A week in London: Whose life is this?

I am going to write this entry in the present tense, in a stream of consciousness kind of way, in order to try to convey the essence of what I experienced and the pace at which these experiences unfolded.

I arrive at Paddington train station on Friday, Dec. 4, at approximately 3:30 pm. It is a very busy, buzzing, bustling place with people coming and going from every direction. I am somewhat overwhelmed, after 2 weeks in the desert and then a week in the quiet city of Carmarthen, being lazy and low key, hanging out with Kevin, Rowan and the girls. It takes me 10 minutes to locate the bathroom. I have to pay 50 pence to get in and there is a turnstyle. Hmmmmm...how to get my suitcase through? With a bit of struggling, hoisting, huffing and puffing, I finally manage. I freshen up and then I head back out into the station. It takes me another 10 minutes to find a counter where I can buy a tube pass for the week. Finally, I get on the tube...during rush hour...oops...forgot about that! Kevin did warn me though. After a half hour of hanging onto poles and to my bags, trying not to fall over, sweating in the hot stuffy train car and resigning myself to the fact that personal space does not exist, I arrive at my destination.


I step out of the Bond Street Station onto Oxford Street. The cool air feels good on my warm face. It is dark (about 4:30), the Christmas decorations are dazzling, it is a sea of people, activity and energy. Wow! This is AMAZING!! I am so happy to be here. Everything seems so exciting and alive! I begin walking to Jeremy's workplace but before I can get there, I see him walking towards me. I drop my bags and we greet each other with a big hug. We go for a drink at the same place we met last time I was in London: a small, crowded, noisy pub that caters to the after work crowd. Two double gin and tonics please! We sit outside because, like Victoria in the winter, you can (usually) do that in London.

Decorations near Oxford Street

Jeremy says to me "A friend of mine is having a birthday party tonight at a bar. It starts at 11:30. Wanna go?". I say "Okay, sounds great!" We meet a friend of his (Zolt) who is originally from Victoria and now lives in Leeds. We go for a delicious dinner at a Japanese place. We then head back to Jeremy's to get ready for the party, each of us pulling black suitcases of various sizes...truly a sign of the times. We have a short nap and then get dressed for the evening's festivities.

We arrive at the bar at 12:00. Our names are on "the list". I decide to check my coat. I hand it to the attendant and I wait for the ticket. After a few seconds, the attendant is looking at me as if she is waiting for something. I look down and she is holding a small rectangular shaped device with a glowing blue light. I look up at her and then back down. I look up again and I say "What's this?". She says "I need to scan your fingerprint". I'm sure my face looked like I had just been asked to hop up and down on one foot while reciting the Lord's prayer backwards. I hesitate for a second and then I tentatively place my finger on this strange futuristic device. Nothing happens: I don't explode or turn into a cyborg. I quicky scurry into the club.

It is loud. It is crowded. It is dark and filled with flashing lights of various types and colours. I weave my way through an endless river of bodies, desperately trying to get to the bar. I feel like a salmon swimming upstream. Yay - I made it!! We order 3 drinks (2 double G & Ts and an orange juice). This costs 38 pounds, roughly the equivalent of $68.00 Canadian. I almost pass out. I think to myself "I guess I'll be drinking a lot of water tonight". Then, thank goodness, Jeremy says "We don't have to buy drinks. My friend is taking care of it. Drinks will be coming to our table over there." He points to a dark corner where a group of people are gathered.

We head over there and sure enough there are bottles of champagne and mandarin vodka. Shots are distributed and glasses of champagne are filled. I look at Zolt and I say "I can see where this is heading. It's going to be an interesting night!" In goes my first shot of mandarin vodka - Delicious! I spend the rest of my time sipping champagne and drinking vodka, trying to have conversations with people over extremely loud music and flashing lights that would most certainly trigger an epileptic seizure in someone who was prone to these. Every once in a while, I go outside for a break from the mayhem that is the club, and I meet all kinds of characters and fascinating people who are interested in where I'm from and what I'm doing in London. Two young women from East London (I LOVE their accents) invite me to another club the next night, because...get this... Lady Gaga is going to be there. I ask if she is performing. "No, we heard that she is just going to be there". I explain that I probably won't be able to make it. They go on and on about how nice I look and how radiant I am and how my necklace matches my skirt , etc. They are much smaller (and younger) than me and probably have a lower alcohol tolerance level. I smile and nod and thank them for their kind words.

