3 to 4 p.m. is notoriously known at SIAMA as ... STUDY TIME !!! : )
The school system is organized totally different over here. Temperature can easily rise up to 40°C in summer. They try to avoid the hot hours (& equally hot-tempered teachers or pupils ; ) Therefore school starts at 7 a.m. in the morgen and ends at 1 p.m. at noon.
At study time we help the girls with their homework. For the little ones that means basically learning to read or calculate. It's hard to say that some 8 year olds barely know their alphabet, let alone know how to read... The less talented go into the 'special class' for a while which focuses on these basis capacities. Some might easily lack 2-3 years behind on Western children with better education opportunities...
From those who do eventually graduate, only a minority goes to university. The elite doesn't even send its children to the university in Windhoek. They send them to Johannesburg or Kaapstad (regarded as offering the highest education standards in Southern Africa) or Germany (descendants of the former colonists) The ones that acquire a university degree are often offered better jobs abroad - even nurses - and so the "brain drain" continues putting a mortgage on the future of the country...
Friday, 17 August 2007
Omarurukoppe
The Omarurukoppe is elevated merely a couple of hundred meters from the surroundings, but since the rest of the area is so flat you have a stunning sight for miles!
If you're in a good condition you'll be at the top in 1,5 hour. Only the bigger girls were allowed to hike to the top, since it might be a bit too heavy on the little ones. Although we asked them to dress for a firm walk, Rosa managed to wear shoes which were almost completely open, Bernice thought a skirt would be nice even though Namibia is full of thorns and Vistorina brought a shower cap as protection against the sun (which was quite funny actually! : )
I didn't have to say much myself, since the hiking shoes I bought didn't actually turn out to be "thorn-proof" as required for African bush walks ; ) In the beginning I found it strange I had so many stones in shoes, but after a while I discovered the thorns pierced right through the soles of my boots!
Anyway, after taking a wrong turn and getting stuck in the sand with the van - luckily the girls pushed it out just as quickly - we were ready for the climb up. The girls were a bit worried about the snakes and baboons hanging around, but I can assure you: a group of noisy teenage girls jabbering & squealing away is enough to keep any wild animal away ; )
If you're in a good condition you'll be at the top in 1,5 hour. Only the bigger girls were allowed to hike to the top, since it might be a bit too heavy on the little ones. Although we asked them to dress for a firm walk, Rosa managed to wear shoes which were almost completely open, Bernice thought a skirt would be nice even though Namibia is full of thorns and Vistorina brought a shower cap as protection against the sun (which was quite funny actually! : )
I didn't have to say much myself, since the hiking shoes I bought didn't actually turn out to be "thorn-proof" as required for African bush walks ; ) In the beginning I found it strange I had so many stones in shoes, but after a while I discovered the thorns pierced right through the soles of my boots!
Anyway, after taking a wrong turn and getting stuck in the sand with the van - luckily the girls pushed it out just as quickly - we were ready for the climb up. The girls were a bit worried about the snakes and baboons hanging around, but I can assure you: a group of noisy teenage girls jabbering & squealing away is enough to keep any wild animal away ; )
Franke Tower
The only thing to do on a Sunday in Omaruru is go to the Spar-supermarket. But since the girls generally don't have any money to spend, they're a bit bored in the weekends... So we took them on a walk to the Franke tower.
Basically, it's the only historical point of interest in Omaruru and built by the German colonial army to honor their general Franke.
It's not enough, mum!
The food habits of the girls in the SIAMA-compound weren't too healthy. While we were dying for some vegetables, the girls would take one piece of lettuce and literally spray it with salt to make it "tasty"!
They also dig sugar! The porrigde - standard meal every evening - almost never was sweet enough! Vistorina was complaining "It's not enough, mum" (The mum is the nanny/governess who lives with the girls. Lisette was the mum upon arrival, Appolonia upon departure) until Lisette finally got so bored with it she almost poured the whole can of sugar into her bowl, after which all the girls eagerly began spooning it up into their own bowls...
Dentist aren't readily available in Omaruru, but jack-of-all-trades Ender pulls teeth the African way when necessary.
They also dig sugar! The porrigde - standard meal every evening - almost never was sweet enough! Vistorina was complaining "It's not enough, mum" (The mum is the nanny/governess who lives with the girls. Lisette was the mum upon arrival, Appolonia upon departure) until Lisette finally got so bored with it she almost poured the whole can of sugar into her bowl, after which all the girls eagerly began spooning it up into their own bowls...
Dentist aren't readily available in Omaruru, but jack-of-all-trades Ender pulls teeth the African way when necessary.
Public Transport: the African way...
Omaruru is pretty isolated. The next inhabited "town" (over here a village qualifies as a town once it has a gas station ; ) Karibib is 60 km down south, Otjiwarango 135km up south) .
