-idhZ5coYM4trlNnXcjvIRTTajuyUc_w8JOVrVt4XFI66N_JAtHvRvAzbhMNDUIxDWPWkEkRYP6pxQJ_zKvU/s400/2016-11-30.11+elephant+dung.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, of course, elephant dung.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XvHERZBk2lhyphenhyphenBfVkpi8AwBz84D9fwJLe_-6pFpf4iJd2R2bT_VaHKRdnPBAz7pYySc-BfidOjQjK2iHfLR3nukJJUgy7yV8iP1YB9ad-T7Y7LGJT7wkTCzNTxNxT55I6DEQV7lHoTjBP/s1600/2016-11-30.13+second+dig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XvHERZBk2lhyphenhyphenBfVkpi8AwBz84D9fwJLe_-6pFpf4iJd2R2bT_VaHKRdnPBAz7pYySc-BfidOjQjK2iHfLR3nukJJUgy7yV8iP1YB9ad-T7Y7LGJT7wkTCzNTxNxT55I6DEQV7lHoTjBP/s400/2016-11-30.13+second+dig.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double-digging is sometimes called 'bastard trenching' in the UK.<br />
And it's not nearly this hot there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We also spent time in the classroom, discussing the heartbreaking conditions of malnutrition, and especially the deleterious effect it has on early childhood development. Stunted growth doesn't just mean a child is shorter than s/he should be, it also means all his or her physical systems - the nervous system, the brain, the heart - aren't as robust as they should be. Given high levels of poverty in Namibia (masked from international aid organizations by the very high income disparity, so a few very wealthy people skew average income for the whole country), many children here suffer from stunting.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCBp2Mwul_ZT-C6l2ExTQUpmnv98UDp1VUxyG_T4uGoLCf41ho-9J1n7EFM0P2TLi-oaRaj3imsJUZMRClmhWBxI9HFHfSOboVEjQAQHepabj3kVhbROkuj9_HBHKu2xyg035QxU7WOn0/s1600/2016-12-01.46+shading%252C+staking+tomato+seedlings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCBp2Mwul_ZT-C6l2ExTQUpmnv98UDp1VUxyG_T4uGoLCf41ho-9J1n7EFM0P2TLi-oaRaj3imsJUZMRClmhWBxI9HFHfSOboVEjQAQHepabj3kVhbROkuj9_HBHKu2xyg035QxU7WOn0/s400/2016-12-01.46+shading%252C+staking+tomato+seedlings.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future nutrition in well-nourished soil, with a layer of pine-needley stuff<br />
to help Shade and reduce evaporation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdk1USTD0leqlGHR8RuXWXX9qOYvzfCUYWpgz3l_ET5YKZYJRGvH0Pt1OZIJOfwl7nuHXNQAI7o7Xb0PN3nWrUzhFcwr5_iLWgXFZXKPlZHNQ41EwEN5R2VZkzwGZwQu4-nPKW5cNWf0z/s1600/2016-12-01.44+heat-stressed+chard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdk1USTD0leqlGHR8RuXWXX9qOYvzfCUYWpgz3l_ET5YKZYJRGvH0Pt1OZIJOfwl7nuHXNQAI7o7Xb0PN3nWrUzhFcwr5_iLWgXFZXKPlZHNQ41EwEN5R2VZkzwGZwQu4-nPKW5cNWf0z/s400/2016-12-01.44+heat-stressed+chard.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future nutrition in need of immediate resuscitation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Close, local, easy gardens are a great way to provide vitamins and minerals at low cost. They can also help ameliorate the impact of climate change, and maybe a tiny bit help to slow it down. Grow local and organic, and you don't have to ship food in from more expensive, more fertile places.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqj35b5SUoRd5PyLh14nAsQZBQ-ICzm8xm_pm8QCN9mxnJQkaiWFyNZ2PZrV7DrPVGCdpAOBdazfDkjWQITK4X7K6BdSUCtq1S_XJGoplRfPDafAwLJeY6qX0uj2Nzt5CWVouq9RfTVWdM/s1600/2016-12-01.56+end+day+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqj35b5SUoRd5PyLh14nAsQZBQ-ICzm8xm_pm8QCN9mxnJQkaiWFyNZ2PZrV7DrPVGCdpAOBdazfDkjWQITK4X7K6BdSUCtq1S_XJGoplRfPDafAwLJeY6qX0uj2Nzt5CWVouq9RfTVWdM/s640/2016-12-01.56+end+day+4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got us a garden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-2236773395141521852017-06-11T12:51:00.003+02:002017-06-11T13:18:44.214+02:00Undocumented<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Documenting my experiences in Namibia with photographs is important to
me, and invaluable in helping me remember and describe what I've known. But my camera is bulky, and heavy, and a potential thief-magnet,
so I don’t lug it with me everywhere I go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, much of my quotidian life goes unrecorded, except when I make a
special excursion to take pictures of the everyday, like I did with my posts
about <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-typical-day.html" target="_blank">my typical day</a> and <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/01/where-i-live-now.html" target="_blank">my town</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The evening I happened to have my camera and could record street-corner
singers felt <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/09/thank-you-life.html" target="_blank">a little bit magical</a>, or fated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would I have remembered that sublime three minutes without the
video?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(It’s not just the video itself,
but also the additional effort, the activity, of creating it, that helps fix
the moment in my mind.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02zPO5lmU1t6vklkP-Kc3sau9sbFr0KTgFGMr4yoDskyK1PCY831sOnBnjKcKb_CcPuja87IXtQA0MS3Ui73T5UyXxO9LlBHf4LFciRQ1-zE5elGGLHL6DjCFJZX4tuDO2eUS-54n0tli/s1600/2017-05-26.2+meatballs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02zPO5lmU1t6vklkP-Kc3sau9sbFr0KTgFGMr4yoDskyK1PCY831sOnBnjKcKb_CcPuja87IXtQA0MS3Ui73T5UyXxO9LlBHf4LFciRQ1-zE5elGGLHL6DjCFJZX4tuDO2eUS-54n0tli/s320/2017-05-26.2+meatballs.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I needed a picture of the meatballs to prove to Andy that I'd<br />
made them. Quite successfully, I'm told.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently I had a new batch of <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/11/shadows-enlighten.html" target="_blank">shadows</a> come to visit, so I invited <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/04/fabulous-fabiola.html" target="_blank">Fabiola</a> and <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-few-notes-from-gideon.html" target="_blank">Gideon</a> for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Five of us ate
outside, gazing at the Southern Cross and her companions, and a faint glimmer
of Milky Way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(My town is bright with
streetlights at night, and there’s one right by my front yard that nullifies
much of the Milky Way’s glow. It's still <i>a lot</i> more glow than I got in suburban DC or Philadelphia.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toward
the end of the meal, which was a pretty filling pasta with chunky vegetable
sauce and meatballs for those who like that sort of thing, I asked Gideon if
he would sing in Damara for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did,
happily and beautifully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat back,
content and comfortable, stuffed with good carbs, pleased with the company,
delighted by the music, awed by the constellations above us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Gideon finished, I told him about the
band I was going to see the next night.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5eASWE6Sqk" target="_blank">Wakambi</a> are a good drum-bass-guitar combo writing their own songs, with
a talented, mixed-race I think singer on that guitar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a fourth member, I think mixed-race
also or maybe Damara, who raps – in Afrikaans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Race or color matter; people are too often uncomfortable mixing
socially, which I know is common in the US, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I told one (black) colleague I was going
to the Desert Tavern to see a band he might like, he immediately, slowly, said,
“I don’t want this to sound racist, but...” and I was able to interrupt and
tell him he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">might</i> like Wakambi – as he
would almost certainly not like the usually all-white, 70s-English-and-American-cock-rock
cover bands that normally play there.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Afrikaans rapping is good fun, “but what I want to hear is rapping in
Damara,” I said.</div>
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Gideon immediately broke into a Damara rap.</div>
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<br /></div>
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He really POPPED those clicks and pops, and jerked his hands, arms and
head with the rhythm, and even achieved a slightly tough cast on his wonderfully
amiable face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for a moment I wished
for my camera – I could run inside and grab it; ask him to do the rap (which he
composed) again – I wanted to document this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the percussive sound that communicated specific information to only,
maybe, two hundred thousand people on earth; the sight of the performance and
the stars, my wonky laundry line and the happily rapt audience; the
near-perfect temperature and gentle breeze; the smell of basil and onions and
mince and colder weather coming; and the feeling – oh, right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My camera doesn’t have a setting for that.</div>
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So the feeling – not quite out-of-body, but certainly elevated, moving
toward levitated, hugely conscious of the moment and the many sensory inputs,
the grateful-eternally feeling – I tried to trigger a button, or something, in
my brain, or somewhere, that would fix that feeling, the memory of this, in my
being forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope it worked.</div>
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<a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Okuhepa indeed</a>.</div>
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The next weekend, PCV A. agreed to meet me at Swakop’s swimming beach,
the Mole (pronounced like, but emphatically <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i>,
the delicious Mexican sauce made with cocoa powder and twelve million
variations that I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">definitely</i> going
to be eating next time I’m in a country with a decent Mexican restaurant).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would watch my stuff so I could, finally
and jubilantly, get right into this ocean and stick my head under.</div>
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<br /></div>
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He fixed himself in the sand, I unslung my sarong, positioned my
goggles, and headed in to the wavelets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As per, the water was delightful on my feet and ankles, etc., and when
the shelf dropped abruptly and set me down thigh-deep, that was delightful,
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps a bit brisk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I took a good inhale, swung my arms in a
forward arc, and dove toward the other side of the inlet.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Oh, blessed Tara goddess of mercy, it was <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">cold</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was skull-cracking,
heartbeat-skipping, gasping cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gasping, hearth arrhythmia and swimming are a bad combination, but after
what felt like fifteen minutes but was probably about 90 seconds, I’d adjusted
and was breast-stroking as strongly as I ever do, and as happily as I ever
have.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I made it from one strand to the other and back again in about 20
minutes, and lolled about at the shoreline, letting the sense impressions –
mostly emotional; <a href="http://progress49.blogspot.com/2013/11/day-22-part-ii-santa-barbara-california.html" target="_blank">I do love the water</a> – sink in deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also chatted with some local kids who fled
shrieking every time a wave washed toward them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I offered to help them float a bit, but they couldn’t bring themselves
to trust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A large and ludicrously jolly
woman in wet shorts and a wide open, sleeveless shirt took up my offer, but
clung to my neck in a way that could have drowned us both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or me, anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I moved discreetly west and played with
the waves until one aligned and I could body-surf it in zooom and take two
palm-loads of gravel at speed but protect my face, and look up to see a police
officer in serious confab with the naked-breasted woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They walked off the beach together, with two
mufti-clad individuals talking vigorously.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A. told me the woman had, while I was on my return journey, sat down
next to him and asked if I were his girlfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On his negative, she offered to fill the role, and started building a
sand-house where they could live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He explained
he has a girlfriend in America, so she asked if he knew any white men, as she
would like a white boyfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
negatived again, the crowd of kids arrived, apparently everyone but A.
expressed excited concern that I would drown or was drowning, and as they saw
me get close, they headed down to the water’s edge to greet.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GYveUxBQmTA5PYQbZUze9ekUCUj-2aiwgi2zwtjghZwwkqK7VxO8zaaM2o8AxGEh_rdoS8PGiw4Ddmv7B-5GCcMJ1__f9aDfu6qvQts7-gAl508pCYw2u5IUtBuEYq8lC13xI4nF5FUA/s1600/2017-06-03.1+andrew+after+I+swam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GYveUxBQmTA5PYQbZUze9ekUCUj-2aiwgi2zwtjghZwwkqK7VxO8zaaM2o8AxGEh_rdoS8PGiw4Ddmv7B-5GCcMJ1__f9aDfu6qvQts7-gAl508pCYw2u5IUtBuEYq8lC13xI4nF5FUA/s320/2017-06-03.1+andrew+after+I+swam.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This hardly gives you a sense of the thing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We have no idea what prompted the police presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We speculated about her effective
shirtlessness, but Himba women go topless here all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they have an exemption on
traditional-culture grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe our
woman had bothered someone else – who were the two un-uniformed people? – maybe
she just got some encouragement to leave tourists alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She did not seem to be under any duress, or
unhappy as she walked away.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The swim was blissful; the accoutrements brain-reconfiguring and brand
new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did take a picture of A. at the cafë where
I bought him hot tea on his preference instead of the promised beer, but mostly
I just have to be certain I glue this one into my cells.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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A week earlier, at that same Mole, an Afrikaner couple – 30s or early
40s – shouted at me, “Do you know those men?” pointing at two gracious and
dignified older black gents walking near me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While I was trying to formulate a polite and brief response indicating I
do not understand why or how that is any concern of yours, they shouted, “They’re
looking at you!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watch your purse!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re looking at you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I was trying to set them on fire
telekinetically, one of the men said, with grave simplicity, “We are not
thieves,” which apparently prompted the Afrikaner man to offer to fight them
both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I attempted an apology for the
entire concept of European heritage, but am not sure it went over really
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I wished them a wonderful day
and walked away shuddering.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Incidentally, my purse was tucked deep into my armpit, I was juggling a
bit of errant trash I’d scooped from the ocean, my hair was – call it ‘tousled,’
though ‘disastrous’ might be more accurate – my skirt was damped and tucked up
into my swimsuit, and quite probably my shirt was wet, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Altogether, anyone could be forgiven for
outright staring, and maybe contacting that police officer who shepherds
unconventionally-dressed women off the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No photos on that one, either.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And no photos this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wednesday
evenings are for English Improvement Group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Usually three or four or five residents gather up with me, and we read a
very brief essay together, and discuss it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One night we listened to Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car,’ and read the lyrics
and talked about the story they tell and the language they use to tell it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we’d heard it a few times, and read it
through, and discussed it a good bit, I played it once more and most of us sang
along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I chose the song in part because
I’ve heard it frequently in Namibia, including coming from a neighbour’s house,
but none of the English Improvers were familiar with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One called it a country song, because
acoustic guitar equals country.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
watched the first 36 minutes of 'Star Wars' (IV, the first one made) another night, but that did not go as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story and setting were
confusing and the actors talked fast, and we didn’t have a script to read.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This week I decided we’d have a song again:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTCChR7VwHk" target="_blank">Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Down to You.’</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 16:00, the power failed, and Ritha down
the hall told me it was a scheduled outage, town-wide, until 18:00, and the
Improvers convene at 17:30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
laptop will run for an hour or more on battery, and most people’s phones have
flashlights, and I had already printed and photocopied the lyrics, so I toddled
home and collected a few headlamps and extra flashlights, and got back too late to
grab a vital padlock from Gideon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d
have to hold class in my office, which has no lights, instead of Johanna’s, which
is bigger and well-lit when there’s power available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still fine.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8kkqWLaYOZ_4graEJeFNyGLYFrsEgyCL3ZHHgaM3zDs0C7nIz0RSgsSHrGGwVsVXWr5jGVpWxEf3LLbtGIDm28vcPlS43A6rWiikvThIr11U7IKllo0qkmURMOM08yUsHDmDhpF2XU4w/s1600/2017-05-24.3+priscilla+daphne+elhc+eveline+eng+improvement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8kkqWLaYOZ_4graEJeFNyGLYFrsEgyCL3ZHHgaM3zDs0C7nIz0RSgsSHrGGwVsVXWr5jGVpWxEf3LLbtGIDm28vcPlS43A6rWiikvThIr11U7IKllo0qkmURMOM08yUsHDmDhpF2XU4w/s320/2017-05-24.3+priscilla+daphne+elhc+eveline+eng+improvement.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Priscilla, Daphne and Eveline in Johanna's lit office<br />
on a less-dance-y day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Four people attended (a few checked first), and we listened to the
song, read the lyrics, talked about contractions and karma and endearments, and
then sang it together at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
four-minute song with about two minutes of singing and then two minutes of
Bonnie Raitt working her slide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I
stood up and said, “Let’s all dance,” and we all did, for two minutes in the
dark office with random flashlight and phone-light and headlamp beams providing
spots of brightness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried the camera,
but it wasn’t interested in the low light and the flash would just have made a false
picture by lighting what was dim and weird and silly and improvised.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
We danced and laughed in the dark, thinking about slide guitars, what
we call our boyfriends and girlfriends, and favourite songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And maybe some of them were thinking this was
kind of crazy, but of course it wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was just great, and fleeting, but maybe it’s never gone.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
PS:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I composed this essay,
at a café near the Mole, I saw a dark fin breach the water and submerge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very
sure</i> I saw it, and searched the water for another sighting until I’d started
to think I hadn’t, and then I saw it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several times, and a kayak and a motor boat saw it, too, and moved in,
and I’m pretty certain I saw a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dolphin</i>,
in the Mole where dolphins just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do not
belong</i>, and I stood in the sun scanning the water with my eyes wide and my
smile too wide to be really a smile anymore, more like a frozen gasp, and my fingers up in front of my
mouth, like a cliché of excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was gorgeous - and undocumented.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBqokVeLrgn5RsbzN-yHRrBfDXiODVu7jXWEfgmY4REq2s6evd_x1LRlYbIVd90ak_3QUAPii8TzpTRWiUudcOy_MZr8DTmM9iegvGpu54PeKXk6WSuAJpwxj5RoUs-x-PozpDMlElDID/s1600/2017-06-11.3+mole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBqokVeLrgn5RsbzN-yHRrBfDXiODVu7jXWEfgmY4REq2s6evd_x1LRlYbIVd90ak_3QUAPii8TzpTRWiUudcOy_MZr8DTmM9iegvGpu54PeKXk6WSuAJpwxj5RoUs-x-PozpDMlElDID/s640/2017-06-11.3+mole.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mole. I managed a second swim, dolphin-less, a week after the first. This was the day after that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7d9cw_fa9DCiIIFtS7VQ_pbfHtLhgHF1IWsacCcTJZp7br9nf1Ae_pPi5taImTyC8j8OcFO5ulWvCe_DDm2ir4tPWgrO38mJIK0D0Pf08MuQf3deFOvNUAyz2vRik8ZuB5u-xoI05aQJ3/s1600/2017-06-11.2+mole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7d9cw_fa9DCiIIFtS7VQ_pbfHtLhgHF1IWsacCcTJZp7br9nf1Ae_pPi5taImTyC8j8OcFO5ulWvCe_DDm2ir4tPWgrO38mJIK0D0Pf08MuQf3deFOvNUAyz2vRik8ZuB5u-xoI05aQJ3/s640/2017-06-11.2+mole.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are a couple of people against the wall on the opposite shore,<br />just past the left-hand rocks, to give some perspective.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
</div>
MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-83540840601133854472017-06-06T14:07:00.001+02:002017-06-06T14:07:28.007+02:00It's a Small World, and a Big OneI guess that's kind of the point of the song, right? It's a great big world if you're trying to walk it, but as you go you'll discover many points of common experience, feeling and understanding with the people who inhabit it.<br />
<br />
Tina and Eric are two of the people inhabiting my corner of the world, as Peace Corps volunteers in Namibia. I love <a href="http://www.littlebackpackbigworld.com/" target="_blank">their blog, Littlebackpackbigworld</a>, which includes posts on longboard skateboarding the mean streets of the Namib Desert, how to be a vegan in a <i>seriously</i> meat-oriented country (including how to acquire and cook these <a href="http://www.littlebackpackbigworld.com/tina/wild-foods-of-namibia-omajova-mushrooms/" target="_blank">amazing mushrooms</a> the size of your head), and Tina's piece on four things she has learned about Namibia, including that people really love meat here, that alcoholism is a big problem with a complex past, that many children are taught not to question what they're told, and that wealth disparity (as of 2000, the highest wealth disparity in the world; the US was fifth but has probably moved up since) is a source of concern. I used <a href="http://www.littlebackpackbigworld.com/tina/4-things-that-i-never-knew-about-namibia-before-living-here/" target="_blank">this piece</a> in our English Improvement group/club two weeks ago, when 2017's shadows were visiting, and it prompted an excellent, wide-ranging discussion.<br />
<br />
Check them out for a fresh perspective on travel, Namibia, Peace Corps, cooking and eating, meditation and more.MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-53713181195716223382017-06-05T15:41:00.001+02:002017-06-05T15:46:15.239+02:00More Thanks; More Giving<i>looking back to November 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Thanksgiving has always been one of my very favorite holidays, and I cannot remember celebrating the holiday without a whole lot of joy and appreciation. <a href="https://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/oh-so-thankful.html" target="_blank">Thanksgiving 2015</a>, when four PC friends visited and cooked up storms in my suddenly-small kitchen, was a great one. (Four and a half, really, as S. showed up on the Sunday morning, made us pancakes and vanished.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKP2a6lXqPP-d3269FrCmUozEnaSHrF58R-bbGVrVsD2e65i7Iz-CdasUEK8kdU1sgbWiHik94wfcAz88O4okAdrGfvACQkisxzSjs9GSb7EWQ-3AyJloulLFlQCgP_PGB0bL0o_ScyKB/s1600/2016-11-24.3+annaline%252C+dennis%252C+silas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKP2a6lXqPP-d3269FrCmUozEnaSHrF58R-bbGVrVsD2e65i7Iz-CdasUEK8kdU1sgbWiHik94wfcAz88O4okAdrGfvACQkisxzSjs9GSb7EWQ-3AyJloulLFlQCgP_PGB0bL0o_ScyKB/s400/2016-11-24.3+annaline%252C+dennis%252C+silas.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anneline, Dennis and Silas posed for me on the actual day for a Facebook post.<br />
The sign they're holding is one I put up on my office door to try to describe<br />
Thanksgiving to Namibian visitors. It includes the fact that about 50 million<br />
people live in poverty in the USA, so many more-fortunate folks help out at<br />
soup kitchens and food pantries as part of their holiday. Lots of people outside<br />
the US don't know that there are many poor people in our country.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
But there wasn't a brew pub in Swakop in 2015, and by 2016 there was. So a group consensus emerged that we'd celebrate there instead, and a huge number of volunteers converged on the coast with recipes and good cold cash in hand, for a Saturday-after-the-real-holiday-which-we-don't-get-here fiesta.<br />
<br />
But before all that could happen, I was walking home Friday night and got a phone call from a number my phone didn't know, and when I answered a guttural voice said, "Hello, this is Hans. D. in Opuwo said we could stay with you tonight," and I thought, 'No way would D. give my number to strangers without telling me he'd done so... but..." So I turned 'round and went to my temporary roommate H's office, as D. is her boyfriend. She phoned him and confirmed that he <i>had</i> given my number to a couple strangers, and they seemed like legit Austrian couchsurfers, but he hadn't told them they could stay at my house - just that maybe they could. It being a season of sharing, and me being a person who wouldn't turn them away at any time, we flung wide the gates. Austria had given them the opportunity to quit their jobs and collect an unemployment-type stipend as long as they could claim they were engaged in educational pursuits, so they took a few courses back home and then flew to interesting places and couch-surfed. They were quite bummed that the year would be up soon, and they would have to get jobs again.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVaU3H6Pu-GodvRWJUHFNfoUHn0gmsZYnJND8odfD04JOryylmKoDYGQ46lkU0-WJ0yKRgE5jHWbWc2KumsFsgce9lmDMR5cvk1SO_pY6bSf5sW4EeBjw_nB4GrB_RssFb8yj90-scExz/s1600/2016-11-25.1+claudia%252C+frans%252C+hillarie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVaU3H6Pu-GodvRWJUHFNfoUHn0gmsZYnJND8odfD04JOryylmKoDYGQ46lkU0-WJ0yKRgE5jHWbWc2KumsFsgce9lmDMR5cvk1SO_pY6bSf5sW4EeBjw_nB4GrB_RssFb8yj90-scExz/s400/2016-11-25.1+claudia%252C+frans%252C+hillarie.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Austrians whose names I've forgotten (and they could very easily just<br />
give fakes ones, anyway) and H., snacking before falling asleep on the couch. <br />
The Austrians, that is; H. had a bed and her own room.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And they took a long time to leave on Saturday morning, but eventually H. and I made it to Swakop. There, we had two kitchens at our disposal: one at S's, and the other at G. and N's, who also have a braai stand on which to make roosterbrood. Nonetheless, there were too many cooks for the kitchens, so I did not contribute anything culinary. Two of the cooks are vegan, and presented many tasty options over and beyond the turkey that G. and N. had scared up from somewhere. There may have been dried cranberries in one of the side dishes, too. Definitely there was J's specialty mulled wine, and A's awesome mashed spuds, which is about all I need for a happy life. Y. had the good sense to pack a generous helping of leftovers that she kindly shared with those of us hiking up to Otjiwaronjo the next day for a permagardening master class. Fab!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Szn5OiZxYk5ahWFiNbUWtD2mV1S9D64oIKRjWkGApzB8RvGvMfFFSClayxTbCUB5LeawQvswE6cwwJmDMqPzxSSQe_GyRg6A_D5k37BCSCOFeWVRqfyO4rvSTYOGglvMtJRJr3Fqur8O/s1600/2016-11-26.2+jordan+mulling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Szn5OiZxYk5ahWFiNbUWtD2mV1S9D64oIKRjWkGApzB8RvGvMfFFSClayxTbCUB5LeawQvswE6cwwJmDMqPzxSSQe_GyRg6A_D5k37BCSCOFeWVRqfyO4rvSTYOGglvMtJRJr3Fqur8O/s400/2016-11-26.2+jordan+mulling.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J. mulling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna8ArKsjl3R65aUezgQPHsyGI_2ktjxv5-7dwyozKd1nh2NRgTkY0YAEZOpd50kzQCjTkB9WcG77_M1Cj9xZAJnp6WplgS01bvw5kb9V9ry4UiKQlOf1Yb6zeI9kl-S3fdaaIfMJzsIoL/s1600/2016-11-26.7+potatoes+cooked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna8ArKsjl3R65aUezgQPHsyGI_2ktjxv5-7dwyozKd1nh2NRgTkY0YAEZOpd50kzQCjTkB9WcG77_M1Cj9xZAJnp6WplgS01bvw5kb9V9ry4UiKQlOf1Yb6zeI9kl-S3fdaaIfMJzsIoL/s400/2016-11-26.7+potatoes+cooked.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A. preparing to mash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzL9Dy3QF48atRHj2mAsVLe_6ZkXfsuduR32LiT8zLTKkBR-YfRUNSjZ24Jeb7X9CxBqSqfYEF-BOKuvenipLK93_ZJ2sP1WurKQp7zRqnVso8urYW1YH-08wOdkcZr-urpjSvx0Cnnts/s1600/2016-11-26.28+eric+tina.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzL9Dy3QF48atRHj2mAsVLe_6ZkXfsuduR32LiT8zLTKkBR-YfRUNSjZ24Jeb7X9CxBqSqfYEF-BOKuvenipLK93_ZJ2sP1WurKQp7zRqnVso8urYW1YH-08wOdkcZr-urpjSvx0Cnnts/s400/2016-11-26.28+eric+tina.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegans in Namibia! E. grew up in the town next to where I grew up, though<br />
about ten years after I'd left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTakwBYsgV8B3cgCUQy7ze-b3wyZKzJQg2ktQT13InaOCcgW2QStF6prqcqzHd8D1QS6iOgFGWESkIwi6p0TsrmAn3Yd84Inu0gsqQnQ4KzsuK_l1_vTzdicKaqK-Cs8aZL2w_H1FeBVwk/s1600/2016-11-26.30+dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTakwBYsgV8B3cgCUQy7ze-b3wyZKzJQg2ktQT13InaOCcgW2QStF6prqcqzHd8D1QS6iOgFGWESkIwi6p0TsrmAn3Yd84Inu0gsqQnQ4KzsuK_l1_vTzdicKaqK-Cs8aZL2w_H1FeBVwk/s400/2016-11-26.30+dinner.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of us, eating.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Thanksgiving food is really good, but the friends, and family if you can get them, are really the best part. You probably know that.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkFu6NC3vCS0Ux7OMxinmLPC9b_11BBE8i5QP6zRdRE4F_2ecBk4V2-cLGSEv6kHvA0DM6AOiXpd45zUHByhmOPcHFvx9Voe1TWjUO_qFRJWrM8j_x0D73KO7p6IN_cTgmXeKPpv9qgyH/s1600/2016-11-26.12+dogs+eating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkFu6NC3vCS0Ux7OMxinmLPC9b_11BBE8i5QP6zRdRE4F_2ecBk4V2-cLGSEv6kHvA0DM6AOiXpd45zUHByhmOPcHFvx9Voe1TWjUO_qFRJWrM8j_x0D73KO7p6IN_cTgmXeKPpv9qgyH/s400/2016-11-26.12+dogs+eating.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S. and her roommate/landlady generously let us stay at their place, a former<br />
B&B that now supports r/l's rescue dog and cat habit. It is so great to hang<br />
out with friendly, clean, loved domestic dogs. Billie, one whose name I never<br />
could get, and Caper.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-55507796018033295362017-05-31T16:12:00.000+02:002017-05-31T16:12:22.776+02:00Another Atypical Day<i>looking back to November 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Weird things happen everywhere we go, right? And some days just get a bit weirder. There was nothing exceptionally weird about the 19th of November in 2016 in Swakopmund, but the number of interesting things I saw in the span of a few hours was... unusual. And however often one sees men dressed as fairies in Boston and etc., in Swakop it's about a million kilometers from the norm. (There was a <i>gorgeous</i>, small, slender, darkish-skinned man who
dressed as Tinkerbell in Boston in the mid-80s and pinned condoms to the
reeds where a lot of casual sexual contact occurred, as people were
just starting to become terrified by AIDS, but still resisted safer sex
practices.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q3vFrWMeecfU1ozYLwDZvmV0M_mGyxk4QepEuqvY3z_p0KaccKIO3fFb7L2MokSw-fYH7rsLsS-a9z6RIUBUUTy1BMdP6CNMfdwFXYUbrDSpUMKteFSDiztvl8PESZYIXRH7xadFR_c2/s1600/2016-11-19.5+flamingos%252C+camels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q3vFrWMeecfU1ozYLwDZvmV0M_mGyxk4QepEuqvY3z_p0KaccKIO3fFb7L2MokSw-fYH7rsLsS-a9z6RIUBUUTy1BMdP6CNMfdwFXYUbrDSpUMKteFSDiztvl8PESZYIXRH7xadFR_c2/s400/2016-11-19.5+flamingos%252C+camels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I type this up in May, there are no flamingos at the Swakop lagoon.<br />
Plenty in Walvis Bay. But I need them in Swakop. Note camels in background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5jpfRFo5BZREgj33gcmSqaTPFM_ZVrNwz4JSmxh5D_luT5pJxZ-8TfhKeBWKMI3-SCgx4E6Ur6IdKtfIl819z7FCy4Uwi_78b6cO_Rn-3X9lI57Bd4H7uLM5TtZ5XTmM7Y4tA_CM8BNi/s1600/2016-11-19.6+flying+flamingos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5jpfRFo5BZREgj33gcmSqaTPFM_ZVrNwz4JSmxh5D_luT5pJxZ-8TfhKeBWKMI3-SCgx4E6Ur6IdKtfIl819z7FCy4Uwi_78b6cO_Rn-3X9lI57Bd4H7uLM5TtZ5XTmM7Y4tA_CM8BNi/s400/2016-11-19.6+flying+flamingos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love them so. The colors, the grace, the very weird profile in flight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj019Ilaqscwvs08EonB5SZ3OQS6S6lX7ZVYh57TS8kjl2ToHG6TAXnUI_WmxHDqfx1JgVs0FxoSk9VGn0qKHPvc6OYrUvo188DTutsWfUJ4uV4DVR1yQ_eOMvfH-emWfDt9I2eh1FkGxW3/s1600/2016-11-19.7+camels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj019Ilaqscwvs08EonB5SZ3OQS6S6lX7ZVYh57TS8kjl2ToHG6TAXnUI_WmxHDqfx1JgVs0FxoSk9VGn0qKHPvc6OYrUvo188DTutsWfUJ4uV4DVR1yQ_eOMvfH-emWfDt9I2eh1FkGxW3/s400/2016-11-19.7+camels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They may actually be dromedaries. These Namibian tourists are braver than I.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_apDpIwKStHrD-PsofEisfNn31IdRRBlnKERDhqsg93GAStTp0EcP0yU0SZ_FFahVleg-wB07BDIgDsbuWFjG5ZJ9Gygv6zkJxfxCH2efaUygRAzb5rANNqjQLFUxZcCFnp396ffSYnz/s1600/2016-11-19.15+camels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_apDpIwKStHrD-PsofEisfNn31IdRRBlnKERDhqsg93GAStTp0EcP0yU0SZ_FFahVleg-wB07BDIgDsbuWFjG5ZJ9Gygv6zkJxfxCH2efaUygRAzb5rANNqjQLFUxZcCFnp396ffSYnz/s400/2016-11-19.15+camels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camels, and probably dromedaries, bite and spit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje53rOjULTWVxl07fgfneqxqpaGTqBft9HhDKzSWIr66Ey9HEZU1KhwXHw8kupwxeYyU1JaTjMhAlNKhg9Eny1YMuHwqI_3hW6ZWJtl6kSpwGscaw2BLiMshbmpZpNSFXJURO2sgRZt350/s1600/2016-11-19.17+fairy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje53rOjULTWVxl07fgfneqxqpaGTqBft9HhDKzSWIr66Ey9HEZU1KhwXHw8kupwxeYyU1JaTjMhAlNKhg9Eny1YMuHwqI_3hW6ZWJtl6kSpwGscaw2BLiMshbmpZpNSFXJURO2sgRZt350/s400/2016-11-19.17+fairy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No idea what the story is on this guy, who was with several friends.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb2uEXvscE28RwrDTEjniQq3LN8A6CQTcbxPWPYRC3Hk1PVT5zuhI0ViFKpaKrOkWAY95is8HxWqtPq32QyfsCh6TPyQMdThEQgiQ7_PlFMq07Qo3UwIQdWc5Of8wKwzeiQs4ElBT4YE3/s1600/2016-11-19.20+fairy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb2uEXvscE28RwrDTEjniQq3LN8A6CQTcbxPWPYRC3Hk1PVT5zuhI0ViFKpaKrOkWAY95is8HxWqtPq32QyfsCh6TPyQMdThEQgiQ7_PlFMq07Qo3UwIQdWc5Of8wKwzeiQs4ElBT4YE3/s400/2016-11-19.20+fairy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I saw him again, hours later, at the fancy hotel on the other end of the beach.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vpbLk2ypk21QgPxKcK0X3Ejq4byBhrRbw0nGDuj8Ao-RUwqL6e3qtG4Cx3rILwA-sld1Ivp_2WgEiIiPQgnYI6eidtTUxhFuEihuXWPFraDrVcOnRk6yZ89j7k7B352FRWIr5xfirMMq/s1600/2016-11-19.23+seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vpbLk2ypk21QgPxKcK0X3Ejq4byBhrRbw0nGDuj8Ao-RUwqL6e3qtG4Cx3rILwA-sld1Ivp_2WgEiIiPQgnYI6eidtTUxhFuEihuXWPFraDrVcOnRk6yZ89j7k7B352FRWIr5xfirMMq/s400/2016-11-19.23+seal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I see more dead seals than live, especially right up on the sand like this.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLL0kN062gkldP-lDX8gVvUnF2YEiCPf9UcsBiMcQ8pqoJV-o6xzmnOtjgtlNhFMTtH4oazjYzxOxhSfJC6TMO09bkshhNicNVcuqzeZy4nvqadNuHg8uxAvVtTxqRd1eXWzhx_0MZlJJ/s1600/2016-11-19.25+pelican+maybe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLL0kN062gkldP-lDX8gVvUnF2YEiCPf9UcsBiMcQ8pqoJV-o6xzmnOtjgtlNhFMTtH4oazjYzxOxhSfJC6TMO09bkshhNicNVcuqzeZy4nvqadNuHg8uxAvVtTxqRd1eXWzhx_0MZlJJ/s400/2016-11-19.25+pelican+maybe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelicans are more at home in Walvis, but today there was one on the aquarium.</td></tr>
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<br />
Fun!MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-80410853470277884832017-05-30T14:59:00.003+02:002017-05-30T14:59:26.160+02:00Planning and Training<i>looking back to November 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
I wrote about the <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/uiba-oas-crystals-market.html" target="_blank">Ûiba Ôas Crystals Market</a> about a year ago, which was about a year after I first visited and started working with the miners and sellers of that group. They have always impressed me, and my respect and affection for them continues to grow. Their lovely market has great potential to evolve and strengthen, to enrich their lives, their families' opportunities and Namibia's global reputation.<br />
<br />
Also, they're fun. So having four members of their leadership team visit me at the office for a planning session, with two staying over for some training, was great.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcoEQGUAa6e1UdJCwsV_RH5y1F0xuF-I9l_ez4IiLCawmX0VL5oMDFh5jrFhABRPSPyejvhg50InjMAxykRJVRxpsLbJlgMMqL5BP7OwyoFxWgn0TSzLCmVH9ArP8tT_5_jcnUGyXOsLo/s1600/2016-11-14.1+planners.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcoEQGUAa6e1UdJCwsV_RH5y1F0xuF-I9l_ez4IiLCawmX0VL5oMDFh5jrFhABRPSPyejvhg50InjMAxykRJVRxpsLbJlgMMqL5BP7OwyoFxWgn0TSzLCmVH9ArP8tT_5_jcnUGyXOsLo/s400/2016-11-14.1+planners.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selma brought her daughter, about six months old. Patricia was about five<br />months pregnant. Nelson was training in part to cover her maternity leave.</td></tr>
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<br />
We had done a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis for their co-op back in the winter of 2015, shortly after I arrived and started work. We started from that base for this training session, adding in some new ideas and issues that have arisen since. You can imagine that it's not always easy keeping fifty-some people with different interests and needs working together well in a business setting, but they usually manage quite admirably. We came up with an action plan, much of it concerning marketing the market more aggressively, and sent Gabriël and Selma back home, while Patricia and Nelson headed for the Town Council's bungalows for the night. Patricia phoned me from her bungalow later that evening to report the electricity didn't work and neither did the lock, and she was locked in. I contacted a friend who works for the Council, and she forwarded the message to the maintenance staff, who got everything sorted. Whew.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsLitjQCelPFUeHTbGjg8lLC-3jdxjflAE426dLtZu3SI3LyzhK5_mk4x2Jv1v19Z84bNylJeU6jVPU5UqplMEhxgpXnt-4rBrxJw9SW3daTmzlSIXd6FBjYj9NBsGxZRTvJPeg__643l/s1600/2016-11-14.2+planners+and+lysias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsLitjQCelPFUeHTbGjg8lLC-3jdxjflAE426dLtZu3SI3LyzhK5_mk4x2Jv1v19Z84bNylJeU6jVPU5UqplMEhxgpXnt-4rBrxJw9SW3daTmzlSIXd6FBjYj9NBsGxZRTvJPeg__643l/s400/2016-11-14.2+planners+and+lysias.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby, Selma, Gabriël, Patricia, Nelson and my boss, Lysias.</td></tr>
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On day two, Patricia and Nelson worked on their Word and Excel skills. They both have basics, but wanted to learn things like tables in Word and sorting and using formulas in Excel. They were really excited to see me do those tasks, and then to do them themselves. Great fun to teach. We also reviewed the market's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=uiba%20oas%20crystals%20market" target="_blank">Facebook</a> presence and <a href="http://uibaoascrystalmarket.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, and they posted text and a photo to Facebook. They aren't able to do that regularly as they often don't have money to pay for data plans, so their internet access is limited. We're working on it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0d2Bw60er9tzIjxeRJXIQF_JEL4PjClxbrGI5Ko6GlLEFv0_91DkAk642G44RoWxInU-B-Y7K1AlBRoii3VpW2umYBL9cl7Uk09GmEK3Bi0eX7JcDPp_kkiTwd_MGmc5b3kB9x3P39ox/s1600/2016-11-15.3+patricia%252C+nelson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0d2Bw60er9tzIjxeRJXIQF_JEL4PjClxbrGI5Ko6GlLEFv0_91DkAk642G44RoWxInU-B-Y7K1AlBRoii3VpW2umYBL9cl7Uk09GmEK3Bi0eX7JcDPp_kkiTwd_MGmc5b3kB9x3P39ox/s400/2016-11-15.3+patricia%252C+nelson.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Extremely</i> rare photo of Patricia sharing her gorgeous smile with the camera.</td></tr>
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Namibia's Social Security Commission provided us with the funds for the training, including money for transport, accommodations and meals. I made the two morning tea breaks: sandwiches, cookies, tea (donated kindly if unwittingly by K. in Sarasota; thanks!) and coffee. The first morning, when there were four of them for teatime, I brought about 250 grams (half a pound; one cup) of white sugar to sweeten the tea or coffee. They used it all and I had to go borrow more from Silas! It's quick, cheap calories, and people eat a lot of it here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAF3ZInPmK0IohoImEz9TfWQAKkiiVEFZ4I0SkXtM-Y72lklwHINcSys9zvMiNtEmeqfEO5lUMKcZuOqRyZ2Hdn_JWoI79YzE3fQ5FrCNL5CfpQ1U8Mz9XayrDlwo0BTAqZVF4Tzi6eU6/s1600/2016-11-15.6+nelson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAF3ZInPmK0IohoImEz9TfWQAKkiiVEFZ4I0SkXtM-Y72lklwHINcSys9zvMiNtEmeqfEO5lUMKcZuOqRyZ2Hdn_JWoI79YzE3fQ5FrCNL5CfpQ1U8Mz9XayrDlwo0BTAqZVF4Tzi6eU6/s400/2016-11-15.6+nelson.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson has about a million Facebook friends, though he's not often on it.</td></tr>
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Please Like the market on Facebook, and if you visit Namibia, or if you live here, make sure to stop. They've got beautiful wares, and the people are well worth any support you can offer.MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-82833903356224794062017-05-29T17:32:00.001+02:002017-05-29T17:53:18.809+02:00Vacation, Peace Corps 'Style'<i>looking back to October 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Since I was traveling a significant distance to collaborate with A. on his <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/05/mpungu-thats-right-mpungu.html" target="_blank">business-skills workshop</a>, and help <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/05/party-in-mpungu.html" target="_blank">celebrate his birthday</a>, I thought it made entire sense to visit two other PCV friends who are up in the northern stretch of the country and check out their work and homes. So instead of heading south toward home when I left Mpungu, I headed north, toward M.<br />
<br />
M. lives in a small village - smaller than Mpungu by a bit - on the Kavango River, a gosh-darn perennial river. She's a community-health volunteer, assigned to the village clinic, where her job description is pretty open-ended. She lives with a local family in their compound, which consists of a modern concrete home built by the government for the family patriarch, who participated in the fight for independence from South Africa in the 70s and 80s. It has electricity and indoor plumbing, but the plumbing is not connected to the local water system, so they still get water from an outdoor tap and bring it in to the sinks and bathtub.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3LrMwrf5gA4R_TEtlwqYNuH-CsA8GE8ZOfkY79gVLXw8J2cYSV_AD1fMvchh6ha4EZ5tEj7_n4cGhAZHuGsfGRHeMbBru5sCRjSFtAkW_RbulwG_BRIp4sMtJlfEz8l2bb_xbGwh3ya-/s1600/2016-10-11.9+homestead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3LrMwrf5gA4R_TEtlwqYNuH-CsA8GE8ZOfkY79gVLXw8J2cYSV_AD1fMvchh6ha4EZ5tEj7_n4cGhAZHuGsfGRHeMbBru5sCRjSFtAkW_RbulwG_BRIp4sMtJlfEz8l2bb_xbGwh3ya-/s400/2016-10-11.9+homestead.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The modern house, with some decorative landscaping.</td></tr>
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That patriarch died a few months after M. arrived in the village, and now one of his daughters lives in the house. The other daughters, and various family members, live in traditional huts in the compound. Their husbands leave the village for weeks and months at a time, finding work on farms or at mines. M. has her own one-room rondavel with a thatched roof and a shower in the back, with a bit of curtain for privacy. She uses a latrine about 10-12 metres from her rondavel, which is in its own little hut, with no roof. The latrine itself is painted black, so when it spends a day in the bright, direct sunlight, it gets pretty toasty on the buttocks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDYpHPWHrLg6lY1e5qbiaEtS_HtAb5dPnQJ_pHr5oQ0j0BhqV3hBI-cpJ7fgqrlkpkfGKpcDbwJWKk69ut93vUMYCk9zaqKeXnLl8giH0idr5KMzb4-e4e4Zfc0KGuYE4XbQc8JolWRpS/s1600/2016-10-11.11+outhouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDYpHPWHrLg6lY1e5qbiaEtS_HtAb5dPnQJ_pHr5oQ0j0BhqV3hBI-cpJ7fgqrlkpkfGKpcDbwJWKk69ut93vUMYCk9zaqKeXnLl8giH0idr5KMzb4-e4e4Zfc0KGuYE4XbQc8JolWRpS/s400/2016-10-11.11+outhouse.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The latrine</td></tr>
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She has electricity that powers a mini-fridge in the hut and a hot plate, but does most of her cooking in a pot on an open fire in the compound's open-sided kitchen hut. Also, the electricity runs out about half to three-quarters of the way through a typical month, and she does without. (There's a lot of carpe-ing diems in rural communities here, as I believe is typical globally. Somehow, even though most material resources are scarce, people don't make the choice to conserve them -- blowing the monthly paycheck in a few days is commonplace.) We didn't have electricity when I visited, but with fires for cooking, a hot hot sun for heating shower water, and a solar lamp and a couple headlamps for light, we really didn't need it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OiPby_Mft56B5wpWAO6f1XbCCG1oF4YYPgtuyMpWHDV8S5zos9tlZhgMSwancMI_ffhYHFvhATQE1_l5Vaw_Dgoog8OJlnhx9bHDSbgyUSPGNKTvNIa2ZrcYHSc8eFt-KNavSuqsMHNP/s1600/2016-10-11.13+mb2+at+mb1+hut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OiPby_Mft56B5wpWAO6f1XbCCG1oF4YYPgtuyMpWHDV8S5zos9tlZhgMSwancMI_ffhYHFvhATQE1_l5Vaw_Dgoog8OJlnhx9bHDSbgyUSPGNKTvNIa2ZrcYHSc8eFt-KNavSuqsMHNP/s640/2016-10-11.13+mb2+at+mb1+hut.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M's hut; B. is just visiting. On the right is the shower entrance, under a papaya tree.</td></tr>
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I got to visit the clinic where M's boss works, and stand in the air-conditioned medicines room. So nice! We also met with the secondary school's Garden Club, which is developing a community garden with support from M. and all her good Peace Corps training in <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/10/a-lovesome-thing.html" target="_blank">permagardening</a>, and M. filled me in on her fundraising campaign to enable the purchase of dozens of solar lights for local families. It was very successful, and especially when the days get short in winter, a solar light can be a rich blessing for a kid who wants to study and do homework to improve his or her test results.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5gGXejC8BVxu2F7mWUB5Km7ODeT1rohUePqSGAuWo6ZJ5ONJyoZ0Flj2r2PvHpaN_x1qBdIM7rL0mob3klDXXrLGddtVpcakGmSxBmsaf4QGj5lKqNwx70sUUZXWnxFmRnUeZo0e6Z3J/s1600/2016-10-11.16+plots+dug.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5gGXejC8BVxu2F7mWUB5Km7ODeT1rohUePqSGAuWo6ZJ5ONJyoZ0Flj2r2PvHpaN_x1qBdIM7rL0mob3klDXXrLGddtVpcakGmSxBmsaf4QGj5lKqNwx70sUUZXWnxFmRnUeZo0e6Z3J/s400/2016-10-11.16+plots+dug.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B. spends a lot of time on condom demonstrations, so double-digging<br />
the community garden with M. on a burning-hot day makes a nice break.</td></tr>
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<br />
PCV B. visited us one day and helped work in the garden, and we all went down to the river for a picnic, eating up the cheese I'd brought that really doesn't do well in a powerless refrigerator. We did not see either hippos or crocodiles, and thank goodness for none of the latter, though the former kill more people. We did see cows. And we did move very, very slowly: these were three of the hottest days I have ever spent anywhere. Thank goodness we could sleep outside. That part, and hearing M's delight in her neighbors and project, were the best things about this most excellent visit.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkb3IdrXm4QsxwMZNipisWPYBFJiPO4r7c-Tb8reyLKVTQv0D6h0dq7rEOX53oIwTcslgRfyIWZq2HnedrC0BUQYebVvUIy_0bMVjDKjvbsNqN33jW7dM6gKb7WIxhVFQLh5YwRuTmxwZM/s1600/2016-10-11.21+kavango+river.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkb3IdrXm4QsxwMZNipisWPYBFJiPO4r7c-Tb8reyLKVTQv0D6h0dq7rEOX53oIwTcslgRfyIWZq2HnedrC0BUQYebVvUIy_0bMVjDKjvbsNqN33jW7dM6gKb7WIxhVFQLh5YwRuTmxwZM/s400/2016-10-11.21+kavango+river.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river; cows on the other side, in the shade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLoSxZNSJHzckM631bcFTPx-fcGaEKpkHBUpPYSCoe7UZddgc13v5OBLDnjlIknpkzFbvlrMxRVeKQEMPE9TUtaMZMxeYKW6v1SMWpN_F92oi-WnzFe3UT6nSQwbI_4upOIwDgehaxhIU/s1600/2016-10-11.24+walking+past+cows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLoSxZNSJHzckM631bcFTPx-fcGaEKpkHBUpPYSCoe7UZddgc13v5OBLDnjlIknpkzFbvlrMxRVeKQEMPE9TUtaMZMxeYKW6v1SMWpN_F92oi-WnzFe3UT6nSQwbI_4upOIwDgehaxhIU/s400/2016-10-11.24+walking+past+cows.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cows headed for shade, as are the people.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaJ2MfEcGecnzDW138xPBjiE9fdvuJtgmfJJ2L8vXGQe8dM8ReJdhaqbD98J19ezYQr2L0odrdT-DLTSB5sNVDdULPmryVY_AuPAmkM5uuCZX7P75eR5PB_o_rrRqtAjppzaZGraPuCSE/s1600/2016-10-12.1+sleep+shelter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaJ2MfEcGecnzDW138xPBjiE9fdvuJtgmfJJ2L8vXGQe8dM8ReJdhaqbD98J19ezYQr2L0odrdT-DLTSB5sNVDdULPmryVY_AuPAmkM5uuCZX7P75eR5PB_o_rrRqtAjppzaZGraPuCSE/s400/2016-10-12.1+sleep+shelter.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our sleep shelter! We brought M's mattress out, and hung the mosquito net <br />
