Dear Readers, it was a bit of a shock to come back from Namibia and to discover that Christmas was nearly upon us, but I am getting into the swing of things, and on Thursday I met my friend S in the cafe at the Sunshine Garden Centre. In December most of the place is taken up with Christmas trees (you can see just a few of them in the left and right-hand corners of the photo above). I asked one of the chaps who work there if they actually managed to sell all of the trees.

“Last year we closed on 23rd of December, and we had three trees left” he said.

Wow. The good burghers of Muswell Hill and Bounds Green must have a real liking for Norway Spruce. Anyhow, here is some of the wisdom that I picked up from the very helpful chap.

1. Underfloor heating is a nightmare for Christmas trees (after all, they’re used to the cold and damp outside). If you have such a thing, you need to lay down some tinfoil to the same diameter as the lowest branches, and put a mat on top – this should protect the tree from the heat
2. Cut a bit of the trunk off when you get the tree and stick it in a bucket of warm (not cold!) water so that it has a bit of a drink before it all dries up.

The chap also expressed a preference for branches of Eucalyptus in the house, because of the fresh smell. Who knew?

And then it was off to the cafe, past squadrons of cyclamen and bunches of mistletoe. And because it’s nearly Christmas, a gingerbread latte was essential.

Incidentally, am I the only person in the world who didn’t like the sound of ‘pumpkin-spiced’ drinks because who wants coffee that tastes of pumpkin? Maybe it’s just me.

Oh, and on Wednesday I went to see ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the Old Vic. What a joy it was! There were free mince pies and satsumas, some splendid carols and a bit of hand-bell ringing, all the usual ghosts and Scrooge’s change of heart. At one point there were brussels sprouts on tiny parachutes, and at another point there was a positive snow storm. It was all a bit anarchic and over the top, but when Tiny Tim said ‘God bless us, every one’ there was not a dry eye in the house. And if that doesn’t put you in the mood for Christmas, I don’t know what will.

At the Old Vic for A Christmas Carol

Okonjima at sunset…

Dear Readers, for our last day in Namibia we went out into the reserve at Okonjima, and headed up the local mountain to watch the sun go down. As we bumped up in the jeep, a troop of Chacma baboons ran away from us – the primates here are not habituated to humans, and so they largely avoid us, which is good for them, and for us. They headed towards their favourite tree, which is where they spend the night to avoid the leopards. Leopards can, of course, climb trees, but the monkeys would be able to see them coming from a fair distance.

One young baboon did keep an eye on us though, as crisps and gin-and-tonics were unloaded from the jeep. He seemed to be indifferent, but I suspect he’d have grabbed a few nibbles given half a chance.

The sun goes down so quickly here, and the colours are constantly changing.

By the end, the baboon tree glows crimson, and the baboons are silhouetted against the sky.

I had been a little frightened about coming to Namibia – it was my first ‘big trip’ since I broke my leg and discovered that I had peripheral neuropathy, with only an estimated 20 percent feeling in my feet. And yet, I coped with dunes, rocky paths, clambering in and out of vehicles and all the trip hazards in various lodges and camps. I ended the trip feeling much more confident than I started it, and I’m already thinking about my next trip. Cheers!

Greater Kudu

For our last two nights in Namibia, we were in Okonjima, a private reserve of some 220 square kilometres. It was originally a cattle  farm, but the family who owned it became increasingly concerned by the amount of human/leopard conflict, and in the 1990s they turned the place into a reserve. It is home to 33 leopard who have been extensively studied – some are collared, and are tracked by telemetry. I’m always a bit torn in these situations, but the scientist in me realises that the information obtained can be very useful in trying to understand leopards and to protect them. Plus, the leopards that we found seemed extremely relaxed: one male barely flicked an ear when we drove up.

We also found a female with cub, who was equally indifferent to our presence, at least on the face of it.