Public transport is almost non-existent. The Intercape Mainliner drives twice a week between the biggest towns. But don't expect the coach buses you see driving around in the northern hemisphere! ; ) Our first Intercape bus pulled up at the parking lot in the city centre of Windhoek with a front window that was held together with duct tape...
After a delay of two hours without any obvious reason (hey, it's Africa...) the bus finally kicks off... only the stop again in the outskirts of Windhoek because there are sparks coming out of the engine... After 15 minutes the drivers depart again since it was only "rust". When asked how "rust" can cause "sparks" they pull out their biggest comforting smile with white teeth and say "but it's fine, it's okay" When asked what time we will arrive, the same smile saying "we're flying, we're flying now" - read: sit back, relax & don't expect answers ; )
But Omaruru is basically a street with some shops and doesn't lie on the big axis, so it doens't have the luxury of an Intercape Mainliner stop.
There are of course the shuttles. These are small mini-vans where they fit in as many as 24 people(!) Luckily in Africa you can drive with as many people as you want in your car. Basically you can have a pick up truck with 15 in the back, but beware if you're not wearing your seat belt in the front! The police will happily turn an eye and forget about a fine in return for a "warning worth 50 Namibian dollars", but it is advisable not to encourage this form of corruption.
But back to the shuttle buses: they use the gas stations as stops. Basically you go and wait there for a shuttle bus to show. They might be late, they might be early (although that's rather rare in Africa) or they might not show up at all. Even if they come, they might already be full. Reservations are not possible, unless you're prepared to pay for the full trajectory. The drivers aren't keen an reserving seats for short distances, hoping to find passengers who want to go all the way at the departure point.
Luckily African people are often very open and 'there's always room for one more'. So when we took the shuttle from Omaruru to Swakopmund we found ourselves pressed on the back seat of the van. It must be said that our place was to be considered as quite comfortable, since the mothers seated next to us each had two children on their lap for another 200km to come! That made 8 of us on the back bench of the van! Things you only experience in Africa! : )
Since the shuttles sometimes don't show up, we were forced to hitchhike a few times (despite the fact that it isn't advised in the Lonely Planet & and I pledged my mother never to hitchhike in Africa - of course, if I ever have children of my own I'll deny ever having hitchhiked in Africa ; )
Of course, if you hitchhike, be sure to 'pick your rides' like the candidates of the popular TV-show of Peking Express. As a tourist in Namibia it is possible to get comfortable lifts in big 4WD-jeeps if your color is Caucasian and a girl is accompanying you. It maybe hard to state, but for most drivers this will make the difference between letting you stand there or picking you up...
But sometimes you gotta take what passes by and end up in the back of a truck, but let's face it: those are the best stories afterwoulds... : )
Public transport is almost non-existent. The Intercape Mainliner drives twice a week between the biggest towns. But don't expect the coach buses you see driving around in the northern hemisphere! ; ) Our first Intercape bus pulled up at the parking lot in the city centre of Windhoek with a front window that was held together with duct tape...
After a delay of two hours without any obvious reason (hey, it's Africa...) the bus finally kicks off... only the stop again in the outskirts of Windhoek because there are sparks coming out of the engine... After 15 minutes the drivers depart again since it was only "rust". When asked how "rust" can cause "sparks" they pull out their biggest comforting smile with white teeth and say "but it's fine, it's okay" When asked what time we will arrive, the same smile saying "we're flying, we're flying now" - read: sit back, relax & don't expect answers ; )
But Omaruru is basically a street with some shops and doesn't lie on the big axis, so it doens't have the luxury of an Intercape Mainliner stop.
There are of course the shuttles. These are small mini-vans where they fit in as many as 24 people(!) Luckily in Africa you can drive with as many people as you want in your car. Basically you can have a pick up truck with 15 in the back, but beware if you're not wearing your seat belt in the front! The police will happily turn an eye and forget about a fine in return for a "warning worth 50 Namibian dollars", but it is advisable not to encourage this form of corruption.
But back to the shuttle buses: they use the gas stations as stops. Basically you go and wait there for a shuttle bus to show. They might be late, they might be early (although that's rather rare in Africa) or they might not show up at all. Even if they come, they might already be full. Reservations are not possible, unless you're prepared to pay for the full trajectory. The drivers aren't keen an reserving seats for short distances, hoping to find passengers who want to go all the way at the departure point.
Luckily African people are often very open and 'there's always room for one more'. So when we took the shuttle from Omaruru to Swakopmund we found ourselves pressed on the back seat of the van. It must be said that our place was to be considered as quite comfortable, since the mothers seated next to us each had two children on their lap for another 200km to come! That made 8 of us on the back bench of the van! Things you only experience in Africa! : )
Since the shuttles sometimes don't show up, we were forced to hitchhike a few times (despite the fact that it isn't advised in the Lonely Planet & and I pledged my mother never to hitchhike in Africa - of course, if I ever have children of my own I'll deny ever having hitchhiked in Africa ; )
Of course, if you hitchhike, be sure to 'pick your rides' like the candidates of the popular TV-show of Peking Express. As a tourist in Namibia it is possible to get comfortable lifts in big 4WD-jeeps if your color is Caucasian and a girl is accompanying you. It maybe hard to state, but for most drivers this will make the difference between letting you stand there or picking you up...
