Orange River Rafting in Namibia

    I have been delaying writing this blog post because I do not have many pictures to accompany it at the moment. However, it's too good to wait any longer. Last weekend I embarked on a 5 day rafting trip on the Orange River in Namibia with 8 of my housemates, our landlord David, 10 kids from Stanford, and two other volunteers who live down the street. IT WAS AMAZING. But before I get to that, I have to be honest- I was nervous about going. I had never been camping/rafting for that long or camping without toilet facilities or without a tent or carrying everything with us on rafts from place to place before. Because it's South Africa and everyone has a much more relaxed attitude about everything here, David really did not give us much information about the trip other than the cost and dates we would be going. So, it was a dive into the unknown going on this trip. I put my name down on the list and trusted that everything would work out…and amazingly, it did.

This is a general map to show the relative location we were. We traveled down a portion of the Orange River that is the border between South Africa and Namibia.

    Thursday afternoon we all piled into a bus and were driven the 10 hours to the Namibian border. After two hours going through customs and filling out forms at the Namibian border (Surprise! They don't have pens to fill out forms, so bring your own), we finally made it to the Amanzi Trails base camp around 3am. Everyone was exhausted, so we hopped off the bus, rolled out our sleeping bags and slept right there on the ground under the moon and the stars. The next morning we awoke to a shining sun and the promise of a great beginning to a great adventure. As we packed our gear in dry bags, ate breakfast, and went through some safety tips, someone asked David if there was a time by which we were trying to leave. He looked at her, laughed, and said, "do you see a watch on my wrist?" And that's how the whole weekend operated-syncing with nature instead of a clock. We woke up when the sun rose, we ate lunch when it was directly above, and we made camp for the night as the sun went down.

Rafts and Orange River- that's me with the towel on the right. (Photo cred. Zan Zurawski)

    Each day we would paddle our rafts along the river stopping to set up lunch wherever we pleased, and then continuing until we pulled off the river for the day. There were 2 people to each raft, except for David and our other guide Albert who were alone on a raft with extra supplies. Each raft carried a cooler, the dry bags and sleeping mats of its riders, and any extra supplies necessary. Spending each day on the river was amazing. The river alternated between stretches of 1 or 2 star rapids (think a little worse than a choppy lake) and stretches of calm. We would paddle along until the sun got to us and then jump off our rafts and swim as we floated along. As the day neared afternoon, David would pick a spot along the shore for lunch. Sandwiches, juice, and a bit of chocolate would energize us for the rest of the day as we headed back onto the river. Then, when the sun seemed to be dipping behind the mountains, David would scout out a place along the shore again to make camp for the night. David spoiled us with dinners of chicken, African pizza, steak & potatoes, and a traditional Cape meal (I don't know how to spell the name of it, but I'm definitely getting the recipe!). Our nights were spent sharing stories, laughing at our misadventures, and stargazing at the gems smattering the night sky. Wherever we decided to stay for the night, we would pull out our sleeping bags and sleep under the stars on the sand, mud, or whatever happened to be covering the ground in the area. Throughout the night I would wake up and watch as the moon rose and travelled across the sky until it disappeared pulling the sun behind it.

Sarah and I just paddling along!

Setting up camp at the end of Day 1

   Each morning we would have breakfast of bacon and eggs over the fire, cereal, or a breakfast scramble before packing up all our gear again and getting back on the river. Throughout the day we would fill up our water bottles in the river where the water was churning the most. It was not exactly clear, but it tasted just fine to us! There were a couple of other groups on the river, but we were spread out enough that we only saw them maybe once a day. The Orange River is a little oasis in the middle of the desert. I did not know how true this was until we were driven back to base camp on the last day. Besides the little stretch on either side of the river, there is not much happening in that area.

    Everything about the trip was awesome- well almost everything. We encountered a lot of bugs (specifically flies) one the second and third day. They would not leave us alone all night and made it hard to eat anything. Day 2 was the worst because we paddled longer than expected and had to camp at a very muddy and smelly spot. That night it rained, but for me, it was a welcome relief to the heat that lasted well into the early hours of the morning.

Sarah and I taking on the river!

