tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46282009367280892712024-03-21T02:21:07.799-04:00The Kalahari Morning StarExploring Namibia by TrainTom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-90607572547877102782011-11-12T10:51:00.001-05:002013-01-06T10:25:33.062-05:00From Windhoek to the World<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Monday, November 7, 2011</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The peace and quiet of Sunday evening has given way to a Monday morning bustle in Windhoek, as it does in many cities. We fan out in all directions, seeking gifts for those back home, or maybe a late-morning ice cream as the sun climbs higher. We bump into each other, and into a few crew members from the Jewel of the Desert, as we wander. Our two weeks of wonderful memories are an unspoken bond we all share.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">But it is time for us to head to the airport and our next destinations. Some are taking Road Scholar's extension to Victoria Falls and Capetown. Others are traveling to Madagascar in search of lemurs and more new experiences. Most of us, though, are heading back to the United States, whether it's through Frankfurt, London, or Dakar, Senegal. Hanging out in airports and jetliners are a small price to pay for yet another adventure of a lifetime. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Some of us described it by way of analogy. Our program was like summer camp for adults; Namibia's nature parks were the closest thing to Jurassic Park, the movie. In the desert, we were Lawrence of Arabia. But mostly, we have been ourselves, made much happier by the goofy struts of ostriches and guinea fowls, the curious look from the top of a giraffe's tall neck, or the sideways sway of elephants walking toward us.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's impossible to sum up the experience</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">in a few words. But, as it turns out, there are words that come close to capturing the inspiration of it all, and they can be found at the very first place we visited, the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. In the Veld Garden, a place of contemplation after the museum's many stories of struggle and triumph, a plaque stands with a message written specifically for South Africa. But its final sentences will always mean much more to me. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">"Take a moment to walk and contemplate the beauty of this, our country. Think of what has gone before and what is still to come. And then walk away free."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span>Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-66021391663574443042011-11-09T07:51:00.000-05:002013-01-06T10:04:13.958-05:00The Kalahari Sunday Star Magazine<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sunday, November 6, 2011</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our Namibian adventure in pictures:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A hiker's view of the Fish River Canyon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Roger Werner, Connie Martin, Kay Davies, Betty Werner, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Carroll Moore at Sesreim Canyon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Stopping for a quick drink in Etosha National Park</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jim Acret and Laia Lee at the Kristall Kellerei </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Winery </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">in Omaruru</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Looking back, Etosha National Park</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Co-Leader Andreas Lappe has seen a lot of Namibia</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">from onboard the Jewel of the Desert</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cameron Kirkpatrick working his magic near the Kalahari</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In stride and stripes near the Etosha Pan</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kay Davies, Betty Werner, Program Leader Bianca Preusker,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Connie Martin, and Danna Moore at Giant's Playground</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A wildebeest in all his shaggy glory</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ben Nathanson enjoying a close-up view near Fish River Canyon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Students at Katora Primary School in Usakos</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Warren Boudreaux outside the Tsumeb Museum</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Gene Simonson in the Red Namib Desert</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Carol Thompson and Walter Kinsey enjoying </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">hors d'eouvres in Omaruru</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Earleen Ahrens watching the sun set above the </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Etosha Safari Lodge</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hiking the sand dunes in the Namib Desert</span></div>
Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-75859749623918491032011-11-07T14:37:00.000-05:002013-01-06T11:40:37.626-05:00"Copper: Our Past, Our Future"<br />
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S<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">aturday, November 5, 2011</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We’re heading south, back to Windhoek, and civilization
gradually returns as we watch the scenery from our windows. Before we board, we catch a group of mongooses (mongees?) fighting over a snake one of them has killed. They're an energetic bunch, but after the struggle, one poses for us before we leave. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We're traveling through what Bianca has told us
is Namibia’s “Maize Triangle,” where both farming and mining are staples of
the local economy. Namibian maize is not harvested for human or even animal
consumption as we think of corn; instead, it is ground into maize meal, an
alternative to wheat flour. It’s harvested in this area because of what locals
call “strong water,” a term describing a steady (usually underground) supply of
this precious resource. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our stop in Tsumeb centers on different kinds of underground
resources – those supporting the country’s mining industry. The Tsumeb Mine has
most recently been a copper mine, but it has the distinction of having produced
the most diverse collection of metals and minerals than any other in the world.
