Himba School and Village

Our fourth day in Namibia was probably my favorite of all. After breakfast, we left our campsite in Opuwo to go visit the Orotjitombo Primary School and the Himba village. At the school, we learned how to say several words in the Himba language, including "moro" for "hello," "perivi" for "how are you," and "nawa" for "I am well." After greeting the children, we proceeded to take lots and lots of pictures of and with them. They really liked to see the pictures after we took them, and they would always point themselves and their friends out in a large group photo. The girls at the school loved to play a game called Net Ball, which was basically keep-away. It surprised me how athletic and fit they all were; we played the game non-stop for such a long time and they never showed signs of being tired. Mind you, I was panting and gasping for water. After visiting the school, we had the privilege of traveling to the nearby Himba village where we got to learn about their traditions and lifestyle. It was amazing to see how content the Himba people were with their lives, and my initial pity for them transformed into utmost respect by the end of our visit. Overall, it was extremely fun to get to hang out and play with the school children, learn all about the Himba tribe, and get to experience a different culture.

Himba School and Village

Our fourth day in Namibia was probably my favorite of all. After breakfast, we left our campsite in Opuwo to go visit the Orotjitombo Primary School and the Himba village. At the school, we learned how to say several words in the Himba language, including "moro" for "hello," "perivi" for "how are you," and "nawa" for "I am well." After greeting the children, we proceeded to take lots and lots of pictures of and with them. They really liked to see the pictures after we took them, and they would always point themselves and their friends out in a large group photo. The girls at the school loved to play a game called Net Ball, which was basically keep-away. It surprised me how athletic and fit they all were; we played the game non-stop for such a long time and they never showed signs of being tired. Mind you, I was panting and gasping for water. After visiting the school, we had the privilege of traveling to the nearby Himba village where we got to learn about their traditions and lifestyle. It was amazing to see how content the Himba people were with their lives, and my initial pity for them transformed into utmost respect by the end of our visit. Overall, it was extremely fun to get to hang out and play with the school children, learn all about the Himba tribe, and get to experience a different culture.

Otjitongwe Cheetah Farm

When we first arrived at the Otjitongwe cheetah farm, I was thrilled. It was our first chance to see a real cheetah, and we were told that we would be able to pet them and take pictures with them. As we stepped off the truck, I saw my first cheetah lying behind a fence, lounging in the shade. It looked lazy and uninterested with us. The owner of the farm came out to greet us and open the gates. A few rules and guidelines were shared with us along with the knowledge that one cheetah is attracted to flip flops. As soon as the gates began to open, we frantically shuffled inside. Everyone wanted to touch a cheetah! I walked over to one and pet its head with caution. I am allergic to domestic cats so I was worried that I might be allergic to cheetahs. With minimal physical contact I strolled through the pen looking at the cheetahs and taking pictures. After a short while, Will walked up to me and showed me a selfie he had taken with a cheetah. It looked hilarious so I decided to try taking one myself; it turned out great. The cheetahs seemed slightly annoyed with us petting them but mostly tame. After about 25 minutes, they started to get grumpy and wanted to nip at our hands. One of the cheetahs even took another kid's shoes! He finally got it back, but now the shoe has chew marks all over it. We soon left the cheetahs and went to our campsite. That night, we got to eat roasted sheep which tasted amazing. Attached are a few pictures from dinner that night. The woman holding the sheep leg is Lulu -- one of our tourguides.



Otjitongwe Cheetah Farm

When we first arrived at the Otjitongwe cheetah farm, I was thrilled. It was our first chance to see a real cheetah, and we were told that we would be able to pet them and take pictures with them. As we stepped off the truck, I saw my first cheetah lying behind a fence, lounging in the shade. It looked lazy and uninterested with us. The owner of the farm came out to greet us and open the gates. A few rules and guidelines were shared with us along with the knowledge that one cheetah is attracted to flip flops. As soon as the gates began to open, we frantically shuffled inside. Everyone wanted to touch a cheetah! I walked over to one and pet its head with caution. I am allergic to domestic cats so I was worried that I might be allergic to cheetahs. With minimal physical contact I strolled through the pen looking at the cheetahs and taking pictures. After a short while, Will walked up to me and showed me a selfie he had taken with a cheetah. It looked hilarious so I decided to try taking one myself; it turned out great. The cheetahs seemed slightly annoyed with us petting them but mostly tame. After about 25 minutes, they started to get grumpy and wanted to nip at our hands. One of the cheetahs even took another kid's shoes! He finally got it back, but now the shoe has chew marks all over it. We soon left the cheetahs and went to our campsite. That night, we got to eat roasted sheep which tasted amazing. Attached are a few pictures from dinner that night. The woman holding the sheep leg is Lulu -- one of our tourguides.



CCF Cheetah Day

This day was my favorite of our 2 week trip to Namibia. We began the day by going to CCF's butchery. I was a little worried about what would be inside once we opened the door (thanks to Anna's gory descriptions), but it actually wasn't too bad. At first I only saw a few hooks hanging around, and then as we entered farther into the room our guide opened a freezer room full of bloody warthogs, donkey meat, and unidentifiable game. Our task was to cut the fat and small bones off of a tub's worth of meat, and then distribute it into bowls based on size and tenderness. Some cheetahs at the farm require loose meat that is easy to eat, while others need tough meat so they take longer to eat. Next, we cut up pieces of liver to give to the cheetahs as treats. After finishing the bloody job, we washed our hands off with a little soap and water, and then drove to a cheetah pen. Upon arrival, our guide told us not to be alarmed because one of the cheetahs named Amani only has one eye. I was still shocked when I first saw the cheetah, but it was amazing to learn that Amani is still the dominant female of her group. Next, we were allowed to throw liver treats over the fence to the cheetahs; we quickly learned that they have the worst short-distance eye sight! If a treat isn't thrown directly in front of the cheetah, then they probably won't find it until they accidentally step on it. For the next part of our cheetah day, we stood in the back of a truck and got to race cheetahs in their pen. While the vehicle drove along the outside of their fence, the cheetahs raced along the inside. CCF staff had trained them so that whichever cheetah arrived at the first corner of the pen in first place got their piece of meat first. Then we continued driving to the second corner of the pen to feed the second place cheetah. In this way, the cheetahs got food, activity, and competition. The cheetahs that we fed like this have the best chance of returning to the wild because they have little human contact. When CCF returns cheetahs to the wild, they are collared with a GPS so that CCF can track them. They do this because then they can monitor the cheetah and make sure that it isn't injured or unhealthy. If necessary, CCF can track the cheetah by using its collar's radio transmitter and help it in emergencies. The cheetah day was interesting and informative. I had a great time!

CCF Cheetah Day

This day was my favorite of our 2 week trip to Namibia. We began the day by going to CCF's butchery. I was a little worried about what would be inside once we opened the door (thanks to Anna's gory descriptions), but it actually wasn't too bad. At first I only saw a few hooks hanging around, and then as we entered farther into the room our guide opened a freezer room full of bloody warthogs, donkey meat, and unidentifiable game. Our task was to cut the fat and small bones off of a tub's worth of meat, and then distribute it into bowls based on size and tenderness. Some cheetahs at the farm require loose meat that is easy to eat, while others need tough meat so they take longer to eat. Next, we cut up pieces of liver to give to the cheetahs as treats. After finishing the bloody job, we washed our hands off with a little soap and water, and then drove to a cheetah pen. Upon arrival, our guide told us not to be alarmed because one of the cheetahs named Amani only has one eye. I was still shocked when I first saw the cheetah, but it was amazing to learn that Amani is still the dominant female of her group. Next, we were allowed to throw liver treats over the fence to the cheetahs; we quickly learned that they have the worst short-distance eye sight! If a treat isn't thrown directly in front of the cheetah, then they probably won't find it until they accidentally step on it. For the next part of our cheetah day, we stood in the back of a truck and got to race cheetahs in their pen. While the vehicle drove along the outside of their fence, the cheetahs raced along the inside. CCF staff had trained them so that whichever cheetah arrived at the first corner of the pen in first place got their piece of meat first. Then we continued driving to the second corner of the pen to feed the second place cheetah. In this way, the cheetahs got food, activity, and competition. The cheetahs that we fed like this have the best chance of returning to the wild because they have little human contact. When CCF returns cheetahs to the wild, they are collared with a GPS so that CCF can track them. They do this because then they can monitor the cheetah and make sure that it isn't injured or unhealthy. If necessary, CCF can track the cheetah by using its collar's radio transmitter and help it in emergencies. The cheetah day was interesting and informative. I had a great time!

Reflective Quote

When we were on a game drive at CCF, I was intent on looking for animals, but my driver seemed unconcerned. I leaned over and whispered to him, "I can't see anything." He paused for a moment, looked out at the sunset, then replied, "You're missing the view."

