Mainly Namibia

[RooFlyer]

But right under our noses was something else







I don’t think I’ve shown this guy before just sitting there

 

[Black Duck]

Absolutely wonderful photos. Thank you. I am looking forward to more.

 

[RooFlyer]

Absolutely wonderful photos. Thank you. I am looking forward to more.

Thank you. For some reason I wasn’t expecting this part of the trip to be all that overwhelming hence not in the title but it’s all coming together nicely.

About to leave for this afternoon‘s game drive; it must be nearly 30° but it’s going to be very cold when we get back so I’m in short sleeve shirt with jumper and jacket in hand.

Departures lounge

 

[BriarFlyer]

Cuteness overload. Thank you for the multitude of elephant bub pic's, @RooFlyer.

 

[kookaburra75]

View attachment 402693

But right under our noses was something else

I don’t think I’ve shown this guy before just sitting there

Thanks for taking the time to put together the report, and absolutely fantastic photos.

But I have been hanging out for a particular animal, which is in the background behind the elephants, to do the ultimate Dad joke.
"We've had the Head Lions, now for the Gnus. " (Boom tishhh )

 

[kpc]

I will post one photo as I don't want to hijack @RooFlyer 's TR.

Photo taken just over a week ago at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia.

 

[Quickstatus]

Amazing.
Why is Giraffe not part of the "Big Five"

 

[tgh]

I will post one photo as I don't want to hijack

I have also been itching kpc, but have refrained….

 

[Pushka]

I will post one photo as I don't want to hijack

I have also been itching kpc, but have refrained….

Maybe a dedicated "Wildlife I have seen while travelling" thread? Much more interesting than the "Famous People I have seen" one.

 

[Seat0B]

Those baby elephants……

And there seem to be quite a good number of them too.

 

[RooFlyer]

Post #70

look closely in the middle on the side of the hill what do you see? Answer in a later post. No spoilers please.

there is an elephant just to the south west of the centre of the photograph - grey speck. We’ve seen several halfway up these hills. I never realised they would do that. Getting at some fresher feed I’m told.

 

[ellen10]

Absolutely wonderful photos. Thank you for sharing.

 

[RooFlyer]

I have also been itching kpc, but have refrained….

I don't mind the odd pic here and there - especially as you are currently doing the rounds too!

 

[RooFlyer]

Afternoon game drive. I was in anew group of newbies, so it was 'from the start'.

Stopped at the waterhole edge just outside the gate. I said above that I thought the waterholes were topped up in the Dry - yes, they are. A boreole constanly feeds into the waterhole. Here an elephant is standing over the bore, snorking up the fresh water directly.





Another elephant feeding on a thorny bush acacia. First it stomped on it, breaking the main stems (about an inch thick)



Then takes the stem into its mouth and delicately strips the bark off it, which is all it will eat. A lot of work for not much nutrition.



Then we went looking for the lions we saw yesteray - still within a couple of km of the lodge. With a bit of back-an-forth with the other vehicles, we found the two males having a snooze.

Then the cheetah from yesterday. It was think and hadn't eaten for about 4 days according to the ranger. It was on the lookout for some nearby impala but unfortunately the three game vehicles got in is way. When it walked off, we went to follow but the pax agreed we should break off and move on.

 

[RooFlyer]

Not a lot else new that afternoon.

We stopped for sundowners by a hillside





Nearby was an elephant and little one. Mum decided to go for a walk up the hill and baby followed (with difficulty)





Now I know many of you will have been very disappointed that I haven't shown more rocks. TBH, the rocks here are some of the most boring in existence. Uniform, and common dolerite/diabase. So here's just one shot to satisfy people.



And off we drive back to the lodge.

 

[zig]

The bar has been set very high for Namibia.

 

[RooFlyer]

Not much of the lodge food posted; it was OK, without being brilliant. Final meal of gemsbock. Very tender and delicious.



Picked up at 7 the next morning by my Day Trip ride back to JNB. Egyptian geese gave me a send-off



Same river and coughpy car, but no incidents this time. We took the same border-hugging road west to the main highway between J'burg and Gaborone. Massive queue of trucks waiting to cross the border. Cars do not have to wait behind them.









Car park of a petrol station rest stop. Car remote jamming allows a locked car to be opened.



After 5 hours, JNB nears, and a welcome sight.

 

[RooFlyer]

I checked in on-line so went straight to security - little problem (only laptops out - no worry of liquids & gels). Immigration was slow - again agent chatting to guys next to her booth. Fingerprinted - all 10 - and photographed ... on the way out??

To the SAA business lounge. I would rate it as OK except for the pervading small of stale cigarette smoke and the complete failure of the wi-fi over the 2 hours I was there. Occasionally would pop up at 1mbps but mostly unusable. Lounge said it was always like this.

There is a smoking booth but the odour seemed to come from the food preparation area.

Entry





Bar. Limited wines

 

[RooFlyer]

The flight was delayed, but I wandered down to the gate anyway. We were departing from gate 5, and yes, the screen there said SA76 to Windhoek. But no plane there nor any staff at the gate. There was only one Gate 5 - no A or B





Went back up to the lounge and enquired where the plane was. Reply is that its arrived, and is being cleaned. I said its not there - reply was that its gate 5 but parked a little way away. Busses then? No, its there and boarding should start shortly.

So I walked back down and this, co-incidentally photographed where my plane is, on the left.



Anyway, boarding was called, with no-one at the gate - BPs were scanned half way down a ramp an then we walked via corridors across to the plane. Pretty strange.

And as I boarded, another plane was at Gate 5



SAA A320, 6 rows of 2-2



1A for me. Decent leg room. Seat comfortable enough. SA business allows 2 x 8kg carry-on.





Lunch or ox-tail and polenta. It wasn't bad. Couple of G&Ts to start and a chenin blanc



Approaching Namibia



I wonder what national policies result in such a difference across either side of the border. Botswana on the left Namibia on the right.

 

[RooFlyer]

Really annoyingly, there was an arrival form for Namibia that wasn't offered in-flight but just on the shelf by the door on departure. Quite detailed and I had to pause in the immigration area to fill it out. Rookie error. Meanwhile a bunch of ?Chinese past by me, blank forms. SO immigration took about 30 mins; would have been half that or less if I had my form filled out.

Met at Arrivals by a lift to my hotel provided by Intrepid tour people. 'Gondwana group' providing the lift. Its a major up-market lodge group here, also does car rentals. Definitely check them out if you are renting here. We are staying at a number of Gondwana lodges during the tour.



Nice guy - directed me to a SIM place as I hadn't been able to get my Flexiroam Africa special sim to work. 25GB plus local calls and texts for abt A$25, physical SIM. Some a-hole local with 2 Italians in tow pushed in front of me. So I got the other agent when he was free and I was out the door before the Italians. Ya just gotta be organised.

Drive to town about 25 minutes - airport is waaaaaay out there. Its about 25 degrees (max of 30), but chilling quickly.





I have a night at The Weinberg on the edge of town, then another night here with the tour. Its a really nice, up-market place. Complex of hotel, restaurants and condos. Only 2 room levels in the hotel - maybe 40 rooms in all.

THE WEINBERG

THE WEINBERG

store.gondwana-collection.com

I'm in room 3 - I think the lowest room number I've ever had. Great room - good, powerful aircon; Sth African, Euro and USBA sockets around.

Bed is quite firm though.