Deadly serious

It's never fun getting home after a long flight, having to navigate customs, bag collection and then public transport, but it's all a blur. We're exhausted and no idea which day it is and what time. I'm certainly grateful for one things. The pavement. I cannot explain how wonderful it was to walk around without stumbling on rock. I've had enough rocky roads and rocky paths perhaps to last a lifetime. But that's behind us. All the exhaustion will pass and I know soon the memories will swell. What a trip that was. What a country Namibia is. And oddly enough I feel less injured than I did before we left (when I had multiple back and shoulder problems). I would also swear my skin has never felt so good despite the blast of sand every day and the dry air. Arriving home I see a newly painted front door and for a moment think I've got the wrong address. What a lovely surprise. It's nice not to feel you're returning to the same old same old. Thanks for readi...

There are empty rows all around us so Katarina and I move out to a whole segment each. That three free seats to each of us. We stretch out and enjoy the space and watch the movies on offer. Time passes quickly on this leg. That is until we get to Doha and then the turbulence for the descent which seemed to last forever was appalling. I got more and more sick and then arriving in 40 degrees was unwanted. I was not feeling well as we waited to change plane. Sadly I couldn't sleep much for the last 6 hour flight. I was so happy to finally arrive back in the UK.

It's time to board our Dreamliner. We have a long flight to the east coast of Africa and then hugging the coast all the way to Arabia before crossing to Qatar. We have the window seat and a middle. We are seated by a friendly white Namibian chef off to Doha for some international competition.

The airport is small but smart. We have little fuss passing through apart from forgetting a water bottle in my bag. The security officer, instead of confiscating it, asks me to simply open it and taste the liquid. I open it, not realising it's sparkling water and had been shook around. It explodes. The officer remains calm, smiles and let's us pass. I'm not good with airport security. We buy some hotdogs while we wait but time passes quickly. Our minds are still racing. Our bodies are perhaps a little tired. The board is mostly full with flights to South Africa. Apart from only occasional flights to other parts of the globe, this is where most are going. We're on the way to Doha, second one down.

This is really happening. The adventure is over, we've packed out bags, the taxi is loaded and we're driving to the airport. We can't quite believe all that we've experienced. It's difficult to even begin to list our favourites but I know cheetah's would be up there, along with the beauty of it all, the cliff walking, the friends, the food, camping, Blokarting, climbing the dunes, running down the dunes, and did I mention the beauty of it all? I'd like to say I'm speechless but clearly I'm not. Anyway the taxi rolls on up and over and down countless bumps and hills. But at least now we have suspension. It's only about an hour before we arrive at the airport.

We wake again in the pitch dark and want to make quick use of the shower. Sadly there's no water running. I have mixed opinions. The idea of missing a wash this morning and then a long flight is troubling. We make do with wipes. We pack up all our things one last time and while I'll be glad to get home comforts it's a real sadness to say goodbye to this adventure. It's been something so special. We load our bodies with the luggage, huge packs on our backs, another on our front and bags in our hands. I feel like a mule. And in the dark we make the walk past our neighbouring tents and to the breakfast area where we dump our bags and eat. All the while we can hear a lion roar in the distance. It's in an enclosure (like all animals here) and the sounds reverberates throughout the camp. It's incessant and dominates the air. Eventually it dies down. As we wait for the final bit of admin and our taxi to arrive to the airport we catch a last glimpse of wildlife. Unlike ...

So for one last time we also have to make our way in the pitch black through unfamiliar territory through the tents, which are quite a distance apart and back to the dining area. It's no easy task and even with lights it seems like the darkness won't give way. Eventually we find the gate to the main area and let ourselves in. We could hear the sounds of voices before we arrived but even so it was a surprise to see just how many people there were. It was like some massive house party with countless drunk 18-25 year olds, except everyone seemed quite decent. We even met up with some old friends (from wayback one or two weeks ago) and shared some stories. It makes quite bookends to the whoel trip, our first night here and now a return. We're actually in a slightly different location to our first visit so get to see some more. Although we're not here to do any more activities - it's just to eat and then sleep. And so eventually we make our way back, again in the pitch d...

