Botswana Game Camps

We spent 6 days visiting 2 game camps in Botswana. Flying from Cape Town, we arrived at Maun Botswana, where we took this tiny Cessna Plane (Picture 1), skirting storms (Picture 2), and arriving at Kalahari Plains Camp. There are a couple companies that provide air taxi services between Maun and the various camps. This was our smallest plane. Our largest one held 12 passengers.

Most people have heard of the Kalahari Dessert, which straddles Botswana and Namibia. The plains are east of there and get slightly more rain, so they don't qualify as a desert. This is the rainy season and camp had recently received over 2 inches of rain, so everything seemed green and lush. With the abundance of water, elephants and giraffes had recently moved in from wetter regions.

We lived in a canvas-sided cabin, which is shown in Picture 3. We had screens on all sides to let in whatever breeze there was and keep us as cool as possible, which wasn't easy with temperatures in the 90s. At night the temperatures dropped into the 70s and we usually slept with a sheet, looking at lots of stars and listening to night sounds. The main building of the camp is shown in Picture 4. It contains eating areas and lounges. Food was excellent and we seemed to be eating all the time.

Morning started at 5:00 AM--need to get out and see the animals before the heat of the day. We had a quick breakfast at 5:30 and off in our vehicles by 6:00. Morning game drives lasted 5-6 hours, including a tea/coffee stop and a visit to the restroom--the local bushes. We had brunch around 11:00 and then it was siesta time until 4:00. At 4:00 we had tea and then were off on our late afternoon drive until about 7:00. When we returned it was time for dinner and then off to bed. 

We saw lots of game, although fewer species than we have seen in South Africa and Tanzania. Future blogs will include game pictures and stories.

Vehicles were open land rovers with canvas tops. Picture 5 shows our vehicle, stopped for sundowners--drinks at sunset. Picture 6 shows us at sunset. We were fortunate to have a vehicle and guide to ourselves. There were 2 large groups and us, so we were on our own.

The camp did decorate for Christmas (Picture 7), although it didn't look like one at home.

On Christmas Day we moved from Kalahari Plains to Machaba Camp in the Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta is the only delta system in the world that doesn't end in an ocean. The Okavango River breaks into channels, providing a very rich wetland system. It was rainy season and it rained every day--a lot. Everything felt damp and we were mud-splattered when we rode in our vehicles. Game was not as abundant as it was in the Plains, mainly because most of the elephants and buffalo migrate out of this very wet area in the rainy season.

Machaba is on the site of an old hunting camp that was built in the 50s. It's named after the Machaba tree. There's no longer any hunting, but the camp has been rebuilt in 1950s style, with modern amenities, such as bathrooms. Picture 8 shows the main part of the camp--a large tent containing dining area and lounge (Picture 9). Picture 10 shows the interior of our tent--spacious and open to the outdoors.

The schedule at Machaba was similar to Kalahari Plains, although we got to sleep in until 5:30. Rick did take a very peaceful canoe ride on the Kwai River, which is the channel where our camp was located. (Betsy's knees didn't like the idea of getting in and out). They stopped canoeing when hippos started appearing in the water!

As soon as we get game picture organized, we'll share them--lions, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, many kinds of antelope, zebras, elephants, crocodiles, giraffes, hippos and beautiful birds. It was a wonderful experience--a Christmas (and Rick's birthday) that was different, but one we'll never forget.

Robben Island

We visited Robben Island during our brief stop in Cape Town. It's about 7 miles offshore and the view back to Cape Town is impressive (Picture 1). Robben Island is best known as the prison where political prisoners were kept during Apartheid. Its best known prisoner, of course, was Nelson Mandela, who was on Robben Island for a little less than 20 years of his 27 years in prison. 

The entry gate (Picture 2) seems at odds with its role as a prison, but we learned that over  time it has served as a leper colony, an English prison during colonial times and an Allied outpost in WWII. But it's best known as the prison for various categories of non-whites who tried to make change happen during Apartheid.

All guides of the tours of the prison are past political prisoners. Our guide (Picture 3) was a prisoner in the 1980s. He was a member of the Underground, which encouraged non-whites to not carry their required identity cards and protest the government using peaceful means. He befriended another non-white and invited him to join the underground. Unfortunately, this "friend" was a member of the secret police. Our guide was arrested and told to sign a confession. He refused. They tied him in a bag and threw him in the river. They immediately pulled him out and told him to sign the confession or the next time he would stay in the water. He signed and spent most of the 80s on Robben Island.

