Cheetah. Fightah.

One of the great things we've done in Africa is spend a day at the Cheetah Conservation Fund near Otjiwarango, Namibia. Established in 1990 by American Dr. Laurie Marker, the Cheetah Conservation Fund strives to help cheetahs long-term by increasing awareness about the cheetah's plight and providing a safe haven for orphaned cats. They also do research and local education for farmers and students, and even provide working dogs for farms which will protect livestock, and in turn, effectively protect cheetahs from being culled by farmers.



The first thing we saw at CCF was the morning "cheetah run". Hermione, Harry, and Ron are three resident CCF cats that share a pen, and every morning get their exercise by effectively chasing a rag on a string at high speed -- a similar game one might play with a housecat, only deadlier. These cats chased the coloured rag at speeds of up to 45 kph over 500m shaped into a large square and were rewarded with scraps of meat at the end. To see a cheetah stalking prey and running at it (and towards you!) at high speed was impressive, awesome -- and also somewhat terrifying. One misstep and we could have been cheetah chow, since we were inside the pen with the trainers and volunteers.



After the cheetah run we drove into the larger resident cheetah pens for a safari, and paid a visit to some of the locals -- girls like Hershey, Toblerone, and Chanel, and the boys: Darwin, Livingstone, and Armani. These animals were rescued as oprhaned cubs after their mothers were killed, often by farmers who (wrongly) believed that their livestock were endangered by the presence of cheetahs. Now that these animals are fully grown, they can't be returned to the wild, because they were never properly trained to hunt by their mothers. Instead, they are fed and exercised every day at CCF -- they chase the feeding truck at high speed as their lunch is tossed from the back! Some of them will soon be traveling to the United States for breeding purposes.

Cheetahs are fascinating. They're beautiful, fast, and deadly -- just like me. (Haha.) They're also endangered, and for this reason, CCF will continue to exist for a long time.

Thanks, CCF, for helping our cheetahs and our planet.

The Adventure Continues

What IS this place anyway?

Five days ago we stayed at a campsite in north-western Namibia and I got to hold a Meerkat (cue "The Lion King", Timon!) The local springbok wandered through the bar and lounge, and I showered that night in the desert under the stars while a local tribe played music nearby. The next morning we visited rock paintings over 2000 years old. To stand in front of these rudimentary yet somehow sophisticated paintings that have literally survived ages was a humbling experience.

The next night we stayed at another site with an elephant watering hole. Also, with about 30 resident elephants. We stood transfixed (and upwind!) while they drank their fill, splashed about, and had dust baths. Babies nursed and the mothers broke branches from nearby trees. That day, we saw different ancient rock engravings which depicted the transformation of shamans and healers into various animals -- giraffes, springbok, cheetahs, lions.

Camping beside the Zambezi River means that we must be on the alert for roaming crocodiles and hippos, which snort and snarl all night like a band of giant, angry, aquatic pigs. Driving through the desert and countryside, we stumble upon bands of elephants foraging for lunch. Kudu and springbok bound across the streets, and warthogs trot alongside the tarmac as we speed by.

The other day we ventured to see the famous Victoria Falls. I can finally say without a doubt that I have finally seen a natural waterfall which dwarfs Niagara -- and yes, I am still a proud Canadian.

It's hot here, impossibly so. We have left Namibia for Botswana. In the last two weeks, we have seen and done more than I can possibly describe. The contrast of natural awesomeness and devastating poverty and desperation is, at times, overwhelming. My mind reels with the complexity of it all; it is impossible to comprehend, even when you find it staring you in the face.

I am seeing Africa as best I can, but I cannot begin to understand it.

This is Africa II

Never before have I seen anything like this.

In Fish River Canyon, we stood awestruck at the enormousness of it all, and marvelled at the emptiness. The Grand Canyon might be bigger, but it certainly can’t beat being one of the only four people having breakfast at the viewpoint of Fish River Canyon in southern Namibia.



In Sossusvlei, we watched the sand dunes, red and orange in the blistering heat of midday, change to brown at sunset and again to gold at sunrise. The undulated ridges and waving surface contrasted with the sky, which was purple and pink at one side of the horizon, and orange and red at the other.



In Namib-Naukluft Park, the plains stretched out to the far, far mountains. We were utterly alone except for the zebras, warthogs, and ground squirrels whose home we invaded for the night.

In Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, the sand dunes touch the raging ocean, and the salty mists shroud both sleepy towns in a chilly blanket. North of here, on the Skeleton Coast, rusting shipwrecks rest in their salty, shifting graves before being swallowed by the sea.



Nomadic tribespeople walk through city parks. Baobabs and quiver trees stretch from desert sand to blue sky. A million stars twinkle against inky blackness.

I can't wait to see what else Africa has in store for us.

This is Africa

We’re a week into our Southern Africa 4x4 sojourn, and have spent a quiet day in the coastal Namibian “city” of Swakopmund recharging and relaxing. Let’s recap what’s happened so far:

Day 1: Alan and Catherine arrive in Cape Town. We are late to pick them up, but our defence is that they arrived at the airport at 5:00 am. From there we drive a bit up to Chapman’s Peak and have “THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS IN CAPE TOWN.”

