Our third day in Namibia, Gabrielle and I led a group of 60 Semester at Sea folks (including Isabelle and Melina) on an overnight camping trip advertised as "star-gazing in the desert." It was a beautiful setting, as you can see in these photos. The camp was set up in a dry river bed that runs only once every seven years or so. The flat bed was surrounded by canyon-type walls and out-croppings that have led the area to be called a "moonscape."
The students spent the first four hours we were in the area climbing the rocks and cliffs, seeing who could climb the most "peaks." The granite was pretty crumbly, so it was a bit challenging, but it didn't slow down very many of the students. Melina climbed to several of the highest poinnts and got way ahead of me. You can see her here posing with friends to pose in the YMCA letters. She's the M, of course.
The high point of the outing, literally, was the star-gazing as it got dark. First, we saw Venus just above the horizon as the sun set, then Jupiter directly overhead. Then, as it got darker we saw the milky way in its full glory, with no city lights to drown it out; constelations; and the Southern Cross. Through a telescope, we could see four of the moons of Jupiter. Unfortunately, we don't have cameras that can capture the night sky, so you'll have to take our word for how special this was.
On our final day in port, I led a "factulty-directed practica" (FDP, the Semester at Sea word for field trip) to the Rossing Uranium Mine about 90 kilometers out into the desert from Walvis Bay. The mine is one of the largest open-pit mines of this kind in the world, and all by itself supplies seven percent of world uranium. It is owned by the Rio Tinto mining company (based out of Australia and London), but much of its heavy equipment is supplied by Japan, and its number one market is Japan. Two more uranium mines have opened recently in the area, and they were subject to a bidding war involving a French company and Chinese interests. They cut a deal where the French got the mine but the Chinese get to buy the uranium. Our visit to this mine was part of an effort to get a sense of the international politics of the competition of energy resources. Students were able to ask the guide a variety of questions about where the uranium goes, who controls the company, etc.
They also asked tough questions about the effects of mining on the local environment. Many locals are worried that the mining process, which uses sulfuric acid to extract uranium for the ore, is seeping into the river bed. Ironically, the river bed affected is the same beautifu one in which we had camped earlier. We also had a chance to see what kind of equipment and processes are involved in a huge mine like this. They didn't let us get close to the huge moving trucks (carrying 180 tons of ore), but here you can get an idea of their size from the tire.
Our third day in Namibia, Gabrielle and I led a group of 60 Semester at Sea folks (including Isabelle and Melina) on an overnight camping trip advertised as "star-gazing in the desert." It was a beautiful setting, as you can see in these photos. The camp was set up in a dry river bed that runs only once every seven years or so. The flat bed was surrounded by canyon-type walls and out-croppings that have led the area to be called a "moonscape."
The students spent the first four hours we were in the area climbing the rocks and cliffs, seeing who could climb the most "peaks." The granite was pretty crumbly, so it was a bit challenging, but it didn't slow down very many of the students. Melina climbed to several of the highest poinnts and got way ahead of me. You can see her here posing with friends to pose in the YMCA letters. She's the M, of course.
The high point of the outing, literally, was the star-gazing as it got dark. First, we saw Venus just above the horizon as the sun set, then Jupiter directly overhead. Then, as it got darker we saw the milky way in its full glory, with no city lights to drown it out; constelations; and the Southern Cross. Through a telescope, we could see four of the moons of Jupiter. Unfortunately, we don't have cameras that can capture the night sky, so you'll have to take our word for how special this was.
On our final day in port, I led a "factulty-directed practica" (FDP, the Semester at Sea word for field trip) to the Rossing Uranium Mine about 90 kilometers out into the desert from Walvis Bay. The mine is one of the largest open-pit mines of this kind in the world, and all by itself supplies seven percent of world uranium. It is owned by the Rio Tinto mining company (based out of Australia and London), but much of its heavy equipment is supplied by Japan, and its number one market is Japan. Two more uranium mines have opened recently in the area, and they were subject to a bidding war involving a French company and Chinese interests. They cut a deal where the French got the mine but the Chinese get to buy the uranium. Our visit to this mine was part of an effort to get a sense of the international politics of the competition of energy resources. Students were able to ask the guide a variety of questions about where the uranium goes, who controls the company, etc. 
They also asked tough questions about the effects of mining on the local environment. Many locals are worried that the mining process, which uses sulfuric acid to extract uranium for the ore, is seeping into the river bed. Ironically, the river bed affected is the same beautifu one in which we had camped earlier. We also had a chance to see what kind of equipment and processes are involved in a huge mine like this. They didn't let us get close to the huge moving trucks (carrying 180 tons of ore), but here you can get an idea of their size from the tire.
2 comments:
Hello to the Schoppas from the neighborhood. Yesterday - first day of fall - and today are picture perfect. 60's clear and beautiful here.
All of the news is focused on the financial melt down and the elections.
Meanwhile, we walk the dogs, attend to fall gardening and I am enjoying catching up with your blog!
Donna
Len, this is a great post. Sounds like you are having a great time.
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