Desert Flowers of Namibia are BEAUTIFUL!

Hello World!

Back at the beginning of my blog adventure, I told you that I would get a camera and begin to teach myself how to take photos and then load them onto this site.  That may seem so easy for many of you, but for me, I assure you, it is like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with an 800 pound anvil on my back!

 

Desert Flowers are wonderful things.  Of course the colors of the flowers and buds are gorgeous  and so very calming, yet vibrant.  But the thing that I like the most about desert flowers is their fragility.  Seeing them is like seeing a secret unfold.  It is something that doesn't come all the time, nor will you go into stores or flower shops and see most of these shy blooms.  Just seeing one 'live' is a special thing.

 

I love it when Namibia gets heavy rains and whole areas of the country which are brown and vast and 'moonscape' like, become alive with colorful flowers of all description! 

 

For me, the randomness (seemingly) of the desert flower is what makes it more beautiful. 

I took this photo in my own back yard!  Not bad for an amateur with a cheap digital camera!  This is a round cacutus with long painful needles to be sure.  The Afrikaans word for this plant translates to be "mother-in-law's cushion."  I laughed hard at that one.  You can imagine some guy making up that name wishing that his mother-in-law, who must be a pain in the butt, sits on such a thing!

 

The plant is indeed shaped like a round, fat floor pillow that you'd sit on.  Believe me, if anyone sits on this bad boy, you'll not sit anywhere else for weeks after you get out of the hospital.  Aside from the scary needles, the flowers are quite lovely.  This one has delicate little yellow flowers budding all over.  See how the buds look like little peanuts first; then as time goes, the peanut gets bigger and then opens on all sides into a yellow flower!  Hurray!

 

Actually, it is Spring here in Namibia... remember our seasons are the reverse of North America.  I touched the little buds and they look and feel like thin, gossamer wings or thin rice paper.  The yellow color is rich, but you can see through to the other side of the bud when you touch it.  The yellow gets deeper and deeper as you move towards the center of the flower.  I love that about desert flowers, delicate and hesitant to show their glory!

This one is also from my backyard in Windhoek.  This cactus (I will have to look it up and find its real name) is tall! Like at least 9 or 10 ft high!  At the tippy-top are these small purplish, lavender little flower buds.  See them?

 

I pointed the camera up so that you could see it better.  This camera is a cheapie so there is no zoom to get a closer look.  This guy grows wild and free and has needles all over.  Each of the 'branches' could be broken off and planted individually so they can grow another plant on their own.  At times, when it gets too tall, the branches get heavy and it does break off, particularly on windy days.  Those guys just root themselves right where they are.

 

This plant's next door neighbor in my garden is a large, tall Aloe family plant.  We peel off the bottom leaves every so often and that makes it grow even taller. 

 

Both of these plants are great for the semi-arid conditions in Namibia.  Watering your garden daily here is unthinkable where water is so scarce.  So, you go with nature!  In the dry season, we push the envelope and water two times per week, but these suculents and cacti don't need water more than twice per month really.   We have indigenous desert cacti all over our garden.  When I get better at the photo taking thing, I will roam around and take even more!

 

Until then, here are some other more professional photographs of various flora from Namibia.  I don't know the name of the beautiful pink one, so just enjoy the fact that it is pretty to look at.  The green one is the famous Welwitchia plant.  These guys have actually two leaves only and some are as old as 2000 years!  Amazing!  They are unique to the Namib desert and another desert in the southern part of Angola going into Namibia.

 

The website of the Namibia Tourism Board also has free downloads of all kinds of photos of Namibia.  Check that one out too!

Of course my website is www.africatourconsult.com.na.  Sorry, I've been a bit busy and have not updated my website in months!  I will be doing that by the end of this month.

 

When you come to Namibia on Holiday.... you can see all the desert flowers in the world, right here!  Tell your tour operator that you want to come just at the end of the rainy season and see the desert flowers in bloom.

When you come,

Tell'em Jackie sent you!

Let's Talk about Airline Connections!

Welcome to my blog about travel to Namibia!

Lion at the break of day in Etosha National Park in Namibia.
He was annoyed that we woke him with the click-click of our cameras and our oohhs and ahhs!
We got the hint and left this brotha' alone very quickly.

