A sad but exciting day

Today's Wed, June 29th.  It would have been my Mom's birthday today, and I really miss her.  I think she'd love what I'm doing, and I'm constantly thinking about her while I'm here (not that I wasn't thinking about her at home, but it's different here).  I think she'd be really excited for the day I had today.

Today we went tracking for Rhinos.  They hadn't been seen in a while, so we drove around looking for their tracks, and when we found them, we parked the car and hiked into the bush (yes, those hiking shoes are getting good use!) and we found them!  We were with the head ranger, and he stopped to show us things along the way.  The plants, and what they can be used for were interesting, then, to my horror, he stopped at a pile of Rhino dung and started to extol its virtues.  He said it smelled like grass, and proceeded to PICK IT UP and dig through it to show us the grass!  OMG!  Then he started to pass it around, and as I was next to him, and was squashing my instinct to yell- gross, and run in the other direction, I calmly just said, I'll take your word for it.  He then proceeded to tease me that I could have baboons crawling all over me (and they do often poop and pee on you, but I was lucky enough not to experience this- I'm sure they knew I was too much of a Princess for that!) but I wouldn't smell grass.  He then asked me if I'd ever cut my lawn- not personally I answered.  Well, what about spreading manure- no, haven't done that personally either.  Well, apparently this smells better then your average grass manure (and that really does stink!), but I still could not be convinced to touch it or even smell it!

We did find the Rhinos!  They wound up being about 80 meters from us, but were behind the trees, so I never got a good shot.  But how cool is that- I walked into the bush and stood around watching a Rhino and her baby calf eat!  So cool!

Then, for the afternoon game drive, we were able to spot some female lions.  Apparently they were hunting, but I didn't realize this at the time (to me they looked like they were lying in the grass, then getting up and walking around).  They were very calm too, considering there were three safari vehicles around them.  We drove around when they went too far into the bush for us to follow, but we waited around.  We were rewarded by hearing a kill (they killed an Imapla), and we were there within seconds to watch them devour it.  There were 3 female lions less then 10 feet from the cars, but again, they were covered by trees/grass, so no great shots.  As we watched, some cubs came up, and you'd be surprised at the lack of maternal instincts these lions had.  When the cubs tried to get some of the kill, the lions growled, and took off with some of the meat (actually one came even closer to the car to take her piece away).

Overall, and awesome day!
Miss you mom!
Love,
Robyn

Traveling-not so much fun

I spent Mon getting from Namibia to SA, and in a nutshell, not much fun!

The airline charged me for overweight bags (which were not overweight, at the same weight, coming, and won't be again going, so how does that work?!).  Then, in the airport, the airline made me check a carry on which meant scrambling to reorganize it and praying that it would make the flight.  Then I come to find out that in Namibia, they gave me a Standby boarding pass for a flight I'd booked a month ago!  OMG!

Ok, now I'm here in SA.  Thank GD, it's warmer ( I was really worried that it would be colder, per weather.com, but they were wrong about Namibia, and thankfully, wrong here too).  I won't say that it's warm, per se, but I'm not shivering at the moment.  There are two areas here, and I was supposed to be booked into the tent camps for three weeks, but it turns out, for the first week at least, I'll be up in the main site, which means I'm sleeping indoors, with electricity and running water- yipee!  I had asked about running water, at a min, at the tent camp, but I guess I wasn't specific enough, bec. yes, it has running COLD water.  Who would think to ask if the running water is both HOT and COLD?!  To get a hot shower, you have to boil water, then put it in a bag in your shower.  OMG-what am I in for next week?! (I'm not sure yet where I'll be during the third week, it all depends on their bookings).

OK, for tonight at least, I think I"ll be able to thaw out.
Good night,
The Popsicle Princess in the bush

Shabbos/Sun

Sat-
It was a quiet day.  I again helped with food prep in the morning (after thawing out!), then spent the afternoon reading, sitting in the sun (since I'd been so cold, the sun was a welcome relief, and I forgot to put on sunscreen, so my nose is burnt.  I have the strangest tan lines.  A frum version of a farmer's tan, I guess.  My face has a great tan, my hands and forearms- til the ends of my sleeves, and a few inches between where my leggings end and my socks begin.  I'll need a Hawaiian vacation after this to even out!).

Sun-
My last day here.  It was really quiet around here today as lots of people left to go on the release :(
I again helped with food prep, then packed (had to do it alone, but thank GD I'd learned from Babette- you'd be very proud of me).  The bags weren't much lighter bec most of the food is still here, and in exchange for donating those two pair of shoes, I bought a wooden bowl at a craft market on the way back from Etosha.

