Deep into the heart of Namibia now, we stopped at a lot of roadside markets where different tribes make their living - from the Herero with their large, colourful headpieces, to the Himba with their red ochre covered hair and skin. We visited a living cultural museum to learn about the customs of the Damara tribe, and our first initiation was with a dab of ochre mud on each cheek - both a makeup and a protection from the sun.
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| Brewing beer from herbs |
They demonstrated the plants they use for different ailments, the herbs they brew into a beer, and the game played with rocks and holes in the ground. Our Norwegian friend had bought a small version of this game in Malawi, but the Damara had a few different rules. They showed how they make fire, how they carve out beads from ostrich eggs and chip a hole in the middle, and then they showed us how they dance. A few of us got to join in, awkwardly white-person clapping and bobbing, but they dragged us out and taught a few moves.
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| Learning to make beads from ostrich egg shells. Photo: Jana Kirk |
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| Photo: Anna Wa |
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| Photo: Shay Dodds |
Quick flat tire change, then on our way to a ritzy desert resort to mooch off the pool on an incredibly hot day. It was definitely middle of the desert now, with nothing but rock and sand for miles.
The rock formations of Spitzkoppe are a sight to behold. Spitzkoppe itself means something along the lines of "pointed" and "head", and the area is covered with towering, smooth granite peaks. It was finally hiking time.
Not too far from our campground, we tracked down the famous rock arch. Shay got out his drone, and everyone had a photoshoot under the endless sky, running alongside the dassie as they scurry back into their dens. There was also a pool in the rocks on a peak, where tiny frogs were densely packed into the only water around. We watched the sunset from a hill side as the temperature quickly dropped.
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| With Franny, my tentmate for 40 days |
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| With Steve and Shay |
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| With Franny, Tom, and Jana. Photo: Jana Kirk |
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| With Chelsey and Steph |
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| Trying to spell Africa with shadows |
Our driver, William, is a Masai from Kenya. This is the nomadic tribe known for relying solely on their livestock, and hence survive on meat, milk, and blood. These days, William eats his vegetables and enjoys a good beer, but his heritage is still strong, and he would often switch up his polo and shorts outfit for the traditional Masai costume, and he would always be approached with respect from people of other tribes, or by curious travellers. One major residual trait from his upbringing is that he does not know his actual birthday. The one on all his legal documents says June 14, but we decided that, since no one in the group had a birthday while we were all together, we should celebrate William's on April 4. We got cake, balloons, and punch, and Wilson made a fantastic dinner over the open fire in the middle of the desert. Under the stars, we sang and celebrated William's first birthday. A man who has slain a lion was momentarily overwhelmed with emotion as he thanked us all for such a memorable party. Shay did an amazing job documenting the occasion - his photography is incredible, check out his
website.
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| Photo: Shay Dodds |
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| Photo: Shay Dodds |
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| Photo: Shay Dodds |
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| Photo: Shay Dodds |
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| Photo: Shay Dodds |
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| Photo: Shay Dodds |
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