But sometimes you gotta take what passes by and end up in the back of a truck, but let's face it: those are the best stories afterwoulds... : )
About HIV & Sugardaddies
Namibia suffers from a considerable high percentage of HIV-casualties. Although official figures are around 20-25%, actual figures allegedly amount up to 40%.
Persons with HIV-diagnosis are also less immune against other diseases. HIV-patients are for instance more easily infected with TBC. If the patient dies from that disease before developing AIDS, it will go into the statistics as a TBC-casualty instead of an HIV-infection, even though a healthy person might very well have conquered a TBC-infection itself...
The Namibian government tries very hard to make the young population aware of the extent of the problem.
The schools regularly try to point out the consequences of the disease on every day life by playing school plays about it. The government also distributes a free school magazine with comics and testimonies from readers.
Most parents in Europe would probably be quite shocked if they would see what their 8 year old gets to read in the school magazine. It tries to disencourage young girls to have sex before their studies are finished, make them more assertive towards boys and if they do decide to have sex: the need to do it safe.
Every editions contains testimonies about girls who incurred pregnancy, diseases, violations or rape. In poor countries, sugar daddies are also problematic: older men give younger girls presents or money supposed to alleviate their poor living standards and to become friends with them. After a while they start to ask things in return...
Although HIV-infection, teenager pregnancies and child rape also occur in Europe, many Western people would probably be a bit shocked that the topics are put forward so openly in government funded publications. But with such high HIV-percentages, drastic problems call for drastic solutions...
Persons with HIV-diagnosis are also less immune against other diseases. HIV-patients are for instance more easily infected with TBC. If the patient dies from that disease before developing AIDS, it will go into the statistics as a TBC-casualty instead of an HIV-infection, even though a healthy person might very well have conquered a TBC-infection itself...
The Namibian government tries very hard to make the young population aware of the extent of the problem.
The schools regularly try to point out the consequences of the disease on every day life by playing school plays about it. The government also distributes a free school magazine with comics and testimonies from readers.
Most parents in Europe would probably be quite shocked if they would see what their 8 year old gets to read in the school magazine. It tries to disencourage young girls to have sex before their studies are finished, make them more assertive towards boys and if they do decide to have sex: the need to do it safe.
Every editions contains testimonies about girls who incurred pregnancy, diseases, violations or rape. In poor countries, sugar daddies are also problematic: older men give younger girls presents or money supposed to alleviate their poor living standards and to become friends with them. After a while they start to ask things in return...
Although HIV-infection, teenager pregnancies and child rape also occur in Europe, many Western people would probably be a bit shocked that the topics are put forward so openly in government funded publications. But with such high HIV-percentages, drastic problems call for drastic solutions...
Monday, 16 July 2007
Eerder vertrek
Het vrijwilligerswerk is eerder dan voorzien tot een eind gekomen voor ons. We hadden andere verwachtingen op basis van de projectbeschrijving en de verhoudingen met de Luxemburgse projectleider ter plaatse verliepen niet meer optimaal. Meer uitleg volgt later nog...
Eerste foto's
Tata,
hier volgt een link naar onze eerste foto's. Blijkbaar staat er een beveiliging hier op de computer waardoor we ze niet op de blog kunnen zetten. Veel kijkplezier!
http://picasaweb.google.com/stefanie.bourgeois/Namibie
Steffie en Gijs
hier volgt een link naar onze eerste foto's. Blijkbaar staat er een beveiliging hier op de computer waardoor we ze niet op de blog kunnen zetten. Veel kijkplezier!
http://picasaweb.google.com/stefanie.bourgeois/Namibie
Steffie en Gijs
Monday, 2 July 2007
Dusty
One of the first things that strike you about Namibia, is that it's dusty everywhere! Always blue skies and sunshine but as a consequence also very dry. You constantly need to blow your nose because the dust closes it up the whole time. If you don't drink, you wake up with a sore dry mouth. The handkerchiefs are as frequently used as when you have a cold.
Cleaning the room with a broom doesn't really help much: the next day it will be just as dusty; the only way to clean decently is with water, but then again: that's scarse around here.
Cleaning the room with a broom doesn't really help much: the next day it will be just as dusty; the only way to clean decently is with water, but then again: that's scarse around here.
Eindelijk
Joehoe,
eindelijk eens internet gevonden om onze blog wat up te daten. Maar ben natuurlijk mijn kabeltje van de fotocamera vergeten in Omaruru zodat de eerste foto's pas voor over een maand zijn.... tenzij we dit weekend in windhoek nog eventjes tijd hebben (we moeten nl. de stichters van Siama gaan afhalen in de luchthaven).