I did get in another baby baboon walk, and a few mins with the cheetahs.  The cheetahs were stirred up bec there was a pregnant sheep just outside their enclosure, so we didn't stay in there long.

OK, this is the end of my stay here, and overall it was a great experience.  I will say there wasn't enough animal time, and too much project time for my taste, but overall, it was great.  Playing with the baby baboons was a true highlight.

Onto SA and the Big 5!
Tally Ho!

Back to Nankuse

Fri-
The Etosha trip was great!  I had a few hours between being dropped off/picked up, so I was able to run to another mall (I actually can't believe Windhoek has more then one).  It was also no great shakes, but I was able to get a winter coat.  I can't believe I now own another winter coat, but thank GD I did, bec. if it's possible, it's even colder then when I left!  It was NEGATIVE 12 last night (in Celsius).  When I woke up, the bottle of water in my tent was ICE!  OMG!  I couldn't find a ski mask, but believe me, I would have worn it to sleep in if I could.  I'm sleeping in a long john top, a pj top, my new coat, gloves, and a knitted cap, in a sleeping bag, with a blanket and a comforter on top.  IT'S SO COLD!  During the day it's ok, but as soon as the sun goes down, the temperature plummets!

Today I did another Caracal walk, but this time we took two cats.  It was a quicker walk, just walking, not much time to sit around with them, but still nice.

They're getting ready to release 8 Cheetahs and a Leopard, so the afternoon was spent darting the cats to catch them and put them in cages for transport.  Because they weren't going to be back in time for shabbos, I skipped the darting expedition :(   Also, the release trip is leaving sun and coming back tues, so I can't go on it, as I leave mon for SA.

Good Shabbos!

(this week's book for shabbos is Peony in Love by Lisa See)

Etosha Day 2

Wed-
Today was a great day despite a few miserable moments from the Jr. SS officer with me (he's East German, and I can believe his relatives were on the wrong side during the war- to say the least!)

Today we spent the whole day on a game drive and were able to see a male lion along with some females.  The male, and one female, were lying down by a water hole, and on the other side was a herd of zebras, so we waited to see if the lions would go after them, but they did not :(
Our guide said it was his first time seeing a male lion here, so I feel really lucky!

We also saw lots of elephants, some giraffe, and some oryx.  It's a surreal experience to be only a few feet away from the animals.  It's hard not to think that you're on some huge back-lot and this is all staged!

Tomorrow is back to Nankuse til Mon (4am to be specific, but who's counting!) then onto SA!
Ciao,
Robyn

Etosha

Tues- the first day of Etosha
OK, this princess had enough roughing it, and is taking a safari break.  The tented camps will have heat-yipee!!!!! (at least I can defrost for 2 nights)

I was excited to learn that it was just me and one other guy, til I met him.  UGH!  I got stuck with a rude, overbearing, loud German.  His accent is so guttural that it conjures up images of his relatives glorying in their ability to click their shiny boot heals together while saluting!  What kind of person goes on a safari if they don't like to watch animals?!  We finally saw two elephants by a water hole, and 2 mins into it he says "ok, let's go", as if he's the only one who matters!  When the driver, thankfully, did not listen to him, he finally decided to get up to look at them, which meant, literally, pushing me out of his way! UGH!  I hope he doesn't ruin the day tomorrow.

Today we saw 2 elephants, MANY zebras (by the way, here they are pronounced like debra, but with a Z, not with a long E), 2 giraffes, and many springbok (they get their name bec they jump-Srpung in Afrikaans- to distract their predators).  We also saw 2 amazing, huge bird nests that are made by hundreds of tiny birds called Social Weavers.  Quite an amazing feat!  Tomorrow we have a whole day game drive in the park, and the following day it's back to Nankuse (the farm where I'm staying).  Looking forward to the heat tonight!

Caracals

Mon- Today was a Caracal walk again.  In the morning we took one for a walk down by the water hole.  I skipped the Jr. Baboon walk afterward due to the blisters :( so I helped with food prep again (and got myself out of grass cutting- woo hoo!)  I also joined the baby baboon walk again in the afternoon.  They're so playful!  They jump on you to catch a ride, then jump to you from the tree they play on- so much fun!  And of course, they groom you (which for me, meant them pulling out my ponytail holder, going through my hair, and for some reason, they love to "groom" my eyes).  I can't sleep with the babies bec. I'm in a tent and it's too cold (so what does that say about their priority for humans?!) and I can't baboon-proof my room bec there's no locked closet.  Major bummer!