Reflective Quote

When we were on a game drive at CCF, I was intent on looking for animals, but my driver seemed unconcerned. I leaned over and whispered to him, "I can't see anything." He paused for a moment, looked out at the sunset, then replied, "You're missing the view."

Traveling from Hotel Safari to Oppi Koppi restcamp

We woke up quite early at 5:40 to pack our bags, take showers, and put the bags in the truck.  Then we went to the hotel restaurant where we had breakfast.  After breakfast, we had a meeting in which we formerly met the rest of the group and were told rules that we had to follow along the trip.  We also met our Indaba Exploration Guides; Colleen, Lou-Lou, Dylan, and Richard.  After our meeting, we got onto the truck while others like Mrs. Cooke waited to either pick up lost baggage or other people arriving late.  On the trip, we saw a group of baboons on the street and many warthogs on the side of the road.  We were told that if we had to go to the bathroom we would have to take a bushy-bushy on the side of the road.  After about thirty minutes into the trip, we stopped at a large termite mound.  The mound was around ten feet tall and hard as rock.  It comprised of many maze like tunnels where the termites slept and farmed fungi, which is what they ate.  When making the mound, they mix the surrounding dirt and their saliva to make a rock hard material.  After our detour, we stopped at Okahanja, where we took our first toilet stop.  To go to the bathroom we had to pay one ren.  Afterwards, we travelled to the town of Otjiwarongo for another toilet stop.  This town was Lou-Lou's hometown.  Then we travelled to Outjo (pronounced ocho) where we ate steaks and fries at The Farm House restaurant and Beer Garden.  After lunch, we went to the Outjo supermarket.  At the Outjo supermarket, men with strange nuts in their hands approached me and asked my name.  I said Will and then they tried to spell it out on their arm with a pen.  After they perfected it, they picked one of the nuts and began to carve Will into the nut therefore forcing me to buy it.  I learned later that the nuts were the core of the palm tree fruit.  The men would get the palm tree fruit, split it open, and cook the molasses like substance inside of the fruit until the rock-hard core emerged.  On the sides of the nut were elaborate carvings of animals.  After buying a nut for all of my family members, we left the supermarket and journeyed to Kamanjab where we spent our first night in tents at Oppi Koppi rest camp.  That night we heard our first jackal howl.

Traveling from Hotel Safari to Oppi Koppi restcamp

We woke up quite early at 5:40 to pack our bags, take showers, and put the bags in the truck.  Then we went to the hotel restaurant where we had breakfast.  After breakfast, we had a meeting in which we formerly met the rest of the group and were told rules that we had to follow along the trip.  We also met our Indaba Exploration Guides; Colleen, Lou-Lou, Dylan, and Richard.  After our meeting, we got onto the truck while others like Mrs. Cooke waited to either pick up lost baggage or other people arriving late.  On the trip, we saw a group of baboons on the street and many warthogs on the side of the road.  We were told that if we had to go to the bathroom we would have to take a bushy-bushy on the side of the road.  After about thirty minutes into the trip, we stopped at a large termite mound.  The mound was around ten feet tall and hard as rock.  It comprised of many maze like tunnels where the termites slept and farmed fungi, which is what they ate.  When making the mound, they mix the surrounding dirt and their saliva to make a rock hard material.  After our detour, we stopped at Okahanja, where we took our first toilet stop.  To go to the bathroom we had to pay one ren.  Afterwards, we travelled to the town of Otjiwarongo for another toilet stop.  This town was Lou-Lou's hometown.  Then we travelled to Outjo (pronounced ocho) where we ate steaks and fries at The Farm House restaurant and Beer Garden.  After lunch, we went to the Outjo supermarket.  At the Outjo supermarket, men with strange nuts in their hands approached me and asked my name.  I said Will and then they tried to spell it out on their arm with a pen.  After they perfected it, they picked one of the nuts and began to carve Will into the nut therefore forcing me to buy it.  I learned later that the nuts were the core of the palm tree fruit.  The men would get the palm tree fruit, split it open, and cook the molasses like substance inside of the fruit until the rock-hard core emerged.  On the sides of the nut were elaborate carvings of animals.  After buying a nut for all of my family members, we left the supermarket and journeyed to Kamanjab where we spent our first night in tents at Oppi Koppi rest camp.  That night we heard our first jackal howl.