Wat hebben we tot nu toe gedaan:
- In Omaruru voor de meisjes zorgen. Gijs kijkt toe op de grotere en ik op de kleinere, die zijn handelbaarder. De grotere (13 jaar) hebben soms nl een beetje last van de puberteit. 's Morgens doen we klusjes zoals riet kappen met het mashetimes om omheining te maken, keramiek leggen in de badkamer,carport afbreken en nieuwe bouwen, binnenkort auto's opverven, het sprinklersysteem van de groententuin herstellen, nieuwe groentjes zaaien. En nu we effe een weekje weg zijn gingen ze eens nadenken wat we nog allemaal konden doen.
- Nu zijn we een weekje eropuit geweest. Naar de Sossusvlei, de aanrader: eerst langs de Welwitscha drive gereden en er wijdse steenwoestijnlandschappen gezien, badlands, kleine canyons, een hemel voor de geografen.... In het Namib Naukluft Park wat wild gezien (springbok, gemsbok, struisvogel, wilde zwijnen, wilde paarden, .... De wegen zijn hier vreselijk, allemaal gravel en Gijs heeft een lekke band gekregen met onze supersonische golf (zo een oud model van 20 jaar geleden). Beetje spannend dus want net niet voor het donker in Sossusvlei geraakt en dus gestrand in Solitaire waar we hebben kunnen slapen in een lodge waar ze heel vriendelijk waren en dankzij Gijs zijn onderhandelingstechnieken ook voor een prijsje (Solitaire rest camp). De dag erop naar sossusvlei. Echt heel mooi, die rode duinen met die dode bomen ervoor (fotos volgen nog). Vermoeiend maar wel fijn, zo door de duinen wandelen. Onze auto ging maar tot een bepaalde plaats en erna moesten we nog 4 km door mulle zand stappen, maar gelukkig hebben we een lift gekregen van Zuid Afrikanen, die we bovendien nog bij de terugweg hebben moeten helpen omdat er eentje met zijn 4*4 die eigenlijk een 2*4 bleek te zijn, was vastgelopen. Aangezien we geen tent hadden en in Sossusvlei enkel maar een camping of dure lodges zijn, hebben we in de auto moeten slapen. Comfortabel en koud..... De dag erop terug naar Swakopmund. In Swakopmund een boottochtje gedaan om een zeehondencolonie te zien (cape cross is te ver en blijkbaar is het niet echt de moeite waart en kan je hetzelfde zien in Walvis Bay). Ook een walvis gezien (zo met een witte buik, maar gene Free Willy-orka), zeehonden, pelikanen, flamingo's.... beetje toeristisch maar wel heel tof. Erna wat naar de duitse gebouzen gaan zien in Swakopmund. vandaag gaan sandboarden, snowboarden is wel veel fijner, maar het is eens een andere ervaring. En gijs is op een buigzame plaat naar beneden gegeleden (soort slee) en dat was ook heel tof, heb het ook eens mogen proberen. Het sandboarden is wel een zeer massatoeristisch ding, waar alle rijke ameriken, engelsen,..... op afkomen.
- Morgen vertrekken we naar de Erongo mountains om rotsschilderingen te zien en dan weer terug naar Omaruru om weer te gaan helpen.
Jullie zullen dus weer een maand niets van ons horen maar zodra we weer het land rondtrekken horen jullie ons.
groetjes aan iedereen!!!!!!!!!
en Namibie was geen verkeerde keuze als bestemming......
eindelijk eens internet gevonden om onze blog wat up te daten. Maar ben natuurlijk mijn kabeltje van de fotocamera vergeten in Omaruru zodat de eerste foto's pas voor over een maand zijn.... tenzij we dit weekend in windhoek nog eventjes tijd hebben (we moeten nl. de stichters van Siama gaan afhalen in de luchthaven).
Wat hebben we tot nu toe gedaan:
- In Omaruru voor de meisjes zorgen. Gijs kijkt toe op de grotere en ik op de kleinere, die zijn handelbaarder. De grotere (13 jaar) hebben soms nl een beetje last van de puberteit. 's Morgens doen we klusjes zoals riet kappen met het mashetimes om omheining te maken, keramiek leggen in de badkamer,carport afbreken en nieuwe bouwen, binnenkort auto's opverven, het sprinklersysteem van de groententuin herstellen, nieuwe groentjes zaaien. En nu we effe een weekje weg zijn gingen ze eens nadenken wat we nog allemaal konden doen.
