Check out a few of our videos related to this post on YouTube:
San Bush(wo)man welcome dance
San Bushman fire starting
San Bushman Trance Dance
Etosha Elephant on a stroll
Etosha Elephants at play
Traveleled all day from Botswana to get to Namibia. Check map in 1st post for reference. Good news. We can now drink the water right from the tap rather than treating, boiling or buying water! Camped for 2 nights near Grootfontein, in the Kalahari desert. This is the home of the San Bushmen. I felt like I was back in sociology and anthropology. The Bushman can no longer live or hunt on their land. According to Ingway, our leader, the government and private entities wanted to privatize the animals and farmlands, resulting in fencing "in" the wildlife and keeping "out" the Bushmen from their home. Shades of what happened to the Aborigines and Native American Indians were discussed by many of us. For more detail on the Bushmen, click here.San Bushmen
The government moved the Bushmen to a "modern village" yet allowed them to keep their village as a "live museum" for tourists, and a way for them to make money to buy meat vs hunt for it, as well as support themselves. Pete, was our local San Bushman guide. He is a small man, looking younger than his 25 years. He met us in western clothes to say hello and quickly left to dress in loin cloth and take us to his former village, which he still fondly calls home.
At the village, we met the Medicine man, women of the village and were taken on a walk to see how fire is made, traps are set, animals are tracked and what plants help what illnesses or provide water. Pretty cool stuff. These are true survivors. Perhaps a good group to hang with before trying to get on Survivor, the reality show!?!
Returning to the old village, we took pictures of the people, their babies and were treated again, to Bushman song and dance. Best museum tour yet! Another fabulous cultural experience and great day. On to Etosha National Park reserve.
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| Toilet for visitors |
Arrived at Etosha National Park and were immediately greeted by a family of giraffes. After setting up camp, we loaded back into the truck for a 3 hour game drive. Truly, it comes down to luck and timing whether you will see anything. We lucked out. Elephants, giraffes were most prevalent, along with zebras, hyenas, birds and yes, at the very end of the day, #3 of the Big 5, lions! Over a dozen of them, including cubs, finishing up sadly, a giraffe kill. Must have been some fight to bring down a 12 foot giraffe but down he came, all part of nature's balance. We will have an all day game drive tomorrow. Nothing more to say except, wow! Lots of animals and.... it is very hot. Second game drive and we caught # 4 of the Big 5, several black rhinos!
More giraffes, zebras, lions and their cubs. Ended the safari portion of the trip of our safari and stopped at 4 of the BIG 5, elephants, lions, black rhinos, water buffaloes but no leopards. Our leader, Ingway's name in Swahili, means "leopard" so guess he'll have to do. By the way, he has 24 siblings and 4 mothers, all who lived under one roof (legal in Kenya)!
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| Mom and child out for stroll |
Onward to Spitzkoppe to see rock formations. Pictures are for your enjoyment.
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