Sophies First Zebra

Well hello. It’s taken a while to post the first log but here we are after a very busy five days in Windhoek, meeting old friends, getting Tilly ready and preparing the way forward for the SFP biochar project in Puros. We have spent the last two nights at Albrechtshohe, a farm I first visited about three years ago to set up a small biochar research project. 

Since we arrived in Windhoek on Friday last, Sophie has been full time on the ‘Africa for beginners course’ and has passed with flying colours the daytime “I can’t believe it’s so hot” experience to the “dad where’s the emergency space blanket, I’m so cold” three in the morning experience. It has to be said that the last few nights have been exceptionally cold and when Soph had her first Tilly Top Tent night it was bitter and at about three she finally called out to dad to get more blankets. Dad was having his own challenges sleeping on the back seat of Tilly after having forgotten to pick up his tent from Jens at the Safari Drive office. And believe it or not when he went to pick it up the next day he forgot the camp bed - so had to spend another uncomfortable night in the tent but sleeping on the hard cold ground! Hey ho.

Sophie in the meantime despite having a pretty rough first night was determined and we went to Bushwackers safari store to get some new equipment in the form of a -7 degree sub polar cover the ears super insulated thermal 200 tog factor sleeping bag. Yippee and that night Soph had a much different experience and is now a seasoned TTT (Tilly Top Tent) camper. Dad also got his act together and decided to get the lightest, easiest to erect tent ever produced along with a super self inflating mattress. Bliss. The tent literally takes 3 seconds, yes 3 seconds folks to build. Just take it out of the bag and let go! Pictures will be forthcoming I will need to set the shutter to very fast, to capture the action.

After lots of ‘digeredo' organising a biochar shipment up to Puros which will hopefully arrive at about the same time we do, we set of north and west to Albrechtshohe.

Yesterday Soph and I went for a ‘short’ early morning walk in the bush, for fun and as part of the intermediary ‘Africa for beginners’ course. We got up at 0500 just as dawn broke and after a coffee started our walk into the hills behind the farm. We returned at 1100 hrs both a bit weary having had a great morning, walking along bush trails and river beds. At one point we climbed a high ridge and were able to see quite a long way. Still no sign of any game but then Soph, who was scanning the bush with the binoculars said very quietly, “I think there’s a zebra on the hill over there” and sure enough it was a zebra which was shortly joined by another. Sophie’s first Zebra.

Later on we saw two Klipspringer, a small antelope, who bounded away when we surprised them in the river bed we were following to return to the farm. When we saw the farm in the distance Sophie and I spontaneously broke into singing ‘Oh You’ll Never Go To Heaven’, as all good explorers do. 

Paul and Ingrid, the farm owners were wonderful and made us very welcome and we sat down to a tasty game steak in the evening. Sophie also had a chance to use one of Paul’s .22 rifles at the range behind the house where she proved to be a natural and made three very good tight groupings on the target. 

I’m writing this on the farm porch where there is a rare wifi/internet signal and after posting it, with some images if the signal holds out, we will begin our journey to Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast. We stay there tonight then head north up the coast to Henties Bay, then inland northeast to Uis and the Brandberg Mountains to camp at White Lady. This is a reference to a beautiful rock painting drawn about 5000 years ago, that can be seen near the camp. There are sometimes Rhino in the area too. 

To view our journey from a different perspective, a perspective relating more to culture, amenities such as bathroom facilities and food, please go to www.sophiefriese-greene.com

So love to everyone and hope all is going well with you. Will write again soon.  

David and Sophie