Heading to Grootfontein where we will meet the San Bushmen, been living there for over 20, 000 years, about 2,000 live the traditional way and speak a clicking language. Found out that there are many languages that click in Africa. I first saw it on TV news years ago when I was in So. Africa, fascinating to hear a news caster speak and click at the same time. These people also can store fat in the buttocks for lean times and the body uses it, then the buttocks goes flat. That does not happen in Caucasian bums. Or fronts, if it did, I could go for a while. We went to a village and followed two young men wearing their traditional thong, lovely walk. We were on a bush walk to have them show us what they used from nature. Plants for medicine, soap, bow, arrow, TB, Muscle aches, water catching area in a tree and shelter as well in a hollow tree. Lots of bead work being done, ostrich shell broken then chi sled to be round, then a hole is drilled and there you have a bead. Also pieces of hollow grass, incised, dyed, cured and there is another style of bead.
Next was Etosha Park where there is set up lights and seats at a watering hole for people to view the animals at night when they are out for a drink. Kind of a Zebra disco. This park is a hugh salt pan, maybe be bigger that Bolivia, will check that out. WE saw here, black jackel, big giraffe, wildebeast all at the watering hole. A tree climbing snake-black mamba or cobra, white backed vulture, lapped face vulture-ugly is the word here, dik-dik's, hyena, zebras, hawk, guinea fowl, ostrich, orricks, gazelles, impala, mongoose, corry buster, kudo, springbuck, rhino at 30 yards!, red harte beast. Lots huh. An interesting note, a male Zebra's genitalia does not show unless aroused and the Elephant's has it's own search engine to find the mark, it is very odd to see that going on, it really does wander around. I have seen so much more than the Big 5, glad I had low expectations as they would have been low.
Now we are in the desert again. This one is different again. We camped at Spitzkoppe, the Matterhorn of Southern Africa. Huge granite outcroppings that change color very dramatically with sun rise and sun set. The moon was full to top it off, somehow I lost my serenity. Went to look for it by myself. Would be a benefit if I did that more often. I heard water running all night in my tent, thought I was in a flash flood zone, knew that I could not be as Paul the outdoors man would not have told me it was a good place to put the tent. Heard it all night, like babbling brook. In the morning I found out it was coming from up the mountain falling from a crack and then going underground. Wish I knew that earlier and I could have enjoyed the sound.
We drove to Swakopmund stopping along the way by the sea to see the Cape Seals. Many babies nursing, not seen that before. We were invited by three locals in our lodge compound for a BBQ. They were on a government sponsored fishing/tagging expedition and very excited about it. They cooked us mutton chops, sausage, jerky from Kudo and Springbok. One had a 'farm' that was over 5,000 hectares next to Etosha Park. He was a professional hunter/butcher, commercially. The other two were pharmacy owner and a local beer CEO. In their opinion they live in paradise. Real hunters and fishermen. Went to a movie, popcorn, what a treat.
At sunrise we drove to see it come up from Dune 45, which is 45 k. out of the city. One had to climb it for the best deal. I made it almost, far enough for me. Spectacular, and I got to see the view I was waiting for in Namibia. The lone tree against the white sand floor of the desert and the red sand dune. Yummy
Fish River Canyon is about as big as the Grand Canyon. Hard for the mind to grasp.There are Quiver trees and that is what the local use the bark for, related to Aloe. Elephant trunk trees, yup looks like them . Barren here except by the river where grapes grow, and the bugs are amazing, and so prolific.
Now, the sunset at the canyon was beyond anything I have ever seen. I took a photo, but it does not capture the magnitude. The colors were all around, on fire and then soft. Bigger than anything I can describe at this moment.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Botswana
More driving and voila, we are at another border into Botswana. We camp in Chobe Park. In the morning there are foot prints of hippos. We were told to stay away from the waters edge because it is full of hippos and they are not so hospitable either. I could hear them grunting all the night and when I had to get up for a bush pee, I was positive there was a very small giraffe in front of the tent. I had been so warned about the animals in the night, take my light with me at all times etc. that I was imagining many things. In the morning, it was tree trunks with a good outline of a general shape of a little giraffe, so I thought. Also wild hogs wandered thru the camp as well. Gotta love camping in Africa.