To get to Namibia, you need to fly here .... duh-uh.. right. 

What I mean is that air access is a major issue for travellers.  People want speedy, safe, convenient air flights.  And that is a reasonable expectation; I get it.

For Namibia, down in the southern tip of Africa, that expectation presents a geographical challenge for those coming from North America, Europe or Asia.  BUT....

Never fear, Air Namibia is here!  Google them and check out their website! 

When you book your air ticket to come here, tell your travel agent you want to fly on Air Namibia; leave something permanent behind in Namibia when you have your tourism experience with us.  Flying on our national airline is one good way to do a bit of that!

Air Namibia flies every day of the week to and from Frankfurt in Germany.  That link is a doorway to the world for Namibia.  The German authorities rennovated that airport in Frankfurt and it is quite nice now; it was a bit dirty and tacky before.  I have passed several times per year over the past 20 years, so I can see the changes.

Me (on the left!), with friends on a game drive through Etosha. 

 

Coming from the USA out of Philly on US Air, I transit via Frankfurt.  The US Air flight from Philly arrives in the early morning of the next day.  Lufthansa also flies in and out of Philly, but their ticket is TWICE the cost of the US Air ticket.  Go figure.

The reality is that the Air Namibia connecting flight to Windhoek doesn't leave Frankfurt until around 8 that evening.  This is better... back in the day, it used to leave around 10 or even 11 in the evening!  No worries about that long layover. You can book your luggage direct so that you don't have to worry about claiming it when you are hanging out in Frankfurt.  US Air had a nasty, short-tempered agent on the desk the last time I flew out of Philly and she forced me to claim my luggage in Frankfurt and schlep it around for 14 hours, but usually, you can get a human being rather than a monster at US Air's international flight counter and you can check you luggage through.

The good news is that in Frankfurt, there is a Sheraton Hotel connected directly to the Airport!  You don't even have to go outside!  Americans don't need visas for Germany, but others may have to look into that if you want to get to the Sheraton.  Check with the German Embassy about this point.

It is best to book your Day Room at the Sheraton in advance and go there, have a shower, get a nice rest, change your small clothes and then return to the airport a bit earlier than the flight boarding time and shop a bit.  I like the shoe stores in the airport... ok, I plead guilty to being a female shoe hog! 

If you are anywhere in Europe, you can easily connect to Air Namibia via Frankfurt. 

Other good air connection news is that Air Namibia now has a flight to Accra, Ghana where Delta Airlines also connects out of Atlanta in the USA.  I haven't taken that route yet, but when I next go home to see Mom, I will take it and let you know how that goes.  Air Namibia also flies to Luanda in Angola (I think I saw a flight to Houston from Luanda???) and there is an Air Namibia flight to Lusaka in Zambia.  Connections to London can come from there.

Air Namibia, of course, goes to Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa several times per week.  There is a South African Airlines flight to the States... I think it goes to Washington and New York, direct (it stops to fuel somewhere in West Africa)  Google SAA and that should tell you more about that flight. 

Air Namibia is now negotiating with Kenya Airways to hopefully get a flight to Nairobi soon.  There is a direct flight from Quangzhou, China into Nairobi.  That means we can link Namibia to our Chinese potential tourists a bit better.  Also, there are flights to and from Jo'burg from Dubai which is a hub from many Asian countries. 

Flying from the States to Windhoek is long, no doubt.  About 8 hours from Philly to Frankfurt and then another 9 hours (after a 12-14 hour lay over!) to Windhoek... but then, you are here!  Returning to the States from WHK is better, with only a 4-5 hour layover in Frankfurt - you arrive early morning at 6 or so and depart on an early afternoon USA-bound flight between 12 - 2 from Frankfurt. 

C'mon... give us a try for your holiday in Namibia... Your travel agent will have more flight connection info.  Find something that works for you.... You'll love it!

Tell 'em Jackie sent you.

PS - my Labs had pups a while back and I couldn't resist adding these cutie faces to my blog.  Aw... shucks!  My little boo-boos and I welcome you to Namibia!

Sunsets Over Namibia are Beautiful!

