NAMIBIA 2011

"The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa - for he has so much to look forward to." 

Zebra drinking at Etosha National Park

I have been fascinated with Africa since I went to visit Tanzania with my father and my brother in 2004.

Once, while I was looking at African landscapes on the web I stumbled upon this picture. 

 I thought to myself: this place looks amazing, I need to go there. It was Sossusvlei in Namibia. After convincing my father to do another trip with me I wrote an email to a local travel agency.

*Advice:* I think that to experience at its best the local traditions and habits its better to book your trip through a local agency than to book it from one located in your country. In fact, a local agency will know much more about what it's worth visiting, where to stay, where to eat.. etc

After modifying the itinerary a hundred times, we were ready to leave for Namibia.

Thanks to my father miles we traveled with a "free ticket" from Rome to Windhoek via London and Johannesburg. 

The shortest  way would have been to travel from Munich or Frankfurt because there is a direct flight to Namibia(Windhoek) with Air Namibia which I took the following year ( Yes, If you are wondering, I liked Namibia so much that I came back the next year).

Day 1: Windhoek

When we arrived we were met by our driver Nelson who took us to the hotel for a little rest after a long journey

Hotel: Vondelhof Guesthouse

Restaurant: Joe's beerhouse 

Day 2 Africat foundation - 3 hours drive

Hotel: Okonjima Lodge

The second day we left Windhoeck in the morning to reach the Africat Foundation. 

This foundation is toward the north of Namibia and the Etosha National Park. AfriCat foundation provides an environment for previously non-releasable large carnivores to hone their hunting skills in a 20 000-hectare (50 000 acre) (200km²) nature reserve, on Okonjima. Carnivores learn to become self-sustaining which gives them the opportunity to return to their natural environment.

As soon as we arrived we went on the afternoon tour to spot cheetahs. It took us 4 hours to find them and the guide told us we were very lucky because they had made their first kill ( a poor zebra). After spotting the cheetah we had a little  snack into the bush during sunset.

The next morning we went on a safari to spot some leopards which I think are very elusive and they camouflage well with the environment. They are so majestic; one of the most beautiful animals together with lions. 

Day 3/4/5  Etosha National Park - 3 hours drive

Hotels: 1 night Okaukuejo Resort             2 night Halali Resort 
             3 night Namutoni Resort

The Etosha national park is huge,so we spent 3 days wandering around ( in the car obviously). 

Etosha means ""great white place", referring to the color of the salt desert soil forming 25% of the park area. 

You can either sleep in hotels which are inside the park but nonetheless well protected or inside those hotel but in camping mode which means on the top of your car ( yes, you have the possibility to built a tent there )

*Advice*: If i have to be honest I won't suggest Namibia as a first option if your main activity will be safaris. Namibia is really arid and therefore the landscape is not as green as in Tanzania but rather yellow and white. Furthermore, I don't know if the national parks' rules changed in the last 10 years but when I went in Tanzania we didn't have to follow the road with the car but we could wander wherever we wanted. 

In Namibia it wasn't like that: you must follow the road, therefore it's very rare to see some species of animal. In Namibia you drive to reach artificial ponds which are put there to attract and help the animals. 

So  as soon as you reach the pond you stop your car and wait for the animals to arrive. 

It was nonetheless an amazing experience to see animals drink from there, especially seeing the giraffe drinking and the elephants playing with each other in water.

As I said before the hotel are inside the park so you room will most likely have a view to the pond.

The first night at Okaukuejo Resort was amazing because we saw lions/ rhinos which are really rare and giraffe drinking at night 

Another curious thing we saw was a pride of lions eating a dead elephants:here's the picture 

Day 6 Kaokoland - Epupa Falls - 5 hours drive

Hotel: Epupa Camp (where I had one of the best meals here. It was some kind of meat and I still remember and dream of it after 5 years)

After 3 days wandering through Etosha we went up north at the border with Angola to see the Epupa falls and the land where the Himba tribe live. The falls are nice but nothing special after seeing Iguacu in Brasil and Vicoria falls in Zimbabwe but the landscape and panorma is really nice. In the morning we went to see the falls and then to visit an Himba village. Me and my father were the only tourists so we had a great opportunity to ask questions, with the help of an interpreter, and to visit the village. We talked with a lady from the village who was very surprised about the what we told her ( especially by the fact that a person could marry just one person at a time)

After the visit to the village, we went to visit a school and I left them some pens/ pencil and notebooks I had brought from Rome.

In the afternoon, we went kayaking with my father on the river

Day 7 Damaraland - 5 hours drive

Hotel: Can't remember the name !!!!

