We had a wonderful and extended long weekend trip with our wonderful hosts. We did talk some shop, but the main focus was showing off this incredible landscape and culture, and having some fun. We were all very tired, as we had been putting in some long days, so this trip was most welcomed.
After a nine hour drive, our first stop was in Opuwo. It is in the North West part of the country, fairly close to the Angola border. The main reason to visit this area is to see people from the Himba tribe, and there were a lot of them. Our hosts hired a guide to take us to one of their villages. Wow, hard to believe they choose to live the same way they always have for so many years! Once receiving permission to enter, we met the head of the household. It was an elderly gentleman. At least he looked that way, though it may be hard to tell as we learned he has five wives and 46 children! (I think that would make anyone look elderly). We were treated to some very special insight into their culture and traditional ways. Way too many stories to share, but it was incredible. They choose to live their traditional lives, which apparently includes not being counseled in family planning. They said their form of birth control is age! As usual, there were lots of adorable children. Tracy managed to teach a whole group of them to “pound fists” and high five. Everyone is in love with them, but especially Tracy. Quote of the day from Tracy; “Next time I come here won’t be for work, but to adopt a child”. Very cool.
From Opuwo we drove the Chief’s “home” which is also located in the North, about a 3 hour drive away. Along the drive we experienced some of that great Namibia landscape, which included some wildlife and huge termite nests every 200 feet. You won’t believe the size of these things! The photo below isn't anywhere near the size of the really large ones. Anyway, we were told before we started that they all have a house in Windhoek, but their “home” is in the North. We were treated to an incredible two nights in his traditional Oshiwambo home. Oshiwambo is the predominant tribe of Namibia, accounting for more than 50% of the people. They still adhere to many of their traditions. The Chief’s home recently had running water piped in, and he now has a flushable toilette. That is as modern as it gets. Still no electricity, and the “kitchen” is located outside. The picture below shows a few people sitting under the Lapa, and the little round hut to the left was my bedroom. It was an unbelievable experience to be welcomed into their homes. Tracy and I were laughed at as we wanted to sit under the hot African sun so we could get a tan. None of the local people could believe it, so they all laughed, pointed, and took pictures of us. Once again, way too many stories to share. Some of the highlights however were meeting the Chief’s mother, and we all received Oshiwambo names. Mine is Tupopcheny (still not sure of the spelling), but I’m told it means “Let’s Talk”. (no unkind remarks Jane and Elaine!) And I can’t leave out one more little tidbit. The Chief’s home is a traditional farm. The main food source is meat, which I've mentioned before. The main course for our big party meal was goat. Which meant two lovely fresh goats would have to be slaughtered. (Jane, don’t read this part). Tracy was given the honour to complete this task for one of them, and …..well I’ll leave out the gory details. On another note, I asked one of them how a vegetarian would survive here, ….I was told there aren’t any vegetarians in Namibia!
Last stop, Etosha! It is a wildlife reserve approximately 2/3 the size of Vancouver Island. Wow, what an experience. It is probably easier to tell you what animals we didn’t see. ….which would be Cheetah and Leopard. We spent two nights there. The first night, we stayed at one of the lodges where Rick had been before. Rick had told me a story about a spider he found in the bathroom the last time he stayed there. So, he decided to “clear” the room for me. Suddenly he yells, “not again”! OMG! …Stacey may not want to look at that photo below.
One of the interesting (and somewhat disappointing) things I learned is that the entire park, all 23,000km of it, is fenced in. The animals are essentially trapped. Once you enter though, you realize they are still wild and living in a huge area. The fact is, most of Namibia is privately owned. In other words, there is very little “Crown Land”. Most of the wildlife (not all) is either on private game farms, or in Etosha. The Chief’s home up North is surrounded by wood stakes. They serve a number of purposes, however one function was to protect them from the wildlife. The fact is most of the animals were being killed for a variety of reasons. So in the 60’s, they created Etosha. They drove all of the wild animals, using helicopters, over hundreds of kilometers and herded them into Etosha to protect them. And that is how it is today. In fact, I am now aware that this isn’t unique to just Namibia, but other parts of Africa as well. That said, it was still truly incredible and an experience of a lifetime.
I’ve posted lots of pictures of our journey for you, and I apologize for the long post but it has been a while since I’ve updated this.
We only have a few days left, and a couple of long work days ahead. It has been a great trip, but a long one. I don’t mind sharing with you how much I miss my wonderful wife and family. It is very tough being this far away from them. …..I’ll be home soon sweetheart.
Once again, sorry for the long post.
Wayne
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