more to keep out snakes, and by morning we'd need to pull a bit of sleeping<br />
bag over some part of ourselves for a warmth we would not need a few hours<br />
later, when the heat got to full-on debilitating. And it's only October!</td></tr>
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<br />
Then I got in a combi and headed to Rundu, Namibia's second- or third-largest city, where I spent a few hours wandering the town of 60,000 (as of 2011; it's probably grown a lot since the census), which was mostly hot and dusty, until a reasonable hour to go sit at a fancy tourist lodge over the RIVER! and have some noodles and watch for hippos that did not appear. There were people going in and out of the river, though; not everyone shares my crocodile aversion.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRtaRmK1c-95WztB_BYDU_EjLln5ARuA9WVoKNNi_9EY7Y1ORyVvTqiN26C7U1U1Go0DmiZ6nJhA5qK6V8M0qwFpQKl1gey2PPDYwwW73wSducNCBIz8rOjvi7qneqI1WLH2gh6YyqHPD/s1600/2016-10-12.1+kavango+r+at+rundu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRtaRmK1c-95WztB_BYDU_EjLln5ARuA9WVoKNNi_9EY7Y1ORyVvTqiN26C7U1U1Go0DmiZ6nJhA5qK6V8M0qwFpQKl1gey2PPDYwwW73wSducNCBIz8rOjvi7qneqI1WLH2gh6YyqHPD/s400/2016-10-12.1+kavango+r+at+rundu.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kavango River, looking east toward M's distant village.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKYWbgJyQlhGmGvSqXuEi5dfLI_pkbUlf0o5mnzDGfn50VUuevi8dEkyI9lClSLo1u4rkt0V-KqJuxpxum_YIBfkJjn9r88dbh8cHxeCpRnhiCNs0f2PA8N3H-zefH4dtRGWAXVaB87AM/s1600/2016-10-12.3+kavango+r+at+rundu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKYWbgJyQlhGmGvSqXuEi5dfLI_pkbUlf0o5mnzDGfn50VUuevi8dEkyI9lClSLo1u4rkt0V-KqJuxpxum_YIBfkJjn9r88dbh8cHxeCpRnhiCNs0f2PA8N3H-zefH4dtRGWAXVaB87AM/s400/2016-10-12.3+kavango+r+at+rundu.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And west toward the, y'know -- sunset.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Off to V's the next day, west and a bit south into the most densely-populated part of Namibia. Her town, Oshakati, isn't officially one of the largest, but paired with Ondangwa and Ongwadiva, its two neighbors, it makes a formidable semi-metropolitan stretch of strip malls and highly variated housing. V. is a community economic development volunteer, working in an office coordinating the activity of a dozen or so solar-light salespeople. Her non-profit, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/elephantenergynamibia/" target="_blank">Elephant Energy</a>, provides lights and radios that run on solar power and enable cell-phone charging. She also undertakes secondary projects, including assisting with computer-literacy classes and supporting a 'soup kitchen' for orphans and vulnerable children. I got to attend both, and see two very different sides of Oshakati.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVemBNau81z1_R9e1vp6uRCqaJ26g8ZOoMajBdL0LnsPaL3BmjbV5tgUvA5PIOwfBCevMVork6MzcQx1C4zgZkew3PGpVd3J50MNo7X3rEmRwGLf6I40Nu9w6qWByOvFJdo-kKI5IjYVh/s1600/2016-10-14.3+kids+eating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVemBNau81z1_R9e1vp6uRCqaJ26g8ZOoMajBdL0LnsPaL3BmjbV5tgUvA5PIOwfBCevMVork6MzcQx1C4zgZkew3PGpVd3J50MNo7X3rEmRwGLf6I40Nu9w6qWByOvFJdo-kKI5IjYVh/s400/2016-10-14.3+kids+eating.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids mostly segregated themselves by sex to eat their rice and chicken.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZsVyMPU2KtatFpQpgmeIThGb0joIcvntryKpQUSVD6SPUb16DA3RRxRM5XYHEaMJa5hQ5J-7eN6NQbYLExd94wlhQvHexEtBUIqTqnnHcNHz7YX6cwIVMZU33OkzPBjhuSzrNcd2mcev/s1600/2016-10-14.6+helpers+cleaning.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZsVyMPU2KtatFpQpgmeIThGb0joIcvntryKpQUSVD6SPUb16DA3RRxRM5XYHEaMJa5hQ5J-7eN6NQbYLExd94wlhQvHexEtBUIqTqnnHcNHz7YX6cwIVMZU33OkzPBjhuSzrNcd2mcev/s400/2016-10-14.6+helpers+cleaning.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys cleaning is not an everyday sight. Kudos to the soup kitchen.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0_ddFhSc3Cbgy0kxz57WHB_NebC8fK1H2tcxZEmbHJVmI1hkw58iLJcH2K5-aQBIK0quQB88KmZdCyU-lPZn6yQw00HfQ4ko297OWFeMaVMVUstmjSEJcil2TsGimwDdJuxk990in6Ct/s1600/2016-10-14.10+oshakati.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0_ddFhSc3Cbgy0kxz57WHB_NebC8fK1H2tcxZEmbHJVmI1hkw58iLJcH2K5-aQBIK0quQB88KmZdCyU-lPZn6yQw00HfQ4ko297OWFeMaVMVUstmjSEJcil2TsGimwDdJuxk990in6Ct/s400/2016-10-14.10+oshakati.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the back side of Oshakati, away from the main road with its shops<br />
and denser neighborhoods.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
V. has a modern house in a modern compound, and a lot of great friends in her area. It was invaluable to me, for my Peace Corps experience, to spend a few days getting a sense of the very different ways volunteers live and work. I brought, as one does, plenty of groceries to my two kind hostesses, but I think I'll say thank you once again to both of them. I'm so pleased to have been welcomed generously into these (very different) homes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU_insIIghKTVMQVnZaq6jOtpH6VPrzzKnLV3nqyRiDZJy6wfUu05RpSL8a2jFVvY-4pNfgICRhDBpjSmmZ0tCg8BAqJDdAfG4okH-x9iby8E2af5Zz1wpN0PIhZLl5si4Kokp8u9i7dq/s1600/2016-10-14.11+oshakati+cows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU_insIIghKTVMQVnZaq6jOtpH6VPrzzKnLV3nqyRiDZJy6wfUu05RpSL8a2jFVvY-4pNfgICRhDBpjSmmZ0tCg8BAqJDdAfG4okH-x9iby8E2af5Zz1wpN0PIhZLl5si4Kokp8u9i7dq/s400/2016-10-14.11+oshakati+cows.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are cows in Oshakati, too.<br />
This late in dry season, they get a bit ribby.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
PS: All the many hikes involved in this journey were hot and boring and moderately uncomfortable and relatively safe. Yay! And I got to do some laundry in Mpungu, so I wasn't impossibly sticky and rumpled by the time I got to Oshakati. So I was stylin', more or less.<br />
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MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-18123097011391693382017-05-24T13:15:00.002+02:002017-05-31T16:17:32.904+02:00Party in Mpungu<i>looking back to October 2016</i>:<br />
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A. timed <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/05/mpungu-thats-right-mpungu.html" target="_blank">his workshop</a>, fortuitously, with a marathon in Swakopmund and... his birthday! He's also a great cook every day, and M. and Y. are not bad with a spatula, either, which, combined with the success of our workshop and the dramatic change in landscape for me, made for a stellar visit.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn3VjOkRAa7ZjFoSrV5-wzpmecrNMMEu3tI8puvr7Js9xP31__v2MoRcvHRvvVKydU79bXwvyyZ1PK9FvTF5BurR70dQESeHJWDDre7vMTeXnccBsdjNbqn1OMH8VeU9ad9Ox0o-onJy4/s1600/2016-10-04.4+andy+cooks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn3VjOkRAa7ZjFoSrV5-wzpmecrNMMEu3tI8puvr7Js9xP31__v2MoRcvHRvvVKydU79bXwvyyZ1PK9FvTF5BurR70dQESeHJWDDre7vMTeXnccBsdjNbqn1OMH8VeU9ad9Ox0o-onJy4/s400/2016-10-04.4+andy+cooks.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A.'s breakfasts are some of the highlights of my Peace Corps service.</td></tr>
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I live in a town of concrete homes, purpose-built for the men who worked the mines and their families (the mining concern, in 1970s and 80s apartheid, was trying to build a 'non-racial' company, which is kind of cool though of course one wonders how the white men in charge defined 'non-racial' in both their heads and their hidden-most hearts), and they all have electricity and water available. Only people who can pay for electricity and water can avail themselves of such, of course, but most people here swing it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp9Sq2T10CWALicFbN188FcK_hb1xuiYgcQVLXlvSq5ox4Cqabz8lE4FsVCa92CnxTJoHvi4yPav7pjqnsMyJqJhg9FlqDK_KE9w0xCJXe9JjAw32DT4EnVpvCTXGpxis9thxzN29B7sY/s1600/2016-10-05.8+homestead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp9Sq2T10CWALicFbN188FcK_hb1xuiYgcQVLXlvSq5ox4Cqabz8lE4FsVCa92CnxTJoHvi4yPav7pjqnsMyJqJhg9FlqDK_KE9w0xCJXe9JjAw32DT4EnVpvCTXGpxis9thxzN29B7sY/s400/2016-10-05.8+homestead.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The compound has cold running water and electricity most of the time.</td></tr>
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Mpungu was settled naturally, by herders from the Kavango tribe. Most of the population of this region, also called Kavongo (for political administrative purposes, there are two regions: Kavango West, where Mpungu is, and Kavongo East), lives in the northern stretch of the territory, along the Kavongo River, which is a PERENNIAL river. That's very rare around here; most rivers are ephemeral, and show usually just as depressions in the earth, filling only in a serious rainy season. There are a few other perennial rivers in the north, kinda-sorta connecting with the Kavongo (Zambezi, Chobe and Kunene, which got dammed years ago so a large part of its flow is underground now), and then the only other perennial river in Namibia is way south, the Orange River.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rmd2cJD7KKT7R0irZt9yQ6nSfaGABsYW2622Pr_ZVXXe_keL_4b154D4mbA957S1kQ25teZCYyIUjaynJFPFx8YQ-FZCMhtMSCNzvNc-eqBr6kf8IBM8r_K76fA5hsKCZk3D2D6qxopi/s1600/2016-10-08.15+jake+arrives.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rmd2cJD7KKT7R0irZt9yQ6nSfaGABsYW2622Pr_ZVXXe_keL_4b154D4mbA957S1kQ25teZCYyIUjaynJFPFx8YQ-FZCMhtMSCNzvNc-eqBr6kf8IBM8r_K76fA5hsKCZk3D2D6qxopi/s400/2016-10-08.15+jake+arrives.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It takes a lot of wet (relatively) to keep the country this green.</td></tr>
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So a lot of Kavongo people fish and grow crops with river water and stuff like that. But not in Mpungu! The village is about 25km from the river, so folks stick to cows and goats and maybe a sheep or two, plus perhaps a spot of gardening. It's a tiny town, with a clinic and a few small shops, a post office and primary school and a handful or two of shebeens, which often double as shops. If you need serious groceries, or a bank (the post office provides some banking services), or a secondary school, you have to head those 25km north to Nkurenkuru. We stopped in Tsumeb on the way into town and picked up supplies, and then M. showed up carrying everything necessary for a Diwali feast, and Y. was packing some birthday surprises, so we were in good shape.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJzXzL1A1lfC7u3a7rc23ViTEhChZjI7rhuabEY2-JT22Cb09HWB-VsCOEaUB3_VTR2c5ZeTdzIdqeLnqcmbxoIso2IXs9pe7nYFo6XOpcP-x82ke7mC1ZoTghfyuizJ1ACDR_5lf9BIO/s1600/2016-10-05.11+pizza+dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJzXzL1A1lfC7u3a7rc23ViTEhChZjI7rhuabEY2-JT22Cb09HWB-VsCOEaUB3_VTR2c5ZeTdzIdqeLnqcmbxoIso2IXs9pe7nYFo6XOpcP-x82ke7mC1ZoTghfyuizJ1ACDR_5lf9BIO/s400/2016-10-05.11+pizza+dinner.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a group together is a good excuse to fuss around with pizza-making.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Mostly we worked on our workshop, and talked about what we'd do the next day, and sat by one of the shops to offer business advice if anyone wanted. We cooked and cleaned and at some point did some laundry in A's family's semi-automatic washing machine. Walking to and from the constituency office where we held the workshop took some time and offered views of all those trees, and a decent workout through the deep sand that subs for dirt in much of Namibia, and a chance to make up horror movies in which we might, unknowingly, be acting. Just hanging around the compound was a thrill; it's so very different from my town and the tourist hotbed of Swakopmund, where I do my big shopping once or twice a month.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCwLhLkNSPJ6_V2w8YWseFvxfwHp23-o9WyIS1Rl0IXtINBWJG6Jv6TYfThQDi-CYkwTpNqHnO3IAGO7g8mvGI4JB_Y0-IWtadKed0z9urNluTTmYUyVd-RmrWbB5racxW2_pWeyVSYnL/s1600/2016-10-07.26+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCwLhLkNSPJ6_V2w8YWseFvxfwHp23-o9WyIS1Rl0IXtINBWJG6Jv6TYfThQDi-CYkwTpNqHnO3IAGO7g8mvGI4JB_Y0-IWtadKed0z9urNluTTmYUyVd-RmrWbB5racxW2_pWeyVSYnL/s400/2016-10-07.26+sunset.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And sunset watching, of course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
At some point the three of them did a spate of interval training. We celebrated A's birthday with a song from the workshop participants in the morning, and a man-bonding experience at the shop/shebeen for M. and A. while Y. and I (but mostly Y.) concocted white-chocolate chip and macadamia cookies, which she knew A. had been craving. She had the chips shipped in from the US. I think white chocolate is an abomination against nature, but those cookies were delicious. And one night A's Kenyan colleague's wife had us all over to dinner. That was one of the best meals I have ever eaten in my life. The pumpkin dish! Eish!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sElAjqCFBvsD6PPSoMTIKTAY9qC6WgHSV7Ba6HXCkDZ4nFxitvrOwmq5lf__y7Pzhh7VeHr_fh8KmrBAY_zmdtiQc_Wc9EYNVmIiewMPXlfvmTocwIfcf7TQC9wQALsffq2V_63hqDL3/s1600/2016-10-08.14+mandeep+pulls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sElAjqCFBvsD6PPSoMTIKTAY9qC6WgHSV7Ba6HXCkDZ4nFxitvrOwmq5lf__y7Pzhh7VeHr_fh8KmrBAY_zmdtiQc_Wc9EYNVmIiewMPXlfvmTocwIfcf7TQC9wQALsffq2V_63hqDL3/s400/2016-10-08.14+mandeep+pulls.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chin-up station. M. was worried by significant weight-loss in his first<br />
six months in Namibia; I offered tips for keeping the pounds on.</td></tr>
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<br />
On the Saturday night, we had a bit of a bacchanal at a local shebeen, with help from Mpungu's PC teacher volunteer and many locals. The Kenyans gave A. a kind of cloak that may be Masai; he loved it. Kept stroking it. It's really meaningful, somehow, when your village friends show an overt sign of respect or appreciation like that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday card, cooky and embraces</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bush beer, Saturday afternoon warm-up</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-Kenyan shebeen time</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think not usually worn with a t-shirt, but that's kind of A's thing.</td></tr>
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I left hoping to go back, but it looks like that won't happen. Maybe someday. Mpungu is really, really different from my home, and I'm so glad to have experienced it. And as I waited by the car for Tate Joseph to give us a ride to the hike point, he gripped me by my meaty upper arm and told me, "You are fat, Frede," in an admiring tone, with a warm smile. It's a compliment. It really is a compliment. I know it's a compliment. Nonetheless, I couldn't get to, "Thank you," and had to settle for (an only-slightly-rueful), "Yes. I am fat."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's a cool flowering plant in front of the stockade-style fence.</td></tr>
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<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-53944126916611007952017-05-23T16:07:00.003+02:002017-05-23T16:16:35.041+02:00Mpungu. That's Right, Mpungu.<i>looking back to October 2016</i>:<br />
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My PC friend A. lives and works in Mpungu, in Kavango West, which is in the Kalahari Woodlands of northeastern Namibia. Woodlands means it's low-density forest with "plenty of sunshine and limited shade" per Wikipedia, i.e., the treetops do not provide dense canopy, but some. I.e., it does have trees, unlike my desert home.<br />
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It also has an HIV support group, and A. wanted to provide that group with a business-skills and event-planning workshop. So he invited Y., M. and me to hike on over and cover a few topics like budgeting, goals and objectives, bookkeeping and such, and we were delighted to accept.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ92WQME3PM962dsEieJuJ6uAfRVdBSKxwPAXlBY9TZIJnoLKudgtuw7YCriqhoHUobrOtAOgeV_bXYtLtKfStcKovT5ckqK2JSm2qpSW5FsT2pm1b9vVtfvaeKKfU6dmq1JWdhWa0r6fh/s1600/2016-10-03.1+rest+stop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ92WQME3PM962dsEieJuJ6uAfRVdBSKxwPAXlBY9TZIJnoLKudgtuw7YCriqhoHUobrOtAOgeV_bXYtLtKfStcKovT5ckqK2JSm2qpSW5FsT2pm1b9vVtfvaeKKfU6dmq1JWdhWa0r6fh/s400/2016-10-03.1+rest+stop.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very kind driver #3, in the shade of a tree. With A.</td></tr>
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Getting to Mpungu involved three hikes of widely divergent natures - 1) pregnant Grizelda and the elephant; 2) 'the back of the bakkie is dirty' and 3) ice cream! Ask me sometime and I'll tell you. It takes about 10-12 minutes and includes eye-rolling and arm-waving. But there we did indeed get, and it was EXCELLENT. A. lives in a traditional compound, with Tate Joseph and his family. ('Tate' is pronounced TAH-tay and is a term of respect for men over about 30.) A. offered a tent if I wanted to sleep outside, and I asked whether I'd really need one, as the weather was edging toward hot by early October, and he said it depends on how you feel about waking up with a snake nestling up to share your body heat, and I slept in a spare room in the compound, in a bed off the ground. Eish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqfT4jYRSW1so_1jeh4flvVVQ1rI8XAHBvFAfxgAdRoFWYAlMKifLwtYxZ2yCM2dPOpgkDSEJPgWCrx0brqs87iyN1XafL4rC19rDTsEo5230aAXtqRm_0W4LlB0mxf1YvZNJoLOL9dIG/s1600/2016-10-04.1+homestead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqfT4jYRSW1so_1jeh4flvVVQ1rI8XAHBvFAfxgAdRoFWYAlMKifLwtYxZ2yCM2dPOpgkDSEJPgWCrx0brqs87iyN1XafL4rC19rDTsEo5230aAXtqRm_0W4LlB0mxf1YvZNJoLOL9dIG/s400/2016-10-04.1+homestead.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One chunk of compound</td></tr>
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A. and Y. are both community-health volunteers, and M. was up to his ears in preparing for a big hullabaloo in his northern town, so I organized the materials for our presentation. We had three half days, so I focused on basics with plenty of in-class exercises to try to drive the material home. A. was hoping for at least 12 people, though he warned us it might be less, and thought we should cap the group at 20 if we got more than expected. We didn't do the capping, and had just over 20 every day, not counting the usual complement of babies and toddlers. Everyone came back on day two even though they did not get free food on day one; this is a major success here. A good turnout <i>with</i> free food is a whole lot easier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79uJ8DKrdGLFlb5bXDIXScDDFbISNhY9uPuCHmlo0BPaTuX6yyFD_hKh_BL1eXDQqf7TFH3iNe0uTXLCOvB00zEnsXWBbyeJcEp7iK0IT9eyph41CjEZHoA7ZB0S2xOix4ytBCoM4aiux/s1600/2016-10-05.1+workshop+begins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79uJ8DKrdGLFlb5bXDIXScDDFbISNhY9uPuCHmlo0BPaTuX6yyFD_hKh_BL1eXDQqf7TFH3iNe0uTXLCOvB00zEnsXWBbyeJcEp7iK0IT9eyph41CjEZHoA7ZB0S2xOix4ytBCoM4aiux/s400/2016-10-05.1+workshop+begins.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Registration, day one - and they're still coming...</td></tr>
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We were all completely jazzed by how well this workshop went. When we divided people into small groups to do exercises, there was always at least one or two per group who understood the material and could do math. This isn't a given here (nor in too many parts of the USA). We also had at least one or two people per session whose English was good enough to translate our lecture-demos into Rukvangali, the local language (one of about a dozen widely spoken in Namibia, remembering that 'widely' has a different connotation in a nation of two million than it might elsewhere). Women outnumbered men in the group - that's pretty common - and there were several who were unafraid to participate in group discussions. That's not always the way, but is always good to see. People contributed money and goods to enable us to offer a morning tea-break (tea-time is 10:00am here), and several helped with clean up. And on day two we had two lunches for each participant, and on day three, one each. There's something enjoyable about feeding people who skirt poverty's dreary edge, even when it's just for a day or three. Better, of course, to support them in figuring out ways to feed themselves for the long-term! (And send their kids to school, and get medical care when needed, and...)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZKfPPH-85VHcK0V7W8JmRv7LjckknvLjRGPomOccOu5_P7_EBj2uKoN1e9gWCO9S4tv9EwfwE6wYHhW420eRCR-Dn8Eh_z39xadTMFpIEBnvxYhvSn4ZG4XogellwDv2k4XyzwpwRb5G/s1600/2016-10-05.2+andy+opens+workshop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZKfPPH-85VHcK0V7W8JmRv7LjckknvLjRGPomOccOu5_P7_EBj2uKoN1e9gWCO9S4tv9EwfwE6wYHhW420eRCR-Dn8Eh_z39xadTMFpIEBnvxYhvSn4ZG4XogellwDv2k4XyzwpwRb5G/s400/2016-10-05.2+andy+opens+workshop.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A. does intros</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAY7Cr2hbGuPm8JkPHmMKh8FeuTAl7y40QOwCza5dYLNNC4jhzszWun3A5vbuqfJE8zXywCoTiNcNHLoAJK5dEDcvCP5JLd9T9qZkPknzxxCxak22J8NbP5DWqWia4h4MmTIYB1VaCG9cf/s1600/2016-10-06.7+good+things.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAY7Cr2hbGuPm8JkPHmMKh8FeuTAl7y40QOwCza5dYLNNC4jhzszWun3A5vbuqfJE8zXywCoTiNcNHLoAJK5dEDcvCP5JLd9T9qZkPknzxxCxak22J8NbP5DWqWia4h4MmTIYB1VaCG9cf/s400/2016-10-06.7+good+things.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Y. and M. listen while a student presents his findings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gcGVotq8uWIm92d19k2jgBXPT85DenVbw4lefZrN3RJsuyZW6pRHGBR-_Eiu6nog7m5I8s_uA8hVCIxW6xhCeYd05J8QEz2X2KtySNdwUJLKj5y-_9dXfHvZ375ZtPL3_T4PONSZROx4/s1600/2016-10-07.11+stock+book.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gcGVotq8uWIm92d19k2jgBXPT85DenVbw4lefZrN3RJsuyZW6pRHGBR-_Eiu6nog7m5I8s_uA8hVCIxW6xhCeYd05J8QEz2X2KtySNdwUJLKj5y-_9dXfHvZ375ZtPL3_T4PONSZROx4/s400/2016-10-07.11+stock+book.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small group collaborating</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfw8FF6iG5hwFHKCQrb7-iQY_BpcOKiFH_geDVNrUzMjsUeriHS5GphGJlYfsJFbR2eq86aQtjB1LJcudKrwWb1P6liZOu9MTCshMFc7Oy9YiG3xpYq5B-IETdcw5xi_WFR5zolMbdYyI/s1600/2016-10-05.6+don+and+severius.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfw8FF6iG5hwFHKCQrb7-iQY_BpcOKiFH_geDVNrUzMjsUeriHS5GphGJlYfsJFbR2eq86aQtjB1LJcudKrwWb1P6liZOu9MTCshMFc7Oy9YiG3xpYq5B-IETdcw5xi_WFR5zolMbdYyI/s400/2016-10-05.6+don+and+severius.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest speakers present on saving at the post office, fielding<br />
a random kid from the audience.</td></tr>
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On the last day, as we were tidying away all our flip charts and such, a contingent of women participants hung back to make a special point of thanking Y. and me for being there. They were deeply grateful to have seen women in positions of authority.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zh5aMZ-NuPTS4eXWym36kshOo6SqKQmVkJciQ9Zmi5LSr_JpANpDQkyy8rJL3Wm7tcujKPK7xfxPbAwjZ7SFrKA1Wco0FwynKHJd-gkEvphnsJNwUyuBOLDDdmtyidsCz36sa020rYca/s1600/2016-10-06.17+nursing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zh5aMZ-NuPTS4eXWym36kshOo6SqKQmVkJciQ9Zmi5LSr_JpANpDQkyy8rJL3Wm7tcujKPK7xfxPbAwjZ7SFrKA1Wco0FwynKHJd-gkEvphnsJNwUyuBOLDDdmtyidsCz36sa020rYca/s400/2016-10-06.17+nursing.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multi-tasking student; paying attention while nursing. She was one of the stars.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21rJHtHWPEE_xoSKEbKimlr1eB0yy6W6iVeBfPCEbMZ9-OfA5a9cBJg_gAAhNbJr7I9wepv5C0_yhyphenhyphen5KeB30M3-nwSYMVP01QlrjrSd2m-3mqEcfDuOTvCfL0hzSAJBmlo2Flf2G9uX1b/s1600/2016-10-07.20+workshop+participants.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21rJHtHWPEE_xoSKEbKimlr1eB0yy6W6iVeBfPCEbMZ9-OfA5a9cBJg_gAAhNbJr7I9wepv5C0_yhyphenhyphen5KeB30M3-nwSYMVP01QlrjrSd2m-3mqEcfDuOTvCfL0hzSAJBmlo2Flf2G9uX1b/s640/2016-10-07.20+workshop+participants.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most people here just love to pose. I am so glad to have had the chance to work with these great folks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
These health/business volunteer collaborations have been some of the absolute best experiences of my Peace Corps service. I am so glad my foundation and my colleagues have made them possible.MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-41453850796996544752017-05-22T15:31:00.000+02:002017-05-22T15:35:36.953+02:00Vacation! The Water Mountain<i>looking back to September 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Karen, Kit
and I closed our vacation with a visit to the Waterberg, which I first
encountered in November 2013, when I visited the <a href="https://cheetah.org/" target="_blank">Cheetah Conservation Fund</a> outside Otjiwarongo. For two weeks, I ate almost every meal (except a couple days spent at <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/05/vacation-i-visit-etosha-for-third-time.html" target="_blank">Etosha</a>)
at a picnic table gazing at this magnificent plateau of striated rock.
The sun rose over it sometime before breakfast, and at dinner the
sunset glinted off of it. I wanted to go there.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UMNDT_MoqWhR1NQuxHq-HESBBU0aAzmWYvpUN2m-6ZidW_pqJWs6HIqkVPLJiv4hzcJ8r_zMISnw0Pvjli1YyRsntEjJe254sPB1AdmgGAeihsf5ERwVU0F5Zm9U0SgU5QVKi3qpXFcf/s1600/2016-09-23.45.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UMNDT_MoqWhR1NQuxHq-HESBBU0aAzmWYvpUN2m-6ZidW_pqJWs6HIqkVPLJiv4hzcJ8r_zMISnw0Pvjli1YyRsntEjJe254sPB1AdmgGAeihsf5ERwVU0F5Zm9U0SgU5QVKi3qpXFcf/s400/2016-09-23.45.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up or from a distance, it's glorious.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
So did Kit and Karen, so we drove south from Grootfontein and checked into one of the 'self-catering' chalets or bungalows operated by the national park service. 'Self-catering' meant a braai (barbecue) stand, a sink and a small fridge; no pots, pans, utensils or stove. You can figure out most things on a grill, but not how to boil noodles without a pan to hold the water. Luckily we had frozen pizzas for back-up.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizr2SaSpAqDJATOs8PATi3tlletY5i3SevnvNbScmOHbh-ONOY7Dg1USM8sxq-Db95PsvcfSHTbItNw4RaC65O_eTjO2qxtJCNYWpAtgvPY4uno8qMF4DfDZnhS92rU4OmpWQvKYlzHF0L/s1600/2016-09-23.1+waterberg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizr2SaSpAqDJATOs8PATi3tlletY5i3SevnvNbScmOHbh-ONOY7Dg1USM8sxq-Db95PsvcfSHTbItNw4RaC65O_eTjO2qxtJCNYWpAtgvPY4uno8qMF4DfDZnhS92rU4OmpWQvKYlzHF0L/s400/2016-09-23.1+waterberg.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner also not so important when this is the view from the braai stand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Even luckily-er, the baboons who had seriously frightened a friend staying here months earlier left us alone, although they were a constant presence at the site. They had gotten very aggressive with S. and her family, coming right up to their chalet and climbing on their car, apparently trying to open doors or jimmy locks or something. When we checked in, the desk clerk recommended throwing rocks at them if they bothered us. Those suckers are big, they're strong, and their teeth are very serious. I am not throwing rocks at them. We found, fortunately, that they tended to move away from us as we walked around the campgrounds, and more fortunately we didn't run into any on the more isolated trails.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgVGEeebGuQclfojHvkIKO9wLzHrDx8OsQdshIKseHqUIFNF2UBmcvaRJTYtCDWi_HnPtRKBR1WqiSx_mcWrpaLcyAFOr4qv5-MxeRLYNx5Fup7o6gJ4Hqn5IXYl4SYwIN2YIszS8Mmet/s1600/2016-09-23.7+k%2526k+on+waterberg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgVGEeebGuQclfojHvkIKO9wLzHrDx8OsQdshIKseHqUIFNF2UBmcvaRJTYtCDWi_HnPtRKBR1WqiSx_mcWrpaLcyAFOr4qv5-MxeRLYNx5Fup7o6gJ4Hqn5IXYl4SYwIN2YIszS8Mmet/s400/2016-09-23.7+k%2526k+on+waterberg.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't take many baboon pictures. It's like photographing<br />
pigeons in a city park in the USA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
'Water' in Afrikaans means 'water,' and 'berg' is 'mountain' in both Afrikaans and German, so 'Waterberg' is -- AMAZING. For those of us who've been in the desert a bit of a while, at least. There were trees (canopies touching!), grass (green, not yellow!), mud (muuuuudddddd!!!!), an occasional little stream or squelchy spot to be leapt, oh my swooning heart.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28oBH9-2GbYhRTDneeFY78mmYx8unJmB2e9S8Lp-lvwkBRfpSIBClTE4RzKDZelFJ3CBIR5QgnsN6Td0B_gRVutpyRP3Nfv1gOmUlITCdU6zB0_WD0SsTTptPR9kW3b84rckTh4OHo2iX/s1600/2016-09-23.24.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28oBH9-2GbYhRTDneeFY78mmYx8unJmB2e9S8Lp-lvwkBRfpSIBClTE4RzKDZelFJ3CBIR5QgnsN6Td0B_gRVutpyRP3Nfv1gOmUlITCdU6zB0_WD0SsTTptPR9kW3b84rckTh4OHo2iX/s400/2016-09-23.24.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is making my brain explode all over again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We did not see rhinos*, which have been relocated here as a safe and nurturing location for them. Lots of mongooses, dik-diks, baboons, and Kit and Karen saw the one Namibian parrot and some love birds during a stroll whilst I tried the swimming pool. Mostly it's about the water with me.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSpatlK4eB4G15cYRMlnxaok86kCtOS8VeL4XUUGMqohmySG3E57F5k4PnKoeU-zU2PWk6tuPNN91R9Xk9o0PVKg3_wsYl3vZCwF_M2ylgiV4UTvhPMt53IXk9X_EcVSNCTk1O4Px61y2/s1600/2016-09-23.39.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSpatlK4eB4G15cYRMlnxaok86kCtOS8VeL4XUUGMqohmySG3E57F5k4PnKoeU-zU2PWk6tuPNN91R9Xk9o0PVKg3_wsYl3vZCwF_M2ylgiV4UTvhPMt53IXk9X_EcVSNCTk1O4Px61y2/s400/2016-09-23.39.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damara dik-dik</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih37V7x7GKWaoqOROF-wiIReddUH9SPawlvKjbkzzlECz_4uNxpXXeac1F085EM1E7wOlRW-aJEWXvascYZpRk6H2ukfYEP5XxpTwPZWPz3HG3XoGYsmAgmAyOFUKTE2429LkQ9mOpyGck/s1600/2016-09-23.38.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih37V7x7GKWaoqOROF-wiIReddUH9SPawlvKjbkzzlECz_4uNxpXXeac1F085EM1E7wOlRW-aJEWXvascYZpRk6H2ukfYEP5XxpTwPZWPz3HG3XoGYsmAgmAyOFUKTE2429LkQ9mOpyGck/s400/2016-09-23.38.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black mongoose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6STPkv1QyQ7oQfjQR8g-r41ETFz5Axu1pYXJ-3xVC8jp7UCBm8whsPxeWFWADM6nnBm36xpXCCJMeEetOY3uZL-wcY2iC0MSjwhNOEACcmxNip2CaX6ASWsCVvDmGlKqhqJHjwjA5vkwn/s1600/2016-09-24.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6STPkv1QyQ7oQfjQR8g-r41ETFz5Axu1pYXJ-3xVC8jp7UCBm8whsPxeWFWADM6nnBm36xpXCCJMeEetOY3uZL-wcY2iC0MSjwhNOEACcmxNip2CaX6ASWsCVvDmGlKqhqJHjwjA5vkwn/s400/2016-09-24.3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ringed or banded mongoose with indigenous tourists</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIY2ND_pULEadScXCS6j2jMAx_Lvd5XdbaG0HwzJDV5G8il8ZzBLRN-j-TPu4QQf5rNvfPZJl49MPrq55q-PMREhYdj_KWxkmW3vpn81OHl3BayZNCB4a_qyRxcFQjKBRKBlm1ckzxDu72/s1600/2016-09-23.18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIY2ND_pULEadScXCS6j2jMAx_Lvd5XdbaG0HwzJDV5G8il8ZzBLRN-j-TPu4QQf5rNvfPZJl49MPrq55q-PMREhYdj_KWxkmW3vpn81OHl3BayZNCB4a_qyRxcFQjKBRKBlm1ckzxDu72/s400/2016-09-23.18.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also another dassie; it's smack-dab in the middle of the photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4kdGwAe3jBl_jef-emaWyA92x_DS0-ouaT-9xkz9hUEm8_BWHL7KxhhuyzRRd_Am76uxvZQrN4yhT_BHy6248AO3cO8HAoOq-hXVfRfEGGJBc34xz4Uy2QWsa44gM2y6qB49lmyrlG0g/s1600/2016-09-23.31.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4kdGwAe3jBl_jef-emaWyA92x_DS0-ouaT-9xkz9hUEm8_BWHL7KxhhuyzRRd_Am76uxvZQrN4yhT_BHy6248AO3cO8HAoOq-hXVfRfEGGJBc34xz4Uy2QWsa44gM2y6qB49lmyrlG0g/s400/2016-09-23.31.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once enough baboons convened at the pool, I elected to vacate.<br />That's how seriously I take that musculature and confident attitude they radiate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Oh, and the views climbing and at the top were pretty good.<br />
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Thanks so very much to Kit and Karen for visiting, and for lugging me along. Also, I'm very sure they did not divvy the bills up quite so evenly as they might have; my Peace Corps stipend thanks them, too.<br />
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*I've wimped out on trying to decide whether rhinoceri, rhinoceroses, rhinocerat or rhinocera is the correct plural. Blogger likes the second, but I think it inelegant.MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-62104438303359553372017-05-11T16:06:00.001+02:002017-05-22T15:37:12.509+02:00Vacation! The Living Museum of the Gentle People<i>looking back to September 2016</i>:<br />
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As we headed east and south from <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/05/vacation-i-visit-etosha-for-third-time.html" target="_blank">Etosha</a>, Kit and Karen and I enjoyed the view of a much more verdant Namibia, here in the primary cattle-ranching part of the country. We were aiming for Grootfontein, where we would find the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoba_meteorite" target="_blank">Hoba meteorite</a>, at over 60 tons (estimated) the largest known meteorite on earth. It is also, according to Wikipedia, "the most massive naturally occurring piece of iron known on Earth's surface." Per me, it is not especially interesting to see. I suppose I'm glad I did, though.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQodtD94caCZ7Ofyjf4hD9I7UtntAvcjwMzFZWe7wKrniYqH1t4b6fUGH-h-nrKi3R8x-ppCrT29XLnfADQY4oDTr3bf7Xle2gXiNMvIE7WL4Y2gsupyXhxnzYd7MnvQ1mB0i85ZvDFD9/s1600/2016-09-22.28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQodtD94caCZ7Ofyjf4hD9I7UtntAvcjwMzFZWe7wKrniYqH1t4b6fUGH-h-nrKi3R8x-ppCrT29XLnfADQY4oDTr3bf7Xle2gXiNMvIE7WL4Y2gsupyXhxnzYd7MnvQ1mB0i85ZvDFD9/s400/2016-09-22.28.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not even all that large, really. But high in iron. Or something.</td></tr>
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What <i>was</i> interesting, though: a visit to the <a href="http://www.lcfn.info/juhoansi/home" target="_blank">Living Museum of the Ju/'Hoansi-San</a>. The museum is well-designed, fascinating and beautiful. It's akin to those living history museums we get all over the eastern US -- Plimoth Plantation, Old Sturbridge Village -- where 'interpreters' recreate the living conditions of some past time, churning butter and shearing sheep with straight razors or whatever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJWFpycBop8fznIxOIN8En-ldADOzMShC5HYsOavx7J4SlSb35QfX7xhPB5WEfgWxPAiG7rX9r8xWDFkARFid6qOQFkxoaAC2SvVLE4GZtZf-BY_MvZTQ1vlnOcAVVCI2g2q8j0DBxNdN/s1600/2016-09-22.4+roy%2527s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJWFpycBop8fznIxOIN8En-ldADOzMShC5HYsOavx7J4SlSb35QfX7xhPB5WEfgWxPAiG7rX9r8xWDFkARFid6qOQFkxoaAC2SvVLE4GZtZf-BY_MvZTQ1vlnOcAVVCI2g2q8j0DBxNdN/s400/2016-09-22.4+roy%2527s.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My rondavel at Roy's. No mosquito nets!</td></tr>
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The manager of <a href="https://www.roysrestcamp.com/" target="_blank">Roy's Rest Camp</a>, where we were staying, drove us out to the museum as the road is deep sand, and Kit was very understandably tired after five days of gravel-road driving. Once we got there, we had a choice of singing and dancing, crafts, or a bush walk, and chose the bush walk. Our primary guide was <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/09/kun-of-juhoansi-san.html" target="_blank">/Kun</a>, who introduced himself as Elias. He introduced his colleague N/a!ad as 'the hunter' and referred to him that way throughout our walk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOAQF9oNbNTOqtI8-R-VxXK4TXKSeqOvq0Z_j9ioYlzfLbaqI0Vw8VfgAJnXb1Op75oRIOEhbWTLZWe-PecUdxAG0R1R9UHi01GkLFFpjrXJIA6Tz9tfB6ZOWbhsvaJXtczoI4mcB4SZi/s1600/2016-09-22.13+elias.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOAQF9oNbNTOqtI8-R-VxXK4TXKSeqOvq0Z_j9ioYlzfLbaqI0Vw8VfgAJnXb1Op75oRIOEhbWTLZWe-PecUdxAG0R1R9UHi01GkLFFpjrXJIA6Tz9tfB6ZOWbhsvaJXtczoI4mcB4SZi/s400/2016-09-22.13+elias.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">/Kun, displaying arrows</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmXq545IMaEp342wqVoDHfWk8qn9ISJGqS8BhVG8QDnmsNFbRXs6EQBWxuNPvC8I45-nRQIDkghlMpM9T0S7OA_X9rxdDd_m35ZzdxZqo4fpsYHuSb5li_z0WTGPdfY4EePhBRJsodSwK/s1600/2016-09-22.8+firestarting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmXq545IMaEp342wqVoDHfWk8qn9ISJGqS8BhVG8QDnmsNFbRXs6EQBWxuNPvC8I45-nRQIDkghlMpM9T0S7OA_X9rxdDd_m35ZzdxZqo4fpsYHuSb5li_z0WTGPdfY4EePhBRJsodSwK/s400/2016-09-22.8+firestarting.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">N/a!ad preparing a fire, which he will start with two soft sticks he carries in<br />
the quiver on his right, and a handful of dried grass.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E0-EKr-et7cq4Erlwbp5FdGjs6aEMeXXEcPWLx_ZaL8mQKxQdnQKbphI3mAvIHzJr6VmYmRElpZjPSYDn6Z9XQn421gt-6Z8iRnlVKfNP4dDpSv13W7cyc7WsW53opyQSKoaephMtbjM/s1600/2016-09-22.12+hunter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E0-EKr-et7cq4Erlwbp5FdGjs6aEMeXXEcPWLx_ZaL8mQKxQdnQKbphI3mAvIHzJr6VmYmRElpZjPSYDn6Z9XQn421gt-6Z8iRnlVKfNP4dDpSv13W7cyc7WsW53opyQSKoaephMtbjM/s400/2016-09-22.12+hunter.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">N/a!ad with his covered quiver, bow, ax and drinking straw.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCHtrTfqGf4sYgeKtAsAq10aI7bLEJwcETSelx9uHWy7GQo2T0udS4uaJmSbyyuBugD7hFfnWYvSOaDqqJVpHwmM-67Am95DYUXlWM7mUU65PFusoQnnCa4ZURLJT6vzSEeyFlcW9_8SD/s1600/2016-09-22.16+snare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCHtrTfqGf4sYgeKtAsAq10aI7bLEJwcETSelx9uHWy7GQo2T0udS4uaJmSbyyuBugD7hFfnWYvSOaDqqJVpHwmM-67Am95DYUXlWM7mUU65PFusoQnnCa4ZURLJT6vzSEeyFlcW9_8SD/s400/2016-09-22.16+snare.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's setting a snare for birds, rabbits, lizards.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEWVTPacZErPyBKK9PX-Kk-F66aKYX_O58t2ci1tFU00oj_h2DbyAc8ZkZsN9qADE4Ue-a1_LNavn7O2LqfDgsf5b61oXMZ1Bmnxww83-XDc3VB29IvgPRXzUExXbrtDgQOV4YNoZtWW9/s1600/2016-09-22.21+water+root+maybe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEWVTPacZErPyBKK9PX-Kk-F66aKYX_O58t2ci1tFU00oj_h2DbyAc8ZkZsN9qADE4Ue-a1_LNavn7O2LqfDgsf5b61oXMZ1Bmnxww83-XDc3VB29IvgPRXzUExXbrtDgQOV4YNoZtWW9/s400/2016-09-22.21+water+root+maybe.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging for water stored in the tree's roots.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSzBXDXiihW_i_3qnKBeNyM8bSzzP21oDrZsEGrsjNHWMNVEldz6RPTmSkPgFzGO66GnTPrXwSViZsnEVZuTWTbaStMZGW0PotQTWWNIxDBg4eJixUl13OkqAE59ZmVJtjSN9puVRKUB8/s1600/2016-09-22.23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSzBXDXiihW_i_3qnKBeNyM8bSzzP21oDrZsEGrsjNHWMNVEldz6RPTmSkPgFzGO66GnTPrXwSViZsnEVZuTWTbaStMZGW0PotQTWWNIxDBg4eJixUl13OkqAE59ZmVJtjSN9puVRKUB8/s400/2016-09-22.23.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneaking up on a pretend springbok.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nGIxpb2XCZ47PFj7wsAN24V7C9dosK9gJECBb0NVDwfhVCduXOVl6o13ECsvs0oWG0dfhmnYg_mG5tEIrz-nyi5H4ZcHxjlJf3e_78WggtEv2grnQsCGiBn7EON2F58kEtNvMmWjpssg/s1600/2016-09-22.25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nGIxpb2XCZ47PFj7wsAN24V7C9dosK9gJECBb0NVDwfhVCduXOVl6o13ECsvs0oWG0dfhmnYg_mG5tEIrz-nyi5H4ZcHxjlJf3e_78WggtEv2grnQsCGiBn7EON2F58kEtNvMmWjpssg/s400/2016-09-22.25.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing to shoot the mock-springbok. He missed!</td></tr>
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I recommend the heck out of this museum. I also really liked the gift shop, where I bought many Christmas presents, each labelled with the name of the maker (jewellery, fire-starting sticks, pipes for smoking bark and rabbit dung (you 'pow' the bark and dung together)) so that she or he would get a cut of the purchase price. Also a cute baby.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1tIb6zPPazoOWzxjjF70oqSXCSjotyQgNTuPyHOF_cxt3Zt7MleC56LWaBqw_nAsV4kwjustCfDFTSGHFuzozu4hdsrEx2QJNw8BZ1oA_LhsXG9aJ0hi6YzSbaVyVfqEc38xudD65NnI/s1600/2016-09-22.26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1tIb6zPPazoOWzxjjF70oqSXCSjotyQgNTuPyHOF_cxt3Zt7MleC56LWaBqw_nAsV4kwjustCfDFTSGHFuzozu4hdsrEx2QJNw8BZ1oA_LhsXG9aJ0hi6YzSbaVyVfqEc38xudD65NnI/s400/2016-09-22.26.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's in shadow, or you'd see how light-skinned the San are before they start<br />
spending long stretches of every day in the sun.</td></tr>
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And as we drove away south again, I thought I spotted monkeys. But the only primates around here are humans and baboons, so I didn't like to say anything. But no one wants to miss anything, so I mentioned it, and Kit asked should we turn around, and I asked would they be pissed if it was just baby baboons (we'd seen plenty of baboons at this point), and they said yes, and I said well, better turn around anyway, and we drove back a kilometer or two and found vervet monkeys, who do live here but not that many so not commonly sighted. So you see. Did I mention the rhino I said we had better check out in Etosha, even though it was probably just two suspiciously rounded ant hills (termite mounds) suspiciously close to each other? Well, it was actually a rhino, surprisingly well hidden by tall grass. Rhinos. What kind of a morally-bankrupt idiot kills one of those things to <a href="http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/23/rhino-horn-poaching-africa-2014-extinction-crisis" target="_blank">pow its horn and snort it</a>. Save the rhinos, please!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqLwK5wDXNNtI5sSX-3jZ9PWPS7Gl9oBx-6Nv2FHw6kzEOeR-sU-otmh9TqagMNmGDvi5eaYb_h8Sskn2qhBcHRrO06ovXuB3qdO4-IlOWFxv2oTBY5BOCJuMsmebcNRSu_td7DFmZJgg/s1600/2016-09-22.32+vervet+monkey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqLwK5wDXNNtI5sSX-3jZ9PWPS7Gl9oBx-6Nv2FHw6kzEOeR-sU-otmh9TqagMNmGDvi5eaYb_h8Sskn2qhBcHRrO06ovXuB3qdO4-IlOWFxv2oTBY5BOCJuMsmebcNRSu_td7DFmZJgg/s640/2016-09-22.32+vervet+monkey.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were a couple dozen on the other side of the road, but this one was close and eager to pose.<br />
According to a Wikipedia citation from the American Journal of Human Genetics, "They have been noted for having human-like characteristics, such as hypertension, anxiety, and social and dependent alcohol use."</td></tr>
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MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-66120626260224951702017-05-02T12:58:00.002+02:002017-05-02T13:02:47.465+02:00Vacation! I Visit Etosha for the Third Time and am Never Once Bored Even a Little<i>Looking back to September 2016</i>:<br />
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I first visited <a href="http://www.etoshanationalpark.org/" target="_blank">Namibia's Etosha National Park</a> in November 2013, for two days and one night. I met two wonderful game guides, saw a rhino munching and lions mating and giraffes, springbok, oryx, elephants, gnus, zebras, jackals and more all gathered at a waterhole at the same time, and leapt briefly and maybe illegally from our van to pick up some trash by the road. Adventure! Then <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/04/wonderful-wild-life.html" target="_blank">Lysias drove us through</a> in October 2015, and we saw <i>so many</i> elephants! And springbok and zebra and ostriches and many, many gnus.<br />
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When Kit and Karen proposed spending three days there, I concurred enthusiastically. I think I shall always be willing to spend time at Etosha. We stayed in a fancy waterfront chalet at <a href="http://www.etoshanationalpark.org/accommodation/okaukuejo" target="_blank">Okaukuejo Rest Camp</a>, inside the park near the southern gate, for two nights, and at the even fancier <a href="https://www.mushara-lodge.com/" target="_blank">Mushara Lodge</a> near the eastern gate for our last night. This part of the trip is best told in pictures, so that's how I'll do it. The only experiences of note that didn't have to do with critters were the blown tire: Karen saying, from the shotgun seat, "I think we might have a flat," and being right -- and thank goodness she perceived it, I don't know how, before we'd done real damage -- and then some German I think tourists helping us figure out where we had to put the jack as the official instructions were wrong; and maybe the very fancy dinner by torchlight at Mushara.<br />
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Otherwise, it's all about the animals. You can see all my photos <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Qrt8mf9J722N8FAj7" target="_blank">here</a> if you like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gsi7xILnPD4/WQCAxPlL1BI/AAAAAAAAFa4/wKUSYhONUQkiz7hP6cfZ2ngDltUdbGT0wCPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.29%2Brhino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gsi7xILnPD4/WQCAxPlL1BI/AAAAAAAAFa4/wKUSYhONUQkiz7hP6cfZ2ngDltUdbGT0wCPcB/s400/2016-09-18.29%2Brhino.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first-night rhinos, at the waterhole right outside our chalet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ReX026dGi0s/WQCNHTxat_I/AAAAAAAAFa4/vISOJ8L3RCMhmKyy_G_x4q8T21zfpoY2ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-19.8%2Bsquirrel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ReX026dGi0s/WQCNHTxat_I/AAAAAAAAFa4/vISOJ8L3RCMhmKyy_G_x4q8T21zfpoY2ACPcB/s400/2016-09-19.8%2Bsquirrel.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground squirrels use their tails for shade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNm_W9Xm8PxnEjL_gitKUFrDTBnjmIUWt3lm_36KWkTNrPWahJoWk6npf8htm9XcRVro5VRGcZ1lkGbB7GZ4__9hIFFZ3Iz3IXzq9kZyJUTNLxLUtV8W_-Pn7sugrWtFs-Z9_zWi3Sg2z/s1600/2016-09-19.12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNm_W9Xm8PxnEjL_gitKUFrDTBnjmIUWt3lm_36KWkTNrPWahJoWk6npf8htm9XcRVro5VRGcZ1lkGbB7GZ4__9hIFFZ3Iz3IXzq9kZyJUTNLxLUtV8W_-Pn7sugrWtFs-Z9_zWi3Sg2z/s400/2016-09-19.12.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful bee-eater.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H315FcE1vuc/WQCPJh-AbLI/AAAAAAAAFa4/FUmqCORI40o1W8enTaNpf53ivIHdBt_GgCPcB/s1600/2016-09-19.16%2Bzebra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H315FcE1vuc/WQCPJh-AbLI/AAAAAAAAFa4/FUmqCORI40o1W8enTaNpf53ivIHdBt_GgCPcB/s400/2016-09-19.16%2Bzebra.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably adolescent males, goofing. Or practicing for adulthood.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1gOUVDhsIgM/WQCUtxKSB_I/AAAAAAAAFa4/wbEX41-iWLESD3tICqYUTr6pXqqaplt_ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-19.36%2Bgiraffe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1gOUVDhsIgM/WQCUtxKSB_I/AAAAAAAAFa4/wbEX41-iWLESD3tICqYUTr6pXqqaplt_ACPcB/s400/2016-09-19.36%2Bgiraffe.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a social weaver birds' nest. Sometimes they get heavy enough<br />
to pull a tree over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRU01Os4tCo/WQCdl98a9lI/AAAAAAAAFa4/dP9e0LoXgYk_lIvW1daEnmz1icRDmi8cgCPcB/s1600/2016-09-19.49%2Bmongoose.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRU01Os4tCo/WQCdl98a9lI/AAAAAAAAFa4/dP9e0LoXgYk_lIvW1daEnmz1icRDmi8cgCPcB/s400/2016-09-19.49%2Bmongoose.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mongoose, right at my feet as I watched the waterhole for bigger critters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5WQp9jLeZpA/WQCetGWxqdI/AAAAAAAAFa4/qytqsvvEI5gyXf42HbPoEQKJLA0XMXR3ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-19.59.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5WQp9jLeZpA/WQCetGWxqdI/AAAAAAAAFa4/qytqsvvEI5gyXf42HbPoEQKJLA0XMXR3ACPcB/s400/2016-09-19.59.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You see photos like this <i>all the time</i>, because giraffes pose like this <i>all the time</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j1CB1nfcKaw/WQH-U2ZBo4I/AAAAAAAAFa4/NxJnA4z_y-w0v0js4Pgk0E5geDb1JTyMQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-20.9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j1CB1nfcKaw/WQH-U2ZBo4I/AAAAAAAAFa4/NxJnA4z_y-w0v0js4Pgk0E5geDb1JTyMQCPcB/s400/2016-09-20.9.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oryx, one of many kinds of antelopes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0zbbWz2qhxU/WQIDSDHjLdI/AAAAAAAAFa4/AtmuDFqD6zAqEtXDs5G74tSe6-3y9cjdACPcB/s1600/2016-09-20.15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0zbbWz2qhxU/WQIDSDHjLdI/AAAAAAAAFa4/AtmuDFqD6zAqEtXDs5G74tSe6-3y9cjdACPcB/s400/2016-09-20.15.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know this one</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd3G3Mppb5cCqrsGlIeKUlKttb1TED4Ld7npeCmheQFN5RsIvyxHoxQ6Pog0x6obM45HHYPsFo9kVj7eb4v2tSFV_TA351nPSJIYGSQBCYZa79udO3aKacjRtuCFqtOA-H3ttO1GBDEjl/s1600/2016-09-20.43.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd3G3Mppb5cCqrsGlIeKUlKttb1TED4Ld7npeCmheQFN5RsIvyxHoxQ6Pog0x6obM45HHYPsFo9kVj7eb4v2tSFV_TA351nPSJIYGSQBCYZa79udO3aKacjRtuCFqtOA-H3ttO1GBDEjl/s640/2016-09-20.43.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants coming up on the left, springbok down front.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uzccsy79xdE/WQIKhEOazuI/AAAAAAAAFa4/m7Pa82NB_9MmEo0cdloFgql18HHF_5yKACPcB/s1600/2016-09-20.52.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uzccsy79xdE/WQIKhEOazuI/AAAAAAAAFa4/m7Pa82NB_9MmEo0cdloFgql18HHF_5yKACPcB/s400/2016-09-20.52.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drinking giraffe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H_K1AupNUkE/WQIKhDvVFqI/AAAAAAAAFa4/wGZkD9WYoSMSAvzCWkUnvRZkOzPofnbiACPcB/s1600/2016-09-20.60.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H_K1AupNUkE/WQIKhDvVFqI/AAAAAAAAFa4/wGZkD9WYoSMSAvzCWkUnvRZkOzPofnbiACPcB/s400/2016-09-20.60.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babies and everything</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g6_wVEdB3SQ/WQINuxkc3yI/AAAAAAAAFa4/ZFQvaEGNbp4eY3DHXHdpFIYX4cOiUEL_wCPcB/s1600/2016-09-20.68.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g6_wVEdB3SQ/WQINuxkc3yI/AAAAAAAAFa4/ZFQvaEGNbp4eY3DHXHdpFIYX4cOiUEL_wCPcB/s640/2016-09-20.68.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent hours peering intently into the brush because rhinos hide shockingly well, and then we just drove past this<br />
open field, and this beauty was ambling along with some branchy thing laced into her horns, and we thought<br />
someone had tied them together and spent several minutes staring in grateful amazement and wondering why<br />
anyone would tie a string to a rhino's horns, and then the branchy bit fell off. So okay. She walked across the road<br />