Picture 4 shows one of the cell blocks. Picture 5 shows the most famous cell--the one Nelson Mandela occupied. For 8 hours a day, the prisoners worked in the limestone quarry. The limestone was never used for anything. One day the prisoners would cut and move limestone to point a. The next day they would move the limestone to point b. They could not talk and guards had permission to shoot to kill anyone causing a problem. Prisoners were fed based on their classification: colored, bantu, etc. You received the same food, but the amount differed. 

The tour is sobering, especially since your guide was there. Every 2 years the ex-prisoners are invited to return. They assemble at the limestone quarry and each adds a stone to an ever-growing cairn. The first year they assembled there were 1200. The next assembly will be the first since the passing of Nelson Mandela. Like our WWII veterans, the number of ex-prisoners continues to decline.

The final picture was taken 12/29 in Franschhoek, South Africa.  This statue was completed for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday and placed at the gates of the prison where he was incarcerated last.

Namibia

Namibia is beautiful. To some people it’s the world’s largest kitty litter box, but to those of us that love the desert, it’s breathtaking.

When the Europeans claimed Africa in the late 19^th century, the current country was called Southwest Africa and was claimed by the Germans. The Germans then massacred the Herero natives—10s of thousands—and moved other native groups to a concentration camp on Shark Island near Luderitz. German nastiness did not begin with Adolf Hitler! Following WWI, what is currently Namibia was annexed by South Africa, which was under British control. Finally, in 1990, Namibia became an independent country. It’s rich in minerals and would be considered a fast-developing country.

The thing to remember, however, is that it is a desert. As Picture 1 shows, you see sand as you drive along the highways, with the occasional train.

We spent the first day visiting the Namib Naukluft National Park by 4 X 4. The setting is almost a moon landscape, as picture 2 and 3 show. There is no rain here, although there is life in the desert. Picture 4 shows the lichen that grows on rocks. Most lichen is flat and conforms to the rock’s surface. This lichen, however is 3-dimentional and turns bright green when watered.

The national plant of Namibia is the Welvitschia plant, shown in Picture 5. These plants grown very slowly, often living over 1000 years, and are unique to Angola and Namibia.

On our second day, we visited Sandwich Harbor, which can only be reached by 4 X 4. We traveled over dunes (Picture 6) and across salt flats to reach this lovely harbor, where the British landed. The first ship to visit was the HMS Sandwich and the harbor became a favorite because fresh water was available over the first set of dunes. Picture 7 shows sandwich Harbor, with its beautiful coastline and dunes.  If you look carefully along the edge of the water, the black material looks like rock. It’s actually petrified mud.

The question arose about how dunes form. Picture 8 shows small dunes forming. Plants imbed themselves in the sand and dunes form around these plants.

On our third day we visited Luderitz. This was a town built by the Germans.  Picture 9 shows the view down the main street. It’s a town of 15,000 people and provides basic services to the surrounding mining areas. It looks German, including the lovely Lutheran church shown in Picture 10.

Namibia is a great place to visit—beautiful scenery, interesting animals and a fast-growing tourism industry.

We’re off to Cape Town in South Africa. We will leave the ship for 2 weeks and wander to Botswana to see the animals and then back to Cape Town for wine tasting and enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Cape.

Animals of Namibia

We have started to see interesting animals. Basically, Namibia has 2 types of animals: the ones that live in the ocean and the ones that live in the desert. Interestingly, the desert animals also survive other places in the world, but have adapted to this very arid environment.

The Walvis Bay area of Namibia is home to approximately 60,000 migrating flamingos. Picture 1 shows a small number of them. The Bay is also home to the lovely white pelicans shown in Picture 2. Finally, the cute fellow in Picture 3 is an adolescent Cape Fur Seal. He has separated from the pack to get some peace and quiet and rest. When he’s full-grown he’ll weigh 500 lb. or so. If we remember our zoology, fur seals are the only seals with ears.

Moving inland, our first finds were the behinds of ostriches (Picture 4). They moved quickly away from us as we approached.  Picture 5 is a Klipspringer—a small deer-like critter that’s about 2 feet tall to the top of his head. We used lots of zoom, so the picture is not as clear as we would like. Picture 6 shows a Jackal that’s very wary of people in 4 X 4s. They eat dead seals, birds and whatever they can scavenge in the beach area. Picture 7 shows Springbok, which are antelopes that survive on the flowers of a very scrubby-looking beach plant in the sand dunes.

