When I first visited Goanikontes-Oasis back in October, I started to think about a return trip to that relaxing retreat by hiking from Arandis across the desert and down a number of dry river canyons. While I had painful memories of the reconnaissance mission to remind me of the challenges, it was still a project I looked forward to accomplishing once summer was over and the temperatures were more tolerable.
Continue reading “A project completed (and I have the blisters to prove it!)”Category: Recreation
Pertaining to non-work-related activities.
365 Days in…
Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of my arrival in Namibia with my fellow PCVs from Group 43. I will mark the occasion by completing the “project” I conceived back in October: to backpack from home over the desert and down the Khan and Swakop River canyons to Goanikontes-Oasis Rest Camp.
Continue reading “365 Days in…”Back on the trail: Rössing Mountain
It’s been awhile, but I finally got out in the desert again recently, climbing the peaks of Rössingberge, 20km from Arandis. It’s the tallest range in the area, viewable from my front porch, and has been a target of mine since I arrived last June. Fellow PCV Eric visited from nearby Karibib and we hitchhiked to the access road off the main B2 Highway. There were trails to two of the peaks but we found ourselves scrambling up scree slopes and along ridges of loose rocks to the others.
Continue reading “Back on the trail: Rössing Mountain”The new year started with a lot of wildlife!
Greetings from Namibia! Sorry – I didn’t mean to be away for so long!
My intention was to take a few weeks off from the blog, during which time I camped in three of Namibia’s game reserves. The break was wonderful but only served to put me behind at work so I extended my “blog pause.” I hope to make up for my absence with this, my longest post yet. Fear not – it’s mostly photographs and one little short video.
I hope you enjoy it!
Continue reading “The new year started with a lot of wildlife!”Images of Life in Namibia
This is a long post, but made up only of photos and captions so I hope you find it fun and easy to go through during this busy time of year. You’ll see a bit about the work I’m doing and a lot from life in and around my home and some recent travels.
Continue reading “Images of Life in Namibia”Another weekend bike ride, but this one was too long!
It will be remembered as the day I nearly took on more than I could handle in my explorations around Arandis: a lesson learned not to take anything for granted in this terrain.
Continue reading “Another weekend bike ride, but this one was too long!”Weekend getaway to Goanikontes-Oasis on the Swakop River
This past weekend afforded me another chance to explore my nearby surroundings, this time along the bed of the Swakop River that separates the high desert in the north from the high plains to the south. I tented at the Goanikontes-Oasis rest camp, explored the river bed and climbed up to the south rim for great views.
Continue reading “Weekend getaway to Goanikontes-Oasis on the Swakop River”Backpacking at Spitzkoppe
Those of you familiar with Arches NP in Utah or Joshua Tree in SoCal will recognize familiar types of geologic formations at Spitzkoppe, which I explored this past weekend. Stunning beauty as the light changed throughout the day, and each feature seemed to take on a new appearance when I barely moved my vantage point. Later, I learned that Stanley Kubrick’s Dawn of Man sequence from 2001: A Space Odyssey, was filmed here.
Continue reading “Backpacking at Spitzkoppe”More bike rides through the desert
The beginning of Spring means that Summer is not far behind, and our comfortable temperatures won’t continue for long. A week ago, for example, we saw the cold, wet fog reach 65 km inland from the coast and only my sleeping bag kept me warm enough at night. Yesterday, on the other hand, it reached the high-90s!
Continue reading “More bike rides through the desert”Images of Life in Namibia
Life in Arandis is racing by – I can’t believe it’s mid-August and that I’ve been here 7 weeks already! My first three months on site are designed to help me integrate with my new community and my work colleagues – that is all happening very nicely. To ensure that we maintain that focus, Peace Corps does not want us to venture too far afield or take any vacation time away. That’s not been a problem as there are plenty of things to see and do around town and within the Erongo Region. Here are some visual vignettes for you to enjoy…
Continue reading “Images of Life in Namibia”