It's 3:00 am. I am informed that we are going to another bar. Okay! We get into a couple cabs and arrive at a different establishment...very crowded, kind of dodgy...bad energy...poor service, scantily clad women swinging from hoops suspended from the ceiling...after about a half hour, we leave. We are going to the hotel where Jeremy's friend has rented a suite. At 5:00 am, the really expensive champagne comes out. Oh yes, I can tell...it's like fairies dancing on my tongue. An hour goes by and I'm fading. Zolt and I decide to leave together. We get to bed at about 6:15. My week in London is off to a roaring start!!

I crawl out of bed at 1:30...I MUST find coffee. I stick my head under the shower, get dressed and head out to forage for food and caffeine...must find coffee. Jeremy and I have arranged to meet near his clinic. Almost exactly 24 hours later, I again find myself stepping out of the Bond Street station onto Oxford. I thought it was busy yesterday...this is bordering on chaos! The third to last Saturday before Christmas...in a major shopping district of London...The street is closed to traffic so instead of cars, there are mini human traffic jams every 3 feet. I'm tired, hung over, hungry, caffeine deprived...uh oh...my usual high tolerance for crowds and general mayhem is starting to shrink...must find food and coffee...Okay, I'm much better now...after a good breakfast and 4 coffees...Jeremy and I sit outside for a while, on the street with the blue archway decorations, watching the world go by...one of my favourite things to do when I travel.

That night we go out for a delicious dinner and then to a movie. It's going to be low key. We get to the theatre and we buy our tickets. The attendant asks us where we want to sit. I look at Jeremy for help. He explains that seats are assigned. Oh...that's interesting...I say that I'd like to sit somewhere in the middle. We decide to get popcorn. Do I want sweet or salty? Sweet???? Ummmmm...salty...with butter, please. "Oh we don't put butter on our popcorn here. That's an American thing". I am so disappointed that I almost decide not to have any, but in the end I cave in. The flavour they don't get from butter, they try to make up for with salt. My tongue was actually burned by the time I finished my popcorn.

Sunday, I sleep in and then go for brunch at this great place where I am served a delicious vegetarian version of the traditionl English breakfast. The coffee is fantastic! I hop on the tube and head to Notting Hill for the afternoon. What a great neighbourhood! I stroll up and down Portobello Road, browsing the shops and markets stalls. Jeremy is working late so I decide to go to another movie (hey, I've been deprived of pop culture for 6 weeks). Again I am asked where I would like to sit. Then I am asked if I would like to pay extra for a foot rest. I try to imagine a regular theatre seat (like we have back home and like the one I sat in the night before) with a foot rest. Where would it go? How would it fit? Are the rows extra wide? I say "No...I don't think so". I walk into the theatre and I am stunned to see that the seats are actually leather, living-room style chairs that allow you to sit back and "lounge". They are quite large and have wide arms (made of melamine) with a hole for your drink. I turn around, and at the back of the theatre I see a bar. I sidle over and I realize it is a real bar that serves alcohol. I order a glass of wine. It comes in a real glass wine glass. Wow...movie viewing in style!

Monday is a beautiful, sunny, crisp winter day. After a nice breakfast and delicious coffee, Jeremy is off to work, so I decide to do some shopping. The shops and streets are bustling. The energy is good. All the sales people are friendly. I spend too much money...

That night, Jeremy whisks me off to a very tall office building and, after putting my belongings through an x-ray machine and going through a metal detector, we take the elevator up to the 42nd floor. I step into another world: a circular wall of glass with a breathtaking view of London at night. We can see St. Paul's, The London Eye, The Tower Bridge and a myriad of twinkling lights. We are escorted to our seats and Jeremy orders strawberries and a bottle of champagne. We toast, we talk, we laugh, we chat with the French server. Uh oh, the bottle is empty. Another bottle of champagne please! A few hours later, it's time to go. We find a hotel lounge that is open late and we order a bottle of port. Mmmmmmmmm...yummy! I knock my glass over and it crashes to the floor. Oops! The old McCormick clumsiness is in full swing! A server comes scurrying over and quickly cleans up the mess...We finally decide to call it a night and hop into one of those wonderful old world, spacious London taxis!

