Harnas is another animal rehabilitation center. It takes in all kinds of animals though- baboons, lions, cheetahs, leopards, kudus, etc. Dan had worked there a few years ago before coming to CARE, so he was able to tell us about the place and show us around. We saw a baboon he helped raise. Unfortunately the two people who run the place and know him well were on vacation that weekend, so we didn't receive as much behind the scenes special treatment as we were hoping. I heard they had some baby leopards rehabilitation in their center that I was hoping to meet, but oh well. It is an incredibly nice facility with huge animal enclosures and guest houses, the whole nine yards. Brad and Angelina have even stayed there! No joke. Then they donated a bunch of money to Harnas. It was nice to start our trip with animals and then end our trip with animals. It was also great to see some baboons before I left Africa. We took the morning tour, during which they feed the lions, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, and baboons. We also got a tour of the school and the other grounds. We woke up and went to sleep to the sounds of lions roaring, which you can feel in your bones. We ended our trip with a nice meal together, all wearing plaid. My last night at CARE was also a plaid party, where everyone was required to wear plaid. Adam, Dan, Mandy, and I all looked so nice in our plaid shirts. Harnas was a great way to get back to our animal rehab roots for our last day together. The next morning it was up before the sun again to pack up our car and head for the airport!
Wild Dogs waiting to be fed, at Harnas
Adam flew home to the states yesterday as Dan and Mandy flew back to CARE for a few more weeks. I'm now hanging out in Windhoek by myself for a couple of days before my flights back home. I returned all of our rented camping gear, got some necessary permits, and have found a Mugg and Bean, a restaurant/cafe that I came to know and love when I studied in Durban. Luckily, they now have free wi-fi. This afternoon I also did some last minute shopping (although, I'm not sure where I'm going to pack it!). Tonight I plan on going to Joe's Beerhouse, which is a famous funky restaurant here that has crazy dishes of game meat. My traveling companions really wanted to go there but we just didn't have the time, so I am going to go on behalf of all of us. And I have to pack up all my stuff again, which should be interesting to be sure.
I had an UNBELIEVABLE time here in South Africa and Namibia. This was a crazy trip of a lifetime and I couldn't have done it with better people. Now I'm gearing up for my long trip home (Windhoek-Jo'burg-London-Chicago-LAX, yikes!) and looking forward to some much needed Chinese food!!
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