Tagged: trees
Posts by Thomas
Etosha National Park, Namibia: Within 2 km of entering, we spotted a dozen zebras grazing in the grass and we were hooked on Etosha. We were immediately taken with the park’s beauty and the possibility of seeing Africa’s wildlife just feet from our camper truck.
That first day, we drove around for a few hours and saw hundreds more zebras, springbok, wildebeast and some oryx. After being in the hot sun all day and still feeling crappy from the malaria meds we’re taking, we were ready to head to camp. But we decided on one more turn, and just around the corner were 10 giraffes in the bush. We sat there in our car, cameras and binoculars in hand, watching them nibble thorn bushes and bat their long eyelashes. It was exciting to see these gentle & graceful animals so early in our visit…and so close!!
We found our campsite and headed to the watering hole. We sat there for a bit and said This isn’t going to happen. There’s no way animals come here while dozens of campers sit around expecting their arrival. But then, a lone rhinoceros quietly entered stage right. He approached the watering hole slowly while his mate and their baby sauntered over after. We gawked for an hour until they left as quietly as they appeared.
And so was our first day in Etosha – zebras, giraffe and some rhinos. We could barely fall asleep we were so excited.
Tagged: Etosha, Etosha National Park, giraffe, Namibia, Park, rhinoceros, zebras
Henties Bay, Namibia: From Sossusvlei, we drove several hours on the gravel roads through the Namib Desert on our way to Swakopmund. We were looking forward to making it to this booming metropolis because the guide book said (a) it was ‘anything but boring’ and (b) the effect of the hot desert against the icy Atlantic made it feel ‘like a movie set.’ Unfortunately, the guide book was wrong. Swakopmund was most certainly boring and actually felt pretty weird. Sure, the fog was a bit reminiscent of San Francisco, but instead of being romantic & mysterious, it was eerie & sketchy.
We found this small city is most definitely still in the throes of segregation, and the inequality between races is pronounced. There are Germans – all of whom immediately spoke German to us assuming we knew it – and there are native Namibians. There seemed to be little mixing of the two.
Our one night there, we found a good German dinner, stocked up on provisions & then immediately continued along our way. From there, we headed north along the Skeleton Coast. This is a treacherous stretch of coast where many ships have become graveyards. The rolling fogs and swirling sandstorms create a ghostly and isolating experience, and it’s among the most remote and inaccessible areas in Namibia. There was no one else around, and again, we felt the eeriness of this region & a little out of sorts.
Tagged: coast, eerie, fog, Germans, remote, Skeleton Coast, sketchy, Swakopmund
Windhoek, Namibia: We picked up our 4×4 in Windhoek and drove south towards Sossusvlei. Based on what we’d learned from our camping experience in New Zealand, we thought it would be reasonable to make it 220 km on our first afternoon. We were wrong. The roads turned from paved to gravel within 20 km of leaving Windhoek, so we were slowed considerably. At twilight, we started seeing wildlife come out for a visit, so we decided to pull off and call it a night. Our campground was situated 8 km off the main ‘road’ overlooking an idyllic canyon where the only others close by were the cicadas who hummed us to sleep.
On day 2, we awoke with the rising sun at 5:30am, packed up our cozy second story tent and headed south to Sossusvlei. The path was full of kudu antelope, a few baboons, some springbok and a friendly fox. Once entering the park, we drove another 65k into the Namib-Naukluft National Park in search of some petrified trees. We didn’t realize it would be so early into our trek that we’d encounter sand driving and the need to engage the 4×4 capabilities of our truck. Thankfully, the car handled it well and we didn’t have to use the sand tracks, rope tow or shovel stowed in the back that many told us we’d inevitably need to use. Camping in Africa…so far, so good.
Bangkok, Thailand: We decided to go in search of fabrics while in Bangkok and everyone pointed us towards Chinatown and Little India. The markets were filled with shark fins, tuk-tuks, good deals and of course, the requisite oddities.
Categories: Thailand
Categories: Thailand
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Bangkok, Thailand: As our time in Asia comes to a close, we decided to spend our last week in Bangkok. Our exhausting first day touched on the contrasts this city is known for: vibrant street life, religion & reform. We met up with Melissa’s NY-based friend Taleah who happens to be in Thailand at the same time. We hopped a water taxi down the Saen Saeb Canal with the locals, getting off where we saw some street tailors & interesting food stalls. Instead of immediately finding Wat Ratchanatdaram and Wat Pho as we’d hoped, we stumbled upon a demonstration site with an Olympic-sized television broadcasting political rhetoric and hundreds of protesters’ camp sites. We made our way through and were on to visit the reclining Buddha, a 130-foot gold marvel who appears blissfully unfazed by Bangkok’s sweltering heat. Afterward, we engaged in a lively cross-language argument with a long tail operator who couldn’t believe that No, we didn’t want an hour-long tour and instead hopped back on a water taxi to wind our way back to where we started. We’re exhausted, but captivated with being back in a city after so long. More to come as we experience the multitude of layers this city is known for.
Categories: Thailand
Tagged: Bangkok, boat, canal, demonstration, long tail, protesters, reclining Buddha, Saen Saeb canal, Taleah, Wat Pho, Wat Ratchanatdaram
Koh Tao, Thailand: We spent 22 beautiful days swimming & snorkeling the turquoise waters of Jansom Bay. We loved the kindness of the Thai people who greeted us each morning with Sawadee Ka and a smile. We’ll miss the red sky sunsets and our nightly walks to fresh seafood and a cold Chang. Good night Koh Tao!
Categories: Thailand
Koh Tao, Thailand: We loved our time in Bali, but we didn’t love Bali’s beaches. So, we set out to find the most beautiful, quiet & secluded spot in Thailand to call home for 3 weeks. Due to some fortunate circumstances (and persistence), we were upgraded to a cliffside bungalow that hangs over the Gulf of Thailand. Sunsets off our deck are spectacular, and we couldn’t be happier waking up to the quiet surf rolling over the boulders below.
Categories: Thailand
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