This part of Africa has a panhandle of Namibia that crosses over the top of Botswana. We must cross over the borders twice as the only road is in Namibia to get to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The delta is formed by the Okavango River from Angola. It flows into a basin at the edge of the Kalahari Desert and fans out into an unspoilt ecosystem. Naturally it is lots of water in the wet season. On to a ferry we go, then stuck in the sand. We got to use the sand mats once again. We were better off than another overland truck we tried to help out. The passenger door had flown open and sprung itself, it was a suicide door. Odd design for this type of vehicle, and it had lost both of the rear tires and wheels. Seems that the lug bolts were not on tight. Our well trained drivers could not help as there was too much sand and the truck was heavy and just continued to sink. This truck had one female leader/driver and 7 young women. They had called for help and did not need to come with us, to the disappointment of our men. Some of what I saw in the delta: little bee eater bird is yellow with a dark mask like the Lone Ranger, Pealse fish owl which was a roan color, tiny water Lillie's the size of my thumbnail, star shaped Lillie's with fringe on the edges, regular water Lillie's-lavender, pink, white, Papyrus grass, buffalo grass. We were paddled around the water, thru the grasses by Rincon, our Mokoro canoe poler. He grew up in the delta and assured me that he knew the way and we would not get lost. The boat are shallow and flat bottomed, I sat in the bottom and was poled forward into the grasses. Not a bad way to spend the day. On to the next country, Namibia.
This part of Africa has a panhandle of Namibia that crosses over the top of Botswana. We must cross over the borders twice as the only road is in Namibia to get to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The delta is formed by the Okavango River from Angola. It flows into a basin at the edge of the Kalahari Desert and fans out into an unspoilt ecosystem. Naturally it is lots of water in the wet season. On to a ferry we go, then stuck in the sand. We got to use the sand mats once again. We were better off than another overland truck we tried to help out. The passenger door had flown open and sprung itself, it was a suicide door. Odd design for this type of vehicle, and it had lost both of the rear tires and wheels. Seems that the lug bolts were not on tight. Our well trained drivers could not help as there was too much sand and the truck was heavy and just continued to sink. This truck had one female leader/driver and 7 young women. They had called for help and did not need to come with us, to the disappointment of our men. Some of what I saw in the delta: little bee eater bird is yellow with a dark mask like the Lone Ranger, Pealse fish owl which was a roan color, tiny water Lillie's the size of my thumbnail, star shaped Lillie's with fringe on the edges, regular water Lillie's-lavender, pink, white, Papyrus grass, buffalo grass. We were paddled around the water, thru the grasses by Rincon, our Mokoro canoe poler. He grew up in the delta and assured me that he knew the way and we would not get lost. The boat are shallow and flat bottomed, I sat in the bottom and was poled forward into the grasses. Not a bad way to spend the day. On to the next country, Namibia.
Zimbabwe Part 2
When in Hwange National Park, our guide was Andy. This man knows all. He took us tracking, now, it is really on. I followed this man, after listening to him all day, I would follow him and feel safe anytime, anywhere. We were to go rhino tracking. These are really big animals and have no sense of humor. There I was following the MAN in his shorts with a big rifle slung over his shoulder thru the bush. If that was not exciting enough, now he is shushing us and motioning us to keep low and quiet. He is sure the White Rhino terrible twins are close. Holy cow, they were, and hugh, and close. I was standing behind a tree with a trunk the size of my wrist, now one would think that was silly, but, I did listen to Andy. He said they cannot see very well and if I did not move, they would not see me at all. By using the little tree for cover, I did not have to crouch, and that is not my favorite position. This was the most exciting part of any game drive I had all thru Africa. Awesome...Oh, they are called white by mistake, it really means wide mouth, in Dutch,but, you know how that goes in translation. They are about the same color as the black ones. I am not sure how close one has to be to tell the width of their mouths, Andy did not have to get very close. Me, the binoculars would do.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Zimbabwe
Wow, we were not coming to Harare, however one of the passengers grew up in Zimbabwe and was on a memory trip. Off to Harare we went. From years of news I thought it would be a shambles, not so at all. The CBD was an architectural beauty. Soaring buildings and western hotels abounded. There really was not many places to eat and we were a bit earl for lunch, we wandered to the Crowne Plaza and there we enjoyed glorious food like we had not seen for months. Cloth napkins, service, pretty decorations, modern toilets and deserts. Heaven for us starved campers.
Also, it was a day of their protests. All we saw as we were leaving the city were lots of buses crammed with people coming in for the demonstration. We had been missing all the kerfuffle all thru Africa. Whew!
On to Antelope Park. This is a place that breeds lions so humans can walk with them, see them charge at the fence in front of your face to get their food. Elephants to ride on, etc. A really big kind of interactive zoo. Not supported by Intrepid, we went anyway. I did not participate with the animals, did laundry instead. The facility is well equipped, lots of lawn to camp on. The best part were the walkway lights cut out of sheet metal to resemble Guinea Fowl. Liked them lots. At night, this was Africa, lions roaring all night. Whooo.
Zimbabwe is named after a stone structure that has not mortar to keep it together. One of the wonders of what man can do. I have built many walls, and am in awe of those that can do that. It is basically in a spiral shape, the purpose I was told was for pre-marital teachings for women. When I asked what the men got for this insight, the gentleman that was our leader said, 'we don't need teachings'. WHAT? It is the same all over the world. There is also a royal palace and is a Unesco site from the 11th century.
We next go to Hwange National Park. This was fantastic. Our guide was Andy, who knew everything and with fervor and joy.
Animals we saw:
Giant Eagle Owl-wings make no sound
Verox eagle-black 6 foot wingspan
Cliff springer
Black baboons
Giraffe- males have squared neck and females are more round
Hippos swish their tail to spread their scat in the bush and also in the water
Elephants roll their food in the mouth, rhino's break the brush at a 45 degree angle, that is how you can tell who's scat it is.
Plants communicate with each other when leaves are eaten to the next plant downwind. It will excrete tannins to make it un-appetizing. Spots on Giraffes regulate heat. Herd of Zebras called a dazzle because they look like they are vibrating. Local name-disco donkeys. Kudo's can jump over the cars headlights, their horns are like corkscrews and lock up often. The ox-picker bird's call will advise where game is. Doves make milk! This park is the size of Belgium
Mzungo means foreigner/white
Jambo means hello
Nakuna Matata means be happy
Grapple thorn, photo on Picasa is used for diabetes. The teak forest was used for railroad ties, imagine that. Water bucks have a white O on the rump. Antelope called brite eyes because they have a white circle around the eye. Antelopes come in other colors too, sable and roan. Kudu's have vertical stripes on the body. African darter bird has snake like neck. Lilac breasted roller is bird of Botswana and Ghana. Elephants dig down in the mud to eat it for the salt.
Victoria Falls, what to say, it is very long and narrow, causing the spray to rise to the sky. We went on a helicopter to see it. Would do that again. Hung out at the Victoria Falls hotel, with different men, maybe looked a bit suspicious, but, two of our men stayed there two different nights and we hung out with them. It is an old and beautiful colonial hotel looking out over the falls.
Also, it was a day of their protests. All we saw as we were leaving the city were lots of buses crammed with people coming in for the demonstration. We had been missing all the kerfuffle all thru Africa. Whew!
On to Antelope Park. This is a place that breeds lions so humans can walk with them, see them charge at the fence in front of your face to get their food. Elephants to ride on, etc. A really big kind of interactive zoo. Not supported by Intrepid, we went anyway. I did not participate with the animals, did laundry instead. The facility is well equipped, lots of lawn to camp on. The best part were the walkway lights cut out of sheet metal to resemble Guinea Fowl. Liked them lots. At night, this was Africa, lions roaring all night. Whooo.
Zimbabwe is named after a stone structure that has not mortar to keep it together. One of the wonders of what man can do. I have built many walls, and am in awe of those that can do that. It is basically in a spiral shape, the purpose I was told was for pre-marital teachings for women. When I asked what the men got for this insight, the gentleman that was our leader said, 'we don't need teachings'. WHAT? It is the same all over the world. There is also a royal palace and is a Unesco site from the 11th century.
We next go to Hwange National Park. This was fantastic. Our guide was Andy, who knew everything and with fervor and joy.
