Trip to the South 2.0

Our trip to the south 2.0 was focused on environmentally sustainable development. We first drove to a lodge by Hardap Dam in Mariental. We set up camp and had a delicious meal by the fire. The next morning we had class outside in the hot morning sun. Southern Namibia is very hot! By 10 a.m. you are burning up! On our way into Mariental we stopped to see Hardap Dam which was beautiful!

One thing I will miss so much about this country is the beautiful scenery. The nature here is so extreme, varying and breath-taking. The dam water was a solid bright green and on the other side of the dam pelicans lazed about, on slightly clearer water. The most beautiful aspects of southern Namibia are the mountains. Browns and golds that jut out of the rocky land.

Next we went to Brukkaros Community Campsite and set up camp in the blazing hot sun of the afternoon! Then we listened to Petrus Fleermuys talk to us about Berseba, the small town that ran the campsite. It is a very small town that is looking to use Brukkaros Mountain to increase tourism to the campsite.

That evening at the campsite we explored the beautiful rocky terrain. Andy and I walked through a dry river bed. The stones were smooth and terra-cotta colored. It got so deep you might think the river bed could swallow you whole, at certain points. It was amazing! We walked back as the sun set, which is one of the most beautiful things to witness in Namibia.

For dinner Friday night we had mac’n cheese, spinach feta cranberry salad and for desert banana boats, which are DELICIOUS!

The next morning we woke up early to explore the mountain. The walk up was tough but so worth it! The scenery was incredible. Although it was slightly dangerous I was proud of how far I got up the mountain, which was not all the way. The natural scenery of the south is ineffable.

We came back down the mountain, struck our camp and met up with a youth group in Berseba to plant trees at the camp site. The kids were very talented and kind high school students. They sang many songs for us and sounded fantastic! They could harmonize like no one’s business! It was an incredible time!

Then we went to their school where we had lunch together, after a musical exchange! After lunch we left our friends in Berseba for the last leg of our trip in Mariental.

We arrived at Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge and set up camp, again! That night for dinner we ate chili buy the boat load, along with fruit and cheese as an appetizer and s’mores for desert! There are some excellent chefs amongst our bunch!

The next morning, Sunday, April 11, a representative of from the lodge came to talk to us about the lodge. He said that the lodge was part of a bigger enterprise that has several lodges all over Namibia. Their philosophy is based on the African pot that has three legs. One leg stands for financial viability, another for community involvement and responsibility and a third for environmental responsibility. He said that the company looks at all three of these aspects and look to enrich Namibia. He presented a strong argument for his company and made our eyes light up with love for the tourism industry and the Namibian life.

Later we reflected on our whole trip and I thought about, and discussed, privilege. The man from the lodge ran a private company and was a white Namibian which undoubtedly made him very privileged. Upon comparing the community-run campsite with the lodge, these two were night and day. The community-run campsite offered us a latrine and a couple of patches of shade while the lodge offered soft sand, fully functional bathrooms with showers, a kitchen, stoves and a fire pit. Development is not always what it seems and the lodge company’s efforts are not always socially responsible, especially when it comes into conflict with being economically viable. It’s also crucial to examine where the money comes from, how it can be used and how it is inevitably linked back to apartheid and post-apartheid white privilege.

After reflection and lunch we went into the city to talk to Catherine Boois, who works at the Mariental Municipality. She spoke to us about the challenges the city faces, as it sometimes floods (which is hard to imagine in the dry south!) and their attempts at increasing cultural tourism as people stop going to and from South Africa and Windhoek.

We arrived at our home in Windhoek in the afternoon. I lamented over this being our last trip CGE would take us on before Cape Town which is our last stop on our journey home. Although it is our last CGE trip in Namibia I am squeezing in a third and final trip to the south with my sister Britt!