- Nu zijn we een weekje eropuit geweest. Naar de Sossusvlei, de aanrader: eerst langs de Welwitscha drive gereden en er wijdse steenwoestijnlandschappen gezien, badlands, kleine canyons, een hemel voor de geografen.... In het Namib Naukluft Park wat wild gezien (springbok, gemsbok, struisvogel, wilde zwijnen, wilde paarden, .... De wegen zijn hier vreselijk, allemaal gravel en Gijs heeft een lekke band gekregen met onze supersonische golf (zo een oud model van 20 jaar geleden). Beetje spannend dus want net niet voor het donker in Sossusvlei geraakt en dus gestrand in Solitaire waar we hebben kunnen slapen in een lodge waar ze heel vriendelijk waren en dankzij Gijs zijn onderhandelingstechnieken ook voor een prijsje (Solitaire rest camp). De dag erop naar sossusvlei. Echt heel mooi, die rode duinen met die dode bomen ervoor (fotos volgen nog). Vermoeiend maar wel fijn, zo door de duinen wandelen. Onze auto ging maar tot een bepaalde plaats en erna moesten we nog 4 km door mulle zand stappen, maar gelukkig hebben we een lift gekregen van Zuid Afrikanen, die we bovendien nog bij de terugweg hebben moeten helpen omdat er eentje met zijn 4*4 die eigenlijk een 2*4 bleek te zijn, was vastgelopen. Aangezien we geen tent hadden en in Sossusvlei enkel maar een camping of dure lodges zijn, hebben we in de auto moeten slapen. Comfortabel en koud..... De dag erop terug naar Swakopmund. In Swakopmund een boottochtje gedaan om een zeehondencolonie te zien (cape cross is te ver en blijkbaar is het niet echt de moeite waart en kan je hetzelfde zien in Walvis Bay). Ook een walvis gezien (zo met een witte buik, maar gene Free Willy-orka), zeehonden, pelikanen, flamingo's.... beetje toeristisch maar wel heel tof. Erna wat naar de duitse gebouzen gaan zien in Swakopmund. vandaag gaan sandboarden, snowboarden is wel veel fijner, maar het is eens een andere ervaring. En gijs is op een buigzame plaat naar beneden gegeleden (soort slee) en dat was ook heel tof, heb het ook eens mogen proberen. Het sandboarden is wel een zeer massatoeristisch ding, waar alle rijke ameriken, engelsen,..... op afkomen.
- Morgen vertrekken we naar de Erongo mountains om rotsschilderingen te zien en dan weer terug naar Omaruru om weer te gaan helpen.
Jullie zullen dus weer een maand niets van ons horen maar zodra we weer het land rondtrekken horen jullie ons.
groetjes aan iedereen!!!!!!!!!
en Namibie was geen verkeerde keuze als bestemming......
Internet
Well, maybe you've noticed the posts haven't been adding up quickly... or maybe you assumed we were already eaten alive by the savage beasts (like some apparently do...)
But the reason is: internet is a few years back here in comparison with EU or the States... On the countryside they only have ISDN (56k-modems and very expensive!) In Omaruru we paid 3EUR for 30 min of internet... we got to read 3 emails : (
Right now we're in Swakopmund were they already have "ADSL", but it's still not the thing we're used to back home.
But they tell me the fiber optics are in every village, but Namibian Telecom, who has a monopoly, doens't want to change to ADSL everywhere because they get more income from ISDN-lines who are paid by the minute whereas ADSL is a flat fee. Skype is also forbidden, Namibian telecom fines the internet cafes if they install it because cheap phone calls is not what they are waiting for...
But as everybody always says around here: everything goes slow in Africa!
Now I still have to get used to the qwerty-keyboard : )
But the reason is: internet is a few years back here in comparison with EU or the States... On the countryside they only have ISDN (56k-modems and very expensive!) In Omaruru we paid 3EUR for 30 min of internet... we got to read 3 emails : (
Right now we're in Swakopmund were they already have "ADSL", but it's still not the thing we're used to back home.
But they tell me the fiber optics are in every village, but Namibian Telecom, who has a monopoly, doens't want to change to ADSL everywhere because they get more income from ISDN-lines who are paid by the minute whereas ADSL is a flat fee. Skype is also forbidden, Namibian telecom fines the internet cafes if they install it because cheap phone calls is not what they are waiting for...
But as everybody always says around here: everything goes slow in Africa!
Now I still have to get used to the qwerty-keyboard : )
Thursday, 3 May 2007
African handshake
Handshakes are also an icebreaker: the African handshake consists of 3 parts: the Western handshake, followed by turning your thumbs around eachother and grabbing eachother's palms with your fingers & repeating the conventional handshake again! : )
Everybody also always ask how you are doing. Even when you just knod at people they reply 'fine' since every greeeting is considered as an inquiry about your health ; )
Everybody also always ask how you are doing. Even when you just knod at people they reply 'fine' since every greeeting is considered as an inquiry about your health ; )
Les 1 Nederlands - Afrikaans
Afrikaans sounds like a dialect of Dutch and is written very phonetically.