It doesn’t rain in Namibia. The only moisture the plants and animals get is from a fog that rolls in overnight and hangs around until about 11:00 AM. They also get moisture from the plants they eat.  They’ve managed to adapt to this very harsh environment.

Angola & African Musings

We met a couple on a cruise (he was Jessie Helm’s cousin!) that told us they had visited every country on the UN country list. We asked the most difficult country to get into, expecting something like North Korea (they posed as missionaries to go there!). Instead, they named Angola. It was during the Civil War, they took a small boat across the Congo River from the Congo, put their feet on Angola soil and went back to the Congo. We visited Luanda Angola today on a cruise ship.

Angola was a Portuguese colony until 1975. Independence was followed by 27 years of Civil War. Since 2002, there has been peace and democracy, with much corruption. Our tour was very expensive and, when we questioned why it cost so much, were told that a lot of palms had to be greased!

Angola is still a dangerous country to visit—people are warned to not take off on their own. There are wonderful national parks to visit outside Luanda, but there are no roads and robbery and murders are common. We had a lovely morning in Luanda! We took the ship-provided tour—8 buses with about 20 passengers each, led by a motorcycle with siren and a van of people to assist us. The national television station videoed and we were treated like visiting royalty. Obviously, they want to develop a tourism business and we’re a start.

Luanda is a place of contrasts. As the city view in Picture 1 shows, there is construction everywhere. Unfortunately, new construction seems to take precedence over renovation of older colonial buildings (Picture 2). Across the street from the British Embassy, we found a shantytown for the city’s poor, filled with garbage (Picture 3).

Picture 4 shows their Cathedral, which was built in 1655 and is the cathedral of Angola and the Congo. Picture 5 shows the simple, but lovely interior—beautiful plasterwork above the altar, metal balconies around the sanctuary and polychrome statues of religious figures.

We did visit their Museum of Anthropology, which is housed in a renovated colonial building. Picture 6 shows a hallway with exhibits on the left and beautiful arched windows, with internal shutters. There weren’t a lot of exhibits and the vast majority of exhibits were behind glass, which made for difficult photography. Betsy’s favorite exhibit was the beautiful hand-woven textiles shown in Picture 7.

We also visited Fortress São Miguel, which was built in 1576 by the Portuguese. It sits on a hill above the city and it’s where Picture 1 was taken. The entrance today is a star-shaped arch (Picture 8) and it’s used as a Military Museum. We have little-to-no interest in Military Museums, but the 360-degree views were spectacular.

Our final stop was at the Mausoleum for António Angostinho Neto, the first president of an independent Angola (Picture 9). It’s quite large and impressive and photographs were not allowed inside the crypt. The best part, however, was the terrace on the 3^rd floor. From there we had views of the new Presidential Palace and government area (Picture 10). Photographs of the government building are not allowed, but a little distance and a little zoom makes anything possible!

It was a good morning. We feel like we know something about this country now. We will probably never come back, but we feel like we’ve finally gotten to a real piece of Africa.

We have had excellent lecturers that have made us think about the situation in Africa and it’s troubling. The following are thoughts in no particular order.

1)   In the late 19^th century, European countries met in Berlin and carved up Africa into nice random countries, without regard to tribal or religious boundaries. When the European nations left in the last half of the 20^th century, the country boundaries remained. When we question why there is constant civil war and military coups, it might be worthwhile to understand the underlying situation. Forcing people into boundaries that are of someone else’s making seldom works. Nigeria is a perfect example; it used to be 2 countries, Northern Nigeria, which was largely Muslim, and Southern Nigeria, which was largely Christian. Some British Governor decided to combine them to get a really big country. Now there’s Boko Haram in the North killing Christians there and kidnapping schoolgirls and converting them to Islam, while Christians in the south fight back.

2)   Population growth is out of control. In 1950 Africa’s population represented 4% of the world population. It is projected that in 2100, Africa will represent 40%. In many countries the AVERAGE number of children born per woman is 6. At the same time, droughts have reduced agricultural production. This is obviously unsustainable. One speaker expressed some hope that women are becoming a more powerful force in controlling their bodies and, in some countries, contributing significantly to their local and national governments. Maybe they can turn this problem around.

