Hello guys,
You can see I managed to put together next part of my Namibian travel story. It has been almost two months from my last part which you can check on the following link:
https://peakd.com/hive-163772/@crazy-andy/my-travel-story-namibia-day-8-etosha-np-and-rundu-part-7-38-photos
I simply didn’t have enough time during these summer months to do proper write up and to select the right photos. In between a lot has happened all around. I am really happy that Haveyoubeenhere community became that popular. Couple of months ago, there was just a post or two daily, now there is plenty of high quality post we can read every day. Curation in this community is also one of the highest on Hive. I also spend most of my time checking travel related posts, so that is just the right community to be active.
After a short intro it is time to take a look at today’s content. We will have some stories to tell and some nice people photography, but we will end this post and Day 8 at my travel with some wildlife as well and gorgeous sunset plus short lodge review. A lot of work ahead me at this time, but this is called pleasure work.
Probably there could be some other photography for the cover, but I can not help myself, if I am an animal lover.
Our day started with visiting local people. People at Mahango Lodge are cooperating with locals nearby and are offering “tours” to visit their homes. Total price goes directly to this people which we visit on our “tour”. We went to an older lady who lost here husband few years ago and is now fighting through life alone. She has a small field with own irrigation system. People from the lodge did this for the older lady and that helped here a lot. She also has a good dog.
It is really interesting to visit such place, to see where and how people live. Most of us, can not imagine the conditions they are at daily and this lady we visited is probably living on high end in comparison to some others. Seeing her bed and where cooks her daily lunch gives you something to think. Probably you will be able to get an impression, but seeing it in person gives a totally different look.
We left a small tip for the lady as well and hope she is doing fine.
Next on schedule for this day was visiting a local school. That was another thing I was really looking forward to. Meeting these kids also opens your eyes. They are so cute, happy, full of energy, joy,…
They fill you with positive energy at the moment you meet them. Again a feeling which can not be described as you simply has to experience that.
There are some photos which tells how happy they are of each visitor, but truly special moment for me was when you took a photo of them and then show it to them. The thing is that they don’t have mirrors and they even don’t know how they look like. Some of them probably saw themselves for the first time. Can you imagine? At the ages of 5, 6, 7…
They were all laughing, so it looks like they looked funny to themselves :)
I was there just for a short time, so I can hardly write a lot about school. Again the local community built it with help from some European donators. From what I was able to see, they all very much like school and are happy that they can educate. We gave them some pens and other school stuff plus some sweets as well. The teacher collected everything and they get everything based on their reward system through more weeks or even months. Kids also gets their school uniforms from tourists. Each has different, but still they dress them nicely. You can see many branded cloths on them, not to do difference between kids which I found positive, especially in the environment they come from, where some of them probably wouldn’t have anything to wear.
Order there is also very strict and kids are learning all daily routine. They also have bathrooms there, so daily hygiene is done in the school.
Singing a song before goodbye is a must. A great experience filled with so much positivity.
When the day continued animal’s time came. We visited Mahango National Park, which is not that know and that big, but it gives you possibility to see quite a lot of game and you can do whole park in a few hours.
It is worth driving through if you are around, but you can skip it if you are in a hurry and you did parks like Etosha or Chobe.
Still we managed to see animal from Big 5, which can not be find in Etosha and this is buffalo. So now only leopard is missing and will remain missing by the end of our trip. We had to hunt (with camera of course) him on another travel in South African Republic, but more from that some other time :)
Ostrich family was interesting too in Mahango NP.
In the afternoon we had booked sundowner cruise as well. It is always nice to be on the water and spotting animals. It gives you a different view on them. Also you are not driving, so you have your hands free. Another advantage is that you can come to some places, you can not access by car. Some animals sometimes dodge the roads.
One of the most amazing sights came from that boat cruise as well. Seeing a herd of elephants coming to drink by the river is truly astonishing wight which will be in my head for my whole life. After seeing first elephant our guide turned out the engine and we were listening only elephants communicating and watching their behaviour during early sunset. Another one of a kind experience I was able to have this day.
I wrote about special sunset they have in Africa, so I won’t lose much words here. So peaceful, clear, different. I would be happy if everyone would be able to experience at least one African sunset.
We came to an end of this day 9 of my travel through Namibia. We ended it in Mahango Lodge. A very decent accommodation, but still one of the worst on our travel. But it is noting wring with Mahango Lodge, quite the opposite, but all the others were really superb.
The best thing about this lodge was terrace where you have meals which offered view over the river where you can see elephants grazing. I would repeat myself too much if I add unforgettable experience, right?
You can see more about the property on the photos below. Houses were cute and accommodation is so different from typical hotel rooms. There is a special charm and houses like the one in Mahango Lodge are made for Africa.
I have bad news for you guys...
That was our last day in Namibia :(
I have to give you a good news as well right? There were two more days in Zimbabwe and one in Botswana. Travel stories will follow in the near future. After I have other travel destinations to share. We will see how it will developed.
When I am writing my posts from my travels I get to live them all over again. All memories are recalled and that phrase unforgettable gets true.
That is another positive aspect of Hive as I really like sharing my stories with you guys. And also working on them is fun and filled with great memories. So lets say free dose of joy.
Interacting with you is another thing I am looking forward, so feel free to leave a comment and I will make sure to reply.
Thank you for all the support in the past and in the future as well.
Another think to mention is my milestone with 2500 Hive power, which I achieved yesterday. I am proud on that as I am powering up everything I have and my average growth is 500+ HP per month. Again thank you all for the support and HIVE ON!
That is bonus photo for my milestone as it is from bereakfast following day :)
And I am sorry for the yesterday's post, which shouldn't be published until today :)
I can feel that you have a heart for travel and children, how I wish I could join you since I also love helping those who need help especially children.
Thank you for your kind words.
Helping each others is key...
You're welcome. Yes helping is the key.
Hiya, @choogirl here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #940.
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Thanks for the great news :)
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Your post really deconstructs my idea of what Africa is. I sometimes forget how much wildlife there is in that place, a leap I would love to experience sometime in the future. While it is still a growing country, your interest in the place is very inspiring.
Great job with wildlife photography though. I can only imagine how it must have been a challenge. And congratulation on powering up! Continue to add value to the platform!
Thank you for stopping by!
Africa is really amazing and Namibia is one of true gems on this continent. Offers so much...
I really recomend visiting it to anyone who have a chance. Totally different experience from anything else.
Wildlife photography is special. It is not easy to catch good shots as you are not in the zoo. You never know when an animal will come.
I will do my best to keep up my work.
So beautiful, i hope I can visit this place soon.
If you will decide for Namibia, you can always contact me in case you would need any advice...
Thank you I will.
Wow , what a journey of experience this was a real introduction to lovely and funny kids the animals and the sceneries certainly a package full and a great story to go with it i really enjoyed reading this post 👍
Thank you for your kind words.
Well with me it is the destination which makes more than half of the business.
I am not that good at writeups...
No really you put it together nicely words and all 👍
Yes what I like at Namibia is that it offers so much!
Sou can have a genuine experience with locals, kids and even a tribe. On the other hand you can see all the Big 5 and many other wildlife.
For the end it offers great landscape as well.
I could add fantastic food! Game meat there is just perfect!
Thanks for stopping by and I am happy you liked my travel story :)