But wonderful as it was to see the leopards, they weren’t the highlight for me: the bat-eared foxes were wonderful. I’d never seen them before, and the cubs look like little Yodas. They make their dens in termite mounds, and we saw two families, one with two pups and one with three. As with most foxes, the male and female look after the cubs. In both cases, the male ran off and watched from a safe difference, while the female stayed put and kept an eye on things.

I only wished I’d gotten some video of these little heads popping up and down, but you get the general idea I’m sure. What exquisite little creatures these are! They live mostly on beetles, crickets and other grassland invertebrates.

There were, of course, birds too, and I rather fell in love with these Go-Away birds. They are members of the Turaco family, but are rather more austerely coloured than their rainforest relatives. The name relates to their call, and I suspect that they are the ruination of many a hunt, animal and human, with their habit of alarm-calling at the slightest sign of trouble.

I really loved Okonjima, and in the afternoon there was a chance to relax. It’s the only place I’ve ever been where it’s possible to birdwatch from the bed. This was the view from our window…

And here’s a view at sunset. What an absolute treat, and what a place to spend our last days in Namibia.

Dear Readers, as we came towards the end of our  holiday we had a full day drive across Etosha National Park. What a joy it was! The recent storms meant that everything was greening up, and there was water for anyone who wanted it. I have never seen so many giraffes in one place. At one point we counted twelve, and more were popping up all the time.

We had the chance to sit and watch another bull elephant peacefully munching on the acacia leaves.

And here was Namibia’s National Antelope again, the Gemsbok or Oryx.

Gemsbok/Oryx

But often it’s the drama around the smaller animals that is interesting. This Pale Chanting Goshawk had found something to eat under a ball of elephant dung, maybe a lizard, but whatever it was was hanging on for grim death (as well it might). In the end the bird flew off in frustration, and whatever was under the dung lived for another day.

But then, we saw this….

Vultures were circling, which usually means something has died, and often means there’s a predator about.

A group of vultures were on the ground, their numbers swelling every minute. They were all looking to the right.

It looked as if a cheetah had killed something, probably one of the many Springbok lambs.

Cheetahs have an extremely hard life – they are not big enough to defend their prey from bigger animals, such as leopards or hyenas, and even vultures can drive them off of their kill when there are enough of them. At the moment it was a stand off, but not, I suspect, for long. I just hope that the cheetah had eaten enough for its purposes.

And finally, look at this! These plants were starting into bloom all over Etosha and are members of the Amaryllis family – this particular species is known as the Karoo Lily. Ammocharis means ‘delight of the sandy plains’ and so it is. Namibia is full of surprises!

Probably Ammocharis coranica, the Karoo Lily

Welwitschia mirabilis in the Namib Desert

Dear Readers, it would be easy to drive past this unprepossessing plant, growing by the roadside in the Namib Desert. But what a shame that would be, for the Welwitschia is not only one of the longest-lived plants in the world, with some individuals being an estimated two thousand years old, but it also forms an interesting transitional point between flowering plants and gymnosperms (ferns and conifers).

Welwitschia plants have only two leaves, which grow from the centre of the plant and become increasingly long and frayed as it grows. The plants can be male or female, and, where we saw them, they appeared to alternate between male and female plants. The plants produce cones but these are insect-pollinated, usually by flies.

For a while, it was thought that Welwitschia was essentially a seedling that didn’t develop further, because of its two leaves. However, further studies have shown that the plant does, in fact, produce an ‘apical stem’ (the central stem that we see in most plants once they’ve developed their first two leaves), but that this dies back, leaving the two leaves to just get bigger and bigger around a ‘crown’ where the cones are produced. The two leaves can reach a length of up to 4 metres, although the plant never gets above a metre and a half in height. It probably gets all its water from fog, ephemeral lakes and the odd torrential downpour.

Although the plant looks decidedly inedible, the crown is sometimes roasted by the Herero people, who call it ‘the onion of the desert’. And if you look closely at the coat of arms of Namibia, you can see a Welwitschia in the yellow plaque at the bottom….