Tuesday, we go to the British museum, where we see all kinds of ancient artifacts and interesting pieces of history. That evening there is a party to celebrate the one year anniversary of Jeremy's friend's production company. There are delectable finger foods, an open bar, great live music and a woman offering free waxing for those who want it. Too bad I just got my eyebrows done. I start talking to this guy who has never had any waxing and has just tried it for the first time. He had to stop halfway through because it was too painful. He looks at me, smirks and raises one eyebrow. Someone then points out that he looks a bit like Austin Powers and I realize "Oh my god - it's true!!" He even has a faint beauty mark above his lip and a slight overbite (but his teeth are much nicer than Austin's). He then sits down and braces himself for the next brow. He winces, curses and twitches while a few of us look on, chuckling. Later on he asks me for a light and I reply "Only if you say 'Do I make you horny?'" He does it perfectly, facial expressions and all. Later on, he entertains us with a killer "Oh behave!!" or two and a few other choice "Austinisms". What a great night - hilarious!!

It's around 12:30...I'm hungry...we go to yet another hotel lounge that is open late and, bonus, they are still serving food!! We order wine and a few finger foods...a while later we realize that a couple of men over in the corner are arguing quite loudly with very thick Scottish accents. Hmmmm...this could be interesting...I tune in and all I can hear is a lot of swear words, especially the "F" word. They are YELLING at each other...something to do with business...I think...at one point, one of them gets up and is threatening to leave. Eventually they settle down. After a while, the conflict flares up again. Yelling, swearing, verbal abuse...then a couple at the bar starts bickering, loudly.

What is going on ? There are three "couples" (6 people) in the entire place and two of them are arguing. Meanwhile, Jeremy and I are sitting quietly, sipping our drinks, laughing and having a great discussion about the meaning of life and the nature of the universe...and everyone else is arguing...weird...on our way out, we stop at the bickering Scotsmen table and I say "Be good to each other". One of them says "We are being good to each other". Then I say "Do you love each other?" Simultaneously, one of them says "yes" and the other says "no".

The next day includes a trip to the science museum and some shopping. Dinner is a fantastic indian/fusion place called the Mint Leaf, with really groovy music (partly recorded and partly live). The atmosphere is great and the service is excellent. After dinner we decide to hang out in the bar area for awhile, listening to the music, which includes an amazing conga player. When the bar closes, we go outside and end up having a brief chat with the conga player and he suggests a club we might like. He says "Ask for Idrus and tell him Basil sent you". Okay...will do...thanks...it all sounds so clandestine and mysterious!

Jeremy and me at the Mint Leaf

I used the photo editing program to make it purple

Off we go to find this club. We get to the door and they ask if we have a reservation. "No, but we were told to speak to Idrus". The door man informs us that Idrus is busy but invites us in. We sit down, we order a bottle of port, again I am just so happy in this moment. I am having an absolute blast in London and I have experienced so much in the past 5 days that it feels like I've been there for months! A while later, Jeremy introduces me to the mysterious Idrus, who Jeremy has been chatting with for the past few minutes. He is head of security at the club. It turns out he is originally from Botswana and spent some of his childhood in Nigeria. He has been in London/UK for most of his life (left Africa when he was about 8 or 9). We end up having a fascinating and really engaging conversation about "the problem of Africa" and what needs to change in order for Africa to be the continent it has needs and deserves to be. We pretty much solved all of Africa's challenges but I lost the napkin I wrote the formula on...darn!


Thursday morning, Jeremy and I go for a nice breakfast and then he delivers me to the train station. I am off to see Alison in an area of Surrey called Leatherhead. I get off the train to find Alison and Parker waiting for me. We hop in the car and then begin the procedure of picking up the other boys from school, but, wait, there is time for tea. We get some tea to go and, while waiting for Hudson, spend time chatting and filling each other in on the insanity that has been our lives in the past few months. We then pick up Spencer at a different school. The boys all like their schools, classes and classmates at least as much as back home. That's good. The concensus seems to be that school uniforms are a pain but not the end of the world. That's good. We eventually make it to their apartment and Jelly greets us enthusiastically. Alison and I decide we are going to step across the road (literally about 10 steps) to the pub for dinner, but not before I play a few games of Go Fish with Spencer and Parker. I lose all three games.