probably no more than five meters or so in front of our car. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6RdbrW6Jzsw/WQIRGxAUcLI/AAAAAAAAFa4/gn0Ku6kfxOQzb1hsrw1rqCdVSYj0YSR9gCPcB/s1600/2016-09-20.78.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6RdbrW6Jzsw/WQIRGxAUcLI/AAAAAAAAFa4/gn0Ku6kfxOQzb1hsrw1rqCdVSYj0YSR9gCPcB/s400/2016-09-20.78.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red hartebeest; we saw, I think literally thousands of springbok, but only<br />
these two (maybe there was a third one?) of this breed of antelope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rPWSTdrJ3_Q/WQIRG8dlHcI/AAAAAAAAFa4/ewEvu5sEplkIwFzf4G8dBzvudef_PfXPACPcB/s1600/2016-09-20.80.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rPWSTdrJ3_Q/WQIRG8dlHcI/AAAAAAAAFa4/ewEvu5sEplkIwFzf4G8dBzvudef_PfXPACPcB/s400/2016-09-20.80.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dik dik; very small and almost always seen in pairs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oSg58z667Ao/WQWWMihEfEI/AAAAAAAAFdE/cAp3recdoK8EfNBjdkPqGixoSAeTVvyZQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-21.21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oSg58z667Ao/WQWWMihEfEI/AAAAAAAAFdE/cAp3recdoK8EfNBjdkPqGixoSAeTVvyZQCPcB/s400/2016-09-21.21.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone loves baby pictures!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cpLi0zTc8Ds/WQWWMtay-SI/AAAAAAAAFdE/CrCKCchuDkMhTHR4Ly8M8litLiXPEtXzACPcB/s1600/2016-09-21.12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cpLi0zTc8Ds/WQWWMtay-SI/AAAAAAAAFdE/CrCKCchuDkMhTHR4Ly8M8litLiXPEtXzACPcB/s400/2016-09-21.12.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kudu; another antelope and a popular game meat. The most amazing horns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7UqytOTwvaM/WQWWMhrMHWI/AAAAAAAAFdE/e_oJgYHIUIkucX4_VS3dbArOwJGaVnt7ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-21.33.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7UqytOTwvaM/WQWWMhrMHWI/AAAAAAAAFdE/e_oJgYHIUIkucX4_VS3dbArOwJGaVnt7ACPcB/s640/2016-09-21.33.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was an amazing spot by Kit and a very rare sighting: three cheetah with a freshly-killed springbok.<br />
Cheetah camouflage very effectively in this dappled sunlight. They also usually live and hunt alone, although<br />
females keep their cubs with them for up to two years. Males sometimes hunt with a brother or two, which is probably<br />
what this group is, though it could be a mama and two kids. We were the only vehicle stopped for ten minutes or so;<br />
when another car stopped they had to ask what we saw. That's how well camouflaged they were! By the time<br />
we drove away, there were about a dozen bakkies, buses and cars full of thrilled spectators.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
A lot of my Namibian friends have never been to this park. I've got to figure out a way to take some. This place is so very worth seeing!MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-82249548758844047962017-04-30T09:40:00.001+02:002017-04-30T09:40:46.985+02:00Moving Right AlongMy Peace Corps service ends two months from today. I've got a <i>lot</i> to do. Nonetheless, I mostly manage to keep up with my friends' and colleagues' PCN blogs. I really like <a href="https://movingwrightalong.com/" target="_blank">this one</a>; in her most recent post, Krystal answers a hodge-podge of questions from her non-Namibian friends and relatives.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-15039011910793578812017-04-27T17:58:00.001+02:002017-04-28T11:23:34.458+02:00Vacation! Many Rocks and...<i>Looking back to September 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
Away from the coast, and into terrain technically not desert. It's savanna, which is apparently defined, amongst other things, by having trees too widely spaced to form a canopy. Check.<br />
<br />
So we had two days of rocks and rock paintings and...<br />
<br />
Getting just a bit lost, as the Brandberg rock painting site isn't well sign-posted, we decided to check out entirely natural rock formations first. Our guide books weren't terribly enthusiastic, but <a href="http://www.namibiatravelcompanion.com/index.php/burnt-mountain/" target="_blank">Burnt Mountain</a> is right next to the road, and it's free, so we went along and peered. It's a very dark inselberg (freestanding mountain, literally 'island mountain' in German) that supposedly lights up fiery red when the sunset light hits it -- but we were there in the morning. And then a ranger popped up as we drove away, told us she'd just arrived from the house or something, and charged us fifty bucks each for looking at the hill. They instituted the fees a couple of years after the guide book was printed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOPqHzWGyjE/WOn6dvd50tI/AAAAAAAAFGk/UgyXa8ZXH1swRWsn4diBrVrINV2rfniYwCPcB/s1600/2016-09-17.5%2Bburnt%2Bmountain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOPqHzWGyjE/WOn6dvd50tI/AAAAAAAAFGk/UgyXa8ZXH1swRWsn4diBrVrINV2rfniYwCPcB/s400/2016-09-17.5%2Bburnt%2Bmountain.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We believe the tourist attraction is the darker splodge, behind our white bakkie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Just down the road are the Organ Pipes, which are interesting and quite attractive, even before sunset. Hundreds or probably thousands of red-to-dark-purply-black columnar slabs of, I think, dolomite, the rock that also gives the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy (formerly southern Austria) their name. They were mildly beautiful and a useful reminder, not that anyone needs one, that nature is weird.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-02Ui9X6sJ9Y/WOn6dvMVd0I/AAAAAAAAFGk/Sskilcq5JJkBfBBHoE2hOG9nHNxQK4IMACPcB/s1600/2016-09-17.11%2Borgan%2Bpipes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-02Ui9X6sJ9Y/WOn6dvMVd0I/AAAAAAAAFGk/Sskilcq5JJkBfBBHoE2hOG9nHNxQK4IMACPcB/s400/2016-09-17.11%2Borgan%2Bpipes.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
We were now closer to <a href="http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/namibia/twyfelfontein_site_report.php" target="_blank">Twyfelfontein</a>'s rock drawing than Brandberg's, so we 'took a turn' as they say in Namlish. Kit and Karen had been already, but there are three guided walks, and they were somewhere between willing and eager to try one they hadn't seen yet.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twyfelfontein" target="_blank">Twyfelfontein</a> in Afrikaans means 'uncertain fountain,' the name given to a farm that had trouble keeping a reliable water supply from its wells sometime in the mid-20th century. Its Damara name is /Ui //Ais -- that's a tsk (/) and a cluck (//), and maybe the only name more intimidating than 'twyfelfontein' -- and it means 'jumping spring,' apparently. Under the native name, it became Namibia's first World Heritage Site, just ten years ago, in 2017, because of the wealth of rock engravings made by hunter-gatherers many thousands of years ago. (I have found citations that say as much as 10,000 years old and not more than 6,000 and various estimates in between.) And, actually, the combination of rock engravings and rock paintings, which are much younger, is apparently very rare, so that probably impressed the World Heritage people, too.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9lJqK4DvIxo/WOn6dqGV2PI/AAAAAAAAFGk/bhUaMZjmMB8URhmSdg59AG532F7NfdlAgCPcB/s1600/2016-09-17.21%2Btwyfelfontein.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9lJqK4DvIxo/WOn6dqGV2PI/AAAAAAAAFGk/bhUaMZjmMB8URhmSdg59AG532F7NfdlAgCPcB/s400/2016-09-17.21%2Btwyfelfontein.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You scrape through the dark layer of sandstone to reveal the lighter rock beneath.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Our guide, whose name I've forgotten although I knew it well seven months ago and learned it again when sharing a hike with the lovely guide Grizelda a few months later, was excellent. He and his cohort get thorough training, and add personal reminiscence of their own and their families' histories in the area to the anthropological and cultural information they share.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KS6BRyEEuiQ/WOn6dn0KM2I/AAAAAAAAFGk/VbERbM4g8yspgl71TQEdYaBI713N6On8ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-17.15%2Btwyfelfontein.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KS6BRyEEuiQ/WOn6dn0KM2I/AAAAAAAAFGk/VbERbM4g8yspgl71TQEdYaBI713N6On8ACPcB/s400/2016-09-17.15%2Btwyfelfontein.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giraffes are the most-commonly pictured animal at /Ui //Ais.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This was the first place we spotted <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_hyrax" target="_blank">dassie</a>, the adorable and apparently tasty (though not kosher) rodent famous for claiming its closest living relative is the elephant, although the dassie is a cute, furry, snub-nosed critter about the size of a not-that-large bunny. Their incisors and testes are similar in some ways, though (to elephants, not to each other). Take it up with the zoologists if you want; I just report what they tell me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7hPrw9xAUSc/WOn6dt5LycI/AAAAAAAAFGk/iEZAOFcj70cYfdDpt3OEEfOrBvSMdPuZQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-17.19%2Bdassie%2Baka%2Bhyrax.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7hPrw9xAUSc/WOn6dt5LycI/AAAAAAAAFGk/iEZAOFcj70cYfdDpt3OEEfOrBvSMdPuZQCPcB/s400/2016-09-17.19%2Bdassie%2Baka%2Bhyrax.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can hunt them with dogs, or just take their picture<br />
and tell them they're cute. "Cute as an elephant," as we say around here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Back at the lodge, we kept our eyes and ears open for elephants, but did not get lucky. The next day we asked directions and found Brandberg, and toured its rock paintings with another knowledgeable and amicable guide. <a href="https://alexyonkovig.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/christmas-on-the-zambezi" target="_blank">Brandberg</a> is notable both for being the tallest mountain in Namibia and the location of some well-regarded rock paintings, including the iconic White Lady, who is actually more likely <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Lady" target="_blank">a ritualistically-painted black shaman</a> from about 2,000 years ago.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J1mJcRaWjBY/WQB6ozadc7I/AAAAAAAAFJg/dSFoU6olhdIZjnO-D_iF4roxFIhJ_tvaACPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.9%2Bwhite%2Blady%2Bpainting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J1mJcRaWjBY/WQB6ozadc7I/AAAAAAAAFJg/dSFoU6olhdIZjnO-D_iF4roxFIhJ_tvaACPcB/s400/2016-09-18.9%2Bwhite%2Blady%2Bpainting.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting is a newer technique than engraving.<br />
This mural is probably about 2,000 years old.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uArkMGEE3N0/WQB8f86JQzI/AAAAAAAAFKA/zifltyTO9z4J4jagqSrzj_CCCRz1X1T_ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.12%2Bwhite%2Blady%2Bpainting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uArkMGEE3N0/WQB8f86JQzI/AAAAAAAAFKA/zifltyTO9z4J4jagqSrzj_CCCRz1X1T_ACPcB/s400/2016-09-18.12%2Bwhite%2Blady%2Bpainting.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The painting is significantly protected by its location under a natural overhang.<br />
However, tourists did a lot of damage in the first half of the 20th century;<br />
there are protective measures in place now that still let you see it quite clearly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
As mentioned, this guide was also excellent -- I like the part where he forgot how many children he had; "Five. No, six!" -- but his work was complicated by the prevalence of elephants in the area. Elephants are beautiful and wonderful and thrilling and oh how we adore them, but they are also very dangerous. (In case you didn't know, hippos are the most dangerous wild animals, judged by number of humans killed.) As he led us down the trail toward the paintings, he consulted with colleagues -- not by shouting, which might irritate an elephant -- and asked us a few times to step into a bit of a layby while he clambered uphill to a vantage point, and the second or third time he did that, he had us take an uphill detour from which we could a) stay out of the way of, and b) view from above, a big, adolescent, male elephant. Wowza!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VB05ewis0SQ/WQB6o5zak-I/AAAAAAAAFJg/u6CaPbiMRIcULEVFrs2IxhBevEoFkOhGQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.1%2Belephant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VB05ewis0SQ/WQB6o5zak-I/AAAAAAAAFJg/u6CaPbiMRIcULEVFrs2IxhBevEoFkOhGQCPcB/s400/2016-09-18.1%2Belephant.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The locals - guides, their families, small farmers - have to try to live<br />
with these guys, which of course is not always easy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We saw another one coming back, from rather closer and more level, and at one point he started ambling toward us, which was a bit exciting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AOa2tDuD3ho/WQB8f9Wb0mI/AAAAAAAAFKA/Terrc6saJIwb5NVmc5naAVdZnJaQTc99wCPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.20%2Belephant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AOa2tDuD3ho/WQB8f9Wb0mI/AAAAAAAAFKA/Terrc6saJIwb5NVmc5naAVdZnJaQTc99wCPcB/s400/2016-09-18.20%2Belephant.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsJlnCCaDTM/WQB8f1R54OI/AAAAAAAAFKA/LCklwln42d0gRdbdxabgaf7C1zpuI2GMwCPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.19%2Belephant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsJlnCCaDTM/WQB8f1R54OI/AAAAAAAAFKA/LCklwln42d0gRdbdxabgaf7C1zpuI2GMwCPcB/s400/2016-09-18.19%2Belephant.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycuDJS43kkqrXZdhu-I2sTgTcPR9nMM6DrMIm3Ou0FZS7hSRnNIX7y6nHaZg6BQ8rahU6G7KEDqCXAUg6zWR9l3EW_iK4P2vS76dqMTtJJEAsOoWlvPt3JB-FBpTE3D22lGuWo883JaRi/s1600/2016-09-18.21+elephant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycuDJS43kkqrXZdhu-I2sTgTcPR9nMM6DrMIm3Ou0FZS7hSRnNIX7y6nHaZg6BQ8rahU6G7KEDqCXAUg6zWR9l3EW_iK4P2vS76dqMTtJJEAsOoWlvPt3JB-FBpTE3D22lGuWo883JaRi/s400/2016-09-18.21+elephant.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
We saw more dassie, too, some insects, and many birds, including this handsome grouse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FFCT2WfJIw4/WQB-wjMnROI/AAAAAAAAFLM/BeUVsWTIBOAG6oEKiczn9RU_R-TtAfazACPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.24%2Bgrouse%2Bmb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FFCT2WfJIw4/WQB-wjMnROI/AAAAAAAAFLM/BeUVsWTIBOAG6oEKiczn9RU_R-TtAfazACPcB/s400/2016-09-18.24%2Bgrouse%2Bmb.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a close relative of elephants, as far as I know.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Then we went to Khorixas and had a very late lunch with my local PC colleagues, and then we (well, Kit) drove to Etosha, found our fancy bungalow by the waterhole, poached a braai stand from a less-fancy but better-equipped-for-cooking and unoccupied camping spot, made dinner, and moseyed briskly back to the waterhole when we heard a commotion of many tourists stampeding that way on advice of a rhino siting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UoKMYSYbK0U/WQB_JK9kaiI/AAAAAAAAFLM/XszFx8h5b8Ugju9vsNc8Gv8_aLQOscW1wCPcB/s1600/2016-09-18.25%2Bkhorixas%2Bcrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UoKMYSYbK0U/WQB_JK9kaiI/AAAAAAAAFLM/XszFx8h5b8Ugju9vsNc8Gv8_aLQOscW1wCPcB/s400/2016-09-18.25%2Bkhorixas%2Bcrew.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only slightly closer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-46984708412970705422017-04-26T16:57:00.001+02:002017-04-26T18:26:21.786+02:00Vacation! Many Seals and Much Driving<i>looking back to September 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
After our <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/03/vacation.html">desert tour</a>, we woke on Friday to a reasonably lovely morning for Swakop, continuing Kit and Karen's complete mis-education in Namibian weather. We spent a bit of time at the flamingo lagoon -- I love them so -- and then clambered back into the bakkie and settled down for about a week of spending most of our waking hours therein. More or less. Kit did all the driving, and is a hero. (Karen doesn't drive stick, and Peace Corps doesn't allow me to drive unless I'm on leave and insured, and we could not figure out the insurance language in the rental car agreement.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9fUIVCVy4Dc/WNzF3uj9WiI/AAAAAAAAE9k/4X_mRuZXBcI9PUL6QXjRdfsKqjXPMn-dACPcB/s1600/2016-09-16.3%2Bflamingoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9fUIVCVy4Dc/WNzF3uj9WiI/AAAAAAAAE9k/4X_mRuZXBcI9PUL6QXjRdfsKqjXPMn-dACPcB/s400/2016-09-16.3%2Bflamingoes.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamingos, both Greater and Lesser, and some kind of duck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6sPQFACagbg/WNzF3sJH6nI/AAAAAAAAE9k/P5Op3g48resWaSeBxt8P2DxeeduEPBVqgCPcB/s1600/2016-09-16.2%2Bavocets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6sPQFACagbg/WNzF3sJH6nI/AAAAAAAAE9k/P5Op3g48resWaSeBxt8P2DxeeduEPBVqgCPcB/s400/2016-09-16.2%2Bavocets.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also avocets, with the oddly upturned bills, and more ducks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
We headed north, stopping to see more lichens! Kit and Karen were thrilled to be able to pull the car to the side of the C34, step over the low safety barrier keeping off-roaders off the lichen field, and tiptoe about, occasionally pointing or poking, until they'd had - for now - their fill. Then it was back into the bakkie and onto the salt road -- these are common in the coastal area of Namibia. The road is unpaved, with a surface of the local earth bed, which is mostly sand and salt. Occasionally the roads authority sends a tanker truck to spray them with water (salt water, I think and very much hope given the dearth of fresh water in this area), and somehow they come out looking the same blue-black as a tarred road. And they usually make for a very easy driving surface. Often in areas where the local 'soil' gets wet, it forms into gypsum, a soft mineral that forms as a crystal, sometime creating 'desert roses' that the miners at <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/uiba-oas-crystals-market.html">Ûiba Ôas</a> sell.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTobDNqtNxz8L892jjG84_o7JzyLdMirbAapmqsDv9Z-Hkd6x6og7oWgesbYCX7nUDtwkBl5I3cKct0uD2GlQpCIZQo486uD-flXcOpdx_D3cujrxgOS8qxOpPENJxsvxFYKEXkcopUFH/s1600/2016-05-13.1+gypsum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTobDNqtNxz8L892jjG84_o7JzyLdMirbAapmqsDv9Z-Hkd6x6og7oWgesbYCX7nUDtwkBl5I3cKct0uD2GlQpCIZQo486uD-flXcOpdx_D3cujrxgOS8qxOpPENJxsvxFYKEXkcopUFH/s400/2016-05-13.1+gypsum.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert roses - or calcium sulfate dihydrate, or gypsum.<br />
Not the kind in which you drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
We got offered a few crystals by informal vendors at the site of a quite boring shipwreck. I get all my crystals at <a href="http://uibaoascrystalmarket.blogspot.com/">Ûiba Ôas</a>, but these guys had spent time and energy building a lovely welcome to the Skeleton Coast (so called, at least in one version of the story, for its shipwrecks), so I gave them ten bucks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f1C74GEIsBM/WNzF3ttFJqI/AAAAAAAAE9k/XTzq-ex0NQMghTx8lOwkFQALofXNSXn0gCPcB/s1600/2016-09-16.8%2Bskeleton%2Bcoast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f1C74GEIsBM/WNzF3ttFJqI/AAAAAAAAE9k/XTzq-ex0NQMghTx8lOwkFQALofXNSXn0gCPcB/s400/2016-09-16.8%2Bskeleton%2Bcoast.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They said they used seal bones for this, which given the number of dead<br />
seals I pass on the Swakop beach, seems entirely likely.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
We stopped at the beach in Hentie's Bay, and it was a revelation. The strand - the sandy part - was about 10 meters or so below the street, with a pretty sharp drop from one level to the other. I loved it. I think we ate sandwiches there, or leftover pizza or something, Kit and I enjoying the brisk ocean breezes while Karen enjoyed the snug interior of the bakkie.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fU7izvuP5Ew/WN_YvkTJSuI/AAAAAAAAFB8/NLmt7z9q1QQWug72IgKMJkj4OELTTJwUACPcB/s1600/2016-09-16.20%2Bme%2Bhenties%2Bbay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fU7izvuP5Ew/WN_YvkTJSuI/AAAAAAAAFB8/NLmt7z9q1QQWug72IgKMJkj4OELTTJwUACPcB/s400/2016-09-16.20%2Bme%2Bhenties%2Bbay.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drop-off is much steeper and more dramatic than it looks in this picture.<br />
I am tidier when seen in person. Okay. Not really.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Much, much more driving, and we came to the <a href="http://www.met.gov.na/national-parks/cape-cross-seal-reserve/214/">Cape Cross Seal Colony</a>. Ever been to a seal, or sea lion, colony? It's an olfactory experience par excellence. You should definitely visit this one, but there's one just north of Santa Barbara, California, if that's more convenient for now. These are called cape fur seals but are actually a species of sea lion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JeAsPKenPDg/WN_Yvq2GZoI/AAAAAAAAFB8/9qFxZkIhlaUF9siZAMAxy-pneaaihedyQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-16.28%2Bseal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JeAsPKenPDg/WN_Yvq2GZoI/AAAAAAAAFB8/9qFxZkIhlaUF9siZAMAxy-pneaaihedyQCPcB/s400/2016-09-16.28%2Bseal.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuzzy baby!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTPL-vzKfb9wed5-m0zQ-TiEnCh1ZPb4cI7cecQ4cM3kGrFSLdfUdKmZv7TSC-7lt_Q02z11OtR_UBtK_5TUafbjKB_3g9pi62Af1j8G_yFKv7hokGpBI1hanRcs19j88DkA8UbvK2Z_D/s1600/2016-09-16.46+seals.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTPL-vzKfb9wed5-m0zQ-TiEnCh1ZPb4cI7cecQ4cM3kGrFSLdfUdKmZv7TSC-7lt_Q02z11OtR_UBtK_5TUafbjKB_3g9pi62Af1j8G_yFKv7hokGpBI1hanRcs19j88DkA8UbvK2Z_D/s400/2016-09-16.46+seals.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nursing baby!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0DNOkBps2m8/WN_Yvmkc7_I/AAAAAAAAFB8/KN_vy7alD-MEzfIgVA0k8ZwzcHjaiv97ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-16.34%2Bseals.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0DNOkBps2m8/WN_Yvmkc7_I/AAAAAAAAFB8/KN_vy7alD-MEzfIgVA0k8ZwzcHjaiv97ACPcB/s400/2016-09-16.34%2Bseals.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fairly small portion of the colony. All the dark spots in the water are seals.</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O0Tar6KiXGk/WN_YvuDsqvI/AAAAAAAAFB8/evLpcIV_evYd_CEKN0cyAeaWfzkJmrt_QCPcB/s1600/2016-09-16.40%2Bseals.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O0Tar6KiXGk/WN_YvuDsqvI/AAAAAAAAFB8/evLpcIV_evYd_CEKN0cyAeaWfzkJmrt_QCPcB/s400/2016-09-16.40%2Bseals.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have you read Doris Lessing's <i>The Cleft</i>?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSX5smETogmq_larp7e_UwMwA4MPo1CvB7TcLjB8MjDQOBkQwm_JxKXbQFWgGWpM0er8RpBtURz_BvB1Cn0K6b9VV72ERF1g1eJ2mm2VdOsmZDxnDimZqkrUM8uQ-UwMDnonYwwIp1pZu/s1600/2016-09-16.49+seals+running.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSX5smETogmq_larp7e_UwMwA4MPo1CvB7TcLjB8MjDQOBkQwm_JxKXbQFWgGWpM0er8RpBtURz_BvB1Cn0K6b9VV72ERF1g1eJ2mm2VdOsmZDxnDimZqkrUM8uQ-UwMDnonYwwIp1pZu/s400/2016-09-16.49+seals+running.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actually, I could not be surfeited with these guys.</td></tr>
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<br />
Surfeited with surf and stink, we headed south again and turned inland, and the roads changed from the relatively smooth salt to the bumpier 'gravel' in local parlance. And so it would go for much of the next week, and I believe worth every skeletal shake.MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-79966950939389570222017-03-30T12:13:00.001+02:002017-03-30T12:20:06.502+02:00Vacation!<i>looking back to September 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
My friends Kit and Karen both work in conservation in various ways, and love their work. All the parts that have to do with the natural world, anyway; and they spend leisure time studying botany and zoology and geology (and maybe Spanish). They also know a lot about figure skating. Their vacations, at least two per year, usually revolve around wildlife in one way or another, and they've been to Brazil for the rainforests and Borneo for the elephants and the Outer Hebrides for the mosses or something, and Nepal and the Canadian Rockies and Botswana and and and. But never Namibia, so they were delighted when I told them where Peace Corps was sending me: "We'll come visit!" they promised, and made good in September 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAB4YSjw9kiw1v3XnjVrW3m4gJLTFjM-Tc7F6dx9wBXuIVY7PxFd9on9jylW4SVf06eYKnLTmhdaYHZq-CpNTojTk-vzdBG061bTyuJdPIpNSFbpZs2KNIW1VEMhzZO6FXvFc5HBZVenu/s1600/2016-09-15.10+k%2526k.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAB4YSjw9kiw1v3XnjVrW3m4gJLTFjM-Tc7F6dx9wBXuIVY7PxFd9on9jylW4SVf06eYKnLTmhdaYHZq-CpNTojTk-vzdBG061bTyuJdPIpNSFbpZs2KNIW1VEMhzZO6FXvFc5HBZVenu/s400/2016-09-15.10+k%2526k.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kit and Karen. She really feels the cold. I was in shorts and a t-shirt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