Orange River, Namibia

    Probably my favorite day of the whole weekend was Sunday. Easter in Namibia, Easter in the desert, Easter with a Jesus-look-alike. At first, I was hesitant to go on this trip because it was over Easter weekend, but I had to say yes to this amazing opportunity. When was I going to have the chance to go rafting in Namibia again? Sunday was an especially beautiful day on the river. Instead of continuing after lunch, we set up camp where we stopped for lunch. This gave us extra time in the afternoon to go swimming and hiking. David led us on a hike up the nearest mountain. If I ever thought I was going to not make it on a hike this would have been the one. First off, David basically ran up the mountain as my little lungs worked to keep my panting at a minimum and adjust to the altitude. Then, we had been rafting for two days and were probably dehydrated so that added to our (or my anyway) lack of energy. Lastly, we were hiking on loose shale, so falling rocks, slipping, and unstable footing was a real concern. However, despite all that, I made it to the top with only a few cuts on my ankles. The view from the peak was incredible- on one side was South Africa, on the other was Namibia. The mountains sprawled into the distance, and beyond the mountains were large stretches of sandy desert. An extra bonus at the top was being able to see plants that have been on the earth since Jesus was alive. The plants only grow a little bit every century, so based on their current height, it dates them back to Jesus' time. All the pain and wheezing was well worth it, especially since we ran straight from the base of the mountain into the river. Jumping into the river after such a hike was blissfully satisfying.

Tell me he doesn't look a little like you imagine Jesus to look like. That's David our landlord and fearless leader, Zan, and Sarah.

    Spending the weekend in Namibia was better than I could have ever imagined it to be. It reaffirmed all my sentiments from mid semester about my love of nature and need for open spaces. Adjusting to nature's clock was a freeing experience, and living off of the supplies we could fit on the rafts gave me a whole new perspective on wants versus needs. Returning to Cape Town after the weekend was a snap back to school, responsibility, and clocks. I am sure I will have more reflections on the weekend once I am able to develop the film from my disposable camera. For now, I'll leave you with some lyrics from Ben Howard's song "Old Pine"  that played in my mind throughout the whole weekend and has been a sort of theme for my time here in South Africa:

            Hot sand on toes, cold sand in sleeping bags,

I've come to know that memories

were the best things you ever had

The summer shone beat down on bony backs

So far from home where the ocean stood

Down dust and pine cone tracks

We slept like dogs down by the fire side

Awoke to the fog all around us

The boom of summer time

We stood

Steady as the stars in the woods

So happy-hearted

And the warmth rang true inside these bones

As the old pine fell we sang

Just to bless the morning.

   

Busy and Full Life

Wow! I cannot believe it has been three weeks already since I have returned from my epic mid semester trip.  Life has been full and busy. Below are just some of the fun and interesting things I've been up to these past couple of weeks.

Guest Lecturers:
   I have entered the portion of the semester in which we have guest lecturers every Friday for two of my classes. These are the two classes I take only with the other people in my program. Our program director and theology teacher have brought in some amazing people thus far, and we will have the chance to meet a couple more before the semester ends. Some guest lecturers who stick out in my mind are Easy and Ntobeko, Molly Blank, and Mary Burton. I do not remember if I had mentioned Amy Biehl in any of my previous posts, but she was an American Fulbright scholar and anti-apartheid activist who was killed by a black mob in 1993. Easy and Ntobeko were identified as two of the four men responsible for Amy's death. They were granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and forgiven by Amy's parents for their part in Amy's murder. It was an incredible experience to hear from them about the social and political climate of the time in which Amy's murder took place. In addition, we were able to discuss openly their part in Amy's killing, as well as ask any questions we had. It is a meeting I think about often and one I will continue to reflect on even after I have left South Africa. Molly Blank was another interesting guest lecturer who spoke about her project with schools in Cape Town started in 2005 as part of her Fulbright Scholarship project. Because many of us are working in schools as part of our service learning, it was awesome to be able to hear about her experiences, stories, challenges, and successes working in and within the educational system in Cape Town. Lastly, our group met with Mary Burton only last Friday. She is a particularly intelligent woman who moved from Argentina to Cape Town after marrying her husband in the 60's. While acclimating to South Africa, Mary became active in a working women's group of anti-apartheid activists called the Black Sash. As president of the Black Sash, Mary was approached to be a commissioner on the TRC. Her stories about her time with the TRC were such an interesting look into something I had been learning a lot about. This firsthand account brought out more of the emotion, doubt, joy, and compassion that history lacks when telling about the TRC. All of these people have added greatly to my understanding of South Africa's history and current state of affairs.