Jelly and Parker

We walk into the pub and find a cozy corner. We order nachos and beer...no sour cream though...hmmmmmm...Alison is dismayed. Are there olives, tomatoes, jalapenos and onions on the nachos? No, just cheese...hmmmmmm...Kathryn is dismayed...not like "back home" but, okay. We are soon informed that a group of men, known as Wassailers, are going to be arriving in a while and will be singing Christmas carols and holiday songs. Sounds pretty good to me - should put me in the holiday spirit. Incidentally, wassail is defined as: To revel, celebrate noisily, indulge in drinking, engage in uproarious festivities.


More and more people start to arrive and the atmosphere gets more festive and merry by the minute!! A couple more pints over here, please! I'm LOVING this...it's so much fun and in an "old world" kind of way, it feels familiar and comforting...I feel like I'm part of a community, even though I don't live there or know any of these people.

It was so great to see Alison, Rimas and the boys...it was kind of surreal that we were both in England together and that Alison lives there now, driving on the wrong side of the road, using a washing machine that also dries, saying chips instead of fries and bringing Jelly into the pub with us for lunch the next day. Dogs are permitted in some pubs, in designated areas. How cool is that? After a short and very sweet visit, Alison chauffeurs me to the train station.

Friday, Dec. 11, 4:30 pm: I step out of the Bond Street Station onto Oxford Street - exactly one week after I first arrived - the air is quite a bit cooler. It's winter! Again, I am dazzled by the lights, the activity, the people, the energy. I am so happy to be here!! I begin to walk towards Jeremy's clinic and before I can get there, I see him standing on the median, trying to blend in with the traffic light pole.

We have tickets to see Bill Bailey at the O2 arena. He is a well known, popular comedian in the UK. He is doing a stand up show involving music, and the BBC orchestra is accompanying him. I laughed for two hours straight. After the show, Jeremy suggests we take a boat back to the centre of London, along the Thames. I think it's a great idea! What a way to end my time in London!!! But wait, there's more...after a nice walk through Soho and the crowded theatre district, we take a bicycle pedicab (driven by a guy from Toronto, no less) to probably the coolest bar I've ever been to. I will let the photos speak for themselves:

Swarovsky Crystal Bathroom

Alien Pod Bathroom

Those of you who know I take photos of unusual bathrooms from around the world, will see that I hit the jackpot here. I also got a couple winners in Africa! Jeremy and I were actually given a personal tour of the facility, which had 4 levels, 5 different rooms, two separate (and very distinct) bathrooms and a number of really cool interactive art installations. For example, on one wall there was a flashing light display which, if you looked at it long enough, you would see the word "LOVE" appear. The guy who gave us the tour was quite the character! He was from Belfast and had a fantastic Irish accent. He was somewhat flamboyant in his gestures and manner of speaking...however I am not going to assume he was gay. But I will say this: He definitely took a shine to one of us, and I don't think it was me. It's 2:00 am...time to go home. My last night in London is over...nooooooooo...I don't want to go back to reality...please don't make me!!

In summary, my week in London was one of the best times I've had in recent memory (as was my time in Namibia and in many other places I've visited, but in a different way). I ate and drank way too much, slept way too little, walked about a thousand miles, spent way too much money, had so much fun that I would probably be charged with an offence (or worse) in some parts of the world and I wouldn't change one minute of it...Thanks again, Jer!

Good-Bye Africa, Hello Europe!

I arrived in Cardiff, Wales on Nov. 25, after an 11 hour flight from Jo'burg to Amsterdam and then a couple more hours to Cardiff. I was greeted by Rowan and Elsa. It was great to see familiar smiling faces. Elsa was shy at first but she got over it pretty quickly! We drove to Carmarthen, where they live, and there I met for the first time my other niece Freja. I instantly fell in love with her. She looks more like Kevin, but thankfully has Rowan's temperament! The first few days were spent relaxing, talking, arguing with Kevin, hanging out and catching up on our lives. On Sunday, Nov. 29, we had a birthday party for Freja who turned one. She's a Sagittarius like me!

We went to craft fairs, did some general shopping and strolling around the city. Carmarthen is the oldest town in Wales and it is lovely. I got my hair and eyebrows done, as I was starting to look like a gray haired old woman with a una-brow. The desert was not kind to my skin or to my hair! I also did some clothes shopping, in preparation for my upcoming trip to London. Here are a few pictures:

Rowan and Elsa decorating the tree

Freja and her Nana Freja
Kevin and the girls at Subway Kevin doing his domestic duties

A Rainbow in the Centre of Town

Elsa and Freja

Carollers in town at a craft fair

One of the pubs I went to for lunch had this item on the menu: It is called The Titanic and the slogan says "If you sink this one, you get a fre t-shirt and a certificate".

