Adventures in Namibia: Day 3 of Travel

     Thursday's plans were slightly altered due to the flash floods that had been occurring throughout Namibia. Back in Windhoek, they had been having intense rainfall, and the same had happened farther East where we were headed. That being said, instead of taking the paved road that went straight across then down to Mushara Bush Camp, our lodging for the evening, we had to go North to Ruacana on a dirt road and then back Southeast. This extended our 5 hour road trip for the day to become a 8 hour road trip.

     Even though this ride was not as quick and smooth as the first long haul from Windhoek to Opuwo, I once again learned a lot from our tour guide, Uanee. His mother being Himba and his father Herero, Uanee was full of information about of the customs and traditions of each. That being said, he also told us that the Herero and Himba traditions and customs, other than attire, were identical in nature. They also spoke 100% the same language--Oshiherero.

     Uanee is currently writing a book about being a tour guide throughout Namibia, and was doing a lot of research in doing so. He ran across some information about some of the major leaders in each of the cultures. In Himba and Herero cultures, the name of the son is the child's first name and then their father's first name as their last name. He then found out the main tribal leader's surname in Herero history is the same as the first name of one of the leaders in the Himba tribe. That being said, the connection as to why the Herero and Himba cultures are so similar is now starting to be made.

     Here is more information and facts that Uanee taught us throughout our very long drive to the eastern part of Etosha:

Namibia has a population of 2.03 million people, which is the second smallest in the world. However, one region, Oshana (which we traveled through), had an average of 18.7 people per kilometer, which is the largest concentration of people in a specific area in all of Africa. Overall their are 4 different regions in Namibia, each with a name that describes the area.
Mopani trees are used to build houses and are also the only tree that Mopani moths lay their eggs on. That being said, Mopani moth worms are a delicacy in Namibia. Also, Psyllids, another local bug, lay their eggs on the leaves, encompassing their eggs with a sweet, transparent dome to protect them. This dome is very sweet in nature, and Uanee shared that as a child they would lick the leaves. The leaves of these trees, however, are very bitter in nature and have no nutrition to them. Therefore, if you see a giraffe or other animal feeding on them, it is out of pure desperation.
The largest tribe within Namibia is the Owambo tribe, which is 54% of the population. Their language is Oshiwambo. Another language is KKG, which is Darrarranna. This language is used by two different tribes, one having taken it from the other.
Otjize is the red rock that the Himba women use to cover their bodies and their hair. This rock, which is only found in one place in Namibia and one place in Angola, is then mixed with fat to create the paste-like substance that they apply to their skin. This is a daily application process that keeps their skin oily and beautiful. Against myth, the paste coating does not act as a sun block in any way. They also use a thicker paste of the same mixture to put in their hair. This process takes 3 days to complete and is done every 3 months. One woman does another's hair, and the vice versa; making this nearly a week long process.

     We stopped at KFC for lunch, which lead to a few other lessons from Uanee. First, ketchup is tomato sauce and is not like our ketchup back home. Also, Pine Nut soda is like Pina Colada back home and is delicious!

     Coming close to arriving at the Bush Camp, we were unsure of what the accomodations would be like. However, as we entered we soon realized that this camp was one of the nicest places we have stayed. Although we were in tents, they were permanent structures. Two twin beds were under a mosquito net and we had a wonderful shower and bathroom. Each tent had its own patio and sitting area in front. It was beautiful and relaxing.

     After such a long drive, we all decided a swim would be nice in the amazing pool we saw out front. However, about 15 minutes into our swimming fun we made a few new friends. At first, we just saw a few small swimming beetles. Some of the girls were already freaked, the rest of us just kept swimming. However, then we found our new best friend--the water scorpion. This beast was about 5 inches in length not including the huge stinger which came out as it was swimming toward MJ. That being said, we no longer swam and escaped back to our tents until dinner.

     The main course of our meal had Eland steak. It was, by far, the best dinner I have had since arriving here, if not one of the best steaks I have ever had. It was super tender and delicious, and I ate every last bite.

     The evening concluded with reading Mzungu, a book Janelle let me borrow. It is about a Notre Dame student who did student teaching in Uganda. Reading the chapter about his first day of teaching grades 1 and 2 reminded me a lot of the chaos that took place our first day of school. Eventually, I fell asleep listening to the sounds of various cicadas, guinea fowl, and other night life in Namibia.