Namibia! – Hello Mama Africa!
Game Drive at Gocheganas Lodge, Namibia
Day 1- Arrival in Windhoek, Namibia and Gocheganas Lodge
The government of Namibia invited World and Olympic sprint champion Ambassador Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and her husband, Jason, for an official visit to their nation. Myself and three other friends (Peta-Gay, Serika and Nicolle), as well as Shelly’s social media admin Sherie, comprised the remainder of her delegation. Shelly has been a friend of mine since our days at Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls. So no, she didn’t just up and invite me on this trip out of nowhere (in response to the “So how you get to travel with Shelly?” questions usually asked with a tone of the utmost incredulity). :p
Airport Welcome
When we landed in Windhoek, everyone was dying to stretch out a bit, freshen up a bit etc. Little did we know what was awaiting us. As we stepped off the plane: cameras, people cameras, noise, excitement! We were met by a sizable party on the tarmac and quickly whisked away into a press conference. We hardly knew what was happening. There were welcome speeches from government officials, Shelly had to speak, dancing, photos- and all while we were also trying to sort out luggage and immigration details behind the scenes. All on the heels of a nearly 15 hour flight from NYC to Johannesburg and then another 2 hour flight to Windhoek!!
Following that we were again whisked away in luxury vehicles into the city for a motorcade around Windhoek’s downtown (during which, I’ll admit, I fell asleep), and then impromptu visit to Namibia’s parliament. (Still hadn’t had a chance to eat or freshen up at this point).
By the end of it all, I believe we were a little zombie –like. That is until we entered the gates of Gocheganas nature reserve!! … And almost immediately saw a giraffe. That excitement was short-lived as it took nearly another 10 minutes to actually get to the hotel.
Hello Mama Africa!
We examined the rooms, which were quite fab I must say. I was particularly enamored with the outdoor shower! Took a peek of the view from the patio just in time to see a warthog scuttle by. We had been told that a few of us would be able to receive massages if we made it down to the spa in time before they closed off. You know who did!! It was just what was needed after 2 days of non-stop activity. After the massage I went for a swim in the indoor heated pool which had an amazing view.
We were supposed to have dinner in the city that night, but thankfully it was cancelled (the resort is about 45mins out of town). That night was P Gee’s birthday and so we had a nice dinner together at the resort restaurant, and she was surprised with a cake. At dinner I had the first of several experiments with new game meat. I chose a Hartebeest steak as my main. Quite yummy!
Happy Birthday P- Gee!
Ok guys…. I initially wanted to write up this trip in the way that I usually do. However there is just so much to say that I fear I might never finish it. So I’m going to try a slightly different approach. I will focus on the pictures and write some narrative around them.
Day 2- Game Drive, Meeting Officials, Official Welcome Dinner
First thing we had our first taste of safari with the morning’s game drive.
Safari Chic
Giraffes 🙂
We saw (by no means a definitive list) ostriches, guinea fowl , herds of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, oryx, springbok. Unfortunately we did not catch sight of the elusive rhinos.
We had a quick breakfast out on the reserve before we had to pack up quickly and get going as we were already running late for the days’ other engagements.
Our first stop was a courtesy call to the office of the Sports Minister, who had greeted us at the airport the day before. There was another press conference of sorts and we each received a little bag of souvenirs.
(photo credit: Sherie Ranston/ SFP social media)
We also called at the head offices of Namibia Wildlife Resorts, who run several of the properties that we stayed at. We then got a very brief chance to explore the street a bit (bodyguards, yes bodyguards in tow).
I must say I did not really enjoy lunch. We were taken to Xwama, a traditional style restaurant. One of the first things I noticed in the buffet options, were the Mopane worms… which are not worms actually, but rather caterpillars. Did that help? I decided to try, as when in Rome… right? I must say I did not enjoy them. To me they had a bitter taste, however another of our party thought the heads tasted like shrimp so there’s that!!
umm…
Shelly then had a speaking engagement at the Hage Geingob high school (named for their president) in one of the poorer areas of Windhoek, Katutura. So after a quick change into our Pocket Rocket Foundation shirts we were off .
Shelly had one more speaking engagement at a stadium nearby and then we hurried back to the hotel just in time to spin around and get ready for dinner. That night we attended a formal welcome dinner which was hosted at the Hilton Windhoek.
Welcome Dinner at the Hilton, Windhoek
Day 3- The Omaheke Region, The Harnas Wildlife Foundation, Drimiopsis and the San People, Waterberg
Today marked our first day of cross- country travel. We ventured into the Omaheke region. After Shelly made a brief courtesy call to the regional governor, we headed to the Harnas Wildlife Foundation. Harnas has been actively involved in the care, rehabilitation and rescue of neglected, abused and abandoned animals for the last 30 years. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are patrons.
Stevie the lion gives Shelly a scare. lol!
Beautiful Leopard giving us the death stare
Chameleon!
Baby cheetahs!
After lunch at Harnas, we had to hit the road right away once again. This time we were headed to a school in Drimiopsis. This school one of facilities that children of the San people (more commonly known as “Bushmen”) have access to for their education.
Seeing the San up close and personal was amazing. They have very striking features and once you see a San person, there is absolutely no doubt that they are San. Their traditional lifestyle in the desert has been ongoing for thousands of years. The San are an indigenous hunter-gatherer group native to regions across Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, South Africa etc). While many of members of the tribe no longer live the original lifestyle and have integrated more with the modern world, their ties to their culture is very strong.
San girls dancing
While these girls have great ambitions career wise, and are very much a part of the modern world, they still maintain a very deep connection with their traditions.
That night we stayed at Waterberg Resort. Unfortunately we did not get to take in much of what I hear is a beautiful property, as we arrived in darkness and left the following morning before dawn. This was a great pity especially as we had travelled for hours on a mostly gravel road to get there.
Stay tuned for the second installment!
