First Class and Namibian Cash
Houston to Washington D.C. to Dakar to Johannesburg and finally NAMIBIA! Blog on traveling from the U.S. to Africa.
Houston to Washington D.C. to Dakar to Johannesburg and finally NAMIBIA! We made it after one connecting flight, one pit stop, one night in Jo-burg and one last flight till we head home in four weeks. We’ll be bussing it around Namibia from now on. The A&M mascot Reveille gets a first class seat in my bag so you be able to see what she is up to also. I’m the official plush Reveille handler for this study abroad as deemed by the Study Abroad Programs office (I volunteered). I don’t think they know how obsessed I am with this, they only asked for 10 and I’ve already taken 18 in the first three days… they don’t even know what’s coming.
Flight Experience:
The three hour flight to Washington D.C. was pretty normal, we flew United Airlines and I decided watched Into the Woods on the plane which took most of the time. There were so many movies to choose from! We arrived to the D.C. airport with enough time to walk around and get something to eat; the time flew by so fast! We ended up getting a call from our professor saying that the plane was boarding so everyone rushed from all over the airport to get to our gate. Since our boarding passes were with United, everyone needed to get a South African Airlines pass. I was the last one in line and figured my seat would be the same as the one on the old boarding pass, right? I didn’t even look at the new pass. Much to my surprise my seat was in row 15, not on row 70-something. I walked all the way to the back where my group was, getting confused as to why my seat number was so low. Well a flight attendant told me I was in “Premium Class,” and proceeded to escort me to the front of the plane. At this point everyone hates me, luckily another girl, Janesha, had also been upgraded and took the heat with me. It was great, let me tell you… first class is the best way to take a 17 hour flight. Comfortable, reclining seats, delicious food, cool air… ok I’m done, you can look at my pictures. Anyway, I sat next to an older man from Zimbabwe who had been in Texas visiting his daughter. He talked quite a bit, but was pretty quiet so I don’t really have any other information about him. I thought the flight attendants were really nice, but some of the girls in the back mentioned they were kind of rude, it might have been the specific one assigned to their section, but there is a little review for you. They provided us with two dinners, breakfast and lunch. We had an hour-long pit stop in Dakar then proceeded to fly into Johannesburg. It was such a coincidence, I watched the movie Chappie which was set there so I thought that was cool. After staying the night in Jo-burg we boarded a plane to Windhoek, Namibia! Apparently there was lunch, but I slept the entire time. I was glad to have the very roomy emergency row window seat. I’m not sure why I got to choose my seat, but it was the last window seat available on the British Airline. I was able to convert my U.S. Dollars to the Namibian currency at the airport, their bills are so colorful! The shops in the Johannesburg airport were so cool! Some of them were very ‘African’ looking and sold zebra skins/rugs! I asked and the cheapest ones were a little under $900. I seriously want to come back to Africa one day with an empty suitcase and small carryon just so I can get all the things to decorate my home. It’s going to happen. Zebra print everything, except the woodcarvings of other wildlife. Our advisors told us we would be able to find most of the items elsewhere on our trip for less so I didn’t buy anything. They also said they like to buy from villages because you get to physically meet the person who carved, sewed or made the item, as well as supporting some of these people’s only income.
Night in Johannesburg:
As I mentioned before, we spent one night in Johannesburg, South Africa before arriving in Namibia. We stayed at the City Lodge hotel which is connected to the airport, it was so nice! At this point it didn’t really feel like we were in Africa yet, didn’t walk outside and the hotel looks like it could be a nice hotel in America. We went to our rooms to unwind for a bit then met downstairs for dinner. I had a tomato and cheese sandwich that came with salad and chips (less than $5! It would probably be about $10 at Panera for the amount of food I got) and an apple crumble dessert which was delicious, it was surrounded by this yellow liquid which looked weird, but was so good! We were able to take hot showers from a rainfall type shower head and relax before bed, its was so nice. Plus I roomed with a super nice girl in our group named, Demi. I had fun talking with her and some girls across the hall! A breakfast buffet was provided in the morning and it had so many options, I tried a little bit of everything so I wont go into detail about the food options, but the had a pot of tea on every table! We have been told we have tea times in the future on this trip and I think that is just so exciting! The only downside to this hotel was we only had one plug in the room so it was hard to charge all of our electronics. In Africa, their voltage is higher so it charges faster, but you can’t leave anything plugged in for a long time or else it could kill the battery. This means we couldn’t charge things during dinner or breakfast or during the night while we were sleeping. That was pretty minor though, I could deal without my laptop for one day until we got to our new location, but you’ll hear about that in the next post. Spoiler alert, this place has three plugs per room, but also it doesn’t like extension cords with surge protectors… Stay tuned!