They spent a couple weeks in the northwest, at <a href="http://www.africat.org/">Africat</a> and with the <a href="http://www.savetherhinotrust.org/">Rhino Trust</a> and a <a href="https://theinsatiabletraveler.com/2015/06/08/dr-stander-and-his-five-musketeers-the-magnificent-desert-lions-of-the-skeleton-coast-of-namibia/">desert lion expert</a>, in unusual cold and damp for this part of the world. Then they came down to the Namib and picked me up at the office, and off we went to Swakopmund in their big 4WD rent-a-bakkie. They told me about the cold and the fog they'd experienced in Kunene -- "Namibia is very cold," they planned to tell friends back in the US -- and admired the warm sunshine and clear blue sky of Swakop. "Maybe it'll be back to normal in the morning," I said, bracing them for the coastal town's usual chilly mist. We had dinner with S. at the Indian restaurant and got to bed early to be ready for our desert tour.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIBvHU9yPVA/WMu4s3KCRNI/AAAAAAAAE7M/_flyUM_gpSQ6LznMQNvL80UxnwCEWoftACPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.2%2Bdunes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIBvHU9yPVA/WMu4s3KCRNI/AAAAAAAAE7M/_flyUM_gpSQ6LznMQNvL80UxnwCEWoftACPcB/s400/2016-09-15.2%2Bdunes.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The desert, less than 2km from the ocean.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Chantelle, one of the <a href="http://www.tommys.iway.na/">Tommy's Living Desert Tours</a> guides, picked us up at the B&B about 8:00 in a tough old Land Cruiser that held a middle-aged English couple. The six of us spent the cold but gloriously sunshiny morning together, in convoy with Tommy and another guide. Tommy's never takes more than three vehicles out on a tour, in a bid to balance environmental preservation with showing off this little-understood landscape in the hope that people who get to know it will choose to care more about preserving it. All very delicate, these balancing acts.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82Y30xZ836gmnusZr-MxzT1y7R6KOro2KlD9bH15Y7R93NEFCXyS41iCDfC9iiHSB42-UphnKaMOYAoSU5OEXL_lLjkZsylDCoTs1VBzyX4nj-ogTeCVCAhk_qmyr-0fqT_WrmL6hcbkV/s1600/2016-09-15.1+fox+track.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82Y30xZ836gmnusZr-MxzT1y7R6KOro2KlD9bH15Y7R93NEFCXyS41iCDfC9iiHSB42-UphnKaMOYAoSU5OEXL_lLjkZsylDCoTs1VBzyX4nj-ogTeCVCAhk_qmyr-0fqT_WrmL6hcbkV/s400/2016-09-15.1+fox+track.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first 'animal' sighting: maybe a desert fox track (on the right).</td></tr>
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<br />
Tommy is an experienced desert guide, and knows this area intimately. Chantelle has a lot fewer years in (although her skin is the same bone-deep desert tan), but is an obvious enthusiast and expert. They drove us through the bare dunes just south of Swakopmund, officially a protected area where tourism businesses like Tommy's, as well as sandboarding, quadbiking and a few other 'adventure sports' are allowed to operate. It's not well patrolled, so people who want to find it easy to break the rules against unauthorized motor vehicles, disturbing wildlife, driving off established tracks or camping or whatever. But it's a start.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mwg_Q8yDagc/WMu4sx0ypLI/AAAAAAAAE7M/6KMJq4AtXM0U6XOVGaTTe-ikPgUwAutwgCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.5%2Btommy%2Bw-beetle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mwg_Q8yDagc/WMu4sx0ypLI/AAAAAAAAE7M/6KMJq4AtXM0U6XOVGaTTe-ikPgUwAutwgCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.5%2Btommy%2Bw-beetle.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second animal: a beetle that drinks by sinking its head into the sand at<br />
night and absorbing the mist through its nether-quarters.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The terrain is magnificent, and the guides' stories are edifying. Chantelle told us they once routinely found chameleons in the area, but that as the desert touring and adventure sports proliferated, they had become more rare. She didn't expect they'd locate one for us, and they did not. But they did, and it seemed miraculous that anyone could, spot a couple of sidewinder snakes, a weird spider's home, and a multi-hued palmetto gecko. We watched Tommy 'vacuum' the black magnetite out of the dune sand with a powerful magnet, and listened to a roaring dune. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnndFRxs3RdecN5tICRgLEisSDd2HvQCv3yNz_5AMOZ4L1BOHQxdUelFK5wG_uY8SLZEQcdtjonjTI4X52peXCetLT7J6w1lIJyBKLm7xPjny_0Zile-UBgR-K1dgIdYBWZimv_Q1nph0p/s1600/2016-09-15.16+spider%2527s+tube.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnndFRxs3RdecN5tICRgLEisSDd2HvQCv3yNz_5AMOZ4L1BOHQxdUelFK5wG_uY8SLZEQcdtjonjTI4X52peXCetLT7J6w1lIJyBKLm7xPjny_0Zile-UBgR-K1dgIdYBWZimv_Q1nph0p/s400/2016-09-15.16+spider%2527s+tube.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spider's home of sand, reinforced with spider-juice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3cUfW-mGa17Jn773pD5_k7ggaYJUxBjzf-8Pju3ERoxK-QtKPvThDvVyOaeO1e6aDWQ5FArz4gOZIoIFc3bF8Vgkui_2okHbq6PpB7iXuZI67eJaAAeg7S9E1cOkKP1odl7HfJkcyqNC/s1600/2016-09-15.46+palmetto+gecko.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3cUfW-mGa17Jn773pD5_k7ggaYJUxBjzf-8Pju3ERoxK-QtKPvThDvVyOaeO1e6aDWQ5FArz4gOZIoIFc3bF8Vgkui_2okHbq6PpB7iXuZI67eJaAAeg7S9E1cOkKP1odl7HfJkcyqNC/s400/2016-09-15.46+palmetto+gecko.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palmetto gekko</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vu_Z2ZbkzIM/WMu4s-aSOyI/AAAAAAAAE7M/dYCa77pXoyUcU_cy41u5qPauvW0_f1RwQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.51%2Blark%2Bon%2Bhand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vu_Z2ZbkzIM/WMu4s-aSOyI/AAAAAAAAE7M/dYCa77pXoyUcU_cy41u5qPauvW0_f1RwQCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.51%2Blark%2Bon%2Bhand.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The birds are used to tourists in this one spot (where Tommy keeps Port-a-Potties!).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQRkIY9xC9uM5GxVxuR06yUwTrd2aUZtpB9kRkGfjlap93BH33wAhLwjIvqACp9Kc2jyFqHG8h_1D_EvBoQuoqPpP7fhsp2vYE0aYliDUj6RXEGqSUYJybLCWiQsmVr48qPu_Hxs9Uujh/s1600/2016-09-15.59+sidewinder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQRkIY9xC9uM5GxVxuR06yUwTrd2aUZtpB9kRkGfjlap93BH33wAhLwjIvqACp9Kc2jyFqHG8h_1D_EvBoQuoqPpP7fhsp2vYE0aYliDUj6RXEGqSUYJybLCWiQsmVr48qPu_Hxs9Uujh/s400/2016-09-15.59+sidewinder.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sidewinder wriggling itself back into the sand.<br />
Very soon, only its eyes (on top of its head) will show.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTObF45dlUoSY8pl-Rv_s_CbOjipSNgdCfWQp_vU2E_POvPT8nCRzj8uSKigRfaNzYWtMC_aD2Wy9AVuEW_VJTbVDlxle3CmZSuU1Ximt07hw89LYEACjE1sn8eM5B5bamxDj3mo7BmM-q/s1600/2016-09-15.66+sidewinder+track.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTObF45dlUoSY8pl-Rv_s_CbOjipSNgdCfWQp_vU2E_POvPT8nCRzj8uSKigRfaNzYWtMC_aD2Wy9AVuEW_VJTbVDlxle3CmZSuU1Ximt07hw89LYEACjE1sn8eM5B5bamxDj3mo7BmM-q/s400/2016-09-15.66+sidewinder+track.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another sidewinder, getting away from us uphill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JhMihfrEj9c/WMu4s49bX7I/AAAAAAAAE7E/YLY08QAmeZcx0v9yyPmZfXFDYi7Hv8EvQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.79%2Bblind%2Bleggless%2Blizard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JhMihfrEj9c/WMu4s49bX7I/AAAAAAAAE7E/YLY08QAmeZcx0v9yyPmZfXFDYi7Hv8EvQCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.79%2Bblind%2Bleggless%2Blizard.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A blind legless lizard. No idea what keeps it from being a worm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
About mid-day, we dropped the English couple at their hotel and the remaining four of us picked up lunch at the Shop-Rite, re-filled the tires at the Engen (deflated for sand driving), and headed to the lichen fields, moon landscape and welwitschia drive.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MBDFYGRk7IU/WMu4s2DVizI/AAAAAAAAE7E/gfb1xMAp6aAIHRfVUtIwMLiFigu79so9gCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.75%2Bsteep%2Bdune%2Bface.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MBDFYGRk7IU/WMu4s2DVizI/AAAAAAAAE7E/gfb1xMAp6aAIHRfVUtIwMLiFigu79so9gCPcB/s640/2016-09-15.75%2Bsteep%2Bdune%2Bface.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farewell desert dunes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Kit and Karen are fascinated by lichen. Can you say that about any of your friends? And Chantelle, I think, made it even more fascinating. She had a spray bottle of distilled water with her, which she used to spritz a pebble or two so we could watch the lichen's immediate response: 'leaves' opening, color lightening, everything turning to face the source of wetness. She had to use distilled water because the mist that usually feeds these things is very pure; the product of evaporation. Our local tap and bottled water tends to be heavy on salts, chalk and other minerals, and can damage and even kill the desert plants that naturally get nothing but mist, and the very occasional rain sprinkle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L0VVrw_C5Ak/WMu4s9WlEqI/AAAAAAAAE7E/ZLQ_NvLtaLg5Vuycf2gjloYAxIjklnvdQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.84%2Bdry%2Blichen%2B-%2Brock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L0VVrw_C5Ak/WMu4s9WlEqI/AAAAAAAAE7E/ZLQ_NvLtaLg5Vuycf2gjloYAxIjklnvdQCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.84%2Bdry%2Blichen%2B-%2Brock.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-itbkPrYd9bc/WMu4s2ZD0SI/AAAAAAAAE7E/J_KgR9qKedgXSkL6n9r_R3GmlX6JgWZBACPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.86%2Bwet%2Blichen%2B-%2Brock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-itbkPrYd9bc/WMu4s2ZD0SI/AAAAAAAAE7E/J_KgR9qKedgXSkL6n9r_R3GmlX6JgWZBACPcB/s400/2016-09-15.86%2Bwet%2Blichen%2B-%2Brock.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCw2N3aOmGw/WMu4s7KsV2I/AAAAAAAAE7E/IoxZ4AsP2mUGtcdLDrr5IpcuDK7yH7luACPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.92%2Bmany%2Blichens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCw2N3aOmGw/WMu4s7KsV2I/AAAAAAAAE7E/IoxZ4AsP2mUGtcdLDrr5IpcuDK7yH7luACPcB/s640/2016-09-15.92%2Bmany%2Blichens.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fascinating, if you have the patience and eyesight for it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DZaut6izeJI/WMu4sxnoBhI/AAAAAAAAE7E/l1VxenGkwDsI8J-YdzBhiWdkW0wtRzykQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.91%2Bwet%2Blichen%2Brock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DZaut6izeJI/WMu4sxnoBhI/AAAAAAAAE7E/l1VxenGkwDsI8J-YdzBhiWdkW0wtRzykQCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.91%2Bwet%2Blichen%2Brock.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was black and crunchy a minute or two earlier.</td></tr>
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<br />
Also out amongst the lichens, she showed us... a six-eyed sand spider! You probably don't remember this from <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/01/wild-life.html">my post of about a year ago</a>, but these suckers have a dread fascination for me. They are small; generally less than 30mm/an inch across including legs, and potentially fatal. If you get bitten, even if you don't die, you probably have messed-up everything for the rest of your life, as they are 'highly cytotoxic'; cytotoxic meaning their venom attacks all your cells. Fun! So Chantelle gazed around her, followed a few tracks and specific rocks, humming and reminiscing about having found it just a few days earlier, and pretty soon flipped up one big rock and pointed to a pregnant, deadly bug surrounded by eggs. She used a stick for the pointing, but still. Yikes! (She had originally discovered this particular spider when she was demonstrating to a tour guest why he shouldn't just pick up rocks in this particular desert. Karen laughed and said, "You do that all the time." I don't anymore.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R3PDWGDvlL4/WMu4s-Nwu7I/AAAAAAAAE7E/txoxHV621dsD8327WW7IuaCyLtE0nry3ACPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.95%2Bsix-eyed%2Bsand%2Bspider.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R3PDWGDvlL4/WMu4s-Nwu7I/AAAAAAAAE7E/txoxHV621dsD8327WW7IuaCyLtE0nry3ACPcB/s400/2016-09-15.95%2Bsix-eyed%2Bsand%2Bspider.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never want to see one of these things again -- though I suppose I'd rather<br />
see it and run away than never know what bit me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MJmowb8RFME/WMu4s3ZJlqI/AAAAAAAAE7E/CDGUpjJN7fIuFSVamEb26cpumWp7tG8yQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.96%2Bsix-eyed%2Bsand%2Bspider%2Begg%2Bsacs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MJmowb8RFME/WMu4s3ZJlqI/AAAAAAAAE7E/CDGUpjJN7fIuFSVamEb26cpumWp7tG8yQCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.96%2Bsix-eyed%2Bsand%2Bspider%2Begg%2Bsacs.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next generation. Sheesh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
We drove on again, rounded a couple of bends and gazed in wonder upon the moon landscape. I've forgotten it's geology; I hope I never forget the magnificence of these striated, lumpy lifts and rifts at the edge of the Namib. Then we dipped into the oasis and along the welwitschia drive, emerging frequently from our Land Cruiser to look at tracks - hyena and others - and dens - aardvark - and welwitschias - endemic to Namibia and the world's weirdest (maybe) and smallest (got to be; at least naturally-occurring) tree. And some amazing sparkly plant that I thought was a vulgar plastic decoration Chantelle got cheap at Woolworth in the after-Christmas sales and stuck into the rocks to fool the tourists. I'm still not 100% certain that's not the truth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EBY8CpY3yrQ/WMu4s0p9FaI/AAAAAAAAE7E/dkXaVLc0XLgwnVOZNYcRe85g4dTXQ9RUwCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.97%2Bme%2Bat%2Bmoon%2Blandscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EBY8CpY3yrQ/WMu4s0p9FaI/AAAAAAAAE7E/dkXaVLc0XLgwnVOZNYcRe85g4dTXQ9RUwCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.97%2Bme%2Bat%2Bmoon%2Blandscape.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon landscape</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUxqxh-dAgI/WMu4s97rhRI/AAAAAAAAE7E/iv15THZp3JMLwYW0u8sLWuoyNP3MuDBIACPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.103%2Bmoon%2Bls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUxqxh-dAgI/WMu4s97rhRI/AAAAAAAAE7E/iv15THZp3JMLwYW0u8sLWuoyNP3MuDBIACPcB/s400/2016-09-15.103%2Bmoon%2Bls.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ditto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iym3b6_Uxno/WMu4s54xnYI/AAAAAAAAE7E/ehE2GQM-CiwfD9W4awwZNftZHKYlu4pnQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.107%2Bhyena%2Bprint%2Bmaybe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iym3b6_Uxno/WMu4s54xnYI/AAAAAAAAE7E/ehE2GQM-CiwfD9W4awwZNftZHKYlu4pnQCPcB/s400/2016-09-15.107%2Bhyena%2Bprint%2Bmaybe.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlLeMjyFLGBOcIdaAHn6SD5EBeEOzIEKM0IaB4Kuu44FvFtlJYMOgJ03KS4U75yaAuiZdI2j2TGDnO4cT6OS2egir9oJDLawvKHT5FbqoG7oce7qv-PLxOfBHfSaUXu-Cd-q96FddP3OL/s1600/2016-09-15.111+aardvark+home.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlLeMjyFLGBOcIdaAHn6SD5EBeEOzIEKM0IaB4Kuu44FvFtlJYMOgJ03KS4U75yaAuiZdI2j2TGDnO4cT6OS2egir9oJDLawvKHT5FbqoG7oce7qv-PLxOfBHfSaUXu-Cd-q96FddP3OL/s400/2016-09-15.111+aardvark+home.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aardvark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrNzFNGxGTI/WMu4s5EIjvI/AAAAAAAAE7E/Rih16fRvxsQsgYgX7ju5stZ5qEwiUdlLwCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.114%2Bwelwitschia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrNzFNGxGTI/WMu4s5EIjvI/AAAAAAAAE7E/Rih16fRvxsQsgYgX7ju5stZ5qEwiUdlLwCPcB/s640/2016-09-15.114%2Bwelwitschia.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a TREE! With TWO LEAVES! The leaves split; the trunk never gets<br />
taller than a few centimeters; they live for centuries; they have males and females.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBPiIrnyZYXP6eH7dshowZoVEYW5RqQtoDlP8i35Gd7ZMvGKNtMAyWwxw_NfhSxou4AMMcbjXFk30Stb1VDQWj0Z5iuZdWE41jB1byKKLQRSl88SXqR7vkEwIEc0qjONwtxWB8DNg2pQY/s1600/2016-09-15.126+sparkle+plant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBPiIrnyZYXP6eH7dshowZoVEYW5RqQtoDlP8i35Gd7ZMvGKNtMAyWwxw_NfhSxou4AMMcbjXFk30Stb1VDQWj0Z5iuZdWE41jB1byKKLQRSl88SXqR7vkEwIEc0qjONwtxWB8DNg2pQY/s400/2016-09-15.126+sparkle+plant.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah. Like that occurs in nature?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So Tommy's Living Desert Tour and Chantelle get my highest recommendation. Not all tour guides are sensitive to the environment to the degree most of us would hope, but this team seems very committed to preserving an ecological heritage they clearly love in the best way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zRY7fI0ZANY/WMu4sylB0rI/AAAAAAAAE7E/Bur1HrJcpM0dUIAjfu6pydcwVaTN2kdVwCPcB/s1600/2016-09-15.134%2Bmoon%2Blandscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zRY7fI0ZANY/WMu4sylB0rI/AAAAAAAAE7E/Bur1HrJcpM0dUIAjfu6pydcwVaTN2kdVwCPcB/s640/2016-09-15.134%2Bmoon%2Blandscape.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-71471906856856866352017-02-28T19:07:00.000+02:002017-02-28T19:07:07.800+02:00SMS - Send Me Silliness<i>Note to self: come up with a better title.</i><br />
<br />
I do a lot of SMS'ing, or texting, in Namibia. It's the cheapest way to communicate privately, and while telco is generally a lot less expensive here than in the USA, my income is dramatically cheaper. So. As is true anywhere, sometimes these abbreviated messages can be, intentionally or not, pretty amusing. So I've collected a few to share.<br />
<br />
This is the one that set me off: "Ant cheese is still cheese, in my book."<br />
<br />
<br />
And the next day, trying to connect with a friend, I learned, "I'm at home now and will have to foot [<i>'foot' = </i>'<i>walk' in Namlish</i>] at the garden in 4min." All right! But a minute after that, I got, "I mean 45 mins."<br />
<br />
"I'm a good creep."<br />
<br />
From a colleague zooming off to dinner with the only key to our three-person hotel room: "I didn't know u were rooming with us until M shouted at u from the taxi lol I thought it was just the two of us."<br />
<br />
"The gods of the internet must be displeased. Sacrifice something." Follow-up: "I have heard municipality workers who don't get back to you work best." (A. was pretty ticked with a municipality worker at the time.)"<br />
<br />
I write something's going well; C. writes that she's green with envy; I reply that it looks good on her; she responds, "Please, I look good in any color. LOL."<br />
<br />
"Please accept my deepest condolences for your head cold."<br />
<br />
"Thank you miss, I love you" from a student I don't actually know that well. Sometimes 'love' = like, appreciate, or miss in Namlish.<br />
<br />
"Omigod stopppp its contagious!!!! Fuckez nous! :( waaaah! Why oh universe why?!" I <i>think</i> this was in reply to a text saying I'd had a sudden, inexplicable craving for a Pop-Tart.<br />
<br />
"ps happy invisible Wednesday"<br />
<br />
"Ha yeah I bet 'a rift in the space-time continuum' isn't even a good enough reason for failing to text the OOS." The out-of-site phone is the number we PCVs have to notify whenever we're away from our home sites overnight.<br />
<br />
"... I keep telling myself I don't smell bad, just not as pleasant as I usually do."<br />
<br />
"... In other news, Clementine just brought a bat inside to eat in front of me. The crunching is awful." I'd explain that one, but I think it works really well on its own.<br />
<br />
"Was cleaning aphids off the spinach. Let me know a good time to call."<br />
<br />
"No. There is no going back now. You're eating rice and lentils and you're going to love it or at least pretend to love it."<br />
<br />
"oh no the Trump won the election." I'd share some other texts from that day, but I don't want this to get all political. This one is from a Namibian friend.<br />
<br />
"Oh my. Who is basting you?"<br />
<br />
"Ugh these youngster partiers." From, like, a 28-year old.<br />
<br />
"Smashed between 2 dudes in a bright yellow bakkie. Riding in style. Haha! See you soon"<br />
<br />
"Thanks me toooo feeling a lot better but just all weird"<br />
<br />
"Jacket weather!? Now that's exciting. It's been getting close to that here in the evenings. We've been getting lots of rain too. The only problem is there seem to be snakes everywhere."<br />
<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-73324428065256432572017-02-22T12:03:00.000+02:002017-02-22T12:43:05.710+02:00Going to the Chapel<i>looking back to September 2016</i>:<br />
<br />
A.'s visits to my town are cause for much celebration amongst my colleagues, who are <i>thrilled</i> to hear the American woman who speaks such good Damara-Nama! (Damara-Nama is a Khoisan language, which includes clicking and popping sounds as well as the consonant and vowel sounds we use in English. It is often considered quite difficult to master. A. would be quick to tell you she hasn't mastered it, but she can get along well in basic conversation.) So when <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/ester.html">Ester</a> invited me to her daughter Yolanda's wedding, she made sure to include "that one of Khorixas" in the invitation. (Proper names just aren't a big thing for a lot of people here.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--c4ZSTSmU3M/V9LanDl4ZeI/AAAAAAAADjU/vpk8V11C46000tJq1R4NN9dX8WTNkfN3gCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.4%2Balex.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--c4ZSTSmU3M/V9LanDl4ZeI/AAAAAAAADjU/vpk8V11C46000tJq1R4NN9dX8WTNkfN3gCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.4%2Balex.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Serendipitously, the wedding fell on the day after <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/02/happy-birthday-to-me.html">my birthday</a>, so A. could get two events for a single <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/hiking.html">hike</a>. I'm pretty sure the wedding was the bigger draw. To clarify: the actual ceremony was quite early on Saturday, when we were still in Swakop, recovering from cold, driving winds and a multi-course birthday dinner with good wine. So we skipped that part, held at the Roman Catholic church. We were all in for the reception, though, which began in the town hall at 17:00.<br />
<br />
There's no standard format for a wedding reception in Namibia, although food and drink and music are common elements.. This is just about the one I attended.<br />
<br />
We put on dresses and gussied up a bit, and headed to the Town Hall at about 18:00. (In my New England childhood, town hall was the building where the business of the town was conducted. Here, that's usually called the municipality building, or the town council office, while the town hall is an exhibit hall or entertainment space, usually with a stage at one end.) I'd held my winter trainings in the Hall, a bare and drafty space, but it was <i>transformed</i> for the reception. The caterer had decked it out in banquet tables, covered chairs, and white and light blue draperies and decorations of various kinds. These elaborate decors, usually just two-toned, are the norm in all the caterers' brochures and wedding reception preparations I've seen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxaEQUx6sTg6qioVX_Y3PuqQYGSJJD7UgWmwfw8aHlKoT_NQvUFbyagOENezcJ2uKxJbNnsZdndi7RSGVA7YufbU7yZVi2zFDdRCYWex6E7WVTAizHVXkaIREuV6cjRXvqemXsdTrmqc1/s1600/2016-09-03.1+hall+decorated.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxaEQUx6sTg6qioVX_Y3PuqQYGSJJD7UgWmwfw8aHlKoT_NQvUFbyagOENezcJ2uKxJbNnsZdndi7RSGVA7YufbU7yZVi2zFDdRCYWex6E7WVTAizHVXkaIREuV6cjRXvqemXsdTrmqc1/s400/2016-09-03.1+hall+decorated.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