Current low prices for copper have shut it down, but there is talk of reopening
it in the next few years. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The city has a museum that interprets its mining and railroad heritage, and also the battles fought here between the German Army and South
Africa in the early 20</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Century, culminating in a South African
victory in 1915. The Germans threw their weapons into Lake Otjikuto, “the
bottomless lake of Namibia,” only to find that most of them settled on a ledge
fifty feet deep. Much of what has been recovered is now on display. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We continue on our way, stopping for lunch in Otjiwarongo,
where a local wedding party shows up for a while, complete with bride, groom,
happy children, and a group of women having the time of their lives as we enjoy
a few minutes of relaxation before heading south once again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our final stop for the day is in Omaruru, where we visit the Kristall
Kellerei Winery, one of Namibia’s only vineyards. Michael and Katrin Weder have
been at it for over twenty years, and have produced excellent white and red
wine, along with prickly pear schnapps. We try them all, with cheese and
olives, as hors d’oeuvres before our farewell dinner on the Desert Express. Two
weeks have definitely flown by. </span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-77272079254390165482011-11-07T00:55:00.000-05:002013-01-06T10:15:53.893-05:00Elephant Memories<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Friday, November 4, 2011<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Etosha National Park by Jeep is what everyone imagines a
safari to be. The rules are you can’t get out of your vehicle, but as we
discover, that’s not a problem. The animals sometimes come to you. Road Scholar
has arranged for one of the park’s best Tour Guides, Paulus Haimbodi, to drive
us through Etosha. The first animals we see are a herd of giraffes. They use
the park’s roads because it’s easier to see any danger approaching. Once they arrive, the giraffes give us quite a show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Paulus notes that not every giraffe uses the tripod technique to drink. Some just bend their forelegs down, which gets them to the water more quickly. We also learn that older males have darker brown spots; it's one way to tell them from the others. For a while, two young males get into a fight, standing side-by-side and swinging their necks at each other until one finally gives up and moves away. It doesn't seem that either one has been hurt, at least physically.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our afternoon drive is suddenly blocked by a large male elephant, which Paulus and Bianca estimate to be about 100 years old. He eyes us for a while, moves off to the side of the road to eat, and then walks back in front of our jeep, eyeing us again. Several times, Paulus has to move the jeep backwards as the elephant gets closer. It's a magnificent show, seeing such a large elephant in action as Paulus describes him in similarly close detail.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Elephants have six sets of teeth, and they try to conserve
them as much as possible, in order to continue eating into old age. As if on
cue, our large friend moves to a nearby thorny bush, and with a flourish of his
trunk, breaks off a large branch and begins to munch on it. Seeing an elephant
up close is one thing. Hearing him eat is unforgettable. Eventually, he grows
tired of a jeep full of Road Scholars and moves on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our way back to the lodge brings us through grasslands that
are heaven for wildebeests. They graze in the late afternoon sun, oblivious to
us, a perfect finale for our two days of wandering through the wild. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-75140286072982815722011-11-07T00:29:00.000-05:002013-01-06T11:48:16.008-05:00On Safari in Etosha National Park<!--StartFragment-->
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thursday, November 3, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Etosha” means “great white space” in Heikom, the language
of the first inhabitants of what is now northern Namibia. And it is truly that
– the Etosha Pan stretches for hundreds of square miles, and, except for a few
months when it holds up to three feet of water, it is vast, dry, and white.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We journey along the southern
edge of the pan, where watering holes host regular visits by the wild animals
we’ve come to see. The first of these is Okaukuejo, where we climb off our bus
to wait and watch. It’s a very short wait. Dozens of zebras are on their way,
joining a few impalas and kudu already there. They march their way in, a wave
of black and white stripes in a beautiful blue lake. We watch them silently as
they drink for a while, and then move on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Eventually, so do we. On our way
to the next watering hole, we find the rarest view of our safari, a lioness
guarding her kill. It’s a zebra she isolated from the herd last night. She’s
resting, probably from the combination of the midday sun and the effort of
bringing down her prey. Her right paw rests on top of the fallen zebra,
reminding everyone whose meal it is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Before lunch, we find a few elephants. They use their watering hole differently from the other animals -- they submerge themselves to keep cool in the heat of the day. Elephants also gather in family groups; it's easy to spot parents and their young, enjoying a cool dip in the pond, splashing themselves and each other with their trunks. When they're done, they get up and stroll along, passing close by us as they leave. We can imagine smiles on their faces if we want to.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just as the elephants we've been watching get up and leave, one of us notices some movement off in the distance. It turns out to be a second herd of elephants, marching out of the trees, along one of the paths they've established for themselves here in Etosha. Slowly but surely, they get bigger and bigger, and ultimately wetter and wetter, as they reach their destination.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the afternoon, we head to