Rump steak, chicken breast, gammon steak, pork steak, lamb chops, pork sausage, 6 oz beef burger, lamb's liver, lamb's kidney, onion rings, mushroom, free range fried egg, tomato, peas. I'm not making this stuff up. Thank goodness it's a free range egg, cause we wouldn't want to eat any animals that have been treated cruelly or given hormones or antibiotics! I ordered a veggie burger with chips and a pint of beer.

All in all, my first week in the UK was wonderful, even though it was dominated by wiping snotty noses...next entry, LONDON!!!

Eighteen Days in the Desert - Part 3 of 3

On Friday, Nov. 20, we got up after our last night at base camp, and began the packing up process. We had some minor baboon activity the night before but nothing like the last time.

I felt sad to be leaving and, at the same time, looking forward to our big night out as a group. Dinner reservations had been made at a popular pub/restaurant in Swakopmund, called Kucki's. But first, we were gathering for drinks at a bar on the beach, the Tiger Reef. During this time, Dave gave a very sincere, moving speech about the impact we all had on the project and on him. He gave us all an EHRA badge as a souvenir. He also expressed his deep commitment to conservation and to the work EHRA does.

We arrived at Kucki's and got settled in our seats. Much to the dismay of most of us at the table, there was a band playing upstairs and the singer was singing in German....which in and of itself isn't so bad, except that it was really loud and the quality of the music was somewhat lacking.
Part way through my meal, I realized that the "singer" was singing "Sometimes When We Touch" in German...then he did the chorus in really poor "lounge singer" English. It is very hard to convey how awful/hilarious it was...after a few more German songs, the band started playing (destroying, is more like it) "Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp. Okay, seriously, what is GOING ON up there??!!?? I had to see for myself.

I recruited Lizanne and a couple other brave souls and up the stairs we went. What we discovered is almost too horrible to for words: a lone guy (not a band, as we had imagined) wearing a baggy t-shirt and a baseball cap. He was visibly intoxicated, singing along with a karaoke machine (and he was the official entertainment). When we got to the top of the stairs, he was "working the room" in his best lounge singer style, and some of the patrons were holding up lighters and swaying. At that point he may have been singing a Bryan Adams love ballad, I can't remember. Needless to say, there was not one single black person in the room (or in the restaurant, for that matter), and I can pretty much guarantee they were all German. One of the volunteers referred to the scene as "this is what the master race has come to". Another member of our group said "I went up there, had a shot of Jaegermeister and I had to run back downstairs. I couldn't take it. If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was in Nazi Germany in 1934 at a rally".

At one point, the "singer" turned to me, held the microphone to his crotch (pointing outwards) and did the old lounge singer move with his other hand, i.e. shooting gun motion with his thumb and index finger. I thought I was going to die - I'm sure I looked like a deer in the headlights. At this point I knew this situation called for some video footage! I ran back down and got my camera. So, here it is below. You can't really see much, but it has the audio and conveys the general atmosphere/scenario. He is singing "Great Balls of Fire" and if you look closely, near the end of the video, you can see him making rude gestures in his pelvic area (but this time, not with the microphone).

After a few more drinks and some dancing, it was time to go to another establishment. I vaguely recall singing along to "To Love Somebody" by the Bee Gees in a very mocking, over the top sort of way. After some discussion and negotiation, most of us end up at a Cuban club, which is good because it was not at all a touristy place. It was pretty much all locals and the music was okay. We danced a bit and had to contend with yet another drunken freak who was trying to dance with us and, not a word of a lie, was grabbing his crotch and making rude gestures. I'm not making this stuff up, folks. It really did happen. My conclusion was that he was on bug spray. One thirty in the morning: Time to go home...


Saturday, time to go shopping for gifts...I love spending money! I also booked a massage and a pedicure for myself for Saturday afternoon. That was blissful! My feet were in such bad shape that the esthetician asked me if I was sure I was only in the desert for 2 weeks. That night a few of us went out to a really nice restaurant which included wine tasting. The food was fabulous and I tasted some very nice wines. Luckily our group included Stefan, who knows a lot about wine, so his expertise made the wine tasting experience that much more interesting and enjoyable. I finished the evening with a couple glasses of delicious port.