What a survivor this plant is! It’s found only in the Namib, and although it might not be as impressive to look at as a desert-adapted elephant, it’s every bit as doughty and resilient. Frayed and dusty, it survives and even thrives in conditions that would make toast of most living organisms. What an honour to have met it!

Twyfelfontein

Dear Readers, after spending time at Swakopmund we headed north to Damaraland, to see the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein. The Afrikaans name means ‘uncertain spring’, and indeed this is an area of very low rainfall. The Damara name is ‘ǀUi-ǁAis’, which means ‘jumping waterhole’. You can see just how important water is, and has always been, to this region.

I’d been a bit worried about how my leg and feet would hold out on this trip, and this walk was perhaps the sternest challenge – it was very hot, and the path was rocky, steep and in places precipitous. At one point I wasn’t sure if I could make a particularly tricky section, only to be hoisted up by John and another strong chap from the tour. I was so glad I managed it (with a bit of help), because look….

The rocks are covered in engravings dating between 6,000 and 2,000 years old. In the one above you  an see a giraffe, some ostrich and various antelopes – it’s thought that this might a) have served the practical purpose of letting people know what animals were about, and/or b) have served a shamanic purpose, to encourage success in hunting.

The image of the lion, below, has puzzled scholars for quite a while. The ‘lion’ with the long tail is thought to have human toes, while the long, kinked tail has either a pugmark or a face at the end. You can also see a very fine giraffe, an elephant, a rhino and another ostrich.

Clearer photo of ‘the lion man’ by By Thomas Schoch – own work at http://www.retas.de/thomas/travel/namibia2003/index.html, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=726303

Well, after all that excitement it was time to go and see if we could find the famous desert-adapted elephants who live in the area. These are the same species as other Namibian elephants, but they seem to be able to manage on less water. However, when they find water they enjoy it as much as any other elephant, and one of the local villages has built an enormous water tank so that the elephants can drink.

We caught up with them just before lunch, and were able to spend a wonderful half an hour watching them.

Baby elephant playing with his sibling

Baby elephant playing with his sibling.

It’s always such a pleasure to spend time watching animals going about their business, and the water tank means that the elephants have a reliable source of water when they pass this way, which is only occasionally – we were very lucky indeed. They are a bonus for the villagers too, who benefit from the tourists who pass by to see if the elephants are about, and who will stop to buy from the local shop. It’s a win-win for everyone, and a much better source of regular revenue than that that comes from a big-game hunter – most of the money from hunting goes to the local elites, whereas this money is spread more equally. It’s so important for local people to get benefit from conservation measures: these are some of the poorest people in the world. Here, at least, it feels as if things are working.

A fine row of elephant bottoms!

Dear Readers, as we headed along the desert road in Namibia, en route to our next destination Damaraland, we noticed this rhinoceros, made completely out of discarded material. And then there was this…

…a couple of welcoming people again made out of discarded scraps of material and sticks. What was going on?

Well, miles and miles from anywhere, a woman was sitting on her own under a tarpaulin selling rocks. Many, many different kinds of rocks, all dug up within a few hundred metres. I doubt that this is a ‘legal’ activity, but here in the middle of the proverbial nowhere it raises an income for whole families.

I deliberated about whether to buy anything. There was no traffic in either direction, it was approximately 40 degrees Celsius, and I couldn’t imagine an occupation requiring more patience and fortitude. So I bought this.

There are veins of quartz and copper, and I could study it for hours. It’s sitting on my desk now, reminding me of that long, hot dusty road, and the things that people are prepared to do to make a living in many parts of the world.

Namaqua Chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis)

Dear Readers, today we headed off into the desert around Swakopmund in search of hidden wildlife, and we pretty quickly came upon this magnificent chameleon. He was so well camouflaged that you could easily have walked past him. 