another watering hole, this one hosting a fair number of giraffes. They're wary animals, and they check on us frequently before they drink. Once they’re ready, it’s fun to watch them
spread their forelegs wide and then lower their heads to the water. From the front, they look like giant brown-spotted tripods. But you have to be quiet; the slightest movement brings a quick reaction from all of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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safari, we rejoin our German friends at the lodge and compare stories and
pictures of all the animals we saw. Tomorrow morning, our jeeps will come for
us early, and we’ll do it all over again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Answer to Ms Patience’s Math Problem</i>: The chicken house would need its second
side to be 10 meters in length in order to have a perimeter of 36 meters. Its
other side, for those of you keeping score at home, was 8 meters.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-64705063982851273212011-11-03T18:48:00.000-04:002013-01-06T11:50:46.504-05:00Taking the Trans-Kalahari Highway to Ms Patience's Math Class<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It's good to be back on the Jewel of the Desert. We're on our way to Etosha National Park and its promise of elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, and every kind of antelope you can imagine. As we roll along at breakfast, we notice a sharp mountain in the distance. It's Spitzkoppe, the "Matterhorn of Namibia." Honestly, with all of this country's natural beauty, who needs these references to Europe and Australia?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We're actually going there, and to the nearby Bushmen's Paradise, where rock paintings from ancient tribal people can still be seen with the naked eye. Sadly, they cannot be photographed well -- another reason to come to this most wondrous country and see for yourself. Eddie, our guide, is great at pointing out the paintings, shading them from the morning sun with his hat, and describing the rich history behind them. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">He then leads us on one last rock climb, to a stone arch formed by sheer wind and sand erosion, where once again, you can see for miles and miles.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Etosha and its wildlife call, but before we get there, we stop at the Katora Primary School in Usakos. There, the children greet us warmly, and everyone wants a photo taken, to send back after we return home. The school has arranged for them to sing the Namibian National Anthem, which is actually harder to sing than the Star Spangled Banner. Through most of the song, their harmony is unforgettably beautiful. And, when it's time for the high notes, we're treated to a solo from the young girl with the best vocal range you can imagine.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">As we bid farewell to the students, Jim Ahrens calls our attention to Miss Patience's sixth-grade math class, where today's lesson is "Calculating the Unknown Sides." The first problem reads, "Calculate the length of a chicken house that is 8 meters wide and has a perimeter of 36 meters." We take this problem with us, to solve on our way north. It's the only problem we'll have all day. </span>Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-73329298180525721052011-11-03T18:06:00.000-04:002013-01-06T12:09:41.645-05:00To Swakopmund: The Most German Town in Namibia<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Tuesday, November 1, 2011</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our southern journeys in Namibia are at an end, and we're heading north to trade dramatic desert landscapes for wildlife and safari. It's a trade we're all excited to make, even if we have to bid a fond farewell to the canyons, red sands, and endless vistas that have become so familiar to us in the past week. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And so we're off -- on our way to Swakopmund, where we'll meet another familiar traveling companion -- the Jewel of the Desert, which is waiting for us there. But first, we get to see more of Namibia as only a Road Scholar can see it. About an hour after our departure from the Namib Desert, we stop in Solitaire, a town that can't have more than a few hundred residents, and Moose McGregor's Bakery, which claims the best apple cake in all of Namibia. Moose greets us, if you can call it that, with stories of how his hometown, on one weekend every year, hosts the Desert Music Festival, the Woodstock of Southern Africa, when 15,000 people gather for peace, love and music, Namibian style. You can doubt him if you want. I won't.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our next stop is a true landmark. We're crossing north through the Tropic of Capricorn, and Bianca has asked for a photo stop to mark the occasion. The fact that the tropics can be so dry is a bit unexpected, but the sun is well on its way to summer in the southern hemisphere, and we're all here, so why not? We get back on the bus heading north, and have ample time to tell each other stories of where we've been. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The best of the day goes to Warren Boudreaux, who traveled the world as an Aramco executive, and now as a Road Scholar. Along the way, he went to Bhutan, where his tour guide was Tenzig Norgay, who climbed Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. How's that? Later, we stop at Vogelfederberg, the "Ayers Rock of Namibia," from which you can see the enormous dry landscape that we're about to leave behind.