Namibia!! Part 2- Cross Country Adventures!

Day 4

The first stop of the day was the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarango. We got there in time to experience a cheetah run (before the sun got too hot and they would prefer to chill out than run). I'll just have you know that there are no fences or barriers between us and the Cheetahs during the video below....

We were standing RIGHT there as they ran past. The cheetahs could easily come right up to sniff us if the were so inclined. Thankfully they were not!

The primary goal of the centre, as their name suggests, is conservation of cheetahs. One of the strategies they are currently employing is raising special puppies to defend livestock. These puppies (Anatolian Working Dogs) are raised with sheep or goats. They will then be sent to farms where they will then protect their "family" from cheetahs. Cheetahs tend to be non-confrontational and as such these big dogs intimidate them. They don't attack the flocks, and the farmers don't shoot them: they live to see another day. huzzah!

PGee and I were quite taken with the affable pups and spent a few minutes cuddling them.

 Then this happened....

Yes, the goat in question is attempting to eat my hair. I was not amused.

We spent a few moments exploring their museum before lunch. After which of course we had to hit the road again right away... I think you may be picking up on a pattern here; our scheduling was verrrry tight most days. Impossibly so some of the time I must say.

We were then on our way to the famous Etosha National Park!!

We had a few moments to observe the wildlife at a water hole and then we were off again.

Elephants!!!!

Springbok

On the way up we finally spotted rhinos!

Namibia! Part 1- Hello Mama Africa!

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

First thing we had our first taste of safari with the morning's game drive.

Safari Chic