Windhoek

I am leaving Windhoek tomorrow, but not before I take a tour of the famous Windhoek brewery. I figure with the experience I have had sampling beer over the years as well as watching Riopelle, Mikey, and Mike brew it should be interesting. The city is growing on me, I guess now that everything isn't closed (which reminded me of Cuba). There still are things around town that do remind me of Cuba:



The best part is that the cross street here is Robert Mugabe Ave. Up next: Fish River Canyon.

photos

This is the scorpion that stung me. I found it on my swimming trunks. I didn't find it when I was putting them on, just moving them in the morning. Fortunately, the sting was not serious, and felt like a bug bite.






This is a picture at Augrabies National Park. The canyon here reminds me of Big Bend National Park in Texas. Desert on top, and a sheer canyon with a little river in the bottom. The Orange River, which makes the canyon, was running pretty low, and is all dammed well above the canyon. I was told that once they fill the reservoirs above, they let out lots of water and the waterfall at the canyon and the river become even more impressive.

Namibia

I am now in Namibia, after having spent way more time at Augrabies than I expected. It was an amazing place, with great people, and a spectacular canyon. In my opinion, the canyon is very much under-utilized in terms of recreation. There are amazing areas where hiking trails could be added and canyoneering routes could be established. In some way the national park there reminds me of the same old national park formula where they expect you to drive in, walk to the vista, drive through the game park and then leave. It is not set up to spend time exploring, nor does the park staff encourage it. Nevertheless, I did get out and wander around a bit. I wish I could share photos, but the USB connection here at the internet place doesn't have any that work (or something like that - although English is the official language of Namibia and I am in the capital, people don't speak too much of it).

I'll try to post some later, because I am not sure that my words of Augrabies canyon can do it justice. As for now, I am arranging transport to Fish River Canyon, and trying to settle back into a city, which is a bit challenging after being in the desert under a blanket of brilliant stars. But, it was time to move on to the reason why I am in this area in the first place (Fish River Canyon). I figure that I also need to spend some time reflecting on Augrabies and all the social, economic, and political issues I saw. All the issues left me with a hard question that I am not yet sure how to answer: what can I contribute and what do I have to offer? I am sure those are questions I will continue to ask, and perhaps answer without necessarily knowing. But, as they say, we'll burn that bridge when we get there.

Augrabies

I have spent the past few days on a river trip just beyond Augrabies Falls, and I will include pictures later. For now though, I'll just include a journal entry I made this week:

August 8, 2005 Orange River:
Here I am on the Namibian side of the Orange River camping for the night. Not the way I expected to enter Namibia. You know, it might make an interesting Watson project to follow rivers that make borders between countries...

Even though I am in Namibia, you wouldn't know it from looking around. It just looks like a small river in the middle of a huge desert. I made the mistake of pitching my tent atop a hill and it is quite windy. I guess that's what you trade for a view. It's nice to be out of the city and into the remote wild.

The canyon is a loose, open canyon, but like so many it is without people. I wonder if, like the Anasazi, there were once people in this area, because it is such a ribbon of life in the midst of such a harsh climate. Outside of 100 meters or so from the river the temperature goes up and the life dwindles away. Although it has actually been rather chilly here, I guess it is the heart of winter.

I am excited to know more about this section of the Orange River and its history. In a funny way, I feel like I have finally begun my exploration and I am loving it. The owner of this company is working on a management proposal for the area, and I will be excited once we get back to read it, talk with him, and meet some of the other people involved in the process. It is no doubt quite complicated, given South Africa's complex and often troubled history. It's funny, I may have a sense of the management of an area before I even have seen the major gorge that I came for (the Augrabies National Park and falls). Of course, we'll see about all of this.

In the mean time, the sun is setting - another strange thing about being in the Southern Hemisphere this time of year, the days are super short again - and dinner is on.

Cape Town

In some ways I felt last night like college prepared me well for Cape Town. Perhaps, you are thinking, it was that comparative politics course where we studied South Africa. While helpful, that course was nothing compared with the training I received in falling asleep when the rest of the world just wants to have a party.

Here in Cape Town I have a room right on a big, busy, party street, complete with African Drumming from one bar, The Postal Service from another bar, and honking and revelry from the street. Not unlike Tacoma.

Beyond my accommodations, I am happy to finally be here in Africa after the week delay. Cape Town is as beautiful as they all say although I have not been able to climb Table Mountain because, the "tablecloth has been on."

I spent yesterday touring Robben Island, where so many political prisoners were kept during apartheid. Standing in one of those small cells, exactly like the one where Nelson Mandela was, you can't help but get a tear in the eye for all the people oppressed, killed, and jailed as they struggled merely for freedom and opportunity. The tour was an unbelievable experience, although it is strange to take a tour of a jail and line up to snap pictures of Nelson Mandela's cell. Far more powerful, I think, to spend a few moments of quiet solitary reflection in some remote part of the jail like so many of the prisoners must have.

I leave Cape Town on Sunday and head north toward Namibia and some smaller canyons before Fish River. It'll be nice to be out of the bar/nightlife scene and into some quieter lands.