Hi Blog Readers:

You have to come to Namibia to see the greatest sunset beauties ever!  I have some friends who are photographers, Judy and Scott Hurd (judy@h4urd.co.uk) who have taken great shots of all kinds of things in Namibia.  You should contact them for better pix and wider varieties.  But, a few they have shared with me are so wonderful, I look at them every once and a while to get that peaceful, easy feeling!

Sunsets somehow calm me, maybe you too?  I had always thought that orange and black were colors of Halloween until I began living in Namibia and seeing these kinds of sunsets.  Wow.  I'll look for shots of the lavender and deep purples that also happen here.  Seeing these sunsets and knowing that the colors are not caused by pollution in the atmosphere like over some of the large super cities where I have lived and visited, makes it even more special.  It is naturally Namibian for sure!

The kinds of sunsets make me feel the day is done and done well and all is right.  The sun is saying goodbye to the day and night is taking over - but the power of the sun makes me feel hopeful that there will be a tomorrow.   Poetic?  Well, seeing Namibian sunsets make me poetic.  You should book your trip and come feel poetic too.

When you come, tell'em Jackie sent you.

Check it out:



Bird Brains

Hello Again,

People who travel to Namibia come for a variety of reasons.  One of the most active group of tourists that come to Namibia are birders. 

These are folks who focus on our feathered friends and enjoy naming them, observing them, tracking them or researching them.  I am no expert on birds, but when you are on a game drive in Etosha National Park or in other parts of Namibia, the 'game' that is most present, yet most unappreciated, are the birds.

My personal favourite bird in all of Namibia is the lilac breasted roller.

My friend Pauline took this photo....

This guy sits up on bear upper branches of trees. He east the usual bugs and insects.  He gets eaten by some eagles and falcons.  Sad to think of such a colorful and beautiful bird getting eaten, but that is the circle of life.

When he flies away his wings are just stunning!  He is turquoise and teal, with mauve, lavender and other shades of purple... His breast and underbelly are... of course... lilac.

When you come to Namibia, make sure to buy a birding book and/or have a guide who can tell you the name of various birds that you will see while here.

You don't have to be a birder, to learn a bit about birds, learn to appreciate them and start seeing them as a necessary part of any 'game drive.'

When you come.... Tell 'em Jackie sent you!

Devil's Claw and Hoodia Work!

Dear Readers!

As you begin planning your holiday in Namibia, consider that when you are here, your visit helps to finance communities all over our country who would have no other source of income other than revenue from professional hunting or revenues from tourism related activities.

One of the other income generators of our communities is our natural products.  This is all a part of Namibia's commitment to sustainable usage of ALL of our natural resources.  We are committed to making sure we plan the use of the commodities TODAY so that we have it for all of our tomorrows.

Two natural products with very popular usage in our today's world are found in Namibia. They are Hoodia and Devil's Claw. These indigenous products are harvested by local communities and black businessmen to be provided for worldwide consuption.  Many donor partners have invested in training, marketing access planning, commercialization with sustainable usage, community inclusive planning and other very important aspects of developing these naturally Namibian products for the world.  Again, these small plants benefit Namibian people. This is GREAT!

Devil's Claw

Hoodia

For those who may not know, the Devil's claw is useful for stiff bones, arthritis treatments, etc... As I have hit middle age with a blast, I know what it feels like to wake up on a cold winter morning and try to get out of bed and have your back and knees slap you in the face!  I find Devil's claw products are useful in helping me to slap all muscle pain right back in its face!  So there!  I take 3 capsules per day and it works for me.  Once I travelled and left the Devil's claw at home.  After a week, when I returned I felt the difference.  I am not in heavy muscle ache pain yet in my middle age, but the difference was still noticeable being on the devil's claw and then being off of it.

Hoodia got slammed by the US drug company Unilever.  That was curious?  For me, it works.  Folks I am round... yep.  I admit it.  When I run, I run as a group with all my parts moving in the same direction.  Ok.  That said...  Hoodia helps me control my eating.   You can even get Hoodia in a gel form so that you can rub it on your arm on directly on your belly!  I take it in tea usually and that goes down much smoother and doesn't leave an oil stain on your blouse.

