You can't imagine how quickly 4:15 rolled around this morning, particularly after not closing my eyes until around 2:00 a.m. But I managed to have my NatGeo wheelie bag downstairs by the required 5:15 deadline, loaded up on the deluxe motor coach and set off to the "Black Pearl" (our private jet) for the short flight to Johannesburg. We landed, hopped on another bus and made our way to an archeological site for a quick visit.
I was having a difficult time understanding why we had this stop scheduled. It's insanely expensive landing that big jet for a two hour stop. And the logistics of getting 45 people moved to an archeological site to see some dirt and a few bones ... well, it just didn't make sense to me. That was BEFORE "Indiana Jones" set foot on our bus. Charismatic Paleoanthropologist, Lee Berger, began to talk to us about his discoveries here in Johannesburg at the Rising Star Site. This is not just another "dig," rather THE most famous and important site on the planet. The earliest known remains of our ancient descendants have been discovered in a cave just 15 minutes from the edge of Johannesburg.
Lee was working at this site in 2008, when he told his "bored" son, Matthew to go find a fossil. He did. Matthew came back with a clavicle and jawbone embedded in rock that he found in Malapa Cave. That certainly got everybody's attention. When they returned to the site where Matthew found the fossils, Lee quickly learned the opening to the area where his son found the fossils was extremely narrow, the width of a dollar bill, and there was no way he could navigate the opening. So he did what any responsible paleontologist parent would do. He sent his skinny son back into the area with a camera to document the find. What he learned was the cave held the skeleton of a hominin fossil, a new species he's named "Australopithecus sediba," which has a mixture of primitive and modern characteristics of the Homo habilis, and carbon dated back millions of years. The Australopithecus sediba, represents a potentially unknown transitional species between the ape-like Homo habilis and Homo sapiens. Imagine how difficult this must have been for the explorer to know something so interesting was so close, yet out of his reach. He wanted to build a team of scientific explorers and trying to figure out how to find them, he turned to social media putting an ad on FaceBook. Requirements were a Phd in Anthropology and Paleontology, the desire to relocate to South Africa and explore in a potentially deadly environment and, by the way, they had to be SKINNY. He figured he'd only find 2 or 3 interested people. He had 60 applicants and narrowed the field to six young women, who were later dubbed "The Underground Astronauts," or "The Skinny Scientists." This team began work in the caves where Lee's 9 year old son found the first fossil and have since discovered the largest collection of Hominin fossils on planet earth.
National Geographic sponsors Lee's work and therefore, we were fortunate enough to venture into the cave where these fossils were located. We are the FIRST group of folks outside his team of scientists to ever enter this area. What a thrill and honor to share this space with Lee and his team and hear first hand about this amazing discovery.
So THAT's why they put the plane down in Johannesburg and took us to a cave to see some dirt and bones.
After our two hour tour, we boarded the mother ship and headed on to our next destination, the deserts of Namibia. Located on the west coast of Africa, for as far as the eye can see, this area is sand, sand, more sand and sand dunes.
From the airport, we drove almost an hour to reach The Strand Hotel in the small oasis town of Swakopmund. This is a nice change from the rain forests and jungles we've been visiting. As I write, I hear the waves crashing on the sandy beach.
As is our ritual, we met at the bar overlooking the beautiful beach for happy hour, followed by dinner at the hotel in the seafood restaurant.
It's time to call it quits tonight. More adventures tomorrow!!
I was having a difficult time understanding why we had this stop scheduled. It's insanely expensive landing that big jet for a two hour stop. And the logistics of getting 45 people moved to an archeological site to see some dirt and a few bones ... well, it just didn't make sense to me. That was BEFORE "Indiana Jones" set foot on our bus. Charismatic Paleoanthropologist, Lee Berger, began to talk to us about his discoveries here in Johannesburg at the Rising Star Site. This is not just another "dig," rather THE most famous and important site on the planet. The earliest known remains of our ancient descendants have been discovered in a cave just 15 minutes from the edge of Johannesburg.
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| Lee Berger, whom I've nick named "Indiana Jones" joined us on our bus for the ride to his archeological site The Rising Star. |
National Geographic sponsors Lee's work and therefore, we were fortunate enough to venture into the cave where these fossils were located. We are the FIRST group of folks outside his team of scientists to ever enter this area. What a thrill and honor to share this space with Lee and his team and hear first hand about this amazing discovery.
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| Members of Lee's exploration team. No fat on these boys!! |
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| Preparing for our cave spelunking, Stevie is ready. |
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| Lee shared a cast mold of the skeletal fossil. |
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| Always a cut up!! Just had to see what this guy looked like in my hat. Relax folks. This is just a mold, not the actual skeleton. Otherwise, that would be creepy and disrespectful. Right?! |
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| Lorri and I are ready to go into the cave. |
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| Look how skinny these guys are!! |
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| Stevie emerges from the cave. |
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| Lorri and I head into the cave. |
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| "Indian Jones" Lee Berger explains the site to us. |
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| Had to have a photo with this rock star of exploration. |
After our two hour tour, we boarded the mother ship and headed on to our next destination, the deserts of Namibia. Located on the west coast of Africa, for as far as the eye can see, this area is sand, sand, more sand and sand dunes.
From the airport, we drove almost an hour to reach The Strand Hotel in the small oasis town of Swakopmund. This is a nice change from the rain forests and jungles we've been visiting. As I write, I hear the waves crashing on the sandy beach.
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| Greeted at The Strand Hotel with local ladies in their native costumes. It was a bit breezy this afternoon. Our photographer, Jay Dickman snaps a photos of the ladies. |
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| Happy Hour. |
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| Stevie's martini came with black olives. Well ... this is Africa! Ok. That comment is going to come with some criticism. To which I respond ... folks, stop being so damn racist and get a life! |
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| Dinner with Jen and Luke. |
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