One hour after the stated start time, the band was warming up, and we were the first guests, although there were a few gathered outside. We poked around, checked out the cakes, gazed awestruck at the bride-and-groom thrones, and around 18:30 joined a few of my colleagues at a banquet table toward the back of the hall. Conversation was jolly and mixed, in subject and language. The mother of the bride stopped by to exchange congratulations and stresses. A. gathered a few new fans who hadn't yet been exposed to the marvel that is an auslander speaking Damara-Nama.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjdc-bpAkTI/V9LanFDQByI/AAAAAAAADjU/DOCBoo61YQsD9yjkzu_0WAZVKM0CD05YwCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.2%2Balex%2Bw-cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjdc-bpAkTI/V9LanFDQByI/AAAAAAAADjU/DOCBoo61YQsD9yjkzu_0WAZVKM0CD05YwCPcB/s320/2016-09-03.2%2Balex%2Bw-cake.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake! They looked like suitcases. I don't know why.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The bridal party arrived! It was wonderful! Parents and other relatives were in their best, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen and a bunch of little kids were all color-coordinated and cute or beautiful or handsome as they preferred, and dancing. They danced through the caterer's fancy arch to the flash of many bulbs, and up to the stage.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kMXh-1nQ2wA/V9LanIqfwxI/AAAAAAAADjU/hNzo3u9zAT0BTfhIETZA8hGNz3uXNF9DACPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.5%2Bwedding%2Bparty%2Bentrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kMXh-1nQ2wA/V9LanIqfwxI/AAAAAAAADjU/hNzo3u9zAT0BTfhIETZA8hGNz3uXNF9DACPcB/s400/2016-09-03.5%2Bwedding%2Bparty%2Bentrance.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A musician and family member in typical Nama dress.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47WfQv66cEM/V9LanODH1FI/AAAAAAAADjU/rSx8rcx6U7QjeWdzZkM390xdKzah3NAoQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.7%2Bwedding%2Bparty%2Bentrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47WfQv66cEM/V9LanODH1FI/AAAAAAAADjU/rSx8rcx6U7QjeWdzZkM390xdKzah3NAoQCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.7%2Bwedding%2Bparty%2Bentrance.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aunts, probably.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GU_VEkYyy88/V9LanCmzeYI/AAAAAAAADjU/p9BfMukCor0iItNhFQBBKOJzDzoCxaVOACPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.10%2Bbride%2Band%2Bgroom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GU_VEkYyy88/V9LanCmzeYI/AAAAAAAADjU/p9BfMukCor0iItNhFQBBKOJzDzoCxaVOACPcB/s400/2016-09-03.10%2Bbride%2Band%2Bgroom.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yolanda and Eric</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fVJS1gZOEJs/V9LanP9dZ0I/AAAAAAAADjU/Z400XV1OP5MW27chXOV8laFcJSBX7zzjwCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.13%2Bwedding%2Bparty%2Bentrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fVJS1gZOEJs/V9LanP9dZ0I/AAAAAAAADjU/Z400XV1OP5MW27chXOV8laFcJSBX7zzjwCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.13%2Bwedding%2Bparty%2Bentrance.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone so happy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
There were lots of speeches, mostly in Afrikaans, that I think were largely about the value of family and the blessings of God. The band played. The Yolanda and Eric danced together beautifully. A. said they danced like a couple that would last, and I agreed. Ester stopped by again and collected everyone's cash gifts. A man named Stephanus joined our table, and proved to be the best wedding-table partner ever. Food came; plates full of the standard stewed and braaied meats, potato salad and macaroni. Here's where it gets weird.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--AuPCfMyEsY/V9LanGMMf6I/AAAAAAAADjU/Id4wDHxLE5AVh9xpbm2mr7WfQhu5lpvYQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.20%2Bb%2526g%2Bdance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--AuPCfMyEsY/V9LanGMMf6I/AAAAAAAADjU/Id4wDHxLE5AVh9xpbm2mr7WfQhu5lpvYQCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.20%2Bb%2526g%2Bdance.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good marriage ahead, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I have heard many stories of Namibian wedding guests, and funeral guests, and other-kinds-of-banquets guests, eating large quantities of food, and packing larger quantities into containers they've brought with them specifically to carry food away. At this wedding, at my table at least, people picked at the food, piled leftovers onto two or three common plates, and handed it off to a crew of little kids who'd gathered at the hall, presumably in search of something like this. So. That's my experience.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uglAUikrGR4/V9LanI1zggI/AAAAAAAADjU/Mn5ROyKS-QkycyFodk3Vn5CgqeplpyOOQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.21%2Bdinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uglAUikrGR4/V9LanI1zggI/AAAAAAAADjU/Mn5ROyKS-QkycyFodk3Vn5CgqeplpyOOQCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.21%2Bdinner.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note vegetable matter, upper right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-As_D5XdosHM/V9LanOykRcI/AAAAAAAADjU/mmSn5CgMvNUa4q9lirg3gruEsvEfTUSZQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.22%2Blocal%2Bkids.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-As_D5XdosHM/V9LanOykRcI/AAAAAAAADjU/mmSn5CgMvNUa4q9lirg3gruEsvEfTUSZQCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.22%2Blocal%2Bkids.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Informal guests</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After the food was disposed of, the dancing began. The band had packed up at some point and been replaced with recorded music. I love to dance; I think most people at this reception did not even stand and shimmy a bit. But Stephanus danced. Oh, yes.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JV7eipPR0Os/V9LanLco5SI/AAAAAAAADjU/pitPx93-3BwOkxggG_d1U6Y2NBUAzYgmgCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.43%2Bdancing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JV7eipPR0Os/V9LanLco5SI/AAAAAAAADjU/pitPx93-3BwOkxggG_d1U6Y2NBUAzYgmgCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.43%2Bdancing.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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At some point the drink came out. First it was sparkling wine, which allowed for a couple of toasts. Then the servers came around with six packs of beer and cider (the alcoholic kind), and bottles of brandy, vodka, whisky, maybe other hard stuff - beer and cider were capped, but the tops were off the big bottles. That's so you can't take them home, A. and I speculated. However... earlier, we'd gotten small bottles of water.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44VKD3wN8vw/V9LanFhRUGI/AAAAAAAADjU/s6lkOQ-FEHs_8yQtFzRwmpFNuvVsOhsPACPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.29%2Bvalerie%252C%2Beunice%252C%2Bsilas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44VKD3wN8vw/V9LanFhRUGI/AAAAAAAADjU/s6lkOQ-FEHs_8yQtFzRwmpFNuvVsOhsPACPcB/s400/2016-09-03.29%2Bvalerie%252C%2Beunice%252C%2Bsilas.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My colleagues and table-mates</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBztIySoDg2UsPN8r9BWgNjcZePolQ0FU-QcySxV6JQrYPDc4NII-TDoFGaqoSbd9OcRSkrzQEvfEj2Eol5bnnMtvabhv9KVUm7BIMZb3VJ99N5l5HXYQH1eKPyJIqAydDBMQkhYXcW_U/s1600/2016-09-03.35+stephanus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBztIySoDg2UsPN8r9BWgNjcZePolQ0FU-QcySxV6JQrYPDc4NII-TDoFGaqoSbd9OcRSkrzQEvfEj2Eol5bnnMtvabhv9KVUm7BIMZb3VJ99N5l5HXYQH1eKPyJIqAydDBMQkhYXcW_U/s400/2016-09-03.35+stephanus.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephanus took charge of liquor distribution; he could also open one beer bottle with another.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
The bride and groom left around this time; A. and I did not meet them. They didn't do that walk-around common at weddings I've attended in the U.S. and Ireland to say hello to each guest. At my table, people were drinking, but also pouring the hard liquor into emptied water bottles, and capping those to take away. And some more dancing. And Stephanus flitting about, flirting in a gregarious and entirely un-aggressive and reasonably charming way, and dancing vigorously and creatively. Guests started mingling a bit more, and fairly suddenly, and before midnight, people started leaving. A. and I declined all offers of escorts and rides home, so I cannot report on what happened at after-parties.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aX2pu_-hdAo/V9LanDOTa-I/AAAAAAAADjU/s2794K8nqpU5ACxhmzWzM0pQI7dnV_q9QCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.26%2Bbouquet%2Btoss.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aX2pu_-hdAo/V9LanDOTa-I/AAAAAAAADjU/s2794K8nqpU5ACxhmzWzM0pQI7dnV_q9QCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.26%2Bbouquet%2Btoss.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried to persuade A. into the bouquet-toss, but she declined with vigor.<br />Good thing, too; it got a bit scrum-y.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAB0hrUHvabbYsASd8HlnmZUWrd1PmAnbR367pSFGBDz3-yz_xBS4iG7-tn-hPWlpTdh19ha28Q41Uqnbb6y0cPwg1qLWf7wrOUuajNAKyxzF91qpY7BvXsInQ3JPgqGxNOMM7p7v8wys/s1600/2016-09-03.52+stephanus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAB0hrUHvabbYsASd8HlnmZUWrd1PmAnbR367pSFGBDz3-yz_xBS4iG7-tn-hPWlpTdh19ha28Q41Uqnbb6y0cPwg1qLWf7wrOUuajNAKyxzF91qpY7BvXsInQ3JPgqGxNOMM7p7v8wys/s400/2016-09-03.52+stephanus.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's DANCING!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquqc-ui_P-voKlnSicVgjd9yk4iqPX-MGaVwk1hnEuoH6n9tQwpPrLk6skcZc1s2-663qBuW_D1XgW6kO78uGT0NE5lh2aObLGFz6hGVYT1zpYzN83bvUaiL2VdCX5oKffabGdoMjCMjL/s1600/2016-09-03.56+stephanus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquqc-ui_P-voKlnSicVgjd9yk4iqPX-MGaVwk1hnEuoH6n9tQwpPrLk6skcZc1s2-663qBuW_D1XgW6kO78uGT0NE5lh2aObLGFz6hGVYT1zpYzN83bvUaiL2VdCX5oKffabGdoMjCMjL/s400/2016-09-03.56+stephanus.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So's that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-enY441OfuPA/WK1gFQisU-I/AAAAAAAAEwY/h7sHYZo9Yz4bACGulpxG-vC8W38bD1pcQCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.58%2Balex%2Bw-flower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-enY441OfuPA/WK1gFQisU-I/AAAAAAAAEwY/h7sHYZo9Yz4bACGulpxG-vC8W38bD1pcQCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.58%2Balex%2Bw-flower.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you know where that thing has been?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UQBHo_P2IqA/WK1gFTgqylI/AAAAAAAAEwY/2oWXZWCbjq8TMhrTEy74RRbmS4cE9pCDACPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.61%2Bstephanus%252C%2Beliz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UQBHo_P2IqA/WK1gFTgqylI/AAAAAAAAEwY/2oWXZWCbjq8TMhrTEy74RRbmS4cE9pCDACPcB/s400/2016-09-03.61%2Bstephanus%252C%2Beliz.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine came straight off the table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hBK8dTlinjIuJY8ZNunuXWYtn9m3zm5O1WGkfPK3FAz72S4Dd1eS1s8e7BdvUoUmmCEcHx9022Tq0PlE8jcPCmZnFO_wsChVsqQ2BA9KBCkWZLBoHQZgTlcJLGWubMElm_J11QdmeYlJ/s1600/2016-09-03.46+eliz%252C+silas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hBK8dTlinjIuJY8ZNunuXWYtn9m3zm5O1WGkfPK3FAz72S4Dd1eS1s8e7BdvUoUmmCEcHx9022Tq0PlE8jcPCmZnFO_wsChVsqQ2BA9KBCkWZLBoHQZgTlcJLGWubMElm_J11QdmeYlJ/s400/2016-09-03.46+eliz%252C+silas.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silas, my best bud at work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KfQ4EVvlh28/V9LanIXxVaI/AAAAAAAADjU/ojXd77_B25siwZb2aZ61vaIf9_eO9EnBgCPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.39%2Balex%252C%2Beliz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KfQ4EVvlh28/V9LanIXxVaI/AAAAAAAADjU/ojXd77_B25siwZb2aZ61vaIf9_eO9EnBgCPcB/s400/2016-09-03.39%2Balex%252C%2Beliz.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A. and me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsCPKsNY1r0/V9LanF_lpKI/AAAAAAAADjU/B5AVYrwIvj0pZgE9BXi05O-rznhLo65OACPcB/s1600/2016-09-03.38%2Bstephanus%252C%2Balex.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsCPKsNY1r0/V9LanF_lpKI/AAAAAAAADjU/B5AVYrwIvj0pZgE9BXi05O-rznhLo65OACPcB/s400/2016-09-03.38%2Bstephanus%252C%2Balex.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe I should put all the Stephanus pictures.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
I saw Ester a few days later back at the office, and she and I were both still elated by the party, though she maybe a bit wrung out still. She told me that many of their guests were very impressed that she'd scored two whites as guests. This is something A. encounters a lot in her town -- the idea that whites are inherently superior to blacks -- but I almost never hear. We talked a bit more, and I hope that our value was more in our foreign-ness (I've gotten shout-outs at Irish weddings for coming all the way from the USA) than our skin color. And Yolanda and Eric did look truly, peacefully happy together as they danced.<br />
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<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-73155820412600381512017-02-01T10:34:00.005+02:002021-05-30T20:46:36.665+02:00Happy Birthday to Me<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i> </i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>looking back to Septembers 2015 and 2016</i>:</div>
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<br /></div>
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I have celebrated two birthdays in Namibia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first was in 2015, about 10 or 12 weeks
after I settled in ‘at site’, in my small desert town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had heard that in Namibia, the celebrant
is responsible for his or her festivities, though I’ve since seen plenty of
evidence that’s not always true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, no one in my small circle of acquaintances at that point would
know it was my birthday, and I had a hankering for yellow cake with chocolate
ganache.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Coincidentally and happily, my Peace Corps boss and her assistant, the
magnificent Linda and Ephraim, planned a site visit for the day, to see how I
was settling in to home and work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
that worked out very nicely indeed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I arranged to meet them at the <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/uiba-oas-crystals-market.html">Ûiba Ôas Crystals Market</a>, with which I
consult, as they headed from a colleague’s site to mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hoping that Linda, who bedecks herself
in PC volunteers’ projects’ products, would pick herself up a few aquamarines
or amethysts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She decided she would
wait, however, seek out advice, and return for a real investment purchase – so
we just toured the market and met a few of the miners and merchants there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we headed home, where we toured
<a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/09/dreamland-garden.html">Dreamland Garden</a> (“I love this place,” Linda exclaimed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had seen it when she first vetted my
project’s potential, and was delighted to visit again.) and then headed to my
office.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8aRhuxr1AJr3RpNjepJKbYo9EwcrlEdIrLhpu98I-13Xiv82DPoW6gFfn7BUkaNkf9rudK7ko1fkwd3n9UiLuE8QqtiTD0r4bccdA_0VwFGDLk5W1b1qaPtBngcXVf9mOd5fWsmu-clV/s2048/2016-09-06.2+cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8aRhuxr1AJr3RpNjepJKbYo9EwcrlEdIrLhpu98I-13Xiv82DPoW6gFfn7BUkaNkf9rudK7ko1fkwd3n9UiLuE8QqtiTD0r4bccdA_0VwFGDLk5W1b1qaPtBngcXVf9mOd5fWsmu-clV/s320/2016-09-06.2+cake.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wasn't in photo-taking mode in 2015, given the newness and company and all, so this is 2016's cake, which was just the same as the year before.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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At the office, I whipped out the cake I’d baked the night before,
jabbed in the candles, jogged to the libraries to invite colleagues, and set
the thing alight as the colleagues and bosses serenaded me with the standard
birthday song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when I discovered
<a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-few-notes-from-gideon.html">Gideon</a>’s lovely singing voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/05/introducing-efraim.html">Ephraim</a> and he reminisced about their childhood birthdays and the lust for cake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Now I just ask, ‘Where’s the <b>meat</b>?’” Ephraim
confessed to much laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/ester.html">Ester</a> stopped by, and I demanded a song from her before handing over a slice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I love you with my heart,” she told me, and
I have never heard a nicer birthday sentiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later another colleague came by and discussed politics whilst munching,
and finally two little girls, Kasey and Marisa, poked in looking for crayons,
spotted the mostly-hidden pan and exclaimed, “Cake!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I demanded my vocal tribute and unloosed
the last two slices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It all made for a
lovely birthday</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniGWeYwa4AaFlp3QjUBj0UuGl-PWczxdLpW65E5r9rqLKQRPQ27_-D33eFYSygaNESiFRmUD_jGre0C64HLt37GGHtg9LcC63qRnfevF8hop-s_kAxL0tyj-MxpdV9usz4EhmLEeA5b7r/s2048/2016-09-06.8+eunice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniGWeYwa4AaFlp3QjUBj0UuGl-PWczxdLpW65E5r9rqLKQRPQ27_-D33eFYSygaNESiFRmUD_jGre0C64HLt37GGHtg9LcC63qRnfevF8hop-s_kAxL0tyj-MxpdV9usz4EhmLEeA5b7r/s320/2016-09-06.8+eunice.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eunice sings for her slice of supper - or dessert.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
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The following year, in 2016, dear friends in the US sent an e-mail
saying they wanted to send me a chunky cash gift that I could use for a
Swakopmund spree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I read their
e-mail, I was mentally composing my response:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“You’re so very kind, and I am entirely grateful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it’s just too much – my life here
isn’t one of any significant sacrifice, I’m enjoying myself and I would just
feel like a charlatan if I were to accept...”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I got to the final line of theirs:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Don’t you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dare</i> say you can’t
accept!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could hear L’s voice
especially in my head, and she can get a bit ferocious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I re-composed:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Thank you so much!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll book a fancy hotel and spend a night or
two.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00C5bz84PkqDXYpCFWkViFR_3hoN8lfcB1iH38fsdgOIenSlqT_E-EqQOzR4yq__L2ySUEkobmyD-Yz5Dc7N8yIaR6PPXI72VUrpY8w3dapj9BaflHv9vNCpFe1KTKOkWdhmN29RwLe3S/s2048/2016-09-01.1+birthday+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00C5bz84PkqDXYpCFWkViFR_3hoN8lfcB1iH38fsdgOIenSlqT_E-EqQOzR4yq__L2ySUEkobmyD-Yz5Dc7N8yIaR6PPXI72VUrpY8w3dapj9BaflHv9vNCpFe1KTKOkWdhmN29RwLe3S/s320/2016-09-01.1+birthday+view.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my birthday room - semi-clear sky on birthday eve.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjPVo4R9Uq0_Ct9N9ap0LsuUXDx5405ZV-ppHBhKDugjFBQHoNcHLwrLLo_F2ULUcqSG6zVqTxSKoR42fbDfKb_MXP7us_9B7W6bX3YuX9oM92yNHhaSQX_Qzs1ZKM0KQi_0hd7q1t0pK/s2048/2016-09-02.32+tiger+reef+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjPVo4R9Uq0_Ct9N9ap0LsuUXDx5405ZV-ppHBhKDugjFBQHoNcHLwrLLo_F2ULUcqSG6zVqTxSKoR42fbDfKb_MXP7us_9B7W6bX3YuX9oM92yNHhaSQX_Qzs1ZKM0KQi_0hd7q1t0pK/s320/2016-09-02.32+tiger+reef+view.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the fancy roof deck - cloudy sky, birthday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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Which I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day after <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2017/01/celebrate.html">the certificate ceremony</a>, I headed for the <a href="http://www.beach-hotel-swakopmund.com/">Beach Hotel</a>, six stories of moderate luxury capped
with a roof deck with ‘swimming pool,’ which is actually a small-ish, unheated
hot tub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The view is amazing, and the
staff are professional yet friendly, and I had a balcony over the beach, and I
just flopped onto that crisply-linened bed with the slider ajar and listened to
the waves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bliss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bliss, with a more-than-brisk wind slicing
off the Atlantic, but you only need the slider open a smidge to hear the waves,
and I’m okay with cold.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwhtHMheMgXCVw1n8KIUYWpuYI2N7gysbhRmStLP7iMTGk_9MBa_4YdoI34BuRQB-etLIntuvAXGD6DGTOhaXbApJFo2_-erqsgojz05uJh1EaUEHmVaIgfUCvhPWPUqWWQoFq-UkwEf2/s2972/2016-09-02.18+flamingos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="2972" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwhtHMheMgXCVw1n8KIUYWpuYI2N7gysbhRmStLP7iMTGk_9MBa_4YdoI34BuRQB-etLIntuvAXGD6DGTOhaXbApJFo2_-erqsgojz05uJh1EaUEHmVaIgfUCvhPWPUqWWQoFq-UkwEf2/w640-h229/2016-09-02.18+flamingos.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I take many, many photos of flamingos. I love them so.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-TJDfv6I6-EhcrMIJsNkHVFWu2g4tH66t-fJJcQpVRnkf3cCPzRBp7ic8BFa67iaPF2hWmjM6n62qr8vxSM6BbWlzJGV77omAYzWo546tCF3V6PCfPZFydtx1vylJFMhh0O4muZm59Gy/s1125/2016-09-02.15+flamingos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-TJDfv6I6-EhcrMIJsNkHVFWu2g4tH66t-fJJcQpVRnkf3cCPzRBp7ic8BFa67iaPF2hWmjM6n62qr8vxSM6BbWlzJGV77omAYzWo546tCF3V6PCfPZFydtx1vylJFMhh0O4muZm59Gy/s320/2016-09-02.15+flamingos.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div>
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<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82VztzdQ1EE9DA8bzC83jFf7MIWwH3VjufCTXlpFdCwywYPfkZw_GRmIRFBIGNFrgOQEQbOi9WKlS0gr2HIfNIWdvqHYUSUgBNIufnmyQUCnxBzMv6kZXw-c-6ZVnoapsUdydVdIW_VNw/s2048/2016-09-02.19+flamingos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1361" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82VztzdQ1EE9DA8bzC83jFf7MIWwH3VjufCTXlpFdCwywYPfkZw_GRmIRFBIGNFrgOQEQbOi9WKlS0gr2HIfNIWdvqHYUSUgBNIufnmyQUCnxBzMv6kZXw-c-6ZVnoapsUdydVdIW_VNw/s320/2016-09-02.19+flamingos.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">On birthday-day itself I woke early for a beach walk and marveled at
the flamingos in their lagoon, and the slamming waves and dramatic wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I walked the beach to the fancier hotel,
which has a spa but no roof deck, and got myself professionally scrubbed and
oiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Limber and shining with
emoluments, I headed back to my hotel to watch the sun set over the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t necessarily a thing in the desert,
where sunsets are most often gentle, nor yet in Swakop, where the heavy fog
over the <a href="http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/benguela.html">Benguela current</a> usually obscures light and color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My PC vol friends A. and S. were joining me
for dinner, and I urged them on to catch the last of the glow.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Aq53j1ObECj0X6s0E-67vovCyHvs3M_VLxr3PmLi6Gg6X4yzINaNXbfAUWQiH_3Kw_46j1CAV0_tnMMgbq0X1t9DbNPj1LC4QsqkFj_WNtEXX7_o0vdovLvlvhtB3IdcK3ldG1PkIVXQ/s2048/2016-09-02.26+ruins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Aq53j1ObECj0X6s0E-67vovCyHvs3M_VLxr3PmLi6Gg6X4yzINaNXbfAUWQiH_3Kw_46j1CAV0_tnMMgbq0X1t9DbNPj1LC4QsqkFj_WNtEXX7_o0vdovLvlvhtB3IdcK3ldG1PkIVXQ/s320/2016-09-02.26+ruins.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grey skies, rough seas, high winds - perfect celebrating conditions for the desert-dweller.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtAHEB1wojys12iW4rygPyP2WwsLX70FmVvD_SC9lvYl1fyctptIuJO7opDk1K2ukI5gke_OqfhQBoSv-380_Y9SRedzJywiyfe18Pi3N2QWpC5gS-6KTcit8_8d6sOoTKZE6ejY9zwD5/s2048/2016-09-02.31+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtAHEB1wojys12iW4rygPyP2WwsLX70FmVvD_SC9lvYl1fyctptIuJO7opDk1K2ukI5gke_OqfhQBoSv-380_Y9SRedzJywiyfe18Pi3N2QWpC5gS-6KTcit8_8d6sOoTKZE6ejY9zwD5/s320/2016-09-02.31+sunset.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rather a good sunset for Swakop.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">But not the last of the wind!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or
the cold!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A. lives well inland, in
savannah country, where it gets hot and stays hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(My desert setting gets at least cool for at
least a few very-early-morning hours even in the hottest part of the year.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Swakop, real heat is rare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>S. is a Swakopmunder, so she was bundled up,
and we’d reminded A. to bring scarves and jackets, but really none of us were
prepared for that high-level gale scrubbing the cold out of that Antarctic
current and blasting it across us on the deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We laughed and laughed, and scurried down the stairs to warm up (though A. and I both tried to store some of the cold inside our bones, to release when the home weather hits its baking worst).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we had a fine dinner at the hotel’s
fancy restaurant, with a lovely South African Bordeaux-blend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Definitely not one of the sacrificial-service