Lunch : Twyfelfontein lodge 

After a 5 hours drive we reached Damaraland with its rugged landscapes and open fields. The landscape is amazing, it seems it goes on forever.  

What we saw: 

-Petrified forest is a deposit of large tree trunks that have "turned to stone" through a process of diagenesis, which according to Wiki" is is the change of sediments or existing sedimentary rocks into a different sedimentary rock during and after rock formation, at temperatures and pressures less than that required for the formation of metamorphic rocks."

Again according to wiki "it is believed that the trees were swept downstream by a large flood and covered by alluvial sands. Deprived of air, the organic matter could not rot and decay, but instead, over millions of years, underwent silicification, whereby each cell is individually fossilised and the appearance, if not the colour, of wood is retained. The surrounding sands became sandstone, which is now eroding away"

-Twyfelfontein: is known for more than 2,000 rock paintings and stone-age graffiti on the sand stone. it is believed that these drawings have been made by the ancestors of the modern San( Bushmen) the date is uncertain but it is thought that the earliest drawings may have been made more than a thousand years ago. They mostly represent hunting scenes ( elephants, rhino, giraffes, sea lions) many of which are represented along with their fingerprints.

I did not find the forest that interesting but i liked the drawings, more than that I enjoyed the vast landscape and the shape of the mountains. 

Day 8/9 Swakopmund surroundings - 4 hours drive

Hotel: Holiday Apartments 

During our 4 hours drive to Swakopmund, which is a city surronded by the Namib desert and the ocean we passed through the moon valley and the skeyleton coast. 

 

The skeleton coast is as creepy as it sounds; it is known for being particularly inhospitable and difficult to reach. it is difficult to approach due to the strong waves caused by the Benguala current. For these reasons the coast was called " the land that god created with anger" by the bushman and the " sands of hell" by the portuguese. The current name refers to the countless stranded shipwrecks along the coast.
After this creepy experience we went to visit Cape Cross which is mainly known because of a large if not huge colony of seals (10.000 thousands).

The only thing I remember is the awful smell that I had to endure.

Then we went to see the Namib desert with its infinite dunes. 

The next day we went to visit Swakopmund which is is a beach resort and an example of German colonial architecture and then on a boat cruise to spot dolphins, sea lions and pellicans

Day 10 Namib Desert (Sossusvlei) - 3 hours drive

Hotel: Hoodia desert lodge

On the road towards the desert we passed Tropic of capricorn.

This was 100% the favorite part of my trip. I can't describe the magnificience of this place. 
The scenery as you approach the dunes will leave you breathless. You know when you see pictures of something on the web and you think: I am sure this picture is photoshopped, the dunes won't be as beautiful in reality. So when I arrived at dawn I was not prepared to see this amazing sight. The dunes are as you see in the pictures if not better. We climbed one dune and then we went to Sossuslvei which is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes. 

*Advice*:Bring water or you will stupidly faint twice like I did ;)

Day 11 Back to Whindoeck and then back to Rome 

NAMIBIA IS an amazing country: the people, the landscapes, the food, the animals, I loved it so much that i came back the following year.. stay tuned... :) :)

TOP PLACES I WANT TO VISIT

Countries on my Bucketlist

The World is an amazing place and there are a lot of places and countries I still want to see but these are my top five countries that I want to visit ASAP.


1. Machu Picchu, Peru





I have always been fascinated by this archeological site and indeed it is has been voted one of the New 7 wonders of the world. It's so MAJESTIC and BREATHTAKING in pictures so I can't imagine how it must feel to see it in reality. Can't wait to travel to Peru, Hopefully soon.

2. Petra, Jordany





What is more beautiful than seeing such an incredible place in the middle of the Wadi Rum Desert? Like  Machu Picchu, Petra is one of New 7 Wonders of the World and has been declared UNESCO World Heritage.


3. Perito Moreno, Argentina




This glacier is located in LA TIERRA DEL FUEGO ( Land of Fire) in Patagonia, a region in Argentina, and it marks the "end of the world, beginning of everything". Really looking forward to visit Argentina in General and to climb this massive glacier


4. Okavango Delta, Bostwana




Look at this wonderful and peaceful place. How can you not want to travel here? Just nature and animals..aka paradise
Africa is my favorite country in the world. I have already been there several time and I completely fell in Love with its people, its cities, traditions and animals as well. I did a lot of safaris around Africa and I really want to do one in Botswana and Zambia because they are too touristic yet.


5. Taj Mahal, India




Once, I met an Indian girl who told me a story about The Taj Mahal and from that moment I really wanted to visit it. There is a myth saying that Shah Jahan got the hands of his sculptors and architects cut off so that they would never be able to built a monument as magnificent and beautiful as this one. I know its probably just a myth but it was very intriguing. can't wait to see the magnificence of this monument.


 I would be happy to read your advices If you've ever been to one of these places.

Thanks and Enjoy your day,

Lucrezia

Thailand and Cambodia 20

Hey Everyone!

I want to share with you my last travel experience: this summer I visited Thailand and Cambodia. I travel a lot but this holiday was very special both because I saw magical places and because I got to share this experience with my best friends.  We started planning this holiday really late ( we bought the Tickets with Emirates late May) and for me it was really weird because usually I plan my summer way before that. Anyway, let's start and I hope that you will find this post helpful in case you want to plan a trip to Thailand and Cambodia as well.
We booked the tickets with Emirates from Rome to Bangkok with a stop in Dubai. I have to say that Emirates was beyond perfect : seats were big, huge choice of new and old movies to watch and perfect timing.

Day 1: BANGKOK

Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun temple ( view from the Hotel)

Wat Pho

During the first day we went to visit Wat Pho which was across the street from our hotel ( Sala Rattanakosin). Wat Pho is best know for its huge reclining Buddha that represent the entering of Buddha into Nirvana.

At the temple you can also find a kind of "SPA" where you can get massage. Since we were really tired we decided to each have one massage. For me it was a "terrible" experience since I was in a lot of pain rather than relaxing but my friends really enjoyed it. 

One experience you cannot miss while in Bangkok is a boat tour in the river: there, you can see people in their everyday life. it was really worth it. It lasted 1 hour and a half. 

Before dinner, we went to get a TATTOO ( yes we did) each of us got something different: they were really professional, the tattoo I got is now of my favorite because it was really well done and the price is way cheaper than prices in europe. We were very lucky because they had room for us but otherwise they are always fully booked.

Tattoo studio: BKK INK TATTOO STUDIO. 

So if you want to get a tattoo while in bangkok I really recommend it.

After dinner, we went to Sky Bar at Lebua Hotel, which is where they shoot a scene from the Hangover 3. It was amazing ( maybe a little bit expensive) but worth it for the amazing view of Bangkok by night.

 Day 2: BANGKOK

In the morning we went to visit Royal Palace : it is a huge complex of buildings/ temples and the thing I noticed was GOLD everywhere :) 

Remember that you need to be properly dressed to enter the palace: shoulders and legs covered

In the afternoon we met some italian friends and we went to visit the Jim Thompson house: it was nice but a little too touristic.
At night we went to the famous Khao San Road, better known to be backpackers road: full of drunk tourists and backpackers and lots of nice pubs and bars. I really enjoyed it, it was as if being in another dimension, really different from being back home.

How to move in Bangkok: 1) Tuk Tuk: very funny and remember to always bargain the price before.
                                           2) Taxi: cheapest way to move if they use the meter: 20 mn of ride and we      payed 60 baht.
                                           3) Boat: very cheap as well

Hotel in Bangkok: Sala Rattanakosin ( 4/5 stars), very good position for the visit in the temples and very nice and big rooms


DAY 3: SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

This was my favorite part of the trip: Cambodia was simply amazing. At first we were torn between going to Chang Mai and Chang Rai ( North of Thailand) or going to Cambodia. I am so glad that we chose to go to Siem Reap.  In my bucket list there are 3 places I really whished to visit and they are Machu Pichu in Peru, Petra in Jordany and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Finally I got to realize one of my dreams and visit Angkor. It was Breathtaking and outstanding. We wanted to visit it at dawn but unfortunately we didn't get the chance because every morning it was cloudy or raining but if have the chance do it.
We traveled from Bangkok to Siem Reap with Air Asia. The flight was one hour long, so we didn't even had the chance to sleep and we were already there.

Tips: In Cambodia you can pay in dollars and it is best if you buy the ticket (20 dollars) the day before in the afternoon so you don't have the queue in the morning. Moreover, if you buy the ticket in the afternoon you can enter for free for the same day to watch the sunset.
To enter Cambodia you'll need a Visa: do it on the internet so you won't have to do a long queue at the airport.

DAY 4: SIEM REAP

We spent the day visiting the temples in Angkor.

not my picture: Angkor Wat

I had a lot of expectations about Angkor because it was on my bucket list for a long time, I can say that I was not disappointed.  1 Day is not enough to visit everything and I wished we had more time but at least we saw the most important temples.

Bayon Temple

Ta Prom ( where Lara Croft was filmed)

At night we went to the famous PUB STREET ( yes that's the real name) where foreigners and local meet to party. The best pub/ disco was Angkor What? and I thing that the name fit perfectly.

DAY 5: KOMPONG PHLUK FLOATING VILLAGE

I know we could have spent our second day in Cambodia visiting other temples but we wanted to have a different experience and see how local people live so we went on a boat trip to KOMPONG PHLUK floating village. it was a really unforgettable visit. It is a village built on stilts. The rainy season was just starting so the water was very low and we could see the high stilts. It was weird to imagine how much the water would rise in just a matter of time. The part I liked the most was the trip with a really small boat ( raft) through the mangrove forest: it was the most peaceful thing I ever did.

How to move in Siem Reap: We had 2 Tuk Tuk included in the room rate
Hotel in Siem Reap: Navutu Dreams Resort ( 5/5 stars): amazing hotel, amazing people who work there and the price of the room include a Tuk Tuk.

DAY 6: KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK, Thailand

It's Jungle time: Since we could not go to the north of Thailand I thought that it was a good idea to to a little of Jungle time in the south of Thailand, namely in the Khao Sok National Park.
The park was really beautiful, green everywhere but we were not so lucky because it was raining non-stop for 2 days. However, We were not put off by the rain and as soon as we arrived we went on a night walk safari.  We saw spiders, bat, snakes, scorpions, monkeys.

DAY 7: KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK

Today we did a trip to the Cheow Lan Lake: It is certainly one of the most exceptional natural thing I have ever seen and it was raining so I can't imagine what it would be like with the sun. We took a boat that took us to a very private part of the lake where we got to rent ( for free) kayak and just have a swim and relax. After the relaxiing time, we did a 2 hours walk to reach another beautiful part of the park and with a bamboo boat we reached a pretty awesome cave.

Bamboo boat

Kayaking in the lake

Hotel in Khao Sok: Khao Sok Riverside Cottages (3/5) only because there was a bat in my room but I guess it is normal since we were in the middle of the jungle but the food was amazing and so tasty. It was hands down the best food I had.

DAY 8: KHO SAMUI, Thailand

Jungle time was over but in the morning we had a little experience with elephants before leaving for the island.  We helped bathing the elephants, obviously it was very touristic but at least I know that elephants are happy when they can play with water.

Afterwards, we took a ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Samui. During august the only island you can visit in Thailand are the one in the Gulf of Thailand. Originally we planned to stay in Koh Tao which is less touristic and smaller but we had to stop over in Koh Samui for one night because there trip from Surat Thani to Ko Tao was too long. We booked the hotel the day before we arrived and it was an amazing villa with 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, a big living room and a pool and it was only for 20 euro each.
We arrived pretty late so we went to an amazing restaurants called Page at the Library Hotel and we went to Green Mango.

Hotel in Koh Samui: Amera Villas, Koh Samui: 5/5 stars, I could also give 6 stars, it was amazing, however a little bit far from the center.


DAY 9-14 : KOH TAO, THAILAND.

At dawn we took the ferry and finally got to our final destination which was Koh Tao. Koh Tao is the smallest island and the less touristic and it is also know as the Turtle Island and is famous for people who like to go diving.
During the time on the Island we relaxed and got to enjoy sunny and warm weather after the experience in the jungle.

Most beautiful beaches: - AOW LEUK BAY

                                         - KOH NANG YUAN  ( small private island close to Koh Tao)

                                         - Sairee Beach ( the most famous one)

                                     
                                          -Shark Bay: This bay is famous for the small sharks that don't attack humans. We went there to do snorkeling and we didn't see any sharks, however we saw a huge turtle and it was a pretty awesome experience.

We really wanted to attend a full moon party while we were in the Islands but unfortunately the full moon was 10 days before we arrived so instead we went to BlackMoon party which is the opposite of when there is the full moon. It was in Koh Phangan, the island for people who want to party ;) I expected more but it was nice anyway.

Restaurants in KOH TAO: -Barracuda Restaurant and Bar

             - Whitening

Nightlife in KOH TAO: -Lotus Beach Bar

                            - Choppers

                                             -Fishbowl Beach Bar                                            

Hotel in Koh Tao: Aminjirah Hotel : 4/5 stars: amazing view 

As you can see I had the best time in my life, saw wonderful places, meet amazing people and got to know a different culture from my own.  I hope you will find this post helpful and you can use some of my tips in your next trip.

Remember: "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you reacher"

Lucrezia ;)