January 20, 2015

January 20, 2015 What a day! Before it even began there was a strange visitor in the middle of the night at our room. We had put in for a 4:30 a.m. wake up so when I heard the knock at the door, I said Asante sana (thank you) from behind the mosquito netting that covers my bed. Seemingly whomever was on duty for wake up calls this morning couldn't hear me though as the knocking continued and was soon joined by a flashlight being shone in the windows. My Asante sana became louder and more purposeful but still the knocking and the flashlight continued. I got out of bed (and by this time I was almost yelling Asante sana), shone my flashlight back out the window to let the person know we were awake. I looked at the clock which read 2:30 and that's when I realized that the knocking was the wind and the flashlight was lightening! Had to laugh at myself yelling at African nature in Swahili. Crawled back into bed but sleep eluded me from that point on (Lynda on the other hand can sleep through anything!). As the storm grew in intensity, the rain joined in and I wondered if our early morning excursion would even be able to go ahead! Luck was on our side though and by 4:45 the rain had subsided to a drizzle and we were on our way as scheduled by 5:00 a.m. (in the pitch black I might add!) By the time we arrived at the village where we would pick up our local guide Edward (who speaks Bushman) we'd already had more 4X4 adventure than I can describe. We bumped and ground our way over uneven rocky terrain and down roads that were washed out from the rains during the night. Once Edward was in the vehicle with us...the adventure began in earnest. While we thought it had been a wild ride to that point...we'd now moved into the big leagues! We forded small rivers, created roads where there were none, and eventually arrived at the last known location of the Bushmen. We were in luck and they were still there! (they stay in a place approx 1-2 weeks at a time and their move date is typically determined by the kills they get or don't get as the case may be) It was like going back in time...way back in time. They are completely nomadic and live like cavemen in huts made of grass. During the heavy rains last night they moved from their hut to under a tree where there was less "leaking". They have absolutely nothing. There are about 25 of them in their "village". They sleep on the dirt (mud) and live off the meat they kill (all hunting is done with bow and arrow. Arrows used for large prey is tipped with poison). The only other food they eat traditionally is tubers and berries they forage from the jungle. Today they occasionally supplement their diet with maize and beans. It was still dark when we arrived and they were just getting their fires going. There was some dissension as they were having some trouble in getting a good fire since all the wood they could find was so wet. They make the fire with a stick and their knife, capture an ember in a closed piece of husk like material and then blow till it lights. They can have the job done in less than a minute! It seemed they weren't happy with the location originally chosen for the fire so some of them picked up the burning embers (with their bare hands) and moved the fire a few feet over to a new "better" spot. The Bushmen wear baboon skins and their language is filled with tongue clicks and clacks and has a very different sound. Their culture dictates that the men are responsible for hunting for meat and the women for gathering berries and tubers. The tribe is also heavily into marijuana so a ceremonial pipe (covered in monkey skin) was smoked by all the men. According to our guide only one of the women chooses to smoke but all of the men do. It was very interesting to see. They draw heavily on the pipe and then as they work to keep the smoke in their lungs they make a very strange sound that is half sneezing and half grunting. Virtually no smoke is left when they exhale. The chief (chosen for his ability to hunt) started off the smoking and each of the men/boys then took a turn to join him. The Bushmen have no idea how old they are. If you were to ask them, they would reply with something like...it was a big rain when I was born or ...the men brought home an impala the day I was born. Time seems to have no meaning...they live only in the moment. Infant mortality is high and the average life span is 50-55. After we'd visited for some time, the men were ready to begin their hunt. Lynda and one of the men from our group decided to join them and what an adventure they had! They found a stash of honey, killed a dove and a squirrel and picked up a rabbit they'd shot the night before and that it had been too dark to find. They threw the rabbit and the squirrel (fur, guts, and all) directly onto a fire they built at the kill site and as soon as it was cooked enough they started to chow down. Lynda had some of each of the animals and said while good they were all pretty tough and in need of some seasoning. She said they squeezed most of the honey out into their hands and licked it up. They brought back a small piece of the hive for the rest of us to try. I had a taste and it was honey all right....honey with a little wax and a few bits of tree bark thrown in for good measure. The rest of the kill they had leftover they brought back for the women and children. Lynda said that they eat like animals...chewing the meat off the bones and then throwing the bones to the dogs (they use dogs to help them hunt). They all chew with their mouths open and eat with GUSTO! When the hunting party returned to camp where the rest of us were waiting (they were gone for approximately 2 1/2 hours) Lynda had dove feathers in her hair (just like the Bushman who'd killed the bird) and she'd made friends with them all. Once back the men demonstrated their prowess with the bow and arrow and each of us had the opportunity to try our hand with their practice arrows too. We were shooting at a stump that was about 25 meters away and while the Bushmen could hit it every time none of us were able to match them. A few of us came pretty darn close though! Pulling the arrow back in the bow takes a lot of strength before you even begin to think about aiming at anything. Our time with the women was fun...they loved to look at the photos we'd taken of them and although we couldn't understand a word they said it was easy to know that they were enjoying themselves as much as we were. Edward's role with the Bushmen is that of community liaison and so before we left he checked with the women (the women are in charge in their tribe). Sometimes they tell him if anyone is in need of medical attention or if they need help getting water or food supplements. By the time we left everyone but Lynda and Norm and our 2 guides were hungry and ready for breakfast! (they'd eaten part of the kill while we were waiting their return). Victor found a spot for us to have a Bush Breakfast and in no time a table and chairs were set up, coffee poured, and a boxed breakfast served. After breakfast Victor also presented each of us with a gift of a Massai blanket in honour of the fact that we were on a cultural safari as much as one that focuses on animals. We bumped our way back out of the Bushmen's area and thankfully Victor and Edward know their way around the back woods as the rest of us would have been hopelessly lost! Once out we visited another tribal village. The main industry of this group is metalwork. They manually run bellows to keep the fire hot enough to melt the metals and pour/fashion a variety of useful items and jewellery. In fact, this is where the Bushmen trade for their arrow heads. We toured the mud and stick house (much larger than the Massai bomas) and learned how to grind maize with rocks. Here again there is a lot of mud and the kids entertain themselves all day long in the yard. Before we left and after a demo of how they work with the metals we spent a few minutes "shopping". We don't make any donations to this tribe, instead we support them by purchasing some of their wares. By the time we were finished, we were all exhausted and we still had a long bumpy ride back to our lodge where we were again met with magnificent meals. The soups they make are absolutely delicious. Today at lunch we had arugula soup that was followed by a full buffet meal. Dinner was again 5 courses and served beautifully. The attention to detail is noticeable and appreciated. It will be long day tomorrow as we head for the Serengeti and last night was a short night thanks to our windy visitor. So...bye for now. Everyone is good. till next time....hakuna matata, Darlorlynga