African Circle of Life

Last week we visited the Cape Cross Fur Seal Reserve located about 2 hours north of Swakopmund. This is one of the places Portuguese explorers landed in the year 1494.  They were fond of planting crosses whenever they landed at a new place - thus the name of Cape Cross.

Replica of cross planted by Portuguese

Wild coast line

The area is also home to one of the largest Cape Fur Seal colonies in the world. At times, there can be upwards of 80,000 seals. While we were there, we got to see the entire circle of life at play. It is just the beginning of the birthing season and we were say several newly born pups, some with the umbilical still attached.

Baby fur seal

They also like to sleep anywhere they can

Breeding season starts in a few weeks and we saw the great big bulls carefully guarding their harems. 

Bull guarding his harem

We also got to observe the end of life. While we were watching, a Jackel appeared and snatched one of the baby seals. We watched as the Jacket enjoyed his meal. Once he was finished, the gulls swooped in and finished off the remains.

Jackel enjoying its meal

Gull finishing off the remains

Some may find such things disturbing, however, the Jackel has a right to survive. As you can see from the pictures, the area is pretty desolate and there cannot be too much else to eat. It is amazing any land animal could survive in such an environment.

So, we observed the circle of life. Let the Lion King music begin....

Waterberg Plateau National Park

We took a couple of days off earlier this week and visited the Waterberg Plateau National Park. However, before covering that trip we wanted everybody to know the California is not the only place with wildfires. We had a veld fire (that's what they are called here) on the outskirts of Windhoek that we could easily view from our apartment. All told, it burned for two days but caused no damage to any structures or housing.

I am also trying to get better with my night photography

Waterberg Plateau is the site of an old German fort during colonial days. It is also the location of the 1904 battle where the Germans battled the Herero and Nama tribes and chased the survivors into the Kalahari Desert where they were left to die. The incidence is often referred to as the first genocide of the 20th century. Only a German cemetery remains with no memorial noting the Herero or Nama losses.

My German is not very good, so you will have to interpret the memorial on your own.

Geologically, the Waterberg Plateau is the petrified remains of ancient sand dunes. The sandstone rock is very porous and any rainfall seeps through the stone and exits as springs at the base of the plateau. We actually got to see some real running water as the rivers in Namibia are currently dry. The spring water makes the area around the plateau much greener than adjacent areas.

Real free flowing water!

On top of the plateau, the government has created a game reserve where they have imported some of the more exotic and endangered animals. The location on top of the plateau helps protect the animals from poachers and predators. You can only access the game reserve through organized game drives, so we spent almost five hours on a drive through the park.

We were fortunate to see cape buffalo and black rhinos; two animals that we had not yet seen in Namibia. We also saw giraffe, eland, steinbok, oryx, and kudo. It is also suppose to be home to cape vultures, sable, and roun but we did not see any. Due to the brush, the game viewing is more difficult than in Etosha.

Due to the porous nature of the rock, there are no natural water holes and all of the water is pumped from bore holes. Blinds have been constructed around the bore holes and you are able to sit in the blinds and watch the animals. So, we didn't have to sit in the vehicle for the whole time.

View from camp to the top of the plateau

There are numerous hiking trails inside the accommodation side of the park. We attempted a hike to the top of the plateau but didn't quite make it at is became to steep and rocky.

Cape Buffalo

Cape buffalo are part of the "Big Five" game animals and are suppose to be very dangerous to hunt. To me, it looks like a really big cow.

Eland grazing in the bush. They are the largest antelope in Namibia

Walking through a blind

Some of the beautiful rock formations

Black Rhino. The mom also had a calf but it stayed pretty hidden behind the brush

They also have insects. Some of this ant's comrades were eaten by a lizard right before this picture was taken. It was the first time we have seen something get eaten in Namibia.

We had wart hogs (and baboons and Dik-Dik) foraging right outside our room.

You can see a long way from the top of the plateau.