Windhoek (pronounced with a "v", not a "w")

Sun-
Today we went into Windhoek.  They took us to a mall, saying that the city center was too dangerous on a Sun (there are not many locals about, so we stand out as tourists/targets for pickpockets, etc).  While the mall was no great shakes, it enabled me to get some essentials.  For some reason the hiking boots I wore in Costa Rica  3 years ago have shrunk and gave me horrible blisters!, and the tennis shoes I bought are killing my heels, so new shoes were a must!)  Things in Namibia are expensive!  The cheapest "hiking" shoes (not even boots) I could find were about $50 USD, and the average price was closer to $100 USD.  I also purchased a hat and gloves for the very cold nights.  In the supermarket I found kosher cheese- very exciting!  Camembert, my favorite, and a blue cheese with cranberries that I'm excited to try.  Also, mayo was a must!  I can't imagine anyone voluntarily eating the tuna or salmon that comes in the foil packs if there is ANY alternative around.  I didn't find any tortillas though (how do you make bad corn tortillas?  I'm not sure, the ones I brought are pretty awful!)  A note about food.  I actually think I brought too much!  One pkg of couscous with the rehydrated soy crumbles, while not yummy, is filling, and lasted me 3 nights (one longer then I'd estimated).

The Internet cafe is very slow, and I looked at my pics (at this time, about 700), but to upload one took forever, so that's why no pics till I get home.

On the way home we saw some Warthogs (very cute, I think!) crossing the road, but they were too fast for me to get a pic :(

Backtracking

OK, I'm going to backtrack to what I've already journaled, then probably skip ahead to where I am, so stay with me....

 Shabbos
In the morning I helped with food prep, getting to hand feed Lily and Sylvie (the Springbok and Steenbok- imagine my surprise at hearing these animals were named for my Grandmother- Lilly, and Great Aunt- Sylvia!)  Then I bottle fed the lambs and baby baboons (my favorite!)- it was such a treat!  I love how playful and affectionate they are, and again, they felt the need to groom me :)

The afternoon/eve were quiet for me.  I read Little Bee- a book about a Nigerian refugee in England.  Appropriate, but not at all light hearted!

Just a quick note

HI,
Just a quick hello to let everyone know I'm still around.  I haven't had much internet access, and even when I do get it, it's unreliable and slow.  I might not be able to post again for quite some time.  I'm "blogging" daily in my journal, but don't have enough time right now to transcribe it.

A quick update- I had enough of "project time"and decided to detour up north to Etosha (still in Namibia) for a 3 day Safari (really, with travel time, it was 1.5 days) and it was great!  I saw Lions, Zebra, Elephants, Springbok, Oryx, and Giraffes.  It was surreal to be so close to them (I kept thinking of being a kid and visiting the San Diego Wild Animal Park)!  I had a great time, except for the other passenger who was a German (EAST German, who I'm sure had relatives in the SS, or Gestapo, or Stazi/Stasi- sp?).  He was miserable!

I leave VERY early Mon morning for SA- into the bush for 3 weeks.  It's even colder there, so along with the new shoes, I've now got a new coat (knock-off down- just what I needed, another coat!), but I was afraid of freezing even more.

Hope you all are doing well,
Love,
The Princess

More "Project Time"

Fri-
Last night was so cold that I think my watch battery froze!  I had a new battery put in a watch before I left, and when I woke up this morning it had stopped.  I think the poor thing froze to death!  Thankfully I had already packed the cheepo Walmart watch I bought when I decided to wear the other one, so I dug that out of the suitcase.

This morning was more Project Time (again, read manual labor).  Today we collected rocks to secure the base of the fence for two baby Caracals.  Much easier then cutting grass with a machete, but dirty work as well.  Yes, I am getting dirty!

In the late morning we watched them catch some Jr. Baboons who were going to be "fixed" today.  Actually, we watched them do it twice because Animal Planet is here filming, and they didn't like the first take!  Just think, I live in Hollywood, and come all the way to Africa, just to be surrounded by Hollywood all over again.  And if anyone thinks Animal Planet is not Hollywood, they would be mistaken.  They have had the staff recreate events that happened previously, or do multiple takes of things til they get the shot they want!
To catch the Jr's for the film crew, they wanted them sedated by darts (even though they could be caught without them), but the benefit for me is that I got to hold one as it was going to sleep.  Yes, there is a pic to follow at some point.  I chose not to watch the castration procedure, but I was one of few who did not.  Many of the college students here are future vets, and they were all excited to watch.

This afternoon I had some Cheetah time.  There is a very tame, and a tame Cheetah (Samira and Chaquita) in an enclosure here, and you can go in with them and pet them.  Very Cool!  Samira, the very tame one purrs when you pet her.  Chaquita, the tame one, meows, and it's so cute to hear such a little sound come out of such a big cat.  I also have pics of this, but that too will have to wait.