Namaqua chameleons are superbly adapted to desert life – in the morning, when it’s chilly, they’re dark in colour to absorb the heat required to get them going, but then as the day wears on they become lighter to prevent overheating. They can absorb water through their skin, so can rehydrate when it’s foggy (as it frequently is around the coast). It eats the fast-moving Tenebrionid beetles that I mentioned yesterday but unlike chameleons, it also eats plants, particularly succulents. And it is absolutely voracious – it eats 12 meals per day, with each meal consisting of about 20 beetles. There must be a lot of beetles in the Namib!

And then there was this little guy…this is a Web-Footed Gecko. He’s nearly transparent (you can see his heart beating) and during the day he hides out in tunnels under the sand. Then, as dusk falls, he emerges to munch on the poor old Tenebrionid beetles.

Namib Web-Footed Gecko (Pachydactylus rangei)

Looking at those eyes, you might wonder how they keep the sand out when they’re burrowing. Well, apparently they have a clear covering over each eye called a ‘spectacle’, and they keep this clean by giving it a lick (as opposed to using a microfibre cloth like I do).

Our guide was quite an opinionated chap, with views on gender that made my hair stand on end, but he obviously loved the desert and the animals that live there. He explained that the dunes at Swakopmund, unlike the red dunes that we’d seen previously, were still moving, and when you looked at the yellow sand you could see how fluid it was. We went for a very exciting bumpy ride up to the top of the dunes for a proper look.

And then it was back to Swakopmund. Tomorrow, we’re off to Twylfontein, for a look at some 6000 year-old carvings by the nomadic peoples of the Namib, and to search for the desert-adapted elephants of Damaraland. Let’s see what we find!

Dear Readers,  after the dunes at Sossusvlei, we headed to the town of Swakopmund – this is the second largest conurbation in Namibia, but it has a very relaxed feel, with lots of brightly-coloured German colonial architecture. Our guide pointed out the heavily-sloped roofs, designed for snow that of course never comes to Namibia. We stayed in the very posh Hansa Hotel, built in  1905 and the go-to spot for weddings and celebrations ever since.

It was something of a shock to be in such plush surroundings when we were caked in sand and generally dishevelled, but somehow we coped. John perked up considerably at the sight of a very nice bookshop, which was good because we had  a boat trip planned, and John  wasn’t coming on it – he gets very seasick, but I think the thought of a few hours to just wander around on his own was very appealing.

The boat trip left from Walvis Bay – this has become an increasingly important port for resources such as copper and granite. If you have a granite countertop, it could well have been imported from Namibia. Apparently the trade with Zambia has increased as people are preferring to travel the extra miles to this port rather than cope with increasing delays and chaos at South African ports.

We could tell that this was going to be no ordinary trip when a fur seal jumped on board just after we left the port. Apparently there are four individuals who do this, and the skipper has put in a little port at the back of the the boat so that they can pop in for a pilchard.

Then  we were off. We passed an abandoned boat which is now a site for cormorants to roost.

Long chains of cormorants passed us by, and at one point we were surrounded by dusky dolphins – experience shows me that they’re almost impossible to photograph, so I just sat back and enjoyed them. Here are some cormorants as compensation.

We passed the fur seal colony, and spent time watching all the interactions. There are lots of babies, and a few big males patrolling the beach and looking very butch.

But then we were joined by another visitor….Dodo the pelican is an ex-rescue pelican who also pops aboard for a few pilchards. I think it’s safe to say that none of us expected to be so up close and personal with the wildlife.

The final surprise was a magnificent spread of food plus champagne. There were local oysters and all manner of other titbits, and suffice it to say that none of us fancied lunch when we got back to port.

On the way back, we did a spot of birding at the local lagoon, and saw a tremendous array of seabirds,

Greater flamingo

Flamingoes, black-winged stilts, avocets, sanderlings….

But we also saw these jackal pups…we didn’t see their Mum, but hopefully she wasn’t far away.

So, a different aspect of Namibia. Tomorrow, we are heading back into the desert, the coastal one this time.