Nederlands Afrikaans
Goedemorgen: Goeiemôre
Goedeavond: Goeienaand
Alstublieft: Asseblief
Dank u: Dankie
Hoe gaat het? Hoegaandit?
Roep de politie! Roep die polisie!
Ik ben verloren: Ek is verloorer
Gedroogd zout vlees: Biltong
Frui: Vrugte
Stadscentrum: Middestad
Gisteren: Gister
Verkeerslichten: Verkeerslig
Jeep: Bakkie
Nederlands Afrikaans
Goedemorgen: Goeiemôre
Goedeavond: Goeienaand
Alstublieft: Asseblief
Dank u: Dankie
Hoe gaat het? Hoegaandit?
Roep de politie! Roep die polisie!
Ik ben verloren: Ek is verloorer
Gedroogd zout vlees: Biltong
Frui: Vrugte
Stadscentrum: Middestad
Gisteren: Gister
Verkeerslichten: Verkeerslig
Jeep: Bakkie
The big 5
Lions
Basically the lioness does all te work, the lions sits on his lazy ass and only comes out to grawl & hunt when he gets indications of food or danger. What a life! 85% of the 350 lions in Namibia are confined to Etosha Park. Once they escape from the park, it's only a matter of time before they are shot by ranchers to protect their cattle...
African elephant
This baby weighs 6.5 ton and drinks about 65 litres of water a day (and this for a dry country like Namibia) Namibia is the only country in the world where you can find the "desert elephant", a whiter species adapted to the harsh conditions around the Skeleton Coast.
Buffalo
Main occupation: grazing all day long! While herds are unlikely to charge, solitary males always think attack is the best defence (so don't feel sorry for his lonelyness)
Leopard
Spends most of his days hanging in tree tops, enjoying the shade, either sleeping or eating from the carcas of a prey.
Black Rhinoceros
This hunchback has a big neck hump and a horn up to 1.3m! They're rarer than the white rhinoceros.
Basically the lioness does all te work, the lions sits on his lazy ass and only comes out to grawl & hunt when he gets indications of food or danger. What a life! 85% of the 350 lions in Namibia are confined to Etosha Park. Once they escape from the park, it's only a matter of time before they are shot by ranchers to protect their cattle...
African elephant
This baby weighs 6.5 ton and drinks about 65 litres of water a day (and this for a dry country like Namibia) Namibia is the only country in the world where you can find the "desert elephant", a whiter species adapted to the harsh conditions around the Skeleton Coast.
Buffalo
Main occupation: grazing all day long! While herds are unlikely to charge, solitary males always think attack is the best defence (so don't feel sorry for his lonelyness)
Leopard
Spends most of his days hanging in tree tops, enjoying the shade, either sleeping or eating from the carcas of a prey.
Black Rhinoceros
This hunchback has a big neck hump and a horn up to 1.3m! They're rarer than the white rhinoceros.
8 tips for National Parks (with the courtesy of Lonely Planet)
1. Lie still if large animals brush against the tent.
2. Riverbanks are sidewalks for hippo's, and you don't want to be in his way when this big bully passes by. (oh... and the extremely poisonous puff adder likes to crawl in dry sandy riverbeds...)
3. Don't keep fruit in your tent, since you're tent probably isn't elephant-proof.
4. If you encounter large species such as buffalo's, lions or elephant, back away slowly & quietly.
5. Don't run away from lions. If you respond like a prey, the lion will treat you accordingly.
6. Don't swim or walk aling riverbanks where crocs or hippos might be wandering about.
7. Mammals with offspring are always more agressive.
8. Hyenas are normally just after your food. But be sure te be in safety once you run out of food.
2. Riverbanks are sidewalks for hippo's, and you don't want to be in his way when this big bully passes by. (oh... and the extremely poisonous puff adder likes to crawl in dry sandy riverbeds...)
3. Don't keep fruit in your tent, since you're tent probably isn't elephant-proof.
4. If you encounter large species such as buffalo's, lions or elephant, back away slowly & quietly.
5. Don't run away from lions. If you respond like a prey, the lion will treat you accordingly.
6. Don't swim or walk aling riverbanks where crocs or hippos might be wandering about.
7. Mammals with offspring are always more agressive.
8. Hyenas are normally just after your food. But be sure te be in safety once you run out of food.
Saturday, 21 April 2007
Siama Crossing Borders
We're happy to have found an interesting development project in Namibia thanks to "Siama Crossing Borders"
Mariette put a lot of effort into informing us and arranging our airplane tickets (thank you! : )
You can find the website of the local project here:
http://www.childrennamibie.com/nl/
More once we get there ... we're looking forward to it!