3)   Ebola is only one health problem here. New AIDs victims have been reduced, but AIDs remains a major concern. Malaria too remains an issue, although steps have been taken to eradicate the mosquitoes and provide netting for sleeping. There are water-born parasites that kill people regularly. Betsy’s theory on disease: if Ebola, malaria or parasites occurred in the United States or Europe, there would already be cures for these diseases. AIDs treatments are available because they DID occur in the United States and Europe. We have to make a serious effort to find cures for these diseases because they could become prevalent in the United States. Mosquitoes could hop an ocean to the tropical regions of the Americas and move north with climate change—“killer” bees did. What we don’t need are the scare tactics used by the press and politicians. We’ve shown we know how to TREAT these diseases in the United States, but it would be far better to ERADICATE them.

4)   A lot of financial aid to African countries is not getting to the people that need it. Many African countries are controlled by men who pocket the money. The number of attempted military coups in these countries is amazingly large. Interestingly, coups are often NOT about improving the country, but it’s more about more men wanting a piece of the money flowing into the country. The only way you can insure that money gets to the right people, is to deliver it directly. Sending people to fight Ebola has been far more effective then foreign aid.

5)   The people here need to understand more about the environment. Like the Amazon, the Congo River is the “lung” for tropical Africa. Unfortunately, land adjacent to the river is being cleared, reducing the oxygen the trees provide and causing flooding of the river. They need to understand good farming techniques to improve their ability to feed the people. They need to respect their wildlife, rather than decimating the rhinoceros and elephant populations for their horns and tusks.

6)   Finally, watch out for the Chinese. China is pouring huge amounts of aid into Africa. As we visit places we’re told about the dams, roads and other infrastructure the Chinese have built. In return, the Chinese got fishing rights off Cabo Verde, forestry rights in the Congo and oil from Angola. Today, Angola sends 10,000 barrels of oil per day to China; China pours in hundreds of millions of dollars (and Chinese workers) for infrastructure development and has provided a $2 billion loan. African countries are selling their “souls” to provide resources for the Chinese. Europe and the United States tend to help with social problems while the Chinese build things. The Chinese are currently “winning” the hearts and minds of the people of Africa.

I know this is depressing. It has certainly been a wake-up call for us. There are signs of hope. An African Union is slowly growing more powerful. Women are becoming active participants rather than repressed baby machines. Education is improving. Unfortunately, many problems regarding borders, coups and corruption require local solutions.  Wherever we can, we should help educate and improve these situation.  The health and environmental issues here could become our problems in our constantly changing world.

Bom Bom Island, São Tome and Principe

Bom Bom Island is part of the country of São Tome and Principe—2 islands off the coast of Africa at the “bend”. If you follow the West African coast, it turns east near Liberia and then south near Cameroon—we’re just off the coast of Cameroon. The country of São Tome and Principe is a former colony of Portugal. Bom Bom Island is a privately owned island with a small private resort. The owner is a very wealthy South African, who is trying to grow his business by allowing cruise ships to stop. The maximum guests staying at the resort is less than 100, so adding the 400 of us changes it from a quiet getaway to something more chaotic.

Picture 1 is the view from the ship. The small island in the front is Bom Bom, while the one in the background is Principe. Picture 2 shows how the 2 islands are connected by a wooden bridge. Picture 3 shows the beach from the wooden bridge. And Picture 4 shows the lava rocks along the coast.

It was a delightful day in the low 90s with high humidity (we’re almost to the equator). As Seabourn does in places like this, the staff served caviar and champagne in the surf. Since the Hubers’ don’t eat caviar, Picture 5 shows Rick drinking a little champagne—before noon!  Don’t be fooled, Betsy did too – Rick.

Cabo Verde Islands

We’ve known the Cabo Verde Islands as the Cape Verde Islands forever—and mainly known them as the place where the storms that become hurricanes start and where planes refuel on the long flight from South Africa to New York.  In 2012 the islands requested that the United Nations change their official name to Cabo Verde—the Portuguese version of Cape Verde. They’re proud of their Portuguese heritage, keeping Portuguese as their official language and building memorials to Portuguese explorers.

They gained their independence from Portugal in 1975 and have since developed what appears to be a well-functioning democracy. This is a developing country—people are very poor, but there’s universal education, trash collection and membership in the World Trade Organization. There are 10 islands in the country, 9 inhabited. Recently, the island of Fogo has been plagued by an erupting volcano and people have been evacuated. Plans are being put in place in case the island must be totally evacuated—a non-trivial task since that island has no airport.