Animals we saw:
Giant Eagle Owl-wings make no sound
Verox eagle-black 6 foot wingspan
Cliff springer
Black baboons
Giraffe- males have squared neck and females are more round
Hippos swish their tail to spread their scat in the bush and also in the water
Elephants roll their food in the mouth, rhino's break the brush at a 45 degree angle, that is how you can tell who's scat it is.
Plants communicate with each other when leaves are eaten to the next plant downwind. It will excrete tannins to make it un-appetizing. Spots on Giraffes regulate heat. Herd of Zebras called a dazzle because they look like they are vibrating. Local name-disco donkeys. Kudo's can jump over the cars headlights, their horns are like corkscrews and lock up often. The ox-picker bird's call will advise where game is. Doves make milk! This park is the size of Belgium
Mzungo means foreigner/white
Jambo means hello
Nakuna Matata means be happy
Grapple thorn, photo on Picasa is used for diabetes. The teak forest was used for railroad ties, imagine that. Water bucks have a white O on the rump. Antelope called brite eyes because they have a white circle around the eye. Antelopes come in other colors too, sable and roan. Kudu's have vertical stripes on the body. African darter bird has snake like neck. Lilac breasted roller is bird of Botswana and Ghana. Elephants dig down in the mud to eat it for the salt.
Victoria Falls, what to say, it is very long and narrow, causing the spray to rise to the sky. We went on a helicopter to see it. Would do that again. Hung out at the Victoria Falls hotel, with different men, maybe looked a bit suspicious, but, two of our men stayed there two different nights and we hung out with them. It is an old and beautiful colonial hotel looking out over the falls.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
South Africa
WE had to change out of our truck-Helena- at the Nambian border. Cannot take a non South African working truck in. So, we emptied all our stuff into a rental van. How we now appreciated how comfy our truck was. No one heard of good suspension for a people van? Stayed at a flash campground, swimming pool, bit area to cook and grass to camp on. Oops, the sprinkler was set a bit too high and my gear got very wet. I was not a happy camper now. The white, Germanic manager was not so nice. There were some things not claimed from the truck, so I now had a wooden giraffe and a wooden bowl with Guinea Fowl painted inside. Just what I always wanted. These proved to cost me $60 to mail to the USA. Could have taken a photo instead.
Cape Town was a good as I remembered. I got new glasses, fixed the broken tooth, bought an IPod Touch and stayed a week. Got to meetings, what a relief and relaxed in my room with TV and new IPod. Lovely park and a good museum in walking distance.
Had another view from Table Mountain, did not remember that the gondola spins on its way up. I was not afraid at all. Tick that fear off.
Cape Town was a good as I remembered. I got new glasses, fixed the broken tooth, bought an IPod Touch and stayed a week. Got to meetings, what a relief and relaxed in my room with TV and new IPod. Lovely park and a good museum in walking distance.
Had another view from Table Mountain, did not remember that the gondola spins on its way up. I was not afraid at all. Tick that fear off.
Mozambique
This huge country has a bit squeezed out like a big bump, bordering Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe. We got a transit visa and drove thru it. Four border crossing experiences for this day. Lots of driving. Lots of gazing out the window.
On to the next country.
On to the next country.
Malawi
Camped on the shore of Lake Malalwi at Kandi Beach. It is long and skinny and so wide one cannot see across it. Now it has turned green, what a treat. So much sand so far.
One night we were invited to have dinner with a local family, our guide and hosts name was Mel Giblson. We sat on mats and were served delicious food, one dish made from cassava, pumpkin soup, rice, pinto beans, spinach like vegetable. the casava was rather plain, could have done with a big dollop of butter, salt and pepper. After dinner we were entertained by the children. Very trained to line up for the dancing. Even the little ones could do what was termed the 'dirty boogie' when I was a teenager, and did it better. No Victorian morals there at all. It is true, white men cannot dance. When the group was forced up to dance with the children, well, compare cooked noodles with a stick. Good fun. Camped at Lilongwe on the way to the border.
Just like the word-Lilongwe.
This beach was touted as a 'party beach', many tried to make it a reality. One group of Australians camping next to us had a costume night, some were still in them in the morning. Our group did their best, some more than others. Good thing I am retired from that kind of 'party'.