That evening and again on Sunday, we were having to say good-bye to several of our group members. It was sad, as we had all spent so much time together in such close living conditions that we all felt like we knew had known each other for months.

Monday morning, Lizanne and I picked up our rented vehicle and off we went to a place called Sossusvlei, where we would see the tallest sand dunes in the world!

Here we are just before leaving on our road trip
Since Sossusvlei is a 5 to 6 hour drive, it is a good idea to stop for a break. The best (only) place is a little outpost, aptly named "Solitaire". It isn't really a town, as such. There is a lodge, a restaurant, a general store and a bakery which is rumoured to have "the best" apple streudel in Namibia (?). It was probably the best I ever had! Solitaire was an interesting place. There were a series of old cars, creatively displayed with cacti and sand, etc. It was very artistic and quite visually stunning. Here are some photos.

We arrived in Sossusvlei in the late afternoon and got a campsite right next to the entrance to the park. We drove out to see the dunes and got oriented so that, when we arrived before dawn the next morning, we would know where we were going.

One of many wild ostriches we saw on our journey

The seemingly endless flat road we (Lizanne) drove on for hours
There were many trees that had these gigantic nests in them, which fascinated me. I imagined they were inhabited by great, prehistoric desert birds of some sort. But, it turns out they are made by a large group of very tiny birds. You can't see it in the photo, but these nests have numerous tiny holes from which the birds enter and exit.

The "thing to do" here is to climb to the top of a sand dune early in the morning and watch the sunrise. So, we hauled our carcasses out of bed (which was the truck) at 5:30 and drove to the dunes. It was truly a beautiful area and the dunes were spectacular - the tallest in the world!

The whole trip was costly (car rental and mileage) and time consuming (many many hours of driving, all done by Lizanne), but in the end it was worth it, because who knows when I will get to that area again, if ever...it's not every day that you get the chance to climb the tallest sand dunes in the world!

I couldn't believe my time in Africa was essentially over. My spirit didn't want to leave but my skin, I knew, would be very happy. It had reached its limit in terms of exposure to sun and heat. All that was left was a long drive to Windhoek to shower and organize my bags at the hostel were Lizanne would be staying the night, and then off to the airport. Lizanne was kind enough to drive me, so that I didn't have to negotiate traffic, directions, driving on the left hand side of the road and maneuvering a vehicle which was difficult to drive under the best of circumstances. It was also nice to be able to say a "proper" good-bye. It was very sad to part ways, after all we had experienced in the past 6 weeks. The fact that I would not be returning to Victoria in the foreseeable future didn't make it any easier! There were hugs and tears and "I love you's". Off I went, to begin the second part of my journey, on a different continent, to spend time with close friends and discover new places.

This was my second time on the "Dark Continent" and I know it will not be my last. Africa is a beautiful place with breathtaking scenery, amazing wildlife, loving and joyful people, fascinating culture and history and, at the same time, there is so much pain and hurt to overcome, so much work to be done on so many levels. Africa's potential, however, is infinite and I believe that one day (probably not in my lifetime) it will become everything it was meant to be...and more.

Eighteen Days in the Desert - Part 2 of 3

My last post concluded with the end of building week. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, I was looking forward to tracking week, where we get to see the elephants! I want to add one detail about building week that I neglected to mention. As we were working on a farm, we were "lucky" enough to witness horses and donkeys mating...a first for me (in the flesh, so to speak, as opposed to TV). I saw enough "equine" penises to last me a lifetime. My comment was usually "Would you put that thing away!" Others were fond of saying "Get a room!". Little did I know, I would get to see several elephant penises too, but no mating. Elephant penises are so long that they sometimes drag on the ground! Sorry, no photos...Okay, enough about animal sexual organs!

So, after one last night at our temporary camp, we set off the next morning for a much needed rest at base camp for the weekend. After unpacking and cleaning and organizing our supplies, the line-up for the showers began. The moment I stepped under the shower head and turned on the water, it was paradise! A week's worth of sun screen, dried sweat, sand, cement and general filth all began to wash away...ahhhhhh...bliss...the sun was shining down on me and the warm breeze caressed my skin. I discovered that there is nothing as wonderful as an outdoor shower in the sun, surrounded by breathtaking landscape. Eventually, everyone had showered and then it was dinner time. We ate, we drank, we talked, we laughed...just like all the other nights spent together during building week. Then, at around 10:30 - 11:00, most of us made our way to bed.

