Friday, August 21, 2015

Namibia, week four, the San

We went through another veterinarian gate and left the park. We spent one full day at a very nice lodge in the Onguma Wildlife Reserve. We were camping, of course, but we got to go on a night drive, communicate with the outside world through their wifi and clean up. Lynda's favourite animal family was spotted in the form of the rare African Wildcat. It's as cute as a house cat, and about the same size, but apparently very vicious. We also saw Bush Babies and Spring Hares which are nocturnal and seldom seen, except at night. Being served breakfast in the morning made life easy as the last two drives in our Bushlore "campa" were long ones and we appreciated the early start. 

After topping up the diesel fuel in Grootfontein we headed down, yet another, dirt track. We made great time. After only five hours we arrived at the Nhoma Safari Camp, a wonderful place. The camp is situated next to a traditional San village and employs the villagers to cook, clean, interpret and take guests on excursions. We were able to watch the women make their crafts, and play traditional games. We also spent a morning walking and hunting with four San men. They showed us how to start a fire using sticks, build a snare, and an arrow. They also have an amazing knowledge of the available plant species and their uses. Nothing ever happens in a hurry. The arrow building demonstration alone took four guys over an hour because everything comes with multiple smoke breaks. Pipe tobacco is either rolled in newspaper or pressed into a large caliber shell casing and communally smoked. When the shell casing gets so hot that it burns their lips, they roll the brass between their hands to dissipate the heat and continue smoking. On our last night for a couple of hours, we witnessed a healing ceremony which consisted of chanting and dancing around the fire. Apparently, this goes on until daylight if you have the stamina. We would have liked to have stayed for another day at Nhoma, but we ran out of time in Namibia. As we left Nhoma, we gave a ride to three men from the village. They were going to visit family in a village on the main road. We dropped them off at their destination and ended up replacing them with three different men who were going shopping in Tsumkwe. You could actually run a business as a shuttle service on these roads. Unfortunately, you'd be paid in tobacco or monkey fruit.


Our seven hour journey to Maun, Botswana was long, but uneventful. The roads in and out of the Dobe border crossing were no worse than any of the other Namibian roads we encountered. At the crossing there was a police officer, immigration officer and veterinary officer on both the Namibian and Botswana sides. We were dismayed to find out that Botswana immigration would only give us a 14 day visa when our stay is actually 18 days long. They told us we'd have to go to the main office in Maun to get an extension. As we drove to Maun, the one difference we noticed is that Namibia has acre after acre of fence line running along the roads. In Botswana there are no fences. As a result, there are goats, donkeys, and cattle wandering into the road on a continual basis. You have to be alert so you don't hit them. 

We had two nights at the Discovery Bed and Breakfast on the outskirts of Maun. We were happy to be staying outside of the hustle and bustle of town. Marije and Rene have owned the place for eight years and they have fourteen chickens and three cats. There are goats and cattle wandering around the neighbourhood. It was a peaceful setting and a great place to prep for the next part of our adventure. 

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