Yes, it's tent cat again, but we're hundreds of miles away. This is another tent cat. It's like the cat god is smiling on us. It's such a nice welcome in this little house, albeit for one night. We unpack our essentials and very quickly must make it out from this tent zone to the main communal areas, for something to eat.

And so after two five hour rides and a long wait to be distributed across the camp site we are finally given the direction to our tent. Yep, this fabric house is a tent. Not bed, eh. It's our last night and we've once again drawn a long straw. We've been so lucky. Even an en suite. Yep, that's outdoors again. Not bad in the picture, with a little light. Come nightfall, which is minutes way, this won't be so inviting. And that cat up there. More about that in a moment.

And so the dust track eventually reaches tarmac for the only highway in this country we begin to see the outline of Windheok in the distance and then enter its suburbs. Suddenly the world around us look more familiar. Out of this desert there really is a city. A very ordinary one it could seem. Even the weather looks familiar! As we approach the first camp we stayed on the first night we drive for maybe an hour it seems through the streets, maybe to drop someone off, perhaps pick someone else up, I'm not sure. But then at one point, innocently driving down one suburban street, we see a huge baboon, knuckles to the ground, walking calmy down the street. Holy crap! That's not what I would want to see stepping outside my front door. WTF! All is certainly not what it seems.

It just doesn't end and won't end for quite a while. We're on a minibus now after transfering our bags from the smooth riding 4x4. Although not an old banger, this bus has a jack hammer for suspension. At first it's a novetly and then after hours more over dirt road and sudden drops, I'm a tumbler in a tin can. It's actually the very same bus that brought us down but somehow the journey seems much longer. But we do get one break at the same shopping centre and I buy some dry fruit, searching for some gifts - it's only the second time we've really had a chance to see a proper shop while we've been here. But for the outback the toilets aren't bad. The rest of the journey is tough. Eventually the rough road takes it's toll and the last hour is a struggle to keep from vomitting. All this travel is losing it's appeal!

On the way back to Windheok we pass through the camp we were at last week, it's the half way point and here we meet all the other volunteers either heading on to where we just left, ready to stay here or coming with us back to Windheok. As we approach the road becomes very rocky and the car struggles as it shifts about over very unsteady ground. Driving is never simple here. In the camp we meet up with Caroline and Doug again and reminisce. It's only been a week but feels like months have gone by. It's strange. It's also a wonder to see so many faces, it's a busy place once again, and how quickly these researchers must forget us. We might feel significant while we're here but with many hundreds passing by each year you must quickly vanish into distant memory. We sit down and eat feeling like old veterans among the green recruits. In actual fact some of those here have been around longer than use, drifting between camps for maybe a month or two. It's noticabl...

Once all packed it was back on the road for the five hour drive over dirt and sand all the way to our previous camp. Having come to know this place it's quite a different sight outside. No longer is there the surprise of something new, but a greater appreciation of what this place is: a stunning, vast country of mostly untouched desert and a wildlife delicately evolved to survive the harsh climate. We are midly amused when we pass signs that say "sand" - in a desert? What else?! Another says "wind". Talk about stating the obvious. We watch the landscape gradually change as the range of trees widen and the mountains change. We even see a brief sprinkle of rain on the windows. Short lived. We make the same stop en route to pick up some refreshments but otherwise it's the same dirt road and unending bumps. We don't hold back in this car so for much of the journey it's more a roller coaster. I suppose I'm just happy I get to rest my aching feet. We...

It's always sad to leave at the end of a long trip and so much more so when you've made friends along the way. We (or maybe just I) always bring so much (because I like to be prepared) so it takes a while to get everything into our huge backpacks and extra shoulder bags. And then it's one last tour of the camp to see for the last time the people and place we'd come to know. I enjoyed those luxury tents previously but to have a room to ourselves with a shower en suite was so much appreciated. On the surface tt was probably as bad as the worst hotels we've stayed in (because we do like to travel in style) but while we were here it felt like the height of luxury. Perhaps apart from the lack of a data signal!