experiences! (A. and S. were both most impressed by the multi-ply toilet paper at the hotel -- seriously, screaming from the bathroom.)<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSrpkPVp4k2ETbpU95REmVMHqCsaGrFAkWnVjXN10XEgsyEpqBbC5RS_Rm00QL-bSd3pUwDXhrvRloBCvigManeRGAQwfdS9P93X71Sv5VwE15xDV6bXzVhzKkPxbs0RRAbfwf7oV-X_m/s2048/2016-09-02.36+w-alex.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSrpkPVp4k2ETbpU95REmVMHqCsaGrFAkWnVjXN10XEgsyEpqBbC5RS_Rm00QL-bSd3pUwDXhrvRloBCvigManeRGAQwfdS9P93X71Sv5VwE15xDV6bXzVhzKkPxbs0RRAbfwf7oV-X_m/s320/2016-09-02.36+w-alex.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From North Carolina; probably doesn't own a parka.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSrpkPVp4k2ETbpU95REmVMHqCsaGrFAkWnVjXN10XEgsyEpqBbC5RS_Rm00QL-bSd3pUwDXhrvRloBCvigManeRGAQwfdS9P93X71Sv5VwE15xDV6bXzVhzKkPxbs0RRAbfwf7oV-X_m/s2048/2016-09-02.36+w-alex.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMfI5NPMx87aqLESLJmrSnnXKovqsDZ3s8aSX6abvw1Dv-4xs1Z4kvI01HHNPkkBPknoFOwMJrxHaV1dV2F1aO-xaFLuICyaTzYSrGb-ZaW8oQ1I-1JiKalTPiPhWWdNLfhfbYLAgYz04/s2048/2016-09-02.34+w-stephanie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMfI5NPMx87aqLESLJmrSnnXKovqsDZ3s8aSX6abvw1Dv-4xs1Z4kvI01HHNPkkBPknoFOwMJrxHaV1dV2F1aO-xaFLuICyaTzYSrGb-ZaW8oQ1I-1JiKalTPiPhWWdNLfhfbYLAgYz04/s320/2016-09-02.34+w-stephanie.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Arizona; first saw snow at age 24, in DC.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Back home, I made myself a repeat of 2015’s cake and brought it to the
office Monday, and extorted lots more songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was generous and tuneful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do love candles and singing for birthdays. (And luxury hotel stays with fancy wine! Thank you, L & G!!)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYUN1EyNFcbzarRaAYA7_joW9U-L61nf_jdZQ1_fSvakQUBXfA2Dibl4pAnwpObO8Tbfa_KPVhZ6xIIud_xcJrfFC9DjYRdkPJwFibvYfb8Z47-9gJNOU_vUoLoHvrrKMUzDqD_EmlGKi/s2048/2016-09-06.5+annaline%252C+petra%252C+rita%252C+silas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYUN1EyNFcbzarRaAYA7_joW9U-L61nf_jdZQ1_fSvakQUBXfA2Dibl4pAnwpObO8Tbfa_KPVhZ6xIIud_xcJrfFC9DjYRdkPJwFibvYfb8Z47-9gJNOU_vUoLoHvrrKMUzDqD_EmlGKi/s320/2016-09-06.5+annaline%252C+petra%252C+rita%252C+silas.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anneline, Petra (who had her own birthday cake a few days later), Rita and Ndategelela<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JvYS3DFcbqgbDGIuK_6ytnIXyjBhLqR__254ik5BbAlR6ix1zppZmfOsf9-vn_IZUiifFVwJnoMj97CGRdIfmiYfSg1vZc3sMD3d6fNsTwpsrKrbBzHoqy0wusZP-dPL9SYCvk5sWKUJ/s2048/2016-09-06.7+ester%252C+valerie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JvYS3DFcbqgbDGIuK_6ytnIXyjBhLqR__254ik5BbAlR6ix1zppZmfOsf9-vn_IZUiifFVwJnoMj97CGRdIfmiYfSg1vZc3sMD3d6fNsTwpsrKrbBzHoqy0wusZP-dPL9SYCvk5sWKUJ/s320/2016-09-06.7+ester%252C+valerie.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ester and Valerie<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
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<br /><br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-42101458710990199232017-01-26T11:30:00.001+02:002017-02-08T16:52:47.342+02:00Celebrate<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>Looking back to August 2016</i>:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/11/trained-men-and-women.html">Trainings </a>were fun, and I think useful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hope the students agreed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
know, though, that few Namibian students think training is worth much without a
certificate to show for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
certificates there would be.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
My prejudice is that what you learn is invaluable, and a paper that
says you learned it is a far distant second or maybe fifth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So at first I thought I’d just print up the
papers and hand them out at the last class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But as I thought about the amount of work the students did, and that I
did, and the support I got from my boss and our foundation, I decided that
something a bit more special was warranted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, a certificate ceremony.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZ2cFA_VVDq0FGsuh7LffM11EgzHzjJlS60Cc9PDFnhpD4DdJX08uPrqnrtTys6TOp0NGGGsv-8qy-VyRyf-NqF28KJLOqT7AmF1jUJ3rVKZaJLTXCtW8bgmk6dKmz8Dd3UlkA3rX5X68/s1600/2016-08-31.17+tonia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZ2cFA_VVDq0FGsuh7LffM11EgzHzjJlS60Cc9PDFnhpD4DdJX08uPrqnrtTys6TOp0NGGGsv-8qy-VyRyf-NqF28KJLOqT7AmF1jUJ3rVKZaJLTXCtW8bgmk6dKmz8Dd3UlkA3rX5X68/s400/2016-08-31.17+tonia.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His Worship, the Honourable, and Mister congratulate Miss.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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Scheduling was the usual just-be-patient blend of urgency, tardiness
and changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked with my boss to
try to make sure we invited all the right people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is easy to get protocol wrong and offend
someone, and there’s no one around here I’d want to offend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The invitations have to go out from the right
person, to the right person, and the mayor has to be ‘his worship,’ and the
councillors have to be ‘the honourable,’ and former councillors cannot be ‘the
honourable,’ and the speakers have to be scheduled in the right order.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And someone needs to decorate the head table, and goodness knows I
don’t own a fancy tablecloth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Eventually everything came together, with a few comic moments of
complete befuddlement on my part, rather rumpled table linens and a slide show
of pictures of students in training sessions to run in the background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My boss’s boss arrived and signed the
certificates; the regional councillor arrived and networked with folks; the employee
comms guy came down on his leave day with a camera and tape recorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of us gussied up at least a bit, and
some quite a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Selma’s shoes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>whew!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the mayor was late, but only by about 45 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You cannot start on time and let the mayor
catch up when he arrives; that’s against protocol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when he did arrive, everyone stood for
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And some people still call each
other ‘comrade’ here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All rise for
comrade his worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an interesting
mix.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_db8VUj44NA/WIe89ZL1GpI/AAAAAAAAEgY/tzGM66WOV4Yq0AZxs6gq9y1RDRmXkwy4gCPcB/s1600/ceremony%2Bprogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_db8VUj44NA/WIe89ZL1GpI/AAAAAAAAEgY/tzGM66WOV4Yq0AZxs6gq9y1RDRmXkwy4gCPcB/s400/ceremony%2Bprogram.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final final final.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Pastor Daphne opened the ceremony with a prayer, consistent with
tradition here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My boss handled
director-of-ceremony duties with casual good humor and appropriate
protocol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His boss spoke, the regional
councillor, the mayor and five students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wanted to get a nice range of our certificate-earners to speak, and
balanced it with two business learners and three English improvers; four women
and one man; one schoolgirl, one youth and three adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all did fantastic jobs with their
remarks, largely without assistance from their putative teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was bursting with pride and respect.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgdM0pEiTHD9kkRNfg-E5XvBWNii1qncVerODBYL0Rh4gttoTsdrxTOCCrc197uu9X6oHP1DZJ3HrXQNl03Bf2-YmdqK2p2hPJ2oTlW3MdZPsxjAXg726Pz2EbbMd4dl8VNDhgkalP95U/s1600/2016-08-31.9+tonia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgdM0pEiTHD9kkRNfg-E5XvBWNii1qncVerODBYL0Rh4gttoTsdrxTOCCrc197uu9X6oHP1DZJ3HrXQNl03Bf2-YmdqK2p2hPJ2oTlW3MdZPsxjAXg726Pz2EbbMd4dl8VNDhgkalP95U/s400/2016-08-31.9+tonia.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tonia. This girl has a bright future.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The mayor said Americans are not the most civilized people in the
world, in his experience; the Japanese are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A pilot, he’s rather better traveled than many Namibians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The regional councillor reminisced about her
school days in our town, when she was one of the fastest runners in the region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My boss’s boss told people about a new
micro-financing initiative our foundation is supporting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mayor got some laughs when he imitated an
American accent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Several students
generously thanked me in their comments, and he wanted to make the point that
as much as he and everyone appreciate Peace Corps’s and my contributions,
Namibians can and must do for themselves.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcoW7YQGW3WseMk2Fgtp4E4f-WbDjjg5sEUlnmqfbCZk1z8AF-LZvzi6LAqvddCXYovZ5xBVm_23Dip8irn607xppgbNmToPIUFhNylvha4y88bxZWCfTh_7LkVf6rIxjf1UN1_PiIlwr/s1600/2016-08-31.10+melody.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcoW7YQGW3WseMk2Fgtp4E4f-WbDjjg5sEUlnmqfbCZk1z8AF-LZvzi6LAqvddCXYovZ5xBVm_23Dip8irn607xppgbNmToPIUFhNylvha4y88bxZWCfTh_7LkVf6rIxjf1UN1_PiIlwr/s400/2016-08-31.10+melody.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melody had a fish shop and wants to re-open it. Transport was a problem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9FekfmzkWTQ/V9LHQG7xJdI/AAAAAAAADnk/LA7szT50NwYvtgUeC4sOFvi2jVUFRwGvgCPcB/s1600/2016-08-31.14%2Bmayor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9FekfmzkWTQ/V9LHQG7xJdI/AAAAAAAADnk/LA7szT50NwYvtgUeC4sOFvi2jVUFRwGvgCPcB/s400/2016-08-31.14%2Bmayor.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mayor on deck; Councillor Imbamba warming up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our three principal dignitaries handed out certificates in a happy
muddle, with many handshakes, hugs and photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then we all gathered on the stage steps for a group photo. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More hugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two of the younger students asked if they could help me clear up, which
offer I really appreciated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
finished, I shut out the lights, locked up the hall, and lugged 40 kilos of
junk home in the dark to a very late dinner and a satisfied feeling of great
accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, it was a lot
of fun, and I hope to do it again.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8zwoe93hqRM/V9LHQCiZPxI/AAAAAAAADdY/nzIbusuKHM0L3XAcFUZ62JZktCM0PUATwCPcB/s1600/2016-08-31.22%2Bloveness.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8zwoe93hqRM/V9LHQCiZPxI/AAAAAAAADdY/nzIbusuKHM0L3XAcFUZ62JZktCM0PUATwCPcB/s400/2016-08-31.22%2Bloveness.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honestly, it got a bit giddy at points.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6D0gyf1wOtzcPgDV-XZNB4LEVMawNNyCQYHP3uDx82-W65xFXrpKVI7EvuJZQ91i9aifqCLJyRtvuckdtgOum3fSmxilJRepKXFAOcTwszvEq5mcrcP7ZoT_RkcC2Na8IjbrniDtAkbe/s1600/2016-08-31.35+class.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6D0gyf1wOtzcPgDV-XZNB4LEVMawNNyCQYHP3uDx82-W65xFXrpKVI7EvuJZQ91i9aifqCLJyRtvuckdtgOum3fSmxilJRepKXFAOcTwszvEq5mcrcP7ZoT_RkcC2Na8IjbrniDtAkbe/s400/2016-08-31.35+class.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Months later, I'm very glad we did it right. At the time...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904098760574907206.post-17267203400274103962016-12-13T21:26:00.002+02:002017-02-08T13:36:53.907+02:00"Immuno" "Deficiency"<i>looking back to July 2016</i>:<br />
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<a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2015/12/pcn-41-my-group.html" target="_blank">My Peace Corps Namibia training group</a> included both the Community Economic Development volunteers of whom I am one and a clutch of Community Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention volunteers. While we had separate technical training sessions, we overheard a lot of each others' material, and of course talked about what we were learning, planning, hoping. We also all had to compete in some condom-putting-on role-play exercise/game for which the CHHAP vols had a huge advantage. They spent, it sometimes seemed, at least a little bit of time every day unfurling condoms onto a huge selection of wooden phalli. They also learned about things like nutrition, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS treatment, alcoholism and sexual mores and oh so much more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFAEfuYH-xw/VzMnyOgRjVI/AAAAAAAACH8/H0R9fsfHGVcLIwz3tFOEh5uQIIhxo6LOQCPcB/s1600/2016-05-10.1%2Bsquishing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFAEfuYH-xw/VzMnyOgRjVI/AAAAAAAACH8/H0R9fsfHGVcLIwz3tFOEh5uQIIhxo6LOQCPcB/s400/2016-05-10.1%2Bsquishing.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squish the package - that was a new one for me.</td></tr>
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Childhood nutrition, or lack thereof, is a terrible problem in many communities here (less so in my town, where unemployment is very high but the jobs that are available are good). A lot of kids eat a diet that's, maybe, 80% simple carbs -- bread, white potatoes, white macaroni, white rice, maybe an occasional fatcake, but mostly the ubiquitous pap, a white-cornmeal polenta, or the darker mahangu, a porridge made from millet. If the family has protein available, probably goat, sheep or chicken, the adults get dibs and the kids get scraps. If they're lucky. Vegetables are an occasional bit of spinach, onion or carrot, and fruit is rare. Especially in early childhood -- from the time the baby's diet of breast milk starts getting supplemented with other food, until two or three -- this can be terribly dangerous. Without protein and the vitamins and minerals that fruit and veg provide, nothing grows to full strength: not the lungs, the heart, the brain, the bones or muscles. And they can never catch up. Breaks my heart.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xD8041YM4nA/V6ss9b61kZI/AAAAAAAADTc/wWCweYsFI9U-HwlOWmur_ZIEJ2l6wQ_BgCPcB/s1600/2016-07-28.9%2Beng%2Baft%2Bclass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xD8041YM4nA/V6ss9b61kZI/AAAAAAAADTc/wWCweYsFI9U-HwlOWmur_ZIEJ2l6wQ_BgCPcB/s400/2016-07-28.9%2Beng%2Baft%2Bclass.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good childhood health turns out smart, high-energy teens like these.</td></tr>
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So, when I was building the lesson plan for my <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-official-language.html" target="_blank">English improvement trainings</a>, thinking that topics like food and medicine are usual for language learning, I knew I could fold some 'life skills' lessons into the mix. And, since <a href="http://105.232.255.252/cache/www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/country/documents/NAM_narrative_report_2015.pdf?ich_args=91bae6f2b58574958aec57bcbe5846f0_1_0_0_14_9c11335f8ecffe6d33c9b324ff44f80a811bf931387ac16f3db262c5b910d575_d347cf3c0285e243a7a22c07fb2df61c_1_0&ich_ip=10-245" target="_blank">HIV and AIDS are huge problems here</a>, with more than one in ten adults living with HIV or AIDS (16% according to the UN, and much higher in some regions, and many babies being infected by their HIV-positive mothers at birth), I decided to include a session on HIV and AIDS prevention and care. So I got in touch with A., a nearby CHHAP volunteer, and invited her to town. She happily agreed, and decided it would be good for me to spend a few hours distributing condoms at local shebeens (bars), and how could a person disagree with that?<br />
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When two or more PC vols get together for a project, we call that a 'collaboration.' We have to get approval from our PC bosses, so A., the expert, wrote up a proposal and submitted it to her boss, who loved the idea and forwarded it to my boss, who also approved. I SMS'd our local Health Ministry nurse to run the condom-distribution idea by her, and A. tried to phone, and neither of us managed to reach her, but we figured that would be okay. Then A. <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/06/hiking.html" target="_blank">hiked</a> the bumpy roads to my town, carrying a file with pages printed with each of, I believe, 17 steps to put on a condom. <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/p/how-to-put-on-condom.html" target="_blank">I only knew six</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GESpDqRpy9U/V6ss9TiLXnI/AAAAAAAADTc/TwAQ55vMUowMWHrGC0JnYcP09IcI1r-zACPcB/s1600/2016-07-28.15%2Beng%2Beve%2Bclass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GESpDqRpy9U/V6ss9TiLXnI/AAAAAAAADTc/TwAQ55vMUowMWHrGC0JnYcP09IcI1r-zACPcB/s400/2016-07-28.15%2Beng%2Beve%2Bclass.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gosh-darn 'Africa time'</td></tr>
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A. actually approved of my six steps, but she likes to go into detail. She arrived on a Wednesday, and we sat in my office and discussed our approach. Since my lessons usually began with some vocabulary and moved on to using the words and concepts in conversation - speaking and listening - we decided to start with the words that make up the initialism HIV and the acronym AIDS. That was my job. Wednesday night I fed A. mushroom gnocci with a brandied mushroom sauce and whole-wheat ciabatta, and gave her responsibility for the salad, which was delicious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zWH0WuWHMFU/V6ss9aFe0-I/AAAAAAAADTc/WQhK9OSOaZEObPAuuUuWGe4NqpJFaMNJQCPcB/s1600/2016-07-28.12%2Beng%2Beve%2Bclass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zWH0WuWHMFU/V6ss9aFe0-I/AAAAAAAADTc/WQhK9OSOaZEObPAuuUuWGe4NqpJFaMNJQCPcB/s400/2016-07-28.12%2Beng%2Beve%2Bclass.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Femidom demo</td></tr>
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On Thursday, we walked down to the local clinic, introduced ourselves in person to various nurses, which was much more successful than our telephonic attempts, and walked back with a heavy case of male condoms and a couple boxes of female condoms. We had our afternoon class with lots of teenage girls and an evening class with all adults, mostly women. I led off, writing "HIV" and "AIDS" down the left side of the flip chart, and asking if people knew what the letters stood for. They knew many, and got pretty close on the others. I wrote out "human"; everyone knew what that meant. Then "immunodeficiency." "'Immune' means you are protected against something," I explained, invoking the recent measles vaccination campaign that had come through town a week or two earlier. "'Deficient' means not having enough." (Then I threw in 'sufficient', 'abundance' and 'excess'. It's an English class, not a clinic.) "So 'immunodeficiency' means you don't have enough protection against the diseases that are part of AIDS. 'Virus' means it's contagious - you can catch it from another person, like tuberculosis or flu. Headaches and cancer are not contagious, or infectious -- they don't spread from person to person." Same thing with AIDS, ending with the S for 'syndrome', "which means AIDS isn't really a single disease, but a collection of illnesses that can infect a person with low immunity."<br />
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I also introduced the word 'stigma,' which A. had identified as the #1 problem for people living with HIV and AIDS, and we talked about what we should do for people who are sick. Some of our learners were admirably eloquent on the need to treat sick people with compassion and support.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYGHiJB01oI/V6ss9R1D3WI/AAAAAAAADTc/VtrbplhHrWQxDKSNkeyZCXG0IxwFm_e1wCPcB/s1600/2016-07-28.2%2Beng%2Baft%2Bclass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYGHiJB01oI/V6ss9R1D3WI/AAAAAAAADTc/VtrbplhHrWQxDKSNkeyZCXG0IxwFm_e1wCPcB/s400/2016-07-28.2%2Beng%2Baft%2Bclass.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Festus holds the pen-penis.</td></tr>
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A. spread out, across the floor, her 17 pages of condom-acquisition steps, and we all gathered around to discuss each one and throw out questions as they occurred. She used a bunch of pens rubber-banded together to mimic an erect penis, and rolled an unexpired, airy and well-lubed condom over them. Then she used her fingers as a mock vagina and demo'd the female condom, or femidom, which generated great interest and many questions. A. had answers for everything. People demonstrated no squeamishness or shyness about the topic, asking questions and sharing ideas as they had with topics like weather and budgeting. It was great.<br />
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That night, I fed A. pap and chakalaka for dinner! You like to mix it up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SIx8DUNWnho/V6ss9e2Da6I/AAAAAAAADTc/f4bUcTK0D1k_jk1Aaje2vlqlc4UhvuPbQCPcB/s1600/2016-07-29.4%2Bem%252C%2Bay%252C%2Bta.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SIx8DUNWnho/V6ss9e2Da6I/AAAAAAAADTc/f4bUcTK0D1k_jk1Aaje2vlqlc4UhvuPbQCPcB/s400/2016-07-29.4%2Bem%252C%2Bay%252C%2Bta.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday morning grocery shopping</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-77vG3ScUpPw/V6ss9d3MxKI/AAAAAAAADTc/8x7dgGjDxHwP3HRGGbnqwyVFvTJbRPlawCPcB/s1600/2016-07-29.5%2Bem%252C%2Bec%252C%2Bta.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-77vG3ScUpPw/V6ss9d3MxKI/AAAAAAAADTc/8x7dgGjDxHwP3HRGGbnqwyVFvTJbRPlawCPcB/s400/2016-07-29.5%2Bem%252C%2Bec%252C%2Bta.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've got a beet, so I could make borscht in honor of A's Ukrainian heritage.</td></tr>
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And the next day, we gathered up our clinic-provided condoms and headed out to the bars. (As part of its effort to combat HIV and AIDS, the Namibian government provides free condoms to all, through the Ministry of Health. They're supposed to be available in bars, but MoH employees rarely have time to do the distribution, and shebeen managers aren't able to or interested in going to the clinic to collect a few boxes, so A. winds up doing this job a lot in her town.) We left a box or two - or three - at each of ten or twelve shebeens and shops, and a handful or two of femidoms, also. A. wrote up a thorough report for me to deliver to the clinic, and showed admirable aplomb in shaking off the advances of bar patrons who wanted her sunglasses, her phone number, her company for the evening, or a trip to America. I just kind of tagged along, smiling genially. For dinner that night, we had four of my friends over for chicken and lots of veg, from <a href="http://okuhepa.blogspot.com/2016/09/dreamland-garden.html" target="_blank">Dreamland Garden</a>, in a Senegalese-style peanut sauce, with *brown* rice. I love a party.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyK-bCzIIRg/V6ss9W70Q1I/AAAAAAAADTc/ritMnjQE6ewvQTcXHbqqotc1ltuyOm48gCPcB/s1600/2016-07-29.8%2Bcondom%2Bdist.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyK-bCzIIRg/V6ss9W70Q1I/AAAAAAAADTc/ritMnjQE6ewvQTcXHbqqotc1ltuyOm48gCPcB/s400/2016-07-29.8%2Bcondom%2Bdist.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Genuine interest in HIV prevention, plus a Friday-afternoon shebeen-face.</td></tr>
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This is the kind of stuff that makes the PC service seem really worthwhile. I am so grateful that they trained us with the CHHAP people, and encourage us to get together with these kinds of exercises, and that A. is willing to slog her way over here to help us out. She does claim she loves to visit my town, which is cleaner, quieter and friendlier than hers. When we were lugging our condoms back to the office, two boys stopped to ask if they could help us. A. practically dropped her side of the box in amazement. Where she lives, children constantly demand money from her, or food, and never offer help. Sometimes I hear other vols saying, "In Namibia, people..." and I think about the contrasts between A's town, my town, the tiny villages of my northern colleagues, and the slums and middle-class neighborhoods of Swakopmund.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6PyfGQkK47M/V6s2Qvg8KXI/AAAAAAAADVc/aBpeXSPsLrcLJ7dTNhx0B_kmUP2fGZJCwCPcB/s1600/2016-07-29.13%2Bdins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6PyfGQkK47M/V6s2Qvg8KXI/AAAAAAAADVc/aBpeXSPsLrcLJ7dTNhx0B_kmUP2fGZJCwCPcB/s400/2016-07-29.13%2Bdins.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3aelD8dYzUU/V6ss9etcr6I/AAAAAAAADTc/dQTi-8NGWn4zu25rUktXgIQGLp4n3b89gCPcB/s1600/2016-07-29.6%2Bbad%2Bselfie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3aelD8dYzUU/V6ss9etcr6I/AAAAAAAADTc/dQTi-8NGWn4zu25rUktXgIQGLp4n3b89gCPcB/s400/2016-07-29.6%2Bbad%2Bselfie.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday afternoon on-our-way-to-the-shebeen faces.</td></tr>
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<br />MFM XRWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01391859226758487708noreply@blogger.com0