Of course, healthy weight loss comes with work with my doctor, dietician and bio-keneticist (workout torture artists!).  Working together with this program, the Hoodia does keep me from having seconds.  It kills that afternoon crazy craving for a candy bar; it helps me not snack on unhealthy things between meals.  When I eat a bowl of vege soup (I make my own with fresh veggies boiled with a chicken bouillion cube) and I want to top it up with a nice ham sandwich, I am too full after the hoodia and soup to go any further.  So, I move on away from the table and do something else.   I stick to my dieticians' plan a lot better on Hoodia than off of it.  This is not scientific, it is just Jackie-talking.  For me, it works.  Maybe for those in Unilever's study it did not. 

Namibia has these and other natural products.  There are NGOs working here that are involved with these products.  You can probably find out more by contacting the Namibia Nature Foundation or the MCA- Namibia office and they can steer you into more informaton on indigenous products and their use for the benefit of Namibia.

Better still... come here on holiday and arrange with your tour operator a visit to one of the places where these and other natural products are grown! 

Tell 'em Jackie sent you!

Update: Namibia gives wildlife to a Zoo in Cuba

Hi there!

Namibia just finalized arrangements to send a huge amount of animals to Cuba so they can have a nicer zoo! 

When you come to Namibia on your holiday, you will see wildlife here, no question about that.  But, another part of conservation and wildlife appreciation in today's world are zoos. 

I have mixed feelings on this because whenever I go home to the States for holiday and to see my family or visit other cities in Europe, the one place I cannot stand to go is a zoo.  Now that I have seen animals in the wild, running free and living and dying in nature the way they are naturally meant to do, it is hard to see them in cages or enclosures.

Imagine seeing a Cheetah in a zoo enclosure!  They are made to run, run fast and run free - a better enclosure would have to be the size of three football fields!!  But, that's not practical in the cities of the world.

BUT.... zoos bring animals to the world.  Only a very small percentage of people around the world will ever get to come to places like Namibia and see these animals in the wild.  At least in humane and caring zoo atmospheres the animals can teach generations of new animal loves about wildlife and conservation.  That makes it worth it.

Also, zoos host breeding programs and keep species that are extinct or nearly extinct, alive.  Zoos trade animals with one another in order to diversity the gene pool of various species living in captivity.

Though I cannot visit a zoo or enjoy one after seeing Etosha here in Namibia, I am a zoo cheerleader for sure! 

Come to Namibia on holiday!  See those zoo animals how they are supposed to live!  C'mon... visit us. 

Tell'm Jackie sent you.

Tourism Expo in Namibia ROCKS THE HOUSE!


Hey there!

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog.  I was back on the road doing tourism stuff around Namibia and helping different small enterprises with advice and information.

Namibia just finished the 14th annual Namibia Tourism Expo!  What a hit!  It ran from June 6-9, here in Windhoek.

Congratulations to the entire team led by Glenda and Alta, the chief organizers and worker bees!  

The Republikein newspaper (Afrikaans language)  here in Namibia is the host and main sponsor.  They put a ton of money, staff and time into making Expo work.  I think they don't get the kudos necessary for doing this not just for their newspaper publishing company, but for the country!  Putting that Expo together is a maximum logistical triumph.  Namibia's toursim expo is much smaller than the international trade fairs in Berlin or Durban, but in terms of impact in Namibia, it is quite the hit.  There were over 400 exhibitors showing their tourism enterprises. 

The Expo is a great boost for domestic tourism, but also, there were some SADC regional partners exhibiting as well.  Since the South African INDABA in Durban is so overcrowded and SADC countries have been moved out into the backyard so that South African companies can have more prime locations, maybe Namibia should really think seriously about having the EXPO grow, get more overseas agents to come and focus on a forum specifically for SADC tourism companies edged out of the Indaba.  We could grow with this idea and then attract all kinds of travel journalists and agents to NAMIBIA!

A bit ambitious?  Yes... but why not consider it.

Expo mostly shows the people TOURISM in Namibia which is the third largest contributor to Namibia's GDP.  Decision-makers in Namibia need to see this so they understand that more investment in tourism and innovative focus for that investment is a good thing.  Expo shows that 'good thing!'

Google the "Republikein" newspaper for photos of the Expo.