One night we were invited to have dinner with a local family, our guide and hosts name was Mel Giblson. We sat on mats and were served delicious food, one dish made from cassava, pumpkin soup, rice, pinto beans, spinach like vegetable. the casava was rather plain, could have done with a big dollop of butter, salt and pepper. After dinner we were entertained by the children. Very trained to line up for the dancing. Even the little ones could do what was termed the 'dirty boogie' when I was a teenager, and did it better. No Victorian morals there at all. It is true, white men cannot dance. When the group was forced up to dance with the children, well, compare cooked noodles with a stick. Good fun. Camped at Lilongwe on the way to the border.
Just like the word-Lilongwe.
This beach was touted as a 'party beach', many tried to make it a reality. One group of Australians camping next to us had a costume night, some were still in them in the morning. Our group did their best, some more than others. Good thing I am retired from that kind of 'party'.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tanzania
I like the way the local people pronounce their country name, not Tan Zan ia like I learned, but, Tan Zania. Sounds exotic, and it is.
Now, I am close to the Serengeti. Exciting. We camp outside of the Ngorongoro Crater. We are told not to leave the tent at night without a torch, if it shines into the eyes and they are red, it is a hyena and if yellow, it is a lion. What a dilema to pee in the night. This is for real now. Ngorongoro means the sound of the Maasi cow bell, the local saying is: the road is singing and we are dancing. The crater is 250 Square Kilometers. The animals are special in the crater, they cannot get out except the elephant, it can walk up the road. The Big Five are in this crater. Lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, zebra and hippo. Saw them all along the track.
Ah, the Serengeti of TV fame. OOOHH, now it is time to get up for the sunrise balloon ride over the Serengeti. We get a ride to the site, watch the gas burners start to inflate the balloon. Our pilot gives up our place in the basket, it holds 16 and we load while it is on its side. Seems too big to lift. Then it is time to get in, lay down and pray. It starts to tip us vertical and slowly it rises, it is so quiet and gentle, I did not even know it was off the ground. We floated at different heights, sometimes at tree tops level and then higher. It was like on TV. I did not talk, was to in awe to do so. After we had a five star breakfast and were told how the name came to be for the pilot. He was a pioneer in the balloon experiment in France. When he finally made it work, champagne was called for, after all, it was France. His name was Mr. Pilot. Good one, eh?
This was a highlight of my trip.
On to Zanzibar, the most exotic name of the trip. We did go to a spice farm and learned so much about how they grow and some I never heard of before. I have tried to make the masala chai work that I got there, not the same. From Dar Es Salaam we went on a ferry to the island. What was I thinking staying out in the sun? I was wondering why my forehead felt sore, after all I had put sun screen on it early in the day. Forgetting that I was wiping it because I was hot. At least it kept me out of the sun on the island. Not much for a beach holiday. The main town of Stonetown was a big transit place for the slaves that poured out of Africa. Awful conditions that humans can impose on each other. Men were kept in a cell without water or food, then to a whipping post, mde from a Jojoba tree. Only the strong survived, that was the theory for the bad conditions. They were worth more money if they did not cry out. Zanzibar is 90% Muslim. Seemed odd. Glad to go.
South of Dar was another brush with danger. We were on a windy mountain road that was under construction. We had the green light, and then, here comes a big truck head on to us. Jase manourvered us off the road, into the dirt, we tipped at a precarious angle, then he righted us and back on the road. He was a policeman and had extra training, a blessing that day. When we were in the Serengeti, I was told that those big trucks could tip quite far as they were so heavy and the center of gravity was so low. I was thinking of that when I was looking down at the ground out the window and felt safe. Then we saw three trucks overturned. Bravo Jase.
Now, I am close to the Serengeti. Exciting. We camp outside of the Ngorongoro Crater. We are told not to leave the tent at night without a torch, if it shines into the eyes and they are red, it is a hyena and if yellow, it is a lion. What a dilema to pee in the night. This is for real now. Ngorongoro means the sound of the Maasi cow bell, the local saying is: the road is singing and we are dancing. The crater is 250 Square Kilometers. The animals are special in the crater, they cannot get out except the elephant, it can walk up the road. The Big Five are in this crater. Lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, zebra and hippo. Saw them all along the track.