Here is the view during one of my showers

Midnight: I am awoken from a deep sleep by an otherworldly sound...a cross between a human being and a dog (a werewolf, perhaps?). The sound is very close...I say to Mark, who is sleeping close-by, "Mark, are you awake?" He says "Ya". I say "What the hell is that??!!??". He mumbles something incoherent. I realize it is one of the baboons from the troup we had observed in the afternoon, a few hundred yards from camp. Throughout the night, always as I was just finally drifting off to sleep, the screeching, yelling and assorted other weird noises would jolt me into consciousness. It was an interesting, somewhat hair-raising night, to say the least. I never knew baboons made such a variety of noises. At one point I said to Mark (and anyone else who happened to be awake) in a half-joking, half-serious way "We're all going to die!". I heard a few snickers from various corners of the tree-fort.

The next day, we all got up at different times, made our own breakfast and generally lazed around, just like a Sunday at home. There was much discussion about the baboon shenanigans of the previous night. Some of us, myself included, got to go "into town" to buy snacks and other supplies. We also got to go swimming at a hotel that lets non-guests use the pool if you buy lunch. Was I interested? Ummmmm...let me think...YES!!! It was so refreshing and revitalizing...then a delicious lunch, complete with an ice cold gin and tonic...ahhhhhhhh...luxury. Here is a picture of the pool.

Monday morning we headed out to start patrol week. We saw our first elephant, a male named Benny, around mid-day. Then, soon after, we saw a herd. They approached our vehicle and, as instructed, we stayed very still and completely silent. Elephants have poor eyesight, so as long as we are quiet and stay still (and wear neutral colours), they think we are just part of the scenery. Here is a video clip of our first "close encounter". It was very exciting and just a little scary!

Here are a couple elephants from the same herd. I had some fun with a photo editing program which allows you to turn colour pictures into sepia or black & white, make them look old, give them a nostalgic look, etc. You will see this with a few others.

Our tracking week was structured much like building week. We would get up at 6:00, be on the road by 7:30 and we would stop for lunch/siesta between 12:00 and 2:30. Here is a photo of our fearless leader, Dave, having his siesta. He is actually asleep in this photo. Luckily his cigarette was unlit!

Oops, a flat tire!!

Helen and Lizanne spring into action!

This is a close-up shot of a nasty thorny bush that snagged each of us many times in various locations (at camp during building week, while riding on top of the truck or hanging out the sides) and in various places on our bodies (our hair, our hats, our clothes, our skin). It was an ongoing source of irritation and amusement all at once.

After an amazing first day, we found a great spot and set up camp. The next morning, 3 people reported that they got a bit freaked out by a tree that looked like an elephant coming towards them. I didn't experience this, but I did have some pretty weird dreams! Our second day on patrol was just as satisfying. We spent several hours observing a herd and saw our first really little babies (a few weeks old). At one point one of the babies, who was struggling to climb up the side of the dry riverbed, tumbled back (ass over teakettle) and let out a huge loud squeal. All the adult elephants starting making noises, trumpeting and generally freaking out. The mother helped her baby up with her trunk and got him to his feet. It was quite the scene, not unlike what happens if a human baby falls down and all the adults run over to make sure the child is okay. It was the "cutest" moment of patrol week, if a moment is capable of being cute. I have a couple video clips of babies, but for some reason I was not able to download them...technology! You'll have to settle for still shots.

This is a very young calf nursing: I learned that elephants have two breasts, situated right in the same spot as human breasts: between the arm pits. Even the males have them, just like human males.

That night we camped at the same spot. Here is a photo of all of us around the fire, a big part of our nightly ritual.