Retreat Weekend with John de Gruchy in Hermanus:
   The weekend after returning from mid semester our whole group traveled to Hermanus for a weekend of reflection and exploration with John de Gruchy. John de Gruchy is a notable theologian who has written on topics such as reconciliation, humanity, and God and suffering. We had read some of his books for our theology course, and were able to spend the weekend discussing John's books, theology, and opinions as well as our own. John lives at the Volmoed retreat center near Hermanus. It is an absolutely beautiful retreat center with various hiking trails, prayer huts, and places to reflect outside. In addition to reflecting with John, we were able to visit Hermanus for an afternoon of cafes, market shopping, and window shopping. Sunday morning a group of us awoke at 5am to venture out on a hike  to the top of the mountain and hoping to catch the sunrise. After fuddling around in the dark for about an hour and half on the wrong trail and without proper flashlights, we decided to turn back. It was cloudy and raining anyway. I ended up hiking to a much closer viewpoint and watching what sunrise I could catch between the clouds. It was a wonderful weekend in another beautiful part of the country.

Had cappuccinos and lunch at this cafe in Hermanus

View from coast of Hermanus

Looking down on Volmoed retreat center-not a very sunny sunrise

New Service Site:

   After much consideration and deliberation, I have switched service sites from iThemba Labantu to Loyiso pre-primary school. It was a tough decision to make, but I believed my time and skills could be better used somewhere other than iThemba Labantu. Now, every Monday and Tuesday I spend the day trying to teach 3-5 year olds the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, how to share, not to kick each other, and that screaming is not the best way to get my attention. Then, I run around on the playground with the kiddos totally free to act silly and relive my childhood dreams. This is extremely tiring, challenging, rewarding, and crazy. I have a whole new perspective on childrearing and early childhood development, as well as a newfound respect for pre-school teachers and parents everywhere. It seems pretty awesome, and it is, but GAME CHANGER- none of the children speak English. All of the children at my school are raised in homes with families whose first language is Xhosa. So, there is the added challenge of getting through to children who do not always understand anything I am saying. I have picked up a few key words of Xhosa, and we can still have a good time playing without being able to communicate verbally very effectively. I am learning so much about myself through my time there and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester has in store for me. PS- the kids decided it was fun to throw sand in each other's faces the other day…wish me luck!

Coffee Dates:

   This year for Lent I decided to take a new approach to the reflective season. I figured I would try something a little different than my usual spiritual routine and see what would happen. Therefore, I invited everyone in my house on individual coffee dates. I said I would buy their coffee (or other drink of choice) if they agreed to have an hour long conversation with me. It was an open invitation, and not everyone took it, but I have had an amazing time with those who did. I am slowly making my way through the list of individuals who agreed to my proposal, and have been learning so much about the people I live with, study with, and spend most of my time with. Added bonus- I have been able to cross off many of the cafes on my top 10 coffee shops to visit in Cape Town!

Robben Island and District Six Museum:

   One weekend our whole group visited both Robben Island and the District Six Museum. Both places hold special historical significance for South Africa and were great to be able to visit. I remember the first time I saw Robben Island from the top of Lion's Head. It looks deceivingly close to the waterfront, but actually took almost an hour to travel to by boat. The view of Table Mountain and Cape Town from Robben Island is stunning. Reflecting on Nelson Mandela's 18 years of imprisonment there was eerie and powerful after having read so much about it in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. Standing in front of Mandela's tiny cell, I was struck by the strength it must have taken him to stay resolute throughout those many years. The District Six Museum was also reminder of the horrible injustices that took place during the apartheid regime. During apartheid District Six was an interracial area full of people, life, and culture. Then, the government declared it a "whites only" area, evicted everyone, relocated them to racially segregated areas, and demolished all the buildings in the area. Looking upon the pictures of ordinary people going about their daily business in the museum served as a reminder of the lives that were interrupted by selfish and greedy policies. Pearnel, our program's driver, served as our tour guide of this museum because his family lived in District Six and was evicted from the area when he was young. Both Robben Island and the District Six Museum were important places I had been wanting to visit since arriving. 

