On the Road with Friends

Road trips are always a blast regardless of where you are in the world.  But piling 22 African friends in a mini bus and hitting the road – road-tripping suddenly takes on a whole new dimension.  I had the privilege this last weekend of traveling with 22 learners out of Enguwantale to Namibia’s premier wildlife destination, Etosha National Park.  In reality, Enguwantale is not far from the northern reaches of the park but taking the 3 hour bus ride to the southern portion of the park brought us into surroundings that were quite unfamiliar to the learners and myself.  As a reward for their hard work and dedication to our entrepreneurship club, I organized the tour to the park.  With some of their own contributed funds along with money we had earned over the last year, we were able to spend an enjoyable two days in the park and had the opportunity to get to know each other outside of school.  It’s a trip I will never forget.

The old fortress at the park entrance of Namutoni provided a lofty vantage point over the surrounding plains.  For many of the learners, it is probably safe to say that this was their highest point ever reached; a mere 40 feet above the ground.

 

Even though zebra quickly became the most common sighting, their inability to blend into the natural environment is always intriguing.

 

Our only lion sighting was this male lazing in the shade next to the road.  When it finally got tired of the 22 wide-eyed faces pressed against the glass, it calmly got up and walked away.  The 22 wide-eyed faces however did not react so calmly; the learners promptly fell back from the windows amidst shouts for the driver to step on it.

 

We saw lots of elephants.  Since it is the dry season the animals congregate at a number of natural and manmade watering holes.  

I think the highlight for all of us was the raiding of the swimming hole at a swanky lodge in the middle of the park.  We pulled into the campsite only to eat some lunch and stretch but the blue waters of the pool was too much for them to resist.  Despite the chaos as the boys stripped down and jumped in, the foreign tourists seemed to enjoy the company of the kids.

 

I was actually surprised that the boys could swim as well as they could.  However, they were lacking in proper pool etiquette.  Luckily a tourist explained the ropes to them; shower before entering, keep your shorts on, no peeing in the pool…

 

Even after two years, to some of the learners I am still considered wildlife.

 

No doubt a very photogenic group.