'Great White Place of Dry Water’- Etosha

Last weekend four other girls and I decided to escape the 'busy' town and go up north to Etosha National Park. We had for that purpose rented a four-by-four vehicle, to make sure we would drive in true Namibian style. After one ice-cream break, one confrontation with the police and 5 hours we arrived at the gate to Etosha. As we were a bit late we used three brownies to persuade the gate keepers to let us in.
Thirsty we sat up the camp and celebrated our escape from Windhoek with 25 degree warm beers and food made over fire..........yum yum. Five beers and a bottle of wine later we decided to go to the local waterhole as we had been told it would be a good spot to spot animals. If these persons who told us, were referring to mosquitoes and white elderly people in sandals with white socks, khaki shorts and safari hats they were right, as the place was over floating with them. As we weren't able to take the whole thing serious and simply weren't able to keep quiet we went back to our campsite.

At the break of dawn when all the animals were waking up from there sleep we were still asleep. Despite our good intention to get up at five, we gladly passed five on the alarm and kept sleeping to seven. As I was waking up I could feel a burning sensation just below my eyebrow and could to my surprise not open my eye......the mosquitoes had succeed in finding the only place on my body was soaked in anti-mosquito spray........evil creatures!! With one working eye and just one cup of bad coffee we set off to track down the big five and almost ran over a giraffe that was playing hide and seek behind a tree!!

I want to jump a bit in time and go forward to the evening, as the remaining of the Saturday passed by our car window in the shape of kissing zebras, hungry lions, a tiny turtle who will never become a member of the ninja turtles, massive elephants that for a moment had us fooled into believe they weren't real but simply gigantic stone statues and about one million deers of different sizes, shapes and colours.

Back in the camp Saturday evening, after escaping a car full of screaming SVAPO members we once again decided to try our luck at the local waterhole. In high spirits we arrived at the hole, which clearly by the hissing sounds of the others wasn't appreciated. Well anyways we were determined to stay a bit longer and after 15 minuets Fortuna smiled at us as an owl joined in with the 1 million mosquitoes at the water hole...........how lucky can you be?! Glorious. (to be continued)