Map of District Six with family names and homes located on it

View of Table Mountain from Robben Island

Nelson Mandela's Cell

Mzoli's:

   This past Sunday almost everyone spent the better part of the day in Gugulethu township at the famous Mzoli's braai restaurant. I do not know if I can do Mzoli's justice here, it is more something one just has to experience. After waiting in line outside for about 20 minutes, you make your way inside to a small butcher shop type area. There is a whole case full of raw meat that you can choose from to have for your lunch (of course nothing is labeled so who really knows what you're getting). Then, moving down the line you pay for your meat, pick up your platter full of raw meat, and then bring it to the back cooking area. There, you leave your meat on a counter for it to be cooked over an open fire and fetched later. Because it is a busy place, and some people just get a lot of food, you might wait and hour or so for your meat, but no one really minds because there is music and you're sitting outside talking to friends anyway. Later, you go back to the kitchen and retrieve your meat. Heres, the thing: Mzoli's basically only sells/provides the meat and sometimes some bread or other minimal sides. There are no utensils, drinks to buy, or most of the other things you would think to find at a restaurant. You bring your own drinks and side dishes, and then chow down on their meat. It was quite an experience. I had some chicken and pork, and both were delicious! And very filling! It is definitely a great spot for meat-loving South Africans and adventurous tourists. 

Mzoli's Kitchen

Duke, Domonique, and I were overwhelmed and delighted by our meat platters

It was a full house on Sunday afternoon-grab a table if you can!

Here it is in all its glory- the famous Mzoli's

Like I said at the opening of this post, life has been full and busy. I continue to cross things off of my bucket list and explore the city whenever possible. Staying home to watch a movie at night with some housemates has been fun too! This weekend I head to Namibia and the Orange River for a camping/rafting trip. I am not able to bring my camera or phone on the trip because of the possibility of them getting broken, damaged, or falling in the water. However, I have purchased a disposable camera, and will try to post some pictures from that on my next post. My next post is sure to be full of some crazy stories about my 5 days in the bush. Until then-keep smiling!

 

Midsemester Part 3- The Final Installment

Here we are ready to wrap up the final days of my midsemester trip! Once again, here's the map for reference:

Day 6 and 7: Johannesburg

  After saying goodbye to the various sea creatures at Durban's Ushaka Sea World, we headed inland towatd Joburg. One whole day was spent visiting the Apartheid Museum, Soweto (South West Townships), Desmund Tutu's house, Nelson Mandela's house, and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Each of these places/musesums has special historical significance for South Africa. It was a full day of walking, reading, and learning. All the museums were informative and interesting, but by the end of the day we were definitely tired. I was impressed by South Africa's committment to detailing its past, especially the turbulent parts. Horrible injustices took place, and they want to make sure it does not happen again. South Africa's history is complex, but so very important to understanding the current social, political, and economic climates here. One of the nights in Joburg we went on the hunt for Mexican food. It was Domonique's and she wanted tacos! Even though Joburg is a major city, our search for tacos was a difficult one. We finally found a place about 30 minutes away, but much to our disappointment the food was below subpar. The night was almost redeemed with ice cream from McDonald's, but as we stepped up to the register their ice cream machine broke. We decided to cut our losses at make our way back to the hostel. The next morning was an early rise for our long drive to KRUGER NATIONAL PARK!!!

Day 8 and 9: Kruger National Park
  We arrived at Thornhill Lodge in the greater Kruger National Park late afternoon. We had a couple of hours to settle into our amazing rooms and take in our surroundings. After sleeping on squeaky, hard, and questionable hostel bunk beds, the plush white beds at Thornhill were heavenly. The room Duke and I shared included a private bathroom with an outdoor shower!

Luxury accomodations in the middle of the bush

That night we set out for one of my favorite parts of the trip- the Big Five Game Drive! It was like nothing I have ever experienced or could ever imagine. We split into two groups and hopped in open Land Rovers to drive through the Park on the look out for the Big Five. The Big Five consist of 1.Elephants, 2. Rhinos, 3.Lions, 4. African Buffalo, 5. Leopard. We drove through the bush with our cameras at hand. It felt like I was in a movie. There was nothing between me and the animals- we had entered their territory and were lucky to see them in their natural habitat. Right away we spotted a Rhino and an African buffalo, but they were kind of far away, so our guide promised to find us closer ones. And closer is what we got. Between the lion pride we drove through and the elephant herd we found at sundown, I don't think I can ever get over how close I was to these animals in the wild.

