I had the most fantastic weekend. Myself, Pete and a few other volunteers headed up to the Angolan border for the weekend. The landscape changes so dramatically even after only 70km north of Outapi. First the earth becomes red and then the plateau, upon which most of the country rests, ends and the road dips down an enormous hill. Suddenly the landscape is lush and filled with rolling hills and there are mountains in the distance. It is truly a dramatic change after living in a flat arid environment for so long.
I also saw Himba people for the first time. The Himba people colour their skin with ochre and Vaseline to achieve a beautiful reddish hue.
Nearly all of the women I saw had babies attached either to their fronts or to their backs. The women had long braids with big, bushy ends. They wore many ringed necklaces upon their necks. The women were bare-chested; I wonder if this is to easier feed their children. They wore short leather skirts. Many also wore a beaded piece of jewellery across their stomachs. Upon their ankles were many ringed anklets similar to their necklaces. They were barefoot.
The men had shaved heads. They wore long, thin caps that fit on the centre of their heads. I think that there is a thin strip of hair underneath these caps after seeing a young baby boy with his hair shaved in this manner. The men wore material wrapped around their waists like short sarongs. They were neither bare-chested nor barefoot like the women. They wore sleevless t-shirts and leather sandals. They also carried sturdy wooden sticks.
We also travelled to the Ruacana Falls which are said to rival the Victoria Falls when they are falling. However, the falls were not falling despite the heavy rains recently. The falls are controlled by a dam that lies just over the border in Angola. We decided to explore the rocky outcrops of the falls and climbed over a wire fence. Not far away, we saw a stone marker in the ground upon which "ANGOLA" was printed in bold red letters. Angola! We spent some time in Angola and wondered if it was a land of opportunity. Guessing not, we eventually made our way back to Namibia.
We spent two nights camping by the Kunene River, which acts as a natural border between Angola and Namibia. One afternoon, Pete and I followed the sounds of children and came to a wire fence that separated us from another part of the river. We climbed over the fence and met with a group of about 30 children playing in the river. Two curious girls came towards us. They told us that they were a group of Himba children from Opuwo. More children came over. The children were hot and wanted to get back in the water with us. I told them that I would watch (from the safety of the river bank), but they grabbed my hands and dragged me in with them. Not only worried about the crocodiles (the woman running the campsite told us they were in the water "100 percent"), I was also worried about getting bilharzia! I could imagine worms entering my body through the soles of my feet as I stepped in the squishy muddy river bottom, and I am sure it is only a matter of time before snails start to develop in my ovaries.
But the water did feel really good.
I also saw Himba people for the first time. The Himba people colour their skin with ochre and Vaseline to achieve a beautiful reddish hue.
Nearly all of the women I saw had babies attached either to their fronts or to their backs. The women had long braids with big, bushy ends. They wore many ringed necklaces upon their necks. The women were bare-chested; I wonder if this is to easier feed their children. They wore short leather skirts. Many also wore a beaded piece of jewellery across their stomachs. Upon their ankles were many ringed anklets similar to their necklaces. They were barefoot.
The men had shaved heads. They wore long, thin caps that fit on the centre of their heads. I think that there is a thin strip of hair underneath these caps after seeing a young baby boy with his hair shaved in this manner. The men wore material wrapped around their waists like short sarongs. They were neither bare-chested nor barefoot like the women. They wore sleevless t-shirts and leather sandals. They also carried sturdy wooden sticks.
We also travelled to the Ruacana Falls which are said to rival the Victoria Falls when they are falling. However, the falls were not falling despite the heavy rains recently. The falls are controlled by a dam that lies just over the border in Angola. We decided to explore the rocky outcrops of the falls and climbed over a wire fence. Not far away, we saw a stone marker in the ground upon which "ANGOLA" was printed in bold red letters. Angola! We spent some time in Angola and wondered if it was a land of opportunity. Guessing not, we eventually made our way back to Namibia.
We spent two nights camping by the Kunene River, which acts as a natural border between Angola and Namibia. One afternoon, Pete and I followed the sounds of children and came to a wire fence that separated us from another part of the river. We climbed over the fence and met with a group of about 30 children playing in the river. Two curious girls came towards us. They told us that they were a group of Himba children from Opuwo. More children came over. The children were hot and wanted to get back in the water with us. I told them that I would watch (from the safety of the river bank), but they grabbed my hands and dragged me in with them. Not only worried about the crocodiles (the woman running the campsite told us they were in the water "100 percent"), I was also worried about getting bilharzia! I could imagine worms entering my body through the soles of my feet as I stepped in the squishy muddy river bottom, and I am sure it is only a matter of time before snails start to develop in my ovaries.
But the water did feel really good.
posted by Sinéad at 10:22 AM
1 Comments:
Beautiful entry. I adore the simple sentences of awe.
I sent you something. I hope it makes it there.
Steph
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