Damaraland is one of the few places in the world where you have to put your hat on to make a cup of tea.
Under the noonday sun, even a proud Kudu will cosy up to the thinnest of trees to find some sparse shade. So when brewing a noon day cuppa, with no shade at all, wearing a hat is very important!
The noon day trail and time for a brew.
There is also a universal law that states: When using a 'bottled gas' cooking stove to heat water for tea, a penetrating breeze will appear from nowhere that cannot be shielded against and the kettle will never boil.
A 'fisherman's friend'
This is important because to make a satisfactory cup of Earl Grey one needs to have boiling water, near boiling just doesn't hack it.
But all is not lost because there is a solution, the 'fisherman's friend'. Designed for use on the stormy west coast of Ireland, it likes the wind, in fact the windier the better and I happen to have bought one along. The design is simplicity itself - water is contained in a jacket surrounding a chimney above a very small fire, lit in the bottom section. The only downside is that it's a bit of a falafel to get started. Firstly a handful of dry twigs must be ignited in the base, which can be tricky, hence the quick fix appeal of bottled gas, but once the FF is going, it is spectacular.........
......... and that's what I was reminded of when Robbin took me to a Himba village near Porus.
It turns out that Robbin, a qualified guide and game tracker, who I first met two years ago, is himself Himba. As the eldest son he was the only child his parents were able to send to school and on graduating at eighteen, he returned home to work on behalf of his family and community.
Robbin Uatokuja
We met for the second time in Windhoek about four weeks ago, he was undergoing some medical tests and we arranged to travel back to Porus together. On the way he told me of his plans to build a new, community run, campsite, for wanderers like me, on a piece of land he had recently leased in the Porus valley. His aim is to create local jobs and a profit that can help sustain the small community there. He also dreams of growing vegetables and we discussed the possibility of using charcoal to improve the water holding capacity in a proposed garden area, that used to be a cattle kraal.
The old kraal
There are some problems to overcome and one of them are desert elephants that wander freely along the river beds in these parts looking for garden produce! Besides being an exciting diversion for visitors, they can destroy a garden full of onions and carrots in seconds. So building an elephant proof garden wall will be a must. The combination of a one metre high, one meter wide stone wall surrounded by chilli pepper plants is probably the best defence. Apparently, once an elephant has tasted chilli, just the smell of it will dissuade any further horticultural adventures.
Of course, water is the crucial resource and it hasn't rained here for three years. But there is water, in vast underground aquifers (paradoxically Namibia has some of the world's largest water reserves) and like arteries they criss cross the land sometimes following river beds, sometimes not. As he see's it, Robbin's first task is to drill a bore hole in a section of riverbed adjoining the campsite. He's studied the land carefully and is convinced that there is water about seven metres below the surface - but it is not a certainty and if he is wrong it could cost him everything. He is a brave visionary and I like him very much.
The proposed campsite is between you and the river, which runs across the picture from right to left and is marked by lighter coloured sand. The Porus valley stretches north west to the horizon.
After a day of knocking around a few ideas together, such as marketing strategies and the design of taps. I am invited to visit some friends and family, who are living in a traditional Himba village a few miles away. We arrived early the next morning to find ten people gathered around a small smouldering fire. Two, well used, cast iron pots containing the remains of a maize porridge breakfast stood nearby. Seeing no water on the boil, I offered to make tea and coffee for everyone and went to fetch my 'fisherman's friend'. A piece of Irish technology never before used in these parts.
After the predictable falafel it got going and provided a thoughtful topic of animated conversation. Then, as the water started to bubble, out of nowhere ten assorted drinking vessels appeared. Including an empty tin can, an old ceramic mug, metal mugs, plastic cups and sawn off plastic water bottles. I rummaged around in Tilly's supply boxes , found the tea and coffee and made a fair distribution in the assorted hardware. I also found some 'Juice Master' health bars (my high energy emergency rations) which were sliced up and passed around - the children especially loved these. A search party was sent out around the huts to find some sugar, which I didn't have and we all sat around chatting and enjoying our hot drinks. After awhile it was time to leave and I asked if I could take a family portrait. It had been a grand meeting and we all shook hands in the traditional manner. This involves a firm but gentle hand grasp that swings down, then on the rise the grasp dissolves into linked thumbs, then down again to a single handshake and release. Easy when you know how and much appreciated if you do it.
I like this form of greeting very much because you have to think about it a bit and it has a recognised beginning, middle and end. It is simple, respectful and elegant, all at once.
On our way to Porus earlier that week, Robbin and I had taken a different route north from Sesfontein because I wanted to go across the Giribis Plain and through Fearless Pass, which lies to the south of the main track. This is a very beautiful and wild place.
The people who live here are mostly Himba and are devoted to their cattle that provide nourishment and are a symbol of wealth.
Visible wealth - a current account!
Soon after we saw the cattle, a lone figure appeared, who turned out to be another member of the extended family - Joshua, he was on a sweet water run, going to a nearby well, 8 km away, to fetch good drinking water. He also told us that, that morning a pride of five lions had raided a kraal 10km into the mountains and taken two cattle. They thought the pride was headed for Fearless Pass and an armed hunter was on their trail.
The water run
An hour later we came upon the cattle camp and the story was confirmed. Evidence of the raid was all around us and many lion tracks could be seen.
The camp where the cattle were taken
dfg map of places mentioned in he text. Click on the map to view expanded image.
We did not see any more signs of lion or hunter but to be sure they were there and probably saw us. The ability of things to disappear from sight, in this country, is remarkable. Fearless Pass lived up to it's name and we arrived in Puros, four hours later, dusty, dazzled and done in - a wonderful day.
Unfortunately before starting out I had forgotten to take three very ripe avocado's out of the 'floor bolted' fridge, that's in the back of the Land Rover. As everyone knows a small fridge attached firmly to the chassis of a moving 4x4, travelling over very rough ground, behaves very much like a kitchen blender and if 9 tins of "you know who's" tonic water are also confined in that space, the whole caboodle is like having a herd of elephants trapped in the garden shed. Three ripe avocados didn't stand a chance and the fact that they were cold made no difference at all!
When fishing around for a well earned drink at the end of the day I was confronted with the results of a six hour blending session. A finer mess you never saw!
First camp at the new Puros campsite. The fire place is in-between the tent and Tilly. It was a very starry night.
I hope that these words find you well and in fine spirits. That the days to come are blessed with serendipity and that your heart is open to see it.
David