King of the Wild

Two male African Buffalos taking a mud bath

Mama Rhino and her baby

Elephants!

Baby and Mama Elephant

18 month year old lions

This is just a small sampling of all the animals I saw and pictures I took. It was absolutely amazing. I could not have stopped smiling for anything. It was also very interesting because our guides knew a lot of useful animal facts. For example, they told us that the African Buffalos are the most dangerous of all the Big 5 because they are unpredictable. Just as he got done telling us this, we got stuck in a pothole right next to the two male African Buffalos. Karma right? No worries, the buffalos continued bathing in the mud and we revved the engine quite a few times before speeding out of there. I was surprised and excited to see so many rhinos because many poachers have been targeting rhinos in Kruger to kill for their horns. By the end of the drive we had seen about 7 or so rhinos happily napping, bathing, and roaming.  The lions were another treat. We found the male sleeping a little ways away from an adult female lion and then a whole group of younger ones back further under some shade. They were lounging around after having made a kill and eaten their fill. This was good for us because they weren't too concerned with us snooping around them taking pictures. However, my favorite BY FAR were the elephants! Right as the sun was setting we came upon a whole group of elephants. They are so beautiful, wise, and very very large. There were Mama elepants nursing babies and others munching on some grass. They started to move around and we had to go, but not before witnessing their afternoon lumber through the bush.

I have mentioned before how much South Africans enjoy sundown, so of course we had to stop on the safari for a drink or two at sundown. Our group was so excited by all the animals we had jsut seen and were ready to celebrate.

Safari group

The Big Five Game Drive was probably my favorite part of the whole midsemester trip. It was one of those things I had always dreamed of doing as a kid, but never actually thought I would be able to do it. It brought to life all those games of Lion King played in the living room and safari in the backyard. After returning from the Game Drive, we had an amazing traditional Xhosa meal around a fire back at Thornhill. The next day was spent driving through the main part of Kruger National Park. Here we saw a larger variety of smaller animals, birds, and plants.

Zazu!

One, two, three, four zebras all in a line

European Roller...I think

Some giraffe friends

Bad picture, but look at that little nugget right there! It's a Mama elephant with here 3 babies. There's even a teensy tiny one!

The stars that night were brilliant. It was a clear night with no light pollution obscuring the sky. We sat on the ground looking up at the sky and going over all that we had seen during the day. We went to bed happy that night.

The end of our journey was nearing quickly, but we had one more exciting activity in Kruger. Our last morning in Kruger began with an early morning bush walk. We took a walk around Thornhill Lodge learning about the different plants, tracks, and animal scat. On our walk we came across some zebras and giraffes. Now there really really was nothing between me and these animals, not even a quick getaway vehicle. Then it was one more outdoor shower and we were already saying goodbye to beautiful Thornhill and Kruger. SIDENOTE: There is something incredible and indescribable about showering outside (not like ASP 2x4 and black plastic showering outside) More like showering outside in Africa, in the bush...nothing can beat it. I think I'll have to build myself an outdoor shower one of these days.

Our trusty bus and Jimmy our driver

Group before leaving Thronhill Lodge

Day 10: Back to Cape Town
The last leg of our journey took us from Kruger back to Johannesburg so we could fly back to Cape Town. We took a scenic route back weaving through farmlands, mountains, and valleys. Stopping at an overlook and market brought us to the end of our wild and crazy adventure.

Me, Sam, Jessie, and Patrick

I feel like I have exhausted you all and myself through these three blog posts about my midsemester trip, but there are so many stories that go untold. This trip was one that I will never forget and one that I will look upon in fondness, hilarity, and excitment for a long long time to come. There is something about roadtrips and then add on the fact that it was a roadtrip through South Africa with 16 friends doing so many random, awesome things. I can never fully express what this trip has meant to me and the graditude I feel for being able to go on it. So here, my blog posts about my journey come to an end, but you have been forwarned- I will never stop telling stories about it.

Safari Cami!!!