Practical things to know when you travel to Namibia
Food & drinks
German food such as "Wurst mit Sauerkraut" & "Schwarzwaldkuche mit Sahne" is available in every town, and they even have Oktoberfest over there! But if you want to discover the real Namibian gastronomy: try a refreshing "Sundowner" at sunset or a Nara melon! Also popular: oshifima (dough-like past served with a stem of vegetables & meat) oshiwambo (spinach & meat) mealie pap (some sort of porridge) oshikundu (beer brewed from mahango) mataku (watermelon wine). They're is no camping without a BBQ and wild meat & fish are often on the menu.
The big five
The big five don't refer to the 5 biggest mammals, but to the animals that are most dangerous to hunt. The lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros and elephant are notorious for turning to their hunter once attacked.
Snakes
Namibia is the African country with the biggest snake population. Although 50% of those bitten by venomous snakes aren't actually injected with poison (envenomed), still better don't stick your hand in dark holes or between rocks and always wear closed shoes ; )
Scorpions
Always tap out your shoes every morning: scorpions love dark & warm spaces, even if they are smelly! Most stings aren't life-threatening, but however quite painful. As a general rule: the bigger the scissorhands, the less poisonous (however there aren some rare exceptions). Only 1% of the stings of the most dangerous scorpions results in the death of adults. Scorpions sometimes make a tjilping-sound as a warning before attack.
Other bugs...
Put away you sleeping bag when not in use and shake out your clothing before you put them on. All sorts of bugs & small reptiles like those hideaways.
Malaria
Malaria-mosquitos are only a big risk in the north & east of the country, in other parts the cold desert nights keep them out.
Female travellers
Although Namibia is fairly save, it's generally is a conservative society. Accepting a drink from a male companion in a bar is apparently viewed as a come-on. In rural areas, sleeveless clothing can be less appreciated.
Highest cause of tourist injuries: car accidents!
Night-drives are known for collisions with animals, four-wheel-drives aren't designed to drive 100km/h over sandy bumpy roads, dust clouds hinder your sight while taking over and... they drive at the left hand side of the road!!!
Ivory
Although you can legally buy ivory in Namibia, you might still get arrested at the airport at home. It is still illegal to import ivory into the European Union. But if you care about endangered species: don't buy it at all!!!
Palm-ivory nut sellers scam
It's not the crime of the century, but it pays to be aware: a guy might come up to you at the petrol station and ask for your name. Without you seeing it, another guy carves your name into a palm-ivory nut shell, hoping you'll feel obligated to buy the personalised item.
Car Hire
Get a damage insurance - roads are not that great once you're off the highway. When you visit a big city, the locals might offer their services as a security guard for your parked vehicle. Although crime in Namibia is low to African standards, get a theft insurance just in case ...
Tips.
You normally tip 5-10% in Namibia. Wages aren't always enough to survive.
Sperrgebiet
The Sperrgebiet or diamond area around Lüderitz is off limits! And even if you're curious: there are enough armed guards patrolling around to make you change your mind!
Drugs & diamonds
First of all: don't do drugs. Second of all: don't buy drugs. The Namibian police is allowed to trick you into buying drugs & diamonds of the streets, so never even be tempted!
German food such as "Wurst mit Sauerkraut" & "Schwarzwaldkuche mit Sahne" is available in every town, and they even have Oktoberfest over there! But if you want to discover the real Namibian gastronomy: try a refreshing "Sundowner" at sunset or a Nara melon! Also popular: oshifima (dough-like past served with a stem of vegetables & meat) oshiwambo (spinach & meat) mealie pap (some sort of porridge) oshikundu (beer brewed from mahango) mataku (watermelon wine). They're is no camping without a BBQ and wild meat & fish are often on the menu.
The big five
The big five don't refer to the 5 biggest mammals, but to the animals that are most dangerous to hunt. The lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros and elephant are notorious for turning to their hunter once attacked.
Snakes
Namibia is the African country with the biggest snake population. Although 50% of those bitten by venomous snakes aren't actually injected with poison (envenomed), still better don't stick your hand in dark holes or between rocks and always wear closed shoes ; )
Scorpions
Always tap out your shoes every morning: scorpions love dark & warm spaces, even if they are smelly! Most stings aren't life-threatening, but however quite painful. As a general rule: the bigger the scissorhands, the less poisonous (however there aren some rare exceptions). Only 1% of the stings of the most dangerous scorpions results in the death of adults. Scorpions sometimes make a tjilping-sound as a warning before attack.
Other bugs...
Put away you sleeping bag when not in use and shake out your clothing before you put them on. All sorts of bugs & small reptiles like those hideaways.
Malaria
Malaria-mosquitos are only a big risk in the north & east of the country, in other parts the cold desert nights keep them out.
Female travellers
Although Namibia is fairly save, it's generally is a conservative society. Accepting a drink from a male companion in a bar is apparently viewed as a come-on. In rural areas, sleeveless clothing can be less appreciated.
Highest cause of tourist injuries: car accidents!
Night-drives are known for collisions with animals, four-wheel-drives aren't designed to drive 100km/h over sandy bumpy roads, dust clouds hinder your sight while taking over and... they drive at the left hand side of the road!!!