This would be looking towards the southeast with the start of the Kalahari Desert in the far distance.

It was a very enjoyable and relaxing few days. Now on to our next trip - back to Swakopmund for a few days next week!

Hodgepodge of News

The big news for the week is that it rained yesterday (Sept. 30th). It was the first rainstorm in Windhoek since April 24th. So, that was a total of five months with zero precipitation. We had a total of 1.4 mm of rain. Lots of lightening and thunder as well. Temperatures have been in the 30's C (90's F).  So, it has been hot. We will see what the future holds for the next few months.

I started teaching my last class last week. I have seven students, so it is a small class where I can generate some more interaction. Students said they wanted to start a petition asking that the university bring me back to teach next year. I doubt there will be an actual petition but maybe I will be able to arrange something that will allow me to return in the future in some limited capacity. Still working to help several graduate students refine their thesis topics. 

Went out to eat at an Indian restaurant the other night. Came across this interesting tree.

Flower looks like a fuzzy catepillar

 Lots of trees are in bloom at the moment. Purple, white, red, and yellow flowers of various kinds.

They are building a 4-story parking deck across from my office. Good to know that UNC Charlotte is not the only university that builds parking decks.

Here is a picture of me with some of my colleagues from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NUST. I am the token white guy in the middle.

I try to keep the blog apolitical. However, most Namibians are not fans of President Trump. When President Trump mispronounced Namibia when speaking at a meeting with African leaders (including the President of Namibia) at the recent U.N. convention, the press jumped all over it. A local, high end resort company produced the following video spoofing the whole thing:

They also made a video right after President Trump's inauguration:

Hopefully no one is too offended but I thought there was some creative, good nature humor with some nice promotional material for Namibia.

It is hard to imagine that we only have 90 more days before we have to return. Still planning our last trips; one will be to the Victoria Falls region.

Traditional Village Life

I have been meaning to post pictures of some of the traditional tribal village life for awhile. First, here are some pictures from Opuwo and Kunene area in northwest Namibia. This is home to the Himba and Herero tribes. The Himba live in the rural, desert areas and are nomadic pastoralists. Their traditional dress usually consists of loin cloths. The women are famous for covering themselves with otjize paste, a cosmetic mixture of butterfat and ochre pigment, which gives their skin a reddish color.

Traditional Himba Housing

Himba Roadside Market

Himba Women in Front of Market

Himba Selling Perfume and Pigment

The Himba are very forceful marketers when selling their goods. It probably took Kelda and I 15 to 20 minutes to extricate ourselves from about ten young girls selling bracelets. They also demand some type of payment for taking their pictures; even from a distant. We weren't allowed to leave until we paid for the pictures of the Himba housing (they literally blocked the movement of our car).

The Herero live side-by-side with the Himba. They are actually related historically. But, their style of dress is entirely different and Victorian in nature. So, it is quite the contrast as you walk down the street.

Herero and Himba at Opuwo Market

Herero Women in Traditional Dress

Donkeys are used a lot for transportation

The Damara live in the really arid, high desert region. It is amazing that they are able to survive in such a barren and desolate area.

Damara Homestead

The Oshiwambo tribe is the largest in Namibia. This is the region we visited when Karen and Kelda had the opportunity to grind mahangu grain.

Traditional Oshiwambo Homestead

Oshiwambo Huts

Young Men Thatching a Hut

A few of the kids in the homestead

Most homesteads surround a common area with small markets and bars where the locals gather at nights

Besides cattle, they also raise lots of goats

In most of these village areas, it is common for people (usually the women) to walk 1, 2 or even 5 kilometers to the nearest well to collect water. They often have to make several trips a day. The average per capita income is about $1.00 USD per day. So, most are pretty poor.

We haven't visited these areas yet, but here is an example of some other tribal housing.

House from the Caprivi Strip (up north along the Kavango River)

San Bushman Tribal House (Nomadic tribe in the Kalahari Desert)