Tonight is Shabbos.  It will be very dark, as the lantern in the tent only holds a charge for about an hour.  So it will be me and my little flashlight reading in bed very early!

Good Shabbos!

Blisters!

Thurs-
Today was enclosure patrol for my group.  You walk around all the animal enclosures and make sure the fences are intact, and the electricity of the electrified fences are working.  However, I had to skip the two mile walk as my blisters are killing me!  For some reason the hiking boots I wore in Costa Rica three years ago (yes, that was actually the second time I've worn hiking boots, the first time was also in Costa Rica after USC) are now killing me, and will stay here in Africa.  Then, the knock off Sketcher toning tennis shoes I bought are killing my heels, so hopefully on Sun I'll be able to go into town and purchase new shoes.

So today I did food prep instead.

In the afternoon we went to feed the Cheetahs, Wild Dogs, and the Leopard.  We drove by the Lions as well, but didn't feed them, as that's part of some tour they do.  Most of the other volunteers left to fight a brush fire at a neighbor's farm (neighbor meaning 80 km away).

The moon tonight was an amazing yellow as it rose, but by the time I got my camera is was back to white.

Caracals

Wed-
Today we walked/fed the Caracals (a type of wild cat, but two out of the three here are tame).  We walked with one of them down the road to a tree/water hole.  It's beautiful in the African bush.  (Lots of pics, but the computer/internet connections are so slow, they will have to wait).

The late morning was a walk with the Jr. Baboons (not the babies, not the adults- teenagers, my specialty!)  They're not as playful as the babies, and certainly heavier.  They, too, get tired of walking, so will hop a ride on your shoulders and groom you (must be their fee for the ride).  It's an amazing experience.  We walked for a long time (several miles to/from) the tree where they play.  (I'm getting in LOTS of walking, by the way, as my tent is the farthest out.  I"ve also gotten up close and personal with the bush at night, as it's freezing and pitch dark, and too far to go to the bathroom.  Yes, this Princess is definitely roughing it!)

The afternoon brought us to "project time" (Namibian code for manual labor).  I cut dry grass with a machete to be used to fix the thatch roof of the chicken pens.  Yes, I do have a pic of me doing this for all of you out there who don't believe me!

Tonight is a lunar eclipse (and as I'm writing this several days later, I can tell you it was beautiful, and I even got some good pics of it too).

Baby Baboons

Tuesday
They put us into small groups and our duties rotate by the day.  Today was Food Prep for my group.  I helped prepare/feed the animals.  I bottle fed baby baboons and lambs, and I hand fed a Steenbok and a Springbok (both deer-like animals).  The baboons apparently liked me as they jumped all over me.  I was told they don't do that with everyone, esp not right away (lucky me!).  The babies agreed that my hair was not up to snuff, so they decided to groom it for me.  The afternoon brought us to the baby baboon walk.  We took the babies out of their enclosure and went for a walk down the road to a tree for play time  The baboons didn't always feel like walking, so they'd hop a ride on our shoulders/head.  They'd jump on/off of us from the tree as well.  It was great fun!  (I think the baboons enjoyed it too!)  There are not pictures of me with the baboons as I was told they would take the camera and run away with it.  I also had to take off my glasses and watch, otherwise they'd be up for grabs with the baboons.

OK, well, I have a lot more to say, and many more pictures to add, but the internet store is closing. :(
It may be a while til I get back on line.  But suffice it to say, I'm having a great time, and a once in a lifetime experience!
Love,
Princess

Leaving on a jet plane...

Sun-Mon
After a 3 hour wait at JFK, a 15 hour flight to Joberg, a 4 hour wait in the airport, and another 2 hour flight to Windhoek, I arrived in Namibia!  Safe and sound, but minus my Kindle :(  (note to self- after traveling for 24 hours, don't put your Kindle in the seat pocket in front of you, you'll forget it).

I arrived to the "farm", as they call it, on Mon afternoon to learn that my tented-camping experience would start immediately.  I was not to be in a building, as I thought I would be.  The upside is that I have it all to myself.  The downside is that it is FREEZING at night (should have brought the warmer jacket and gloves and left the bathing suit at home!).  Well, might as well start getting used to it now, this will be "home" for the next 5 weeks.

The other participants are 95% women, and mostly college age.  I feel like an old lady (at least I'm one of 3).  Most come from the UK/Scotland, but there are some Swiss, some German, and a few yanks like me.

The sun sets by 6pm and by 6:30 it's pitch black.  The stars are beautiful!  I was excited to see a lantern in my tent, but then disappointed to learn it only holds a charge for about an hour.  I'm going to go through my flashlight batteries faster than I thought!

G'night!