Hi, Im back!(the last pics added, at last)

[ga.prime]

Great pics Alison,

The Spitzkoppe rock formations remind me of the rock formations in Moab National Park (Utah, USA).

Thanks for sharing. Any cows pictures from Namibia???

Pardon me for being a stickler for minor details but there is no Moab National Park. There's Arches Nat'l Park and there's Canyonlands Nat'l Park, both near the town of Moab and comprised chiefly of red rock formations. The Spitzkoppe looks more like the white rock formations you would see in Capitol Reef Nat'l Park or maybe Zion Nat'l Park, also in Utah but further west.

 

[alisonb]

Here are the last of the pics as promised.

Social weaver's nests.

Welwitschia - they say they can get ancient, up to 4000 yrs.

A dust storm :shock:

Playing on the dunes :D .

Locals cattle.

A local goes fishing in his carved out wood stump.

A tiger fish (the one that got away).

The big one.

A massive baobab tree , realy massive (the upside down tree) .

A truely beautiful place, if the oppitunity arises again I will definitely revisit.

 

[ANAZAZI]

A truely beautiful place, if the oppitunity arises again I will definitely revisit.

Me too. I was there in 1999, long back all the time. Spent three months in Africa, three weeks in Namibia.

 

[Jogeephus]

Wow. I'd have to slow down to take it all in. That place is neat. Thanks for sharing and i hope you do get to go again cause I'd like to see more. :nod:

 

[Ryder]

I was wondering about elephants. Years back I had the unplesant experience of spending a week with a bunch of show cows at the state fair in Memphis, Tenn.
I had very little to do and had a miserable cold. Every day I would go to the midway and watch the elephants perform. A week of that burned me out on elephants and I didn't care if I never saw another one.
But lately I have sort of gotten interested in them. I like looking at the baby elephants.

Do you know if they have any poachers in that area killing them? I certainly hope not.

 

[hillsdown]

Beautiful pics, especially the sunset/rise ?? :? :P

Would love to go there myself one day . You live in and near such a beautiful part of the world Alison .. :tiphat:

 

[Jogeephus]

OK, I'm a little slow. I kept looking at that tiger fish thinking it looked familiar then it finally dawned on me that I watched River Monsters the other night and they had those things on their in the Congo River (I think) Anyhow, they were showing how big they got and there were two fishermen killed by them jumping up and biting them in the neck with big teeth. The said those things were territorial and would attack people at certain times of the year. Any truth to this or was this just TV hype?

 

[chrisy]

OK, I'm a little slow. I kept looking at that tiger fish thinking it looked familiar then it finally dawned on me that I watched River Monsters the other night and they had those things on their in the Congo River (I think) Anyhow, they were showing how big they got and there were two fishermen killed by them jumping up and biting them in the neck with big teeth. The said those things were territorial and would attack people at certain times of the year. Any truth to this or was this just TV hype?

No Jo this is not TV Hype for a change, there are several different types of Tigerfish, in the genus Hydrocynus of the family Alestiidae, (I wont bore you with all the names), are called Tigerfish and are a good game fish. This sort are found in many of the African rivers and lakes and you can tell them by their teeth that look like Piranha. Which they are often mistaken for, but are a totally different species.
They can grow upto 6ft 7in long and weigh up to 105lbs, they are not know usually to attack humans, but no doubt they could.
The juveniles hunt in bigger schools than that of the adult who tend to only have 4 - 5 members but no less dangerous, they can bring a large animal nearly as big as themselves down if at the waters edge, or in the water. Even one can take on something of it's own size. In the drought season when there is not much water in the river they have been known to turn on each other, sorry if this more information than you asked for, but I studied fish of the America's and Africa, as I wanted to be an Ichthyologist (someone who studies fish) in these Countries, sad I know, but things happened and I changed studies.

 

[alisonb]

Do you know if they have any poachers in that area killing them? I certainly hope not.

Policeing of the illegal ivory trade has dramastically increased in the area since the eighties but as long as there is a need for ivory, humans(specifically Orientals), greed etc, poaching of these majestic animals will continue. Do you know that some believe that the elephant tusk (a powder is made of the tusk) has aphrodisiac qualities :shock: .

Any truth to this or was this just TV hype?

I think you are referring to the Goliath Tiger which occurs higher up in Africa(I hope), which has been known to attack swimmers.
We were out in the canoe looking for a good spot to anchor and try our fishing skills ......and have a relaxing ale, we had the anchor dragging and it snagged on the bottom of the river and all of a sudden the canoe was being pulled under with the help of the current. As much as my friend pulled to get the anchor loose the more the water poured into the canoe. So we had to bail and thank goodness we got it loose. My oath :shock: what an experience, and all the time you are thinking big creepy crawlies, huge tiger fish, hippos, crocs, the list goes on. We could not get out of the water soon enough. It was nice to get back to land in one piece, with the canoe and all our gear even though everything was soaked. I'm seriously getting too old for these antics :P .

I wanted to be an Ichthyologist

That's interesting Chris :D

Would love to go there myself one day .

Thanks HD, it was a sunset. You will have to put a visit to Africa on your 'bucket list' ;-) .

 

[ga.prime]

One of my room mates in college came in after the weekend and told me he had bought a pair elephant tusks at an estate sale in Atlanta for nearly nothing and they were real cool. Didn't think much about it at the time- this was in the late '70's. Wish I'd traded him out of one or both of them now.

That tigerfish looks like the one that didn't get away.

 

[alisonb]

That tigerfish looks like the one that didn't get away.

A wide grin after managing to get the lure out between razor sharp teeth, that's when the fish decided it had had enough. The grin was short lived. Notice the water, it was soon after this that we took our dip :shock: :lol: .

 

[ga.prime]

:D OK, I get it now. I went back and read more carefully what you wrote about the anchor snagging. Glad y'all got safely out of the water.

 

[Jogeephus]

Ditto that. I watched the show again about the goliath tigerfish last night. I think I'd been walking on water to the bank.

Chrisy, that would have been an interesting field. I'd would never do it myself though cause I know I could never be able to pronounce Ichthyologist.

 

[alisonb]

I think I'd been walking on water to the bank.

:lol: :lol:

Thanks for your thought guys. I am about 10yrs younger after that experience, this living on the edge is good for one's longevity :P .

 

[chrisy]

I think I'd been walking on water to the bank.

:lol: :lol:

Thanks for your thought guys. I am about 10yrs younger after that experience, this living on the edge is good for one's longevity :P .

and for the soul so I'm told. So glad you made it out of the water unscaved Alison.

Jo. here's how to prounce Ichthyologist...http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=i ... mit=Submit
once it's up just press submit, and listern.

 

[Jogeephus]

In proper southern english this would be itchy-ologist.

 

[chrisy]

In proper southern english this would be itchy-ologist.

surely that would be the study of fleas..... :lol: :help: