Tuesday, February 17, 2009

En route to Cape Town

The MV Explorer departed Walvis Bay last evening. Namibia was an amazing country with an incredible array of field opportunities. My personal experiences in Namibia were fantastic and everyone that I spoke with enjoyed the visit immensely. Semester at Sea Voyagers truly had the chance to do it all. Walvis Bay offered its visitors amazing wildlife, as did the big game parks where many Voyagers went on safari in the hopes of seeing the “Big Five.” The town of Swakupmond, only about twenty minutes away by car from the ship, was rich in history and was a great place to explore. The Namib Desert, right outside of these cities also offered spectacular views and environmental and geological wonders. Some Voyagers even flew out to Opuwo, roughly two hours away, to see the Ovahimbas in their kraal (village). I’ll be giving some more detailed descriptions on some of these visits when students return from Cape Town and have the opportunity to reflect on both of their African ports but I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on what we have been up to.

We will be arriving in South Africa tomorrow morning for our five-day visit. I will be on safari (so excited!) for most of the visit but will resume blogging when I’m back on the ship. Please check back in on the 23rd for some stories of SAS experiences in Africa!