African Adventure Diary week 1

30th March
We left school about 2pm and made our way to Heathrow in the traffic. The plane was delayed about 40 minutes so we arrived in South Africa just in time to get the next flight. We got the plane to Windhoek (also half an hour late) and picked up our 4x4. We then drove off and found our house. It was a large flat with and balcony with a stunning view.

Luckily we bought phones and dongles at the airport because all the shops were shut when we made it into town. We passed a club with a BBQ and were tempted to ask if we could join them as the braii smelled so good! Luckily we found a supermarket that was open and bought some pasta and chakalaka (a curled up long spicy sausage) and pasta sauce and we cooked and ate together.

1st April
We were up early and had some tinned jam in a roll for breakfast then got ready and drove into town. We went to the shopping mall and had a nice breakfast and looked around the shops. Then we went to a craft market with traditional Himba women selling gorgeous handmade crafts. We bartered for handmade African masks, statues, paintings and jewellery. There was a lovely park that we walked through then had lunch in a nice restaurant. Joyce had crocodile which we all tried-it was surprisingly nice a bit like a crossed between chicken and fish! It was a lovely location and a really nice meal. Food is very expensive here though. We're leaving early for Swakopmund and we're hoping it's friendlier and safer than the capital city.

2nd April
We drove for a few hours to Swakopmund today. It's right on the coast and a really lovely town. We bought some lovely African carvings etc and had to barter for the goods. The prices would be astronomical if you didn't! We spent some time on the beach after going for lunch. It was lovely and hot on the beach and Joyce was eager to get in the sea! The water was freezing! Joyce was brave and stayed in the sea for ages! Amy came out quickly and I didn't stay in too long as it was like swimming in ice! We went to the supermarket. Food is so expensive. In just a couple of days on some basic groceries we've spent £50! We wandered back to Haus Garnison and chilled out for the evening with crackers, apples for tea.

3rd April
We got up early and went for breakfast. Breakfast was eggs and chakalaka sausage. We had the whole day to ourselves with no driving which was bliss. We had a nice coffee overlooking the sea and chatted away. After coffee we went to the beach and Joyce went swimming again. Amy and I just relaxed on the beach which was lovely. We went for lunch at the Lighthouse restaurant which was great. Joyce had Oryx and Amy and I tried some-it was really nice; like a salty steak. The bar apparently has a webcam that you can view from in the UK but the staff seemed to know nothing about it! After a delicious lunch we went round the market and shops for a bit then on to the supermarket. We got some  tinned spaghetti and bread to toast for dinner. When it was time to cook we couldn't find a toaster. Spaghetti sandwiches wouldn't really work! Eventually we found the toaster hidden underneath the sink so we managed to have the food we'd intended. The longest drive so far awaits us tomorrow from Swakopmund to Khorixas.

4th April
We were up at 6am ready to drive to Khorixas via Cape Cross. We drove for hours with the land getting more and more barren with every kilometre. On the way we saw lots of crystals being dried by the side of the road. They were beautiful so we all bought some. After about a 2 hour drive we arrived at the seal colony reserve at Cape Cross. It was a long drive over rough roads but it was worth the wait. When we arrived we saw about 10 seals in an enclosure and were taking lots of pictures. We wanted to see them a bit closer but couldn't get in the enclosure. Then as we walked further forward we realised there were not just 10 but around 10,000 seals in front of us!

It was amazing-seals for as far as you could see. They were all enjoying jumping in and out of the sea. They were beautiful to watch but the smell was awful! It really got down your throat. We learnt a lot about the seals and their mating season and when the pups are born.

After about an hour we decided we'd better get moving as the drive ahead was so long. We drove through Henties Bay and were glad we'd stayed in Swakopmund instead as it was so empty in Henties Bay. We rejoined the main road and travelled for hundreds of kilometres through the desert seeing literally nothing. At one point, we passed lots of little roadside shacks selling gems and crystals. We also stopped briefly when we saw a woman dancing at the side of the road in traditional dress. She too had a little shack and was selling some good resources. We bought traditional dress puppets for a Herera woman and a Damara woman. That was the only life we saw on the whole trip. It was a long, hard drive. In total it took around 8 hours. We drove through lots of bush land and saw some warning signs saying elephants nearby. We got so excited but didn't see a single one. We did see 2 ostriches though and got very excited about that. They are huge; as tall as the trees!

We finally arrived in Khorixas to stay in the thatched stone walled lodge around 4pm. There was no air conditioning and the temperature is around 30 degrees today so it was very hot inside. We went to sit by the pool but only dangled our legs as it was freezing cold. Right next to the pool was an enclosed area with an ostrich and springboks. There was also a peacock and guinea foul on the premises. It was so strange to be by the pool and see an ostrich walking past! We went for some food in the thatched roof open restaurant. Joyce had Kudu which tasted very similar to the beefsteak Amy and I had.  When we returned to the room we had to battle with mosquito nets. Getting them hung up when there was nothing to hang them from was a frustrating challenge. After about half an hour we eventually had them hung up and could climb inside. It's like a tent. Just as the lights were turned off and we were all going to sleep, Joyce realised we hadn't locked the door so had to climb back out of the mosquito net tent!