We visited 2 of the other islands. Our first stop was on São Vicente at the main port of Mindelo. This island was depressing. The downtown area is not filled with pretty colonial buildings, the markets are not bustling and our granddaughters have a larger library than the island. Our guide spoke poor English and is currently studying to be an English teacher—3 years to go.

The African (fruit and vegetable) market is in a lovely building (Picture 1), but few people were there at 9:30 in the morning. Fruit is imported, most vegetables are from the other islands, but there’s a bustling herbal business, where the herbs are used for medicinal reasons. The fish market (Picture 2) handles the daily catch, which is mostly tuna. Fish is relatively cheap on the island—tuna is the equivalent of 5 Euros for a kilo (2.2 lbs.) and mackerel is 5 fish for a Euro. They eat very little meat, but lots of fish. While we couldn’t catch it in the picture, they use a can the size of a tuna can, with holes punched in the bottom, to clean the scales from the fish.

The people from this island are known for their music scene and we visited a shop where they make guitars (Picture 3). The ones being made are small guitars, used by groups emulating their musical icon, who died 3 years ago, Cesaria Evora. We also saw 6-, 7-, 10- and 12-string guitars that had been made by hand in this shop.

We traveled up Monte Verde and had some wonderful views of the harbor (Picture 4) and the island itself, which is very arid. Down at sea level, we visited one of the black lava rocks and sand beaches (Picture 5).

Overnight we moved to Santiago Island in the south of the group and docked in the Capital of Cabo Verde, Praia, which translates as “beach”. This island is more affluent and much less depressing. It’s a beautiful island with a checkered past. Slaves departed for Europe and the Americas from Cidade Velha on the island and pirates attacked that town, forcing movement of the capital to its present location on a plateau.

We wandered around town, enjoying the interesting, but dilapidated, colonial buildings. Our first amazing stop was the fruit and vegetable market, which was just the opposite of the one in Mindelo—so busy we could barely walk through it. Picture 6 shows a view across the market. This market is run by the women, most dressed in brightly colored tops with colorful pieces of cloth wrapped around like skirts. Many had frilly aprons—I guess for collecting money—and most had another piece of cloth wrapped around there middle. Picture 7 shows one woman dressed traditionally, walking into the market with her load on her head. They create a “doughnut” from a piece of fabric that rests on their head to make if flat. Most don’t even hold on to whatever is on top of their head. They’re usually carrying other things in their arms—very impressive.

We traveled out to Cidade Velha to visit the old capital, which is now a World Heritage Sight. Picture 8 shows some of the beautiful countryside—deep valleys and mountains, up to 4000 feet. Once in Cidade Velha, we walked down their original “Main Street”, called Rue Banana because it curves like a banana(Picture 9). The street was lined with small stone and brick cottages. Along the way we came across this young woman and her baby (Picture 10). The women seem to always have an extra piece of cloth that becomes baby carrier or the “doughnut” for putting things on top of their head.

We also found this lovely church (Picture 11), which is the oldest church in western Africa—Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Our Lady of the Rosary).

Finally we returned to the main square, which is today a tourist market. 150-350 years ago, however, it was the slave market. Picture 12 shows where slaves were sold and punished. Slaves would stand on the steps, where they were sold. The ring on the post was where they were tied when they were whipped. The metal bars extending from the top were where the slaves were hung for transgressions. It was chilling and depressing to think what went on in this one small place.

We learned 2 interesting things about slavery. First of all, Africans had slaves. Women would weave the fabric bands they use around their waist and for 60 of these they could purchase a slave.  We also learned that after slavery was forbidden, this island had a serious economic downturn because so much of their livelihood depended on the slave trade. When Portugal didn’t rescue them financially, the idea of independence was planted. One has trouble sympathizing with the economic woes of losing the slave trade, but the economics of slavery are interesting….

We did drive up into the mountains and saw some lovely scenery, but gloom and mist made for less than optimum pictures, so we just have memories.

We’re now passing 6 days at sea, avoiding the ebola-infected areas of West Africa. We did have stops in Sudan and Ghana cancelled because of fears. Our next stop is Bom Bom Island in the micro-nation of São Tome and Principe. More then…..