Monday, October 02, 2006
Etosha National Park located approximately 300 miles north of the the capital city, Windhoek, looks to be the most enticing place to see wildlife. It boasts large numbers of elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, springboks, kudus, oryxes, hyenas, jackals, leopards and cheetahs. Namibia has the largest population of cheetahs in existence. There are approximately 300 lion, 300 rhinos, 2000 giraffes and 1500 elephants. I guess there are plenty of hiking and camping opportunities, so I am going to plan to take my backpack as one of my two bags. I'm going to have to pack light!
Another place of interest is Swakopmund. It is a German community about 200 miles west of Windhoek, on the coast. Here's what a travel site says:
"Swakopmund is a place of singular charm, and resembles a small Bavarian village nestling between the desert and the sea. It has a restful and relaxing atmosphere with promenades, palm trees and beautifully tended public gardens. The particular attraction of the town lies in the fact that one can enjoy the wild beauty of the desert and the sea and yet be within easy reach of the solid comfort of Swakopmund's hotels, pensions and restaurants.
The source of Swakopmund's continental atmosphere is the graceful art nouveau building. Eleven of these charming old buildings are national monuments. The graceful lighthouse in Swakopmund, just one of the many characteristic old structures gives this town its particular charm."
Germans...who'd have thought. Swakopmund is another place I'd really like to see. I'd imagine being on the coast would mean it has unique scenery as opposed to the desert that makes up the rest of the country.
My friend Aaron is about halfway through is training in the Dominican Republic. The first half was language and culture, and now they are splitting up into more specific training. I think that most, if not all, of the volunteers in Namibia are in the education program, so I'm not sure if we will spilt up training or not.
Click Here to see wildlife pics
