March 23

Etosha was amazing! We saw lots of animals: zebras, giraffes, mongoose, wildebeests, hartebeests, lots of antelope-type animals (gemsbok, springbok, impalas, kudu), hyenas, ostriches, warthogs, and jackals. There were lots of baby animals, too, especially zebras, giraffes, springboks, and hyenas. We were charged by a rhino! Inbal saw an elephant butt, but I was in another car so I didn’t see that one. We didn’t see any lions, but we heard them roaring. All night long. They kept waking me up during the night while we were camping at the campground. I think they must have been nearby, outside the electric fence. At one point there was a call-and-response going on between two lions outside the campground. One time we saw a huge group of vultures circling overhead, but from a distance, so we couldn’t see what was on the ground. Maybe a lion killed something and the vultures were waiting for their turn to eat. There were ferocious thunder and lightning storms every night. One image that’s burned into my mind is a pair of zebras illuminated from behind by a long zig-zag of lightning.

At first when we drove into the part, the scene was so surreal and we screamed with delight every time we saw any animal. Every animal sighting was shocking. The funny thing is that after a couple of days in the park, and after seeing hundreds or thousands of animals, the animal sightings started to seem really normal. We didn’t even bother to slow down if we saw a zebra or springbok or ostrich anymore. The scenery there was stunning but after a few days that seemed normal, too. Seeing people was more rare than seeing gorgeous vistas with ostriches and giraffes milling about.

Each campsite had its own watering hole. I didn’t see any game there, but they were nice places to sit and relax and enjoy the landscape. (Zahir, if you’re reading this, we were at Namutoni and Halali.) One evening I watched the sunset over the Halali watering hole, which was a very natural-looking watering hole, in a big savannah of grass and trees, with lots of bird activity. I sat for a long time, and it was the first time since coming here that I felt completely relaxed and peaceful and grateful. It was so quiet, and so beautiful, and it hit me that I’m really lucky to have a chance to be in a place like this. Lucky that I got to come to Africa. Lucky to live like this! “Hakuna Matata” was playing in my head. I guess the Lariam is wearing off.

I heard that lions in other areas of Africa are infected with the feline form of AIDS, but it hasn’t spread to the lions at Etosha yet. Maybe there is enough separation that these lions will stay safe. Unfortunately anthrax is endemic to Etosha; anthrax spores are in the soil there. So there are anthrax outbreaks among the animals from time to time. I read that zebras in the southern part of the park are most affected.

We had a real adventure as we were leaving the park. We were in a friend’s 4-wheel drive vehicle, heading from our campsite to the northern gate. We got stuck in an enormous patch of deep mud and the car was completely stuck. You aren’t supposed to get out of your car unless you’re in a fenced-in camp area, because some of the animals are dangerous. But we didn’t have any choice since we were stranded. Kate was driving, so Cara, Inbal and I got out and pushed. It took a lot of pushing and swearing and laughing but eventually we pushed the car out. The mud was super-deep and very slippery, and I kept falling. At one point my shoe got stuck in the mud and I fell, and landed face first in a big puddle. I was completely covered in think gray mud from head to toe. I was laughing so hard I lost my breath and had a hard time continuing to push the car with the same gusto. Anyway, all of the animals steered clear of the stupid white people who got stuck in the mud. We made it out of the park safely.

It was sad to leave the park, but I’m looking forward to going back in August with Mom and Dad. It will be the dry season then, so it will look different. And there won’t be any mosquitoes then!

We have about 3 weeks left in term 1 at school. We have a week and a half of teaching, then there’s an exam period and the marking of the tests, and then we go on vacation! Inbal and I are planning to go to Mozambique with our friends Loren and Megan. We’ll take buses along the safest route with the most reliable transportation (but not the most direct route) through South Africa. On the way back home, we’re hoping to stop at a canyon in southern Namibia to do some hiking.