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Finally, we arrive at Swakopmund, a town with strong German roots, the largest urban area we've seen since Windhoek. It's a beautiful afternoon, and we're all happy to stroll about streets filled with people for the first time in several days. There is much colonial history to explore, and many shops to visit. But the most surprising and welcome sight of all is the South Atlantic Ocean, and a sunset over it, to the west. </span>Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-62794854177312683032011-11-03T16:45:00.000-04:002013-01-06T12:00:05.694-05:00The Red Sands of the Namib<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Monday, October 31, 2011</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The earliest wake-up call of our program prepares us for a pre-dawn jeep ride to the Namib and its legendary dunes. It's cold, even in the late springtime. Our drivers have brought blankets for us to use in the open air, and we accept them gladly. Soon enough, we'll be in the hot midday sun. But for now, our drive into the desert takes us by red sand dunes sculpted by the wind.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Namib has two types of dunes: those that are anchored by rock ridges, and those that wander, pure sand from top to bottom. All of the dunes we see today are anchored by the rocks underneath them. The shadows from the early morning sun transform their graceful shapes into sharp contrasting curves. As we drive the forty miles from our lodge into the desert, there is a seeming endless parade of stunning light tan and dark red peaks, set against a dramatically blue sky.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our Road Scholar program takes us past the first and most famous of the Namib's dunes, crowded with sightseers and hikers even at the early hour we arrive. We head further west to the Dead Vlei, where wandering dunes cut off the water to a forest 1,500 years ago. Their dried trunks still stand today, gray against the white salt flats underneath and red dunes behind. It seems like every few hours of every day bring a new world.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On our drive back to the lodge, we stop by Sesriem Canyon, a place that was once a main watering stop for traders and travelers in the 19th century. We walk down the steps they carved into the stone to find a place where water was always available, even in the hottest days of summer. But it's just a brief stop, even if it is as other-worldly as it is historical.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our evening brings a second jeep excursion to the petrified dunes above our lodge, through grasslands as endless as the morning's red sands. Words can't begin to describe the wonders we discover at every turn. And then this day, a day in which we've seen the world's oldest desert, ends with a magical drive in a caravan of open jeeps to a pre-dinner salute to the Namibian sunset, high above a world we will always feel lucky to have seen for ourselves.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-5700413009111598142011-11-01T11:35:00.000-04:002013-01-06T12:01:12.496-05:00On the Way to the Namib Desert<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not all the wildlife in Namibia is of the large, four-legged
variety. As we head north in buses for the desert and a two-night stay at the Namib
Desert Lodge, every stop along the way brings new
surprises. One is a large and beautiful beetle, perched on a pink gladiola
flower. It has the unfortunate name of “stink beetle,” since it will spray you
with a smelly goo if you get too close. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It has a voracious appetite, and we watch it devour much of the flower in the short time we're there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A bit later, we happen upon a camel thorn tree with an
enormous bird’s nest taking up a good portion of its branches. It belongs to
over two hundred sociable weavers, who have adapted to a land with few trees by
learning to live together. They’ve even managed to coexist with wasps, whose
smaller nests dangle from beneath the weaver birds’ straw apartments. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Everyone
took photographs here as the birds, but mercifully not the wasps, came and
went.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One unexpected stop follows Carroll </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Moore’s report of a cheetah basking by a nearby tree. It's one of several tamed cats on a farm, and we're invited to watch them feed. As the owner goes into their feeding pen with a generous serving of
springbok legs, she tells us, “if you don’t come inside, you won’t see
anything.” Most of us stay outside, but those of us who go in see cheetahs more up-close and personal than at any zoo.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Finally, we settle in for the last leg of our drive to the
Namib. The grasslands become more sparse, and mountains grow larger
and closer. White sand replaces sparse grass, and then we catch our first glimpse of the Namib. Red mountains in the
distance aren't really mountains at all. They're dunes
in the world’s oldest desert, a dramatic preview of our next adventure. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-23155685727042278422011-11-01T11:12:00.000-04:002012-10-23T12:24:07.789-04:00The Fish River Canyon and Other Other-Worldly Places<!--StartFragment-->
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Saturday, October 29, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Our first wake-up call on board the Desert Express is on a
quiet stretch of track where train tracks are the only sign of civilization.