Day 2: We take our guests to see our friends the penguins at SANCCOB and buy supplies for our upcoming trip. The truck we have rented arrives, and is missing the following things:

• Maps, spare key,and GPS as promised
• A working tire jack
• A usable spare tire release rod
• Four functional tires (the two in front are bubbling off of the rims, and one of the rear tires is a road tire. On an off-road vehicle.)
• A second spare tire (***this is important later.***)
• A functioning interior cabin light
• Cattle/bull bars on the front of the truck
• Extra tank for fresh drinking water
• A functioning front passenger seat belt. Luckily, the front seat slides forward and backwards, so you can adjust your seat to fit the seat belt, which does not move.
• A full tank of diesel
• A functional brake light/tail light

Day 3: We depart after running around Cape Town to pick up the new tires, GPS, and diesel which were thoughtfully left out. We spend the night alone in Garies and wonder why the night in Africa is so freaking cold.

Day 4: Enter Richtersveld National Park in northern South Africa and enjoy a terrifying 4x4 route complete with sand, big rocks, and 45 degree inclines. At our campsite, a friendly neighbour offers us a bottle of wine, two bottles of drinking water, and some firewood. We like South Africans.

Day 5: Drive to the Orange River, still in Richtersveld. It takes us five hours to drive 40 km to our campsite, which is supposedly remote and rustic, but is crawling with tourists. We choose a shaded spot next to the river, and a local family promptly drives up and sets up their tent and diesel generator next to us. We wait until they finish setting up, and then drive two sites over. We like South Africans less. Discover that the compressor for the tires doesn’t work properly and that the cigarette charger has been blown (and no, it wasn’t the fuses.)

Day 6: Cross the border into Namibia. The border is the Orange River, and we are taken across on a small pontoon. It’s the quickest border crossing I’ve ever encountered. We’re in Namibia!

Day 7: Head to Fish River Canyon and get a flat tire as soon as we pull into the campsite parking lot. Have a nice dinner.

Day 8: Wake up early to see the sunrise over the knee-buckling grandeur of Fish River Canyon. Realize it’s overcast, sleep a bit more. Also realize that the transmission in our car is dead after visiting three mechanics in the desert of Namibia. The 4x4 part of our 4x4 doesn’t work, and we have only a 4x2, which puts a serious dent in our plans.

Day 9: Drive to Sesreim, home of Sossusvlei and some of the biggest sand dunes in Africa. Visit a sand dune for sunset after waiting three hours in the hot desert for the truck company to call us back. Nearly have a heart attack trying to climb the dune, since it’s the only exercise we’ve had in a week.

Day 10: Wake up ridiculously early to see the sunrise over Sossusvlei. We can’t drive there ourselves, since our 4x4 is now a 4x2. Wait for a shuttle to take us to the dunes for sunrise, which never shows. Instead, we watch the sun rise over the outhouses in the Namibian Desert, five kilometres from Sossusvlei. The shuttle shows up 40 minutes after sunrise, and we get on it. Temporary replacement arrives from truck rental company, and is much smaller than our original truck. Has no jumper cables or proper stove, but two dining tables. We shove everything into it and move on.

Day 11: Enter the Namib-Nakluft Park for more 4x4ing, since we now have a 4x4. We camp for the night at a lovely site patrolled by gigantic baboons.

Day 12: Fail to complete 4x4 trail as we’d hoped, since the new truck lacks the suspension and power to go over the rocks. Leave the park and stop for lunch in Solitaire, where we run over a piece of barbed wire and get a second flat. Luckily this new truck has two spares. The apple pie in Solitaire is really good. Spend the night at a very remote site in Namib-Nakluft Park, where we are visited by warthogs and zebras, who clearly don’t mind that we haven’t had showers.

Day 13: Drive to Walvis Bay, realize there’s nothing there. Drive on to Swakopmund, a neat little Germanicized (?) town along the coast, and camp at a lovely site where we have get to park on grass for the first time ever and have our own private bathroom. We are ecstatic until the fog and mist and chilly wind move in. Sealing the rooftop tents up tightly for warmth means I wake up at 4:00 am with chilly condensation water dripping onto my face and neck, Chinese water-torture style.

Day 14: Have a relaxing day off in Swakopmund, only to find that since it’s Sunday, half of the shops, restaurants, cafes, and pubs we wanted to visit are closed. Find out that the guy we’ve been dealing with at the truck rental company has gone on vacation for a week and left no instructions for anyone. Then find out that since it’s the weekend, the truck hasn’t even been looked at and won’t be done for at least three days, meaning delivery in Swakopmund, as originally planned, will not be happening.

We’re out of here tomorrow. Onwards and upwards!

p.s. Photos? Pfft. Are you kidding? This is Africa.

Plunging Back In

Catherine and Alan have arrived, and we're getting ready to leave Cape Town in a fully loaded and completely packed Toyota Hilux quad-cab 3.0 litre diesel "bakkie" (pickup truck.) There are a few problems with it, like the fact that one tire AND the spare are completely wrecked, the interior light doesn't work, and we have no GPS. It'll get sorted.

In the meantime, we're enjoying each other's company and getting ready to head into the wilds of Namibia and Botswana. Internet may be sporadic, but I will try to update Love and Chopsticks whenever I can, including photos. Otherwise I've scheduled a few posts to tide you over until we return to civilization.

Peace, people. Peace and love.