Finally our last evening at the camp had arrived and once again it was a Brai-day, a barbecue. And once again this meant an endless supply of meats and not enough mouths to fill. This meant I had to pick up the slack. With darkness upon us it also meant another day of stars and the sky did not disappoint. Despite the strong lights of our camp there was still so much to see and no moon yet to spoil the view. This is not a lightning strike on a tree but the milky way. Mindblowing. As it got colder the others moved back inside, but I stayed out in the dark taking shots. But it was a little later as I was deeper into the sand and further from the light that it suddenly occured to me that I was lone in the darkness, in the open with just a wilderness and the fauna around me. Although it was highly unlikely anything would attach and suddenly felt very vulnerable so had to give up and come inside. Our last evening was over. And we'd finished all the marshmallows. We went to bed ready for ...

Yeah, this ain't a picture of a carwash but we spent the rest of the day completing a number of jobs small and large. The worst was clearly washing the car. Like our last day at the previous camp, this involved everyone with buckets and sponges. We had two cars to wash and plenty of dirt to clear. Not a fun job at all. But it had to be done. There was more animals feeding and then a little time to spend with the microscope categorising hair sample. There was little time to rest and plenty to be done. 

And a few more shots of us relaxing. After a morning so full with activities the long slow lunch was very much appreciated.

It was rolling shadows of the clouds over the mountains that held my attention. There's been so much blue sky I'd even forgotten tht clouds create shadows. Every few moments a new mountain would suddenly light up before falling again into shadow seconds later. It felt more like the plains of mid west America than the sands of the Namibian desert. Clouds can ruin a holiday as much as they can make a scene. I suppose if we hadn't seen this we'd have never known what we missed. I'm glad we caught it on our last day.

There was a pool beside the main building that was free to use. Of course, you would be a little insane to use it. I dipped my sore feet inside for some therapy, but it took only about ten seconds before the pain was unbearable. Ice could be stored in here. But it was great for my feet, which had suffered with two weeks of abuse.

While we waited for everyone to complete the payments and also fill our surveys of our trip, which we could only do in groups of three or four, we had some extra time to relax and for me to capture some more photos. It was in this moment that some clouds gathered and the scenery transformed one again. Except this time we weren't in the middle of a hike or collecting poo. I was transfixed. This scene above is probably one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. It look exactly like this. Like a painting, like a fantasy. As the sun's rays poked out here and there picking out mountains, it created a texture and a depth that brought everything alive. More than it already was. The clouds, unlike anything we'd seen so far, transformed a featureless blue sky into a swirling otherwordly Jupiter. It could not have come at a better time.

After a full morning of sunrise and twice cleaning enclosures we finally arrived at a lunch of stir fried meat. Just the treat after a morning of unending shit shovelling, We even have a few moments to relax, begin to pack for tomorrow's departure and pay our bills (from the daily shop of beer and coke).

This one wasn't quite the treat. While the cheetah enclosure had great views and a relatively easy stroll across the sand, this was back breaking work with shovels and a wheelbarrow. Horse dung is not quite as discreet as cheetah scat. You wouldn't be picking this up with your fingers. It never seemed to end and the pile of manure outside the enclosure could have hidden a car. I was very glad when this chore was over.

Just as soon as we were back from the sunrise, and it was still very early, we were back out again driving again to the cheetah enclosure. We were here last night for the sunset. But this time we had returned to clean the enclosure, which took the form of us all standing across in one long line and then walking forwards combing the ground for poo. Unlike our previous camp where we sat with our backs to the cheetahs and drank beer, here we get a serious lecture beforehand with strict instructions on how to protect ourselves, even armed with long sticks. It was a huge enclosure and the far side was on the other side of a hill cum sand dune, so it wasn't a quick job. Two of us held buckets that the rest filled with dried poo, which might be in a bush or, if you're lucky, somewhere easier to reach. It was a little tedious but more than compensated for with another series of spectacular views.