Online in Nambia

We are sitting at an internet cafe in Swakopmund, Namibia, catching up on our e-mail. Out of 98 new e-mails, about 12 are from people we care about, and the rest are spam.

The flight from Portland to Frankfurt was one of the best flying experiences we have had. The comparison of Lufthansa to the various American airlines is stark. The only problem with the flight is that it delivered us to the Frankfurt airport, which is a dreadful place if you have to spend any time there at all. There are very few places to sit, as all the gate areas are closed off until the gate agents are checking boarding passes before the flight. So, after 14 hours in an airport with no places to sit, we boarded Air Namibia for Windhoek.

We were met at the airport by Augustine, who has been our guide since our arrival. We drove through the Gamsberg pass, going from Windhoek to the coast town of Swapokmund, which is Namibia's biggest tourist town. Along the way we spotted several new life birds: sociable weavers, gray chanting groshawks, and snake eagles. The animals we spotted on the drive included ostrich, baboons, springbucks, and at the top of a rocky peak there was a klipspringer.

So far, we have ridden horses on the dunes at sunset, and driven by the compound where Brad and Angelina stayed for their first baby. The horse they gave me to ride was very much like Major at Mathias State Park -- my father will know what this means. In the picture one can see that the horse and I are debating whether to hold still for the photo or not. We have seen greater and lesser flamingoes, and grey herons. Tonight, we are going for a camel ride. Tomorrow, we leave early to go to the lodge.