Our landing spot for the day trip to Namibia from Kasane, Botswana across the river. Our guide lives in Namibia and picks up day trippers like us from the Botswana side and takes us to the Immigration on both sides to clear in/out.
It had rained the night before, so our guide is getting his gumboots out of his boat. The boat is full of rainwater, but that isn't the one he used to pick us up.
Bundles of thatching grass lay up against the trees and bushes. It will be carried into the villages and used for roofs and perhaps some weaving.
We were warned it would be muddy and muddy it was! The stuff stuck to the bottoms of our shoes and our feet got heavier. We are walking to the Immigration office here.
A stick fence surrounds an enclosure for the mud brick home. They like their privacy and each family compound is surrounded like this. Termites and rain eventually eat away at the mud bricks and they have to rebuild.
The mud trail to the village.
A cattle kraal (corral) in the field. Men pile the thorny acacia branches into a fence to keep the cows there while they milk them.
Milking a cow, Namibia style.
This young calf wanted a drink of mama cow's milk, but all it got was a punch in the nose by the man holding the bucket.
A big baobab tree in the village
Jason tries to wipe off some of the sticky mud from his shoes on the roots of a baobab tree.
A typical home in this village. Mud bricks and sticks.
Another magnificent baobab tree.
A dung beetle using its hind legs to roll a ball of dung across the dirt.
Another angle of the dung beetle in action.
The ladies brought out their wares and crafts for me to look at and buy. They are very gifted artists and craftswomen, but I just didn't see the basket I was looking for. I just don't have room for this stuff on the boat. A shame as it was very nice stuff.
These are all hand carved and hand painted bowls. Such colorful designs and they use several different trees for them.
A shame I couldn't just buy a bunch for gifts or such, but they are bulky on a boat.
The carvings are quite good, too.
Not always my style or taste, but I really marvel at the amount of local talent to make these things.
A copper dung beetle shines in the sun as he gathers his shit to roll away.
Jason with one of our guide's sons at the boat landing.
Leaving Namibia and heading back across the river to Botswana.
I hope this poor village isn't the norm for Namibia. We'll see more of Namibia when we leave South Africa and head north along the Skeleton Coast on the west side of the country.
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