5th April
We got up a little later today and had breakfast in the restaurant. It was eggs and chakalaka sausage but this time the sausage was awful! Amy actually spat hers out! Then we went out to the pool and while Joyce looked for animals, Amy and I went for a swim in the freezing water! It was really cold but not so bad once you got moving. Then we went to the supermarket and it was a strange experience. We were the only white people in the whole town and everyone was staring at us. We got our basic groceries and came straight back to go in the pool as it was over 30 degrees and we were all burning! The pool was lovely and cool and we really enjoyed our swim while the sun was going down. We then went back to the hut and got ready for dinner. We had a much better meal as it was a buffet and we could have what we liked. I had some 'Chicken Gordon Blue' (Cordon bleur)!? and a little kudu along with lots of salads. It was one of the best meals so far. We had an early night after that in preparation for an early drive to Opuwo.

6th April
We were up at 6am ready to drive to Opuwo in the north. It was a long drive again but not as tough as Swakopmund to Khorixas. There was at least a little more to see on the drive. We saw a couple of groups of warthogs on the drive and lots of cows, goats and donkeys that liked to block the road!

We nearly go into trouble with the police for not stopping at a road block. The road wasn't actually blocked though and the policeman was wearing camouflage gear not a police uniform so we didn't realise. We nearly got fined $1000!

We eventually arrived in Opuwo early afternoon and met a lady who called herself 'Queen Elizabeth' and offered to take us to the Himba village. We sorted out our accommodation and met another traveller, Rick from New Zealand who wanted to go to the Himba village too. He was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of travel advice etc. We drove back to find Queen Elizabeth and drove up to the Himba village. Queen Elizabeth was eating chips and beef then opened a can of hot dogs. She just ate them uncooked from the can and then drank the brine. Then she threw the can out of the window! We had to stop at the supermarket to buy maizemeal, sugar, sweets, vaseline and bread for the tribe so they would let us in. We paid Queen Elizabeth too! We think she spent the whole payment on beer and food. We arrived at the Himba village after driving over rough terrain for about half an hour.

When we arrived we had to present them with the gifts of food so that they would let us in. We took lots of pictures of the women and children in their traditional dress. The women wear cowhides as skirts and only symbolic jewellery on top. They wear cuffs on their ankles that have vertical lines to symbolise how many children they have. The necklaces they wear are coloured to show if they are adults or girls. The girls wear white and the women wear copper. The married women wear a soft skinned head piece on top of their braided ochre covered hair. They rarely go to school because they prefer to feed from the land and live like their ancestors rather than get an education and leave the tribe. Some Himba people are slowly leaving the main tribes and living in the main town of Opuwo and are now even allowed to marry outside of the tribe. Our guide, Queen Elizabeth is a good example of this. She has 11 children and moved out of the tribe for a better life in the town. She now helps the tribe by taking tourists on guided tours to bring food and money to the community.

The Himba people have cattle so they can eat the meat and drink the milk and rely on tourists bringing maizemeal and sugar to supplement their diet. Cattle are the symbol of status and wealth. The elders of the tribe believe they lose their children if they go to school and it's expensive to go to school so most Himba children don't get an education. We saw a group of Himba women and they all got out their jewellery crafts to sell. It was easy to get sucked in. I bought one bracelet and moved out of the circle. Joyce and Amy ended up having about 10 bracelets each tied up their arms and couldn't escape! The women were all really keen to sell to us and if we weren't looking at their bracelets, they would throw them at us to get our attention!

We then went inside one of the houses made of Mopane tree saplings and cow dung. It didn't smell but was full of flies! It was empty inside except for a cow hide on the floor to sleep on. We also saw that the Himba women have their bottom four front teeth removed. This is a right of passage and is done to symbolise their love of the cow as cows don't have bottom teeth. One of the Himba girls then came in and showed us how they don't wash with water but they cover themselves in an orange 'paint'. It's made of ochre, ash and a butter product and they put it over their whole body and their hair and over their jewellery. This keeps them clean, their skin soft and protects them from the sun. The girl beckoned Joyce forward to try some and we thought she was going to get a little bit on her hand but the Himba girl covered both of Joyce's arms in bright orange mixture! It was so funny. She wanted Joyce to take her top off so she could do it all over! Then she wanted Amy and I to have a go...we both said no after seeing how covered Joyce was! It was all staining her clothes too so Amy and I played it safe. After the paint, the Himba girl lit some herbs in a bowl and used the smoke it produced as a perfume or deodorant and used it under her arms and between her legs! It looked very different to a UK beauty routine but considering they don't ever wash and it was over 30 degrees, none of them were smelly, so it must work!

When we got back to the guest house we got ready for dinner. We went up to the country hotel. It was lovely food. We had some pork, kudu and springbok. It was so delicious. Rick joined us and was telling us all about his worldly travels and how to stay safe. I wish we'd met him before we went out in Windhoek!

7th April
We were up early again today ready for the drive to Oshakati. It was another long drive but worth it to finally arrive. We settled in after a struggle to find Bahay Susan guest house. We spoke to Romeo on the way and he came to meet us at our accommodation. It was good to see a familiar face here! We went and had a drink and a chat. We walked for some food and stopped at a pizza place. We had a nice meal then came back to the room. Romeo is planning to take us to Benny's tomorrow which we are all looking forward to.