Ah, the Serengeti of TV fame. OOOHH, now it is time to get up for the sunrise balloon ride over the Serengeti. We get a ride to the site, watch the gas burners start to inflate the balloon. Our pilot gives up our place in the basket, it holds 16 and we load while it is on its side. Seems too big to lift. Then it is time to get in, lay down and pray. It starts to tip us vertical and slowly it rises, it is so quiet and gentle, I did not even know it was off the ground. We floated at different heights, sometimes at tree tops level and then higher. It was like on TV. I did not talk, was to in awe to do so. After we had a five star breakfast and were told how the name came to be for the pilot. He was a pioneer in the balloon experiment in France. When he finally made it work, champagne was called for, after all, it was France. His name was Mr. Pilot. Good one, eh?
This was a highlight of my trip.
On to Zanzibar, the most exotic name of the trip. We did go to a spice farm and learned so much about how they grow and some I never heard of before. I have tried to make the masala chai work that I got there, not the same. From Dar Es Salaam we went on a ferry to the island. What was I thinking staying out in the sun? I was wondering why my forehead felt sore, after all I had put sun screen on it early in the day. Forgetting that I was wiping it because I was hot. At least it kept me out of the sun on the island. Not much for a beach holiday. The main town of Stonetown was a big transit place for the slaves that poured out of Africa. Awful conditions that humans can impose on each other. Men were kept in a cell without water or food, then to a whipping post, mde from a Jojoba tree. Only the strong survived, that was the theory for the bad conditions. They were worth more money if they did not cry out. Zanzibar is 90% Muslim. Seemed odd. Glad to go.
South of Dar was another brush with danger. We were on a windy mountain road that was under construction. We had the green light, and then, here comes a big truck head on to us. Jase manourvered us off the road, into the dirt, we tipped at a precarious angle, then he righted us and back on the road. He was a policeman and had extra training, a blessing that day. When we were in the Serengeti, I was told that those big trucks could tip quite far as they were so heavy and the center of gravity was so low. I was thinking of that when I was looking down at the ground out the window and felt safe. Then we saw three trucks overturned. Bravo Jase.
Kenya
We camp at the border on the grounds of the police station. Katie, my southern belle, freaks out at all the cockroaches in the outhouse, called a 'drop toilet' here. Some drops are longer than others. There was a lot. We cross the border with a police guard. In fact, we have had many police/guards on the trip so far. We were in a 'no mans land' a disputed part between Ethiopia and Kenya. Don't know why, not much there. A bit further on, with no guns on board, there were guns outside. We were shot at by three gunmen, wearing shorts, which I thought was so casual. Heard a shot hit the truck, the command from Jase, the leader/driver to get down! We did just that. Before I went down, I saw one of the gunmen with this rifle. They were aiming for the tires to blow them and we would stop. They missed and Jase drove on-fast. The bullet probably hit the wheel and spun off. We were lucky, the bandits are plentiful in this area, we found out later.
We arrived at our first real animal park. Our guides were from the Samburu tribe. They are like the Maasai but not so touristy. They are beautiful people and dress a bit like the TV Maasai, red sarongs, with lots of beads and wonderful hairdo's. We saw a leopard in a tree and my favorite deer, they have long necks and big ears. Exciting. The tribe danced for us, now we know why they jump so much. The spear goes further. Simple. Many of the tribes we went to jumped while dancing.
I was standing on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, finally. It is a very big slit in the earth. While in Addis Ababa we saw the famous, Lucy. Not at all what I thought, she is very small and looks like a monkey. I guess I thought she would look like a shorter me.
Here were the first hippo's. They don't look so big in the water until they open their mouths. On land they are almost as big as a rhino.
All I saw of Nairobi was a bed and a toilet. Thank the Gods that Lynette's friend Claire took care of me in her home. What a waste of several days. At the least, I felt rested after and ready to re-join my group. One night in the fancy hotel and we were off again.
And, the first person was voted off the Dragoman reality show. Thank Clod.