It's so hard getting up in the morning and leaving the comfort of our warm sleeping bags

Day three started slow, with no elephant sightings for quite a few hours...however, we did come across the most bizarre, surreal scene of the trip (and perhaps one of the most bizarre moments of my life - and believe me there have been more than a few). We noticed a small brush fire by the side of the road and, several yards away, a goat who was just standing there in an odd position. We got out of the truck and approached the goat. She appeared to be frozen in this positon. A few people began throwing sand on the fire to try to put it out. There was much speculation about why the goat was frozen and whether or not there was a relationship between the presence/condition of the goat and the fire. Perhaps someone set the fire to alert the owner of the goat that she was in trouble...? We'll never know for sure, but there was not much we could do. We left the fire smouldering, in case this latter theory was correct.

Frozen Goat

Brush Fire

We carried on searching for elephants and, finally, we saw some. They didn't stick around for very long so we had to go out into some dodgy, marshy territory to find them again. We got stuck in the mud three times (the vehicle I was in once and the other vehicle twice). For me, this was a little disconcerting because I was sceptical about our ability to get out of this situation. But our guides are pretty accustomed to these conditions and, with instructions from them about collecting rocks, digging the tires out, pushing the vehicle, etc. we managed to get out each time! After getting stuck 3 times, we decided to pack it in and look for a camping spot. Little did we know, the best part of patrol week was around the corner...

Stuck in the mud - a bird's eye view

Stuck in the mud - a closer look

Anna and Mark on the roof of the truck - trying to look ultra cool!

My foot inside an elephant foot print

On route to our unknown destination for the night we encountered another herd. We observed them for a while and then went quite a ways ahead to set up camp. As predicted they eventually came through, just as the sun was setting. It was a truly magical moment. We all huddled near the truck in silence, holding our breaths, watching them glide through the dusk, like ghosts...

Then...Harold appeared...he began to touch one of our bed rolls with his trunk and before we knew it, he was kicking it around like a soccer ball: front feet, back feet, pushing with his trunk. He kicked it about 20 yards away from the fire, outside of our camp area and then kept playing with it, the way a soccer player would dribble a ball. This went on for about 10 minutes, until he got bored and wandered off. It was all we could do to keep it together and not burst into hysterics...it was truly a remarkable sight!!! I knick-named him Pele, after the well-known soccer player from Brazil.

A few minutes later, another herd came through. This time they took a different route, up on the grassy area, on the oppoite side of our camp. It was almost dark at this point so we didn't see them until they were right there! At one point we thought they were going to step down into the riverbed and traipse right through our camp, crushing all our belongings (and a few of us) in the process. Luckily they decided not to. After a delicious Thai curry dinner (which Anna and I prepared, under a fair bit of duress, I might add), we retired for the night (our last one on patrol) feeling elated, satisfied and probably exhausted.

The next morning, we got up and lingered a little longer over a few cups of tea and coffee because we could see the elephants in the distance and they appeared to be coming our way. We eventually left because they were taking too long. On our way back to base camp, we did see a few elephants and did about 2 hours of observation all together.

Here is an interesting artifact we saw on our last day

On our way back, we stopped at a roadside shop and we were greeted by a cluster of children who were fascinated by us - not an uncommon occurence

We returned to base camp in the early afternoon and it felt like coming home...again, unpack, clean, organize, showers (ahhhhhhh, bliss). Fantastic dinner, great conversation, good music (Dave has excellent taste in music and quite an eclectic collection). Later on after dinner and more than just a few drinks, the garbage burning ritual begins. I didn't mention this before because it's just so unpleasant, but in Africa (even in the most "developed" countries, with the exception of maybe South Africa) there is no garbage collection so everything that can melt or burn is thrown into the fire...including plastic. Sorry, I got too wrapped up in the process to remember to take pictures. The best item that night, I think, was the plastic mayonnaise jar I put into the fire. It still had mayo in it, so there was some nice boiling mayonnaise mixed in with the melting plastic...mmmmmmm...quite a stunning visual effect. I will leave you with that image in your mind. Oh and don't forget to include the smell of toxic fumes when you are visualising this scenario.

Ben, Leon and Mark having a deep philosophical discussion while waiting for dinner

Leon and Guro, resting and recovering after patrol week

An image from base camp

The "plastic dome" at base camp, which is a workshop where strange whirring noises are sometimes heard. I think it looks like the hatch from Lost and/or an alien spaceship

A common rock formation near base camp

Lizanne climbing to the top of a hill where Dave has built a beautiful outdoor "luxury camping" resort called Ondjou (Herero for elephant)

The Loo at Ondjou

An Archway at Ondjou
One last image of the elephants, using the editing program to make it look all soft and glowy