Soon enough, and right on schedule, two buses appear – the same ones that will
follow us during our entire journey – to take us to the canyon. As Connie
Martin points out, it’s like summer camp all over again, only without the group
songs, thank goodness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Today’s agenda allows us enough time to take in the views of
a “canyon within a canyon,” where the top is formed by tectonic movements,
leaving spectacular rock formations above a vast plain. In time, this plain was
eroded by wind and water to form a deep lower canyon, where the few remaining
pools of last autumn’s rains mark the Fish River itself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We return to train for lunch, and soon we’re off again for
the Kokerboom, or Quiver Tree Forest, one of the strangest places any of us
will ever see. Fifteen to twenty-foot plants, types of aloes, really, stand in
volcanic rock and grass in the largest numbers anywhere on earth. Compared to
the natural beauty of this morning’s canyon, it’s pure science fiction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For most Saturdays, the world’s second-largest canyon and
largest gathering of quiver trees would be enough. But not for Road Scholar and
our Namibian rail safari. We end the day with a sunset visit to Giants’
Playground, a place where a huge underground basalt rock was eroded to form
piles of smaller rocks stacked as if someone placed them there. Stained red by
iron oxide, they’re the perfect place to watch the sun go down. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-43472294984350115062011-11-01T10:57:00.000-04:002012-10-23T11:55:56.957-04:00Boarding "The Jewel of the Desert"<!--StartFragment-->
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Friday, October 28, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our dawn with the giraffes and wildebeest is brief; we have
a train to catch in Downtown Windhoek. The capital city is small but urban, and
we stroll Robert Mugabe Avenue with workers, high school students, and shop
owners starting their day. It will be our last urban experience for several
days. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At lunchtime, we arrive at the railway station, where our train is
waiting for us to explore. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It’s a wonderful social space, and we Road Scholars
are sharing it with a group of Germans on a similar journey. Many of them speak
English, and those of us who speak German share ambassadorial duties. In a few
days, we’ll be good friends.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Today we’re heading south toward the Fish River Canyon, the
world’s second largest, after the Grand. It’s a long ride, and we make the most
of it, testing the fold-away beds in our compartments, sharing a beer in the
lounge car, and watching the scenery go by. The Namibian spring sunset comes
surprisingly early, and its light is fantastic. Engineer Benson is at the
throttle, as he has been for one train or another since 1983. He is a man who
loves his job. After only a few hours, we all know why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A spectacular sunset ends our first day’s safari by train,
and, for a time, everyone's eyes are glued to the westward windows. As it turns out, other rewards await
– a fantastic grilled oryx steak dinner is soon served in the dining car,
followed by conversation in the lounge, and then a gently rocking night’s sleep
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<!--EndFragment-->Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-6306204739407127072011-10-28T03:33:00.000-04:002012-10-23T11:38:55.711-04:00Dawn at Okapuka Lodge<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Kalahari Morning Star's pixellated printing presses will be shut down for the next several days as we board the Jewel of the Desert for our journey through Namibia. But our stay at the Okapuka Lodge is worth reporting, however briefly. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our arrival last evening was in time to watch several dozen warthogs graze in the field just outside the dining room. They're a lot cuter in person than you'd expect, and they graze on their elbows, if that's the proper term, paying us little mind. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But as it turns out, they're just the first shift. At dusk, they head off into the sunset, to be replaced by a herd of wildebeests and blesbok antelope, who stay until nightfall.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The dawn brings even more unexpected delights. A beautiful vista of shadows that gradually give way to morning sun, just for starters, and then the first of what we hope will be many more wonderful visitors. Well, more than one, actually. Six giraffes grazing nearby watch us as they move from tree to tree -- big, beautiful hints to what will come on our Namibian safari.</span></div>
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Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628200936728089271.post-58749450690190418092011-10-28T03:12:00.000-04:002013-01-06T12:23:50.577-05:00"Apartheid is Exactly Where It Belongs - In a Museum"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our team of twenty-three Road Scholars embarks on our first adventure, a visit to The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa. We are a diverse group; there are doctors, chemical engineers, a physics teacher, a history professor, a town clerk, a geologist, a lawyer, a travel write, an oil industry executive, a medical researcher, and a weaver. And that's just for starters.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For six of us, this is the ninth in a thirteen-year series of Road Scholar adventures shared as a group, and their laughs and spirited conversation are a hint of what's in store for us all in the next two weeks.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bianca Preusker, our Program Leader, takes us to the gates of the museum. We arrive fifteen minutes early, enough time to admire the seven Pillars of the South African Constitution before we meet Mduduzi Tshabalala, the museum's Tourist Guide, who takes us through exhibits spanning one hundred and twenty-five years of the country's history. It's a gripping story, particularly the time from the 1960s through the present. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For many of us, it brings back memories of our own youthful idealism, but with much more drama, and fortunately with a rewarding happy ending. Mduduzi is too young to remember much of what he shows us, but his optimism for the future, and his admiration of Nelson Mandela's leadership, is inspirational. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Apartheid Museum is a perfect transition from our busy day-to-day lives at home to the wonders of Africa we are about to see first-hand. That unique combination of education, inspiration, and anticipation -- shared with a friendly group of soon-not-to-be-strangers -- just might be something of a trademark for the entire Road Scholar organization.</span>Tom Martorellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485676369062729566noreply@blogger.com1