We arrived at our first real animal park. Our guides were from the Samburu tribe. They are like the Maasai but not so touristy. They are beautiful people and dress a bit like the TV Maasai, red sarongs, with lots of beads and wonderful hairdo's. We saw a leopard in a tree and my favorite deer, they have long necks and big ears. Exciting. The tribe danced for us, now we know why they jump so much. The spear goes further. Simple. Many of the tribes we went to jumped while dancing.
I was standing on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, finally. It is a very big slit in the earth. While in Addis Ababa we saw the famous, Lucy. Not at all what I thought, she is very small and looks like a monkey. I guess I thought she would look like a shorter me.
Here were the first hippo's. They don't look so big in the water until they open their mouths. On land they are almost as big as a rhino.
All I saw of Nairobi was a bed and a toilet. Thank the Gods that Lynette's friend Claire took care of me in her home. What a waste of several days. At the least, I felt rested after and ready to re-join my group. One night in the fancy hotel and we were off again.
And, the first person was voted off the Dragoman reality show. Thank Clod.
Addis Ababa to Nairobi
Leaving Addis we headed for the Shala Park and Lake Abiata. We camped on to of the mountain looking down on the salt lakes. This sunset was THE ONE of the magazines, umbrella Acacia tree, mountains, deep colors in the sky. I had arrived. I was really in Africa. We stayed in a lodge, bunk style. Our group decided to BBQ, inside. It looked like it would work, big pit with a hood and such. However, we had to evacuate as the smoke really did not have a way out. We had a family of wart hogs that came into the camp for some water, many big antelope were also roaming about. Here is where we were invited into tribal camps. I am so glad to be me. Our guide was named Dhasa, he is from the Hamer tribe. When we went to the home of a family, we were served coffee, this is made from the outside shell and boiled, then served in half a huge gourd. I do not know, nor thought to ask what happened to the inside, which is what we brew and drink. The home was a very small hut, no light and cooking on the ground outside. We were shown an outside bed, it was a small depression in the dirt with one small animal skin laid in it. The women never bathed, the male situation was not mentioned. All of us were so quiet, no one asked. In this area starts the scarification and some very interesting rituals. One of which is the Jumping of the Bulls. No ordinary jumping like in Crete, nooo. When a man is ready to marry, he must jump up on the backs of many bulls lined up. He must not fall as he runs across all of them, jump down and repeat it four times. Nude. All duded up with beads, hair do, shiny skin. We did get to witness this passage. If he falls, no marriage. I believe he must wait years to try again. It is a very big ceremony, involving hundreds of people. The hardest part for us was the women. Seems that the more blood they can get to run while beating themselves with a switch shows how much they love this man and please choose me. This part was hard and confusing, lots of women that were not in the running, also were beating themselves. If he misses, he gets the switch. A very exciting day for all, adrenalen was hig for the participants and us viewers.
One village had the 'Singing for the Bulls". this was a very long and deep trench dug in as a ramp to a well. The men went down the well on little ladders to bucket up the water, which was put in a trough for the cattle. When the cattle hear the singing, they know it is time for a drink. The singing is done to keep a rhythem going to haul up the buckets. Very impressive.
Another village used small trees trunks and branches to make the walkways around the village. Through out the village were plazas. In the plaza were commerative stones, shaped like tall, thin tombstones, these marked the 'warrier' that had killed another village warrier. I got a coughing attack and could not hear it anymore. Too much praise for murder and something in there made me cough. Also in this village was the most unusual necklace, made from cockroach shells. I touched it, wished I had not as the back part of the shell was like a needle and I got stabbed with it. I did not buy it.
One village had the 'Singing for the Bulls". this was a very long and deep trench dug in as a ramp to a well. The men went down the well on little ladders to bucket up the water, which was put in a trough for the cattle. When the cattle hear the singing, they know it is time for a drink. The singing is done to keep a rhythem going to haul up the buckets. Very impressive.
Another village used small trees trunks and branches to make the walkways around the village. Through out the village were plazas. In the plaza were commerative stones, shaped like tall, thin tombstones, these marked the 'warrier' that had killed another village warrier. I got a coughing attack and could not hear it anymore. Too much praise for murder and something in there made me cough. Also in this village was the most unusual necklace, made from cockroach shells. I touched it, wished I had not as the back part of the shell was like a needle and I got stabbed with it. I did not buy it.
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