Overall this trip has been so great and amazing, I’ve seen some wildlife (there were baboons like squirrels by the airport in Windhoek) and have had so much fun getting to know everyone! I’m just so thankful to finally be here since I was supposed to come last year, I can’t believe that I’m actually in Africa. We had a game tour, so you’ll see a lot of wildlife on the next post!
Follow my group by searching the hashtag #TAMUtakesNamibia15 or follow Reveille with the hashtag #RevOnTheRoad
P.S. I’m in Africa!!!? Ahhh!!
Where to Stay in Africa
Everywhere we stayed on our study abroad trip to Namibia!
When you think of Africa what comes to mind? Safaris, tents, mission trips, deserts and lions? Do you think of cities, nice hotels or lodges and breathtaking scenery? Well based on the itinerary I received for this study abroad, I and the rest of my group will get to experience everything Namibia has to offer and I can’t be more excited! If you, like myself, have never traveled to Africa and have no idea what you would even do there, where you would stay or what you can expect, then this may help you out. Below are excerpts from my itinerary along with descriptions and links to where I will be staying over the next month. Follow along with this blog to see what these places are like in real life! You will see plenty of pictures, and some video of my travels so make sure you subscribe to the mailing list (scroll to the bottom) to get updates as soon as I make a post! We travel between locations every few days so there is always something new to see!
City Lodge O.R. Tambo | https://clhg.com/hotels/152/City-Lodge-Hotel-OR-Tambo-International-Airport
Located at OR Tambo Airport, this hotel offers a resting place for travelers commuting to and from Johannesburg and is great if you need immediate access to the airport. Guests have access to the wide variety of airport amenities as well as a fitness room, pool and coffee shop within the hotel.
Heja Game Lodge | http://www.hejalodge.com/facilities.htmlt
While staying here my group will get a tour of the city, spend time at the Neudamm Campus at the University of Namibia, meet with Peace Corps and US Embassy representatives and enjoy a game drive at this lodge. I linked you to the facilities page where you can see the wide variety of activities this lodge has to offer, it seems like a great place for families wanting some recreational downtime as well as some adventure!
Kalahari Farmhouse | http://www.gondwana-collection.com/the-kalahari-experience/accommodation/kalahari-farmhouse/
This location is described as “an oasis in the desert” on their website. Based on the photos and the 360 ˚ virtual tour of the lodge showcasing the lush grass and palm trees it certainly looks like it. We get to see the “Soul of the World,” better known as the Kalahari Desert, home to the largest continuous expanse of sand on earth according to the desert’s website. You would think that title would belong to the larger Sahara desert, however sand dunes only take up 15% of that area. We will also be touring a family farm during our visit to “Patria Boerdery” to understand how a commercial farm is run in Namibia.
Sossusvlei Lodge | http://sossusvleilodge.com/gallery.html
This lodge has an award winning eco-friendly design and has won several awards of excellence from the Hospitality association of Namibia. From the pictures inside of their tent-like units you would not be able to tell the difference between a room in a nice hotel building, both include all the amenities you need to be completely at ease. We will visit one of the oldest deserts in the world, the Namib, explore the surrounding area, climb to the top of the dunes and visit the Sesriem Canyon – carved from occasional floods during exceptionally good rainy seasons.
Gobabeb Training Centre | http://www.gobabebtrc.org/
Gobabeb is an internationally recognized center for dry land training and research. We may get to see Springbuck, Oryx, Ostriches and Mountain Zebras during our time there! We will learn about the research this center had done over the past 50 years during a tour of the grounds as well as learning how residents of the Namib have survived in this hyper-arid environment. It should be interesting to learn the uses of different plants and animals by the Topnaar people and their cultural traditions.
Hotel Europa Hof | http://www.europahof.com/main_e.htm
Along the shore of Swakopmund the German architecture and atmosphere of this hotel located between the cold Atlantic Ocean and the sweltering Namib Desert will be different and exciting to see – I always look forward to experiences relating to my heritage, maybe I’ll get to see Germany in person one day! We will get to sail along the coast via catamaran with the possibility of seals joining us on the boat in return for some fish, hopefully we’ll get to see dolphins surfing the waves as well.
Farm Habis | Family home
Farm Habis is a normal farm where we will learn about different challenges Namibian farmers face as well as general information about cattle and livestock farming.
Twyfelfontein Lodge | http://www.finesse-namibia.com/twyfelfontein-country-lodge
This lodge, located in Damaraland is surrounded by the gorgeous wilderness and mountainous region and is only 2.5 miles away from the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein,. We will get to see this “open air art gallery,” home to many engravings and paintings. Other sites around the area are the Organ Pipe rock formations, hundreds of years old Welwitschia plants and Burnt Mountain which gives off various colors during the day including purple, reds, browns and creams. Hopefully we will see Elephants during a game drive while we’re there.
Okaukuejo Camp | http://www.nwr.com.na/index.php/resorts/okaukuejo-resort
This resort gives visitors a unique view of its flood-lit waterhole where we will get a close look at wildlife interacting. Most often people see rhino, elephant, giraffe, lions, hyenas and possibly some zebras and springbok. During our stay we will visit a traditional Himba village and learn about the nomadic tribe’s traditions.
Mokuti Lodge | http://www.mokutietoshalodge.com/game-drives-etosha-national-park
This lodge is located near the eastern Von Lindequist Gate near the historical Namutoni Fort. The lush greens and beautiful grounds get you as close to nature as it can. While accompanying one of Mokuti’s experienced game guides we will explore Etosha National Park, a one of the largest and diverse wilderness areas in Africa. We will see the dense Mopane forest which support many antelopes, predators including leopards and offers safe cover and nesting sites to various types of birds.
Kavango River Lodge | http://www.natron.net/kavango-river-lodge/
This small location offers beautiful river views and is great for nature and bird watchers. During our travels we will visit the Ombili Foundation, founded 25 years ago by farmers, consisting of around 350 San (people).
Popa Falls Lodge | http://www.nwr.com.na/index.php/resorts/popa-falls-resort
Located on the beautiful banks of the Okavango River, this lodge opens up to woodlands, forests and floodplains in north-eastern Namibia. We will enjoy a game drive through the Mahango Game Reserve which is considered one of Namibia’s most varied and fascinating conservation areas. It is home to rare species including Puku, Lechwe, Roan and Sable as well as attracted predators such as lions, cheetah and leopards.
Protea Hotel Zambezi River Lodge | http://www.proteahotels.com/hotels/Pages/Protea-Hotel-Zambezi-River-Lodge.aspx
This location is our gateway to beautiful Victoria Falls, as well as the Chobe National Park. Rooms at this lodge can overlook the Zambezi River, garden or pool areas that allow guests to soak up the beauty of the natural surroundings.
The Kingdom Hotel | http://www.africansunhotels.com/stay-with-us/victoria-falls/the-kingdom-at-victoria-falls/
We will drive across the Namibian border to one of the seven natural wonder of the world, Victoria Falls, which is only five minutes away from this Zimbabwe hotel. It is also near the Victoria Falls National Park allowing visitors to fully experience the beauty of this region.
I don’t know about you but this trip sounds amazing. I read through my itinerary and researched the different locations and sites for the first time while writing this and I could not be more pleased with the variety of locations my group has the opportunity to visit. I hope that anyone who is interested in traveling to Africa gets the opportunity to do so, I could not be more thankful. As a last reminder, the easiest way to stay updated on my travels is to subscribe to the mailing list, I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!
So I'm Going to Africa
Update: I’m traveling to Namibia, Africa, follow along with my blog posts from the trip.
So I'm going to Africa, all over Namibia to be exact. It gets it's own blog page so you know exactly where to find information about my travels and updates while I'm there, including lots of photos (of course). I am going on a study abroad with Texas A&M University and will be studying "Photojournalism and Cultural Pluralism," aka photography and communicating agriculture. I'll be there for four weeks in July and August 2015 so stay tuned and subscribe for updates when I post about the trip!
I wanted some travel related photos to use as cover photos for my blog posts and what not, plus I couldn't get the idea of using my grandparent's suitcase in a photo shoot out of my mind! So my brother reluctantly agreed to take some pictures for me (I had to help him address graduation thank you cards in return). He took a photography class once so he has a good eye, however, I did set the camera to the correct settings, told him what to do and I edited the photos so don't give him all the credit (haha)! I'm glad he suffered through all my directions and we made it out with some good shots.