Ivory
Although you can legally buy ivory in Namibia, you might still get arrested at the airport at home. It is still illegal to import ivory into the European Union. But if you care about endangered species: don't buy it at all!!!
Palm-ivory nut sellers scam
It's not the crime of the century, but it pays to be aware: a guy might come up to you at the petrol station and ask for your name. Without you seeing it, another guy carves your name into a palm-ivory nut shell, hoping you'll feel obligated to buy the personalised item.
Car Hire
Get a damage insurance - roads are not that great once you're off the highway. When you visit a big city, the locals might offer their services as a security guard for your parked vehicle. Although crime in Namibia is low to African standards, get a theft insurance just in case ...
Tips.
You normally tip 5-10% in Namibia. Wages aren't always enough to survive.
Sperrgebiet
The Sperrgebiet or diamond area around Lüderitz is off limits! And even if you're curious: there are enough armed guards patrolling around to make you change your mind!
Drugs & diamonds
First of all: don't do drugs. Second of all: don't buy drugs. The Namibian police is allowed to trick you into buying drugs & diamonds of the streets, so never even be tempted!
Friday, 20 April 2007
Namibia
I could tell you a thousand things about Namibia, but why bother if others have done it before me? Find out everything you need to know on wikipedia-namibia or wikipedia-omaruru!
Off course I'll give you the highlights: Namibia has 2 million inhabitants or 2,5 inhabitants/km2 (for comparison: Belgium 340inhabitants/km2; Germany 231inhabitants/km2 and the USA 31 inhabitants/km2) which makes it the least densely populated country in the world after Mongolia. 50% of the population lives up north, where the ground is more fertile.
It's comparable in size to Pakistan, and you are advised to fill up the car each time you see a gas station, because it might take a while before you encounter the next one...
The climate is generally hot and dry (so luckily we'll be there in the Winter, when it still should be around 15°C-20°C. Not surprisingly the landscape ranges from desert (with huge sanddunes) to steppe, and a small subtropical part (primarily north & around the Caprivi strip). The dry climate is caused by a cold water current before the coast. It makes rain sporadic, on the other hand: the coastal waters are excellent for fishing!
Namibia is one of the youngest states in the world, since it only became independent in 1990. Before that it was occupied by South-Africa that unrightfully annexed it as a province, after the international community had briefly granted them a mandate after World War I. Earlier it was a German colony (except for Walvis Bay), but when they were defeated in World War I, they were forced to give away their overseas territories.
35% of the population is unemployed, 40% is illiterate in English and HIV-infection is 21%. Child mortality raises to 7% and life expectancy is 42 (man) & 39 (women). Nevertheless the income per capita is 5x bigger than the poorest African country.
The economy depends largely on mining (diamonds, uranium, copper, zinc, ... ) accounting for a substantial part of the GDP, but creates only little employment. Due to the dry climate, agriculture is difficult and cattle requiers a lot of grazing grounds. Lots of food still need to be imported from South-Africa.. Since the '90 Namibian Tourism accounts for a steady growth, due the stable political situation and diverse nature & wildlife sceneries.
The Namibian Dollar is coupled to the South-African Rand, which both have the same value. (1 USdollar = 7,5 Namibian Dollar, 1 Euro = 10 Namibian Dollar)
The original population descends from various tribes (Ovambo, Herero, Himba, Kavango, Nama, Damara, San, Caprivi-people,...). About 5% is white, and another 5% are half bloods with European roots.
The German colonists massacered a big part of the Herero & Nama population in 1904 after an uprising. Most of them fled into the desert and died from exhaustion. This is stille remembered every year on Hero's Day.
It also causes some frictions amongst tribes, since demograhic simulations show that without that massacre, the Herero would be the biggest tribe, instead of the Ovambo who now dominate politics through the governing SWAPO-party.
In the Ovambo-tribe, the uncle is the head of the family! Children inherit from the brother of their mother. And the Herero (who also live in the neigbourhood of Omaruru), have some clacking & smacking sounds in their language (how's that for communication at the table! ; ). The most well-known tribe abroad are the Himba: they cover themselves with a special red-brown mixture to protect the skin.
The most widely understood languages are Afrikaans (affined to Dutch!) and English, although both normally as a second language. Only English was chosen as the official language in 1990. Afrikaans still was a bit of a sensitive issue right after the indepence from South-Africa, and the government considered that all tribes would be treated equally since everybody spoke English equally bad. People normally have their tribe-dialect as their first language.
You can find Omaruru Northwest of Windhoek along the Transnamib-railway. Is has about 15.000 inhabitants and is known for the only winery in Namibia! (I already know how to support the local economy ; ) Nevertheless: Namibia also has several beer-breweries (a German inheritance) and some are even brewed according to the standards of the German Reinheitsgebot.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)