Namibia - The Himba

This last week has been incredible. One of those moments that open up your eyes to life outside one's own.

Making our journey north as far as the border with Angola, we found ourselves in the land of the indigenous Himba people. With hundreds of kilometres of rough dirt roads seeing very few people ever passing, one must come prepared: a week's worth of water and food. Getting punctures is easy; getting stuck without help for days could be disastrous. With the isolation comes the preservation of local culture.

As we see three young Himba girls at the side of a nearby settlement their striking appearance gives an immediate sense of timeless existence.

The Himba are one of the last remaining hunter gatherer groups in Africa. Until 20 years ago, many of them still hunted with stone implements. Without any real land entitlement, they are nomadic, settling in temporary homes for a few months before moving on. When the earth is no longer ripe for cattle and crops, they pack up their few possessions and walk as far as necessary to find fresh land.

Calvin & Sharon
photo: Janin Klemenčič

(to be continued)

Etosha National Park - high-beams 2

Often, a driver will turn back on their high-beams just before they pass by, blinding you at the wheel. Boy, did this ever get under Nelson's skin. With as fast a reaction as possible, Nelson would mash the lever for his beams, hoping to have the last word with the oncoming driver. Frustration and swearing sets in if he didn't get to the lever in time.

This game of blinding each other just as they pass comes down to pride. Unfortunately, it often seemed that Nelson would be trying to blind oncoming semi-truck drivers, just to teach them a lesson. The last thing you need is a huge truck with a blind driver just about to hit you. But at least we'd get the last laugh.

"You see, these people are so silly," Nelson would respond, driving with his knees. With a wooden matchstick in one hand and a knife in the other, he proceeds to carve himself a toothpick, driving 100 at night.

Calvin & Sharon

(to be continued)

Etosha National Park 4 high-beams

There was no way that I was going to fall asleep, as it quickly became apparent that drivers here play little games to keep themselves awake. What I watched was a game of reaction time and pride, heightened by the thought of a car crash.
The game? A ritual exchange of high-beams with every oncoming car or overloaded semi. Deviations from the pattern are grounds for revenge.

It was clear that Nelson took it as a personal attack if someone left their high-beams on too long. Rightly so, for you can't see where you're going, eyes having only adjusted to moonlight. But his pride won't let it go.

The pattern: both cars have their high-beams on. Someone will eventually decide that it's time to drop them, even if they are still a kilometer apart (the weaker driver). The other driver has only a couple seconds to drop theirs before the first driver will take offence. A flash of the high-beams should wake up the other driver, but reaction times can be a bit slow. Eventually, both drivers will dim their lights, but this is where the revenge comes in...

Calvin & Sharon

(to be continued)

Etosha 3 Lions don't attack people in cars

 It was hard to resist the urge to roll up my window, for it seemed an easy matter for one of these predators to jump in beside me. Apparently, lions don't attack people in cars as they only see you as prey once you've stepped out. Getting out to fix a flat tire can be an unsettling experience.

With the lions having departed for the trees, we drove off, along with four other cars who also witnessed the morning show. Just like clockwork, a volkswagen camper van with an elderly couple raced towards the waterhole, excited to see so many cars -- an obvious sign of something exciting. We didn't have the heart to tell them what they missed.

Night Games

You're not supposed to drive at night...

But daylight fell hours ago and we're still hurtling along the dark highway, Nelson at the wheel, chewing on biltong. Apparently this stretch is notorious for accidents. We're trying to cover another hundred kilometers or so, and the boredom of long distances begins to set in.

There was no way that I was going to fall asleep, as it quickly became apparent that drivers here play little games to keep themselves awake. What I watched was a game of reaction time and pride, heightened by the thought of a car crash.

Calvin & Sharon

(to be continued) 

Etosha National Park Goas waterhole

It quickly became apparent that we would not feel "successful" in our wildlife search unless we walked away with having seen a lion. Looking through the sightings book we could see a number of entries over the past few days of others who boasted seeing 2, 5 or even 10 lions. Frantically searching every shady tree and waterhole, we were always on the lookout for some lion cubs taking cover from the midday sun. Over time we learnt that the lions are very hard to spot during the daytime (taking cover from the heat) and that morning would make for better chances.

Early this morning we set out to the Goas waterhole in time for sunrise and were rewarded with 16 lions lounging in the crisp cool air. While a few of the olders lions sat peacefully, the younger cubs were tumbling over one another, play-fighting with their long fangs bared for all to fear. Half an hour later, the lions slowly picked up and started strolling towards the gravel road. Driving ahead to place ourselves in their path, we stopped and waited. With our windows down, we froze as they proudly walked around our car, looking up at us as they passed by.

Calvin & Sharon

(to be continued)

Etosha National Park

The sheer size of Etosha (23,000 square km) is overwhelming. Gravel roads pass through vast open expanses with little more than grass and low shrubs, to regions of dense trees and huge salt pans. Many of the eastern regions were crawling with wildlife.

Looking at the map of Etosha, one is faced with a wide selection of water holes (natural and man-made) to choose from. Distances are great, and getting from one campsite to the next can be 150km of gravel roads. Little white concrete pyramids mark the start of each road leading to another vista or waterhole, and remind in red, "Stay in Your Car". In the winter months, Etosha sees very little rain, and thus the land has dried up leaving only a few small waterholes for the animals to choose from. As many of the animals need to feed at the waterhole every day, the natural muddy ponds serve as great concentrators for wildlife.

At first we stopped for every springbok, zebra, blue wildebeast or gemsbok, but over time we became desensitized to these beautiful creatures, instead focusing our sights on some of the harder-to-see varieties. Unlike other parks, Etosha has a strict stay in-your-car rule. There are roughly 100 lions scattered throughout the 23,000 square kilometers that make up the park.

Calvin & Sharon

(to be continued) 

Africa Travel Journal 7- A springbok and six jackals

A lonely springbok tiptoes to the pond, only to find itself inside a circling mass of six jackals. The springbok desperately tries to keep facing the jackal in front, only to have the jackals behind snap at his hind legs. Immediately, he spins around, facing the latest bite, only to be bitten again from another direction. Each time the springbok turns, the jackal in front backs off cowardly. For the next hour he jumps and turns, constantly being tormented by jackals with eyes glowing a yellow-green. I find myself disappointed with the jackals' progress in time for a line of silent elephants to walk through the scene, temporarily breaking up the routine.

The elephants took long pulls of the water, dumping the contents of their trunk into their mouths. The baby elephant, not more than four feet tall, tried to mimic its mother, but without full understanding how to get effective sips. The large bull of the herd stood silently, keeping a careful watch.

In the distant dark, the unmistakable shape of six giraffes patiently waiting. Unfortunately for the shy giraffe, it seems that they will have to wait all night...