There's no denying it, these bloggers are bound to make you jealous. Whether it's their guts, their energy or their tan you admire, overseas volunteers have got plenty to share with you about their remarkable work in fascinating countries. Read on to find out what you could be missing.

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Wednesday Dec 13, 2006

Best Holiday Ever - Part 1

Why is it that time always seems to go faster when you're in an internet cafe? I think it's some kind of conspiracy... There's no way I can give a detailed account of all we've done so far in the time I have left, so I'll settle for snapshots of the best parts of my week-and-a-bit of holiday so far. I'm travelling with my partners, Bozena and Marcel, and the two other Namibian volunteers, Conor and Miles.

Even leaving Luderitz was fun: our lift to Windhoek fell through at the last minute so we had a manic time attempting to get out of town. We ended up leaving a day later than planned in a crowded combi taxi as far as Keetmanshoop, then hitching with a friendly Angolan the rest of the way to Windhoek.

We've been to Daan Viljoen game park, and sat on top of a Land Rover watching giraffes cross the road right in front of us while zebras grazed 3 metres away.

We crushed into a combi taxi for the 8 hour drive to Onayena, listening to the driver's choice of music at full blast: traditional Oshiwambo songs, more modern Namibian music which is like Oshiwambo reggae, and for some reason, Westlife. That was a little surreal.

We visited the village of a friend in Onayena, where his 2 year old niece stole my hat and sunglasses and posed like a pro despite having never seen a camera before.

We were given a gift of a live chicken when we complimented the cooking; when we went back to where we were staying there were 6 of us in the back of a bakkie (open truck thing) with a 12-year old driving and the Houdini of all chickens doing it's best to escape the bag it was tied up in.

Conor, much to his delight, got to decapitate the chicken; Marcel didn't realise that headless chickens really do run around, and so let go of it once the head was off. It flapped round the yard like a mad thing squirting blood out of it's neck, all over Marcel's shoes.

I cooked the chicken! I was so proud. Then we ate it sat on the floor with a makeshift table of bricks watching the amazing Owamboland sunset over the desert.

We saw dolphins swimming just off the shore at Swakopmund, right in the shallows; it was amazing how close to us they came.

We went sandboarding on the dunes just outside Swakop. At one point we had Conor lying on the plank of wood, with Bozena on top of him and me on top of her, hurtling down the sand dune at a ridiculous speed before coming to an abrupt inelegant stop and ending up with quite a lot of sand in my mouth. It was so much fun.

We hitched from Swakop back to Windhoek in the back of a bakkie again - we were out in the open for 5 hours across the middle of the day. It was the hottest I have ever been in my life. I lay with my hat over my face to attempt to stop myself burning to a crisp, and Bozena even resorted to wrapping her head in a towel. Our coke, Bozena's Lipsyl, Conor's toothpaste and my deodorant all overheated and exploded, which was highly amusing but messy.

And that's it for now! Hopefully the rest of the holiday will be as fun as the start has been, because I'm having an absolutely amazing time. Life is great.

Are you jealous yet? You should be!

